How To Install Apache Cassandra on CentOS 6

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Apache Cassandra on CentOS 6. For those of you who didn’t know, Apache Cassandra is a NoSQL database intended for storing large amounts of data in a decentralized, highly available cluster. NoSQL refers to a database with a data model other than the tabular relations used in relational databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Microsoft SQL. The Apache Cassandra database is the right choice when you need scalability and high availability without compromising performance.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple. I will show you the step-by-step installation of Apache Cassandra on CentOS 6.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: CentOS 6.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Install Apache Cassandra on CentOS 6

Step 1. First, download the latest Java archive.

Download the latest Java SE Development Kit 8 release from its official download page or use the following commands to download from the shell:

### CentOS 64-Bit ###
cd /opt/
wget --no-cookies --no-check-certificate --header "Cookie: gpw_e24=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oracle.com%2F; oraclelicense=accept-securebackup-cookie" "http://download.oracle.com/otn-pub/java/jdk/8u40-b25/jdk-8u40-linux-x64.tar.gz"
tar xzf jdk-8u40-linux-x64.tar.gz

### CentOS 32-Bit ###
cd /opt/
wget --no-cookies --no-check-certificate --header "Cookie: gpw_e24=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oracle.com%2F; oraclelicense=accept-securebackup-cookie" "http://download.oracle.com/otn-pub/java/jdk/8u40-b25/jdk-8u40-linux-i586.tar.gz"
tar xzf jdk-8u40-linux-i586.tar.g

Install JAVA using alternatives:

# cd /opt/jdk1.8.0_40/
# alternatives --install /usr/bin/java java /opt/jdk1.8.0_40/bin/java 2
# alternatives --config java
There are 3 programs which provide 'java'.
  Selection    Command
-----------------------------------------------
*  1           /opt/jdk1.8.0/bin/java
 + 2           /opt/jdk1.8.0_25/bin/java
   3           /opt/jdk1.8.0_40/bin/java
Enter to keep the current selection[+], or type selection number: 3

At this point, JAVA 8 has been successfully installed on your system. We also recommend to set up java and jar commands path using alternatives:

alternatives --install /usr/bin/jar jar /opt/jdk1.8.0_40/bin/jar 2
alternatives --install /usr/bin/javac javac /opt/jdk1.8.0_40/bin/javac 2
alternatives --set jar /opt/jdk1.8.0_40/bin/jar
alternatives --set javac /opt/jdk1.8.0_40/bin/javac

Verify Installed Java version:

# java -version
java version "1.8.0_40"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_40-b25)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.40-b25, mixed mode)

Step 2. Add DataStax Community Repository.

Add new repository:

nano /etc/yum.repos.d/datastax.repo

Add the following information to the file you’ve created:

[datastax]
name = DataStax Repo for Apache Cassandra
baseurl = http://rpm.datastax.com/community
enabled = 1
gpgcheck = 0

Step 3. Install Apache Cassandra.

yum install dsc20

Step 4. Configure Apache Cassandra Environment.

export JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/jre1.8.0_40/
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/java/jre1.8.0_40/bin/

Step 5. Start and Verify the newly installed Cassandra.

service cassandra start

Check Cassandra service status:

service cassandra status

Enter Cassandra command line:

# cqlsh
Connected to Test Cluster at localhost:9160.
[cqlsh 3.1.7 | Cassandra 1.2.10 | CQL spec 3.0.0 | Thrift protocol 19.36.0]
Use HELP for help.

Check Cassandra node status:

nodetool status

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Apache Cassandra. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing Apache Cassandra on CentOS 6 system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you to check the official Apache Cassandra website.

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