Installing the Cloudera Navigator Data Management Component

The Cloudera Navigator data management component is implemented in two distinct roles—Navigator Audit Server, and Navigator Metadata Server—that run on the Cloudera Management Service. These roles can be added during the initial Cloudera Manager installation, or added later to an existing Cloudera Manager cluster.

The steps on this page are for installing Cloudera Navigator as part of a new Cloudera Manager cluster installation and for adding the service to an existing cluster. For information about upgrading an existing deployment, see Upgrading the Cloudera Navigator Data Management Component.

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Minimum Recommended Memory and Disk Space

Resource Navigator Audit Server Navigator Metadata Server
Memory Varies, but requires less than Navigator Metadata Server 40 GB total
Java heap size 2 – 3 GB 10–20 GB (initial setup)
OS buffer cache 20 GB 20 GB (initial setup). Increase by 20-GB increments over time as needed.
Disk Multiple hundreds of GB. Depends on cluster size and audit volumes generated. 200 GB (SSD recommended)
Default path None. Location of the Cloudera Navigator database. /var/lib/cloudera-scm-navigator
Navigator Metadata Server and Navigator Audit Server have different recommended configurations that you should consider when you plan your deployment. For initial installation, keep the following in mind:
  • Navigator Audit Server Memory and Disk Requirements—For Navigator Audit Server, a Java heap size of 2-3 GB (gigabytes) is usually sufficient (memory typically does not pose any issues). For Navigator Audit Server, it is the database configuration that can affect performance and so must be configured properly. Because Navigator Audit Server might need to push millions of rows of audit data daily (depending on the cluster size, number of services, and other factors), Cloudera recommends:
    • Set up the database on the same host as the Navigator Audit Server to minimize latency.
    • Monitor the database workload over time and tune as needed.
  • Navigator Metadata Server Memory and Disk Requirements—Navigator Metadata Server relies on an embedded Solr instance for its Search capability. The Solr indexes are saved locally to the host’s hard-disk drive and typically consume only tens of GBs of disk space, so allocating ~200 GBs for the data is usually sufficient. For Navigator Metadata Server disk, Cloudera recommends:
    • Mount SSD drives on the host where the Solr index will be located, for fastest I/O.
    • Use the Purge function once the system is up and running to keep the hard-disk drive consumption at that location in check.
    Bottlenecks that might emerge for Navigator Metadata Server are typically associated with I/O and memory (not CPU). Memory includes Java heap size and available RAM that can be used for the OS buffer cache setting. For Navigator Metadata Server RAM, Cloudera recommends:
    • Set Java heap size to 10-20 GB, which should be sufficient for initial setup.
    • Increase the OS buffer cache by 20 GB to improve performance if necessary, depending on the cluster activity.
See Navigator Metadata Server Tuning for more information.

Configuring a Database for Cloudera Navigator

During the Cloudera Navigator installation process, you must select a database to store audit events and policy, role, and audit report metadata. You can choose the embedded PostgreSQL database, or you can choose an external database such as Oracle or MySQL (see CDH and Cloudera Manager Supported Databases for other supported database systems).

For production environments, Cloudera recommends using an external database rather than the embedded PostgreSQL database. In addition, the database must be setup and running before you begin the installation process. For more information, see Step 4: Install and Configure Databases.

Adding Cloudera Navigator Roles During the Cloudera Manager Installation Process

Cloudera Manager Required Role: Full Administrator

  1. Install Cloudera Manager as detailed in Cloudera Installation Guide.
  2. On the first page of the Cloudera Manager installation wizard, choose one of the license options that supports Cloudera Navigator:
    • Cloudera Enterprise Cloudera Enterprise Trial
    • Cloudera Enterprise, and upload the license:
      1. Click Upload License.
      2. Click the document icon to the left of the Select a License File text field.
      3. Go to the location of your license file, click the file, and click Open.
      4. Click Upload.
    • Flex Edition
    • Cloudera Enterprise
  3. Click Continue to proceed with the installation.
  4. In the first page of the Add Services procedure, click the Include Cloudera Navigator checkbox.
  5. To use external databases, enter the Cloudera Navigator Audit Server and Metadata Server database properties in the Database Setup page.

Adding Cloudera Navigator Data Management Roles to an Existing Cloudera Manager Cluster

If the Cloudera Manager cluster has sufficient resources, you can add instances of either Cloudera Navigator roles to the cluster at any time. For more information, see:

Cloudera Navigator Data Management Documentation

Other topics related to configuring, upgrading, managing, and using Cloudera Navigator Data Management component are listed in the following table.

FAQ Cloudera Navigator Frequently Asked Questions answers common questions about Cloudera Navigator data management component and how it interacts with other Cloudera products and cluster components.
Introduction Cloudera Navigator Data Management Overview provides an overview for data stewards, governance and compliance teams, data engineers, and administrators. Includes Getting Started with Cloudera Navigator, an overview of the Cloudera Navigator console (the UI) and the Cloudera Navigator APIs.
User Guide Cloudera Navigator Data Management guide shows data stewards, compliance officers, and other business users how to use Cloudera Navigator for data governance, compliance, data stewardship, and other tasks. Topics include Auditing, Metadata, Lineage Diagrams, Cloudera Navigator and the Cloud, Services and Security Management, and more.
Upgrade Upgrading the Cloudera Navigator Data Management Component
Security Configuring Authentication for Cloudera Navigator
Configuring TLS/SSL for Navigator Audit Server
Configuring TLS/SSL for Navigator Metadata Server
Release Notes Cloudera Navigator Data Management Release Notes