Install Exasol - step by step

The database hosts must be pre-installed with a supported Linux distribution and meet the minimum system requirements for an Exasol installation. For more details about hardware and operating system requirements, see System Requirements.

If you are installing Exasol on instances in a cloud service, refer to the cloud service provider’s documentation to learn how to configure network and security settings.

For additional guidelines on how to prepare an optimal environment for an Exasol deployment, including how to secure your system and keep your data safe, see Planning Guide.

SSH access

You can run the installation process from a separate Linux system (jump host) or from one of the database hosts. In both cases, the host running the installation will access the other hosts over SSH. If you install Exasol on a single host system without using a jump host, SSH is not required. However, we recommend that you set up SSH anyway, as this enables passwordless login and makes it easier to add more hosts later.

With the default installation procedure, Exasol will be run by a user who has root privileges on the database hosts. To install Exasol for a non-root user, additional configuration steps are required. For more information, see Rootless Installation.

Before you can install Exasol you must prepare the hosts and the network environment.

Step 1: Configure the network

The first step is to configure the network settings so that the hosts can communicate with each other and with the (optional) jump host on the required ports.

Step 2: Create the installation user

The next step is to create a dedicated user for Exasol on all hosts. This user must have sudo privileges to be able to install and update Exasol.

Step 3: Set up SSH authentication

To allow the hosts to communicate with each other and with the (optional) jump host over SSH, you must configure an SSH key pair and install it on each host.

Step 4: Prepare storage devices

Data in an Exasol database is stored on volumes, which are assigned to storage devices (disks). You must prepare all the storage devices before you continue with the installation.

Once the hosts and network have been configured, you can start installing Exasol.

Step 5: Download and install software

Exasol Deployment Tool (c4) is a command-line application that is used to download and deploy Exasol on all platforms. The c4 application can run either on a separate system (jump host) or on one of the database hosts.

Step 6: Create a configuration

In this step you will create a configuration file that c4 will use for the installation. The configuration file defines all necessary parameters such as network addresses, disk devices, the number of nodes, and so on.

Step 7: Deploy to hosts

When the configuration is prepared, you are ready to start the deployment process. Exasol Deployment Tool (c4) will deploy Exasol over the private network and then start up the database on all nodes. You can make a “dry run” to validate the configuration before you run the actual installation.

When Exasol is up and running you can connect to the database and start loading data using SQL clients and other tools. You can also access the nodes over SSH and manage your system through the different administrative interfaces.