Setting up a production cluster

You can set up a production cluster for operational analytics.

1. Set the heap size for the application server. The heap size has a very significant impact on the performance of the IBM MobileFirst Platform Operational Analytics. The heap size must be set on each application server that is hosting a node. The -Xms Java™ option sets the minimum heap size value. The -Xmx Java option sets the maximum heap size value. For example, to reserve 8 GB of memory for the IBM MobileFirst Platform Operational Analytics, set the following Java options:

   -Xms8G -Xmx8G

   Note:

   • The minimum heap size for a production server is 8 GB.
   • Do not allocate more than half of the system memory to the application server that is running the IBM MobileFirst Platform Operational Analytics.
   • Set the minimum and maximum heap size to the same value for an application server that is hosting the IBM MobileFirst Platform Operational Analytics.
   • To change the heap size on WebSphere Application Server, from the console, go to WebSphere Application Servers/<server name>/Java, and Process Management/Process definition/Java Virtual Machine. Then, restart the server for changes to be taken into account.
   For an IBM MobileFirst Platform Operational Analytics that runs on a server with 32 GB of RAM, the optimal heap size is:

   -Xms16G -Xmx16G

2. Configure the first node in the cluster. The first node in the cluster is important because some properties can be set only by this node. It is important to ensure that the settings for the node are present before you start the application servers. The first node in a cluster must be a master node. A master node can also act as a data node.
   1. Configure the node to be a master node. Set the nodetype JNDI property to master.

      <jndiEntry jndiName="analytics/nodetype" value="master" />

      Note: By default, a node acts as a master and data node. If you want to create a node that acts as both a master and a data node, the node type does not need to be set.
   2. Set the number of shards. Set the shards JNDI property to the number of shards you want.

      <jndiEntry jndiName="analytics/shards" value="10" />

   3. Set the number of replicas. Set the replicas_per_shard JNDI property to the number of replicas you want.

      <jndiEntry jndiName="analytics/replicas_per_shard" value="2" />

   After all of the JNDI properties are set, the application server can be started.
3. Add a node to an existing cluster.
   1. Set the node type. Set the nodetype JNDI property to either master or data.

      <jndiEntry jndiName="analytics/nodetype" value="master" />
      <jndiEntry jndiName="analytics/nodetype" value="data" />

      Note: By default, a node acts as a master and data node. If you want to create a node that acts as both a master and a data node, the node type does not need to be set.
      Note: If you are deploying to a WebSphere Application Server cluster, do not set the nodetype JNDI property. All nodes in the WebSphere Application Server cluster must act as master and data nodes.
   2. Provide a list of the master nodes. Set the masternodes JNDI property to a comma delimited list of host names for the master node.

      <host>:<transport-port>,<host>:<transport-port>

      The default transport port is 9600. You can change this value by using a JNDI property. For more information about the transport port, see Ports that are used by the IBM MobileFirst Platform Operational Analytics.

      For example:

      <jndiEntry jndiName="analytics/masternodes"
                 value="master1.ibm.com:9600,master2.ibm.com:9600" />

4. Configure the worklight.properties file. Set the wl.analytics.url property to point to any of the nodes (can point to a master or data node).

   wl.analytics.url=http://<hostname>:<port>/analytics-service/data