Assigning Roles to Nodes for Best Performance

The architecture of MapR software allows virtually any service to run on any node, or nodes, to provide a high-availability, high-performance cluster. Below are some guidelines to help plan your cluster's service layout.

Don't Overload the ZooKeeper

High latency on a ZooKeeper node can lead to an increased incidence of ZooKeeper quorum failures. A ZooKeeper quorum failure occurs when the cluster finds too few copies of the ZooKeeper service running. If the ZooKeeper node is also running other services, competition for computing resources can lead to increased latency for that node. If your cluster experiences issues relating to ZooKeeper quorum failures, consider reducing or eliminating the number of other services running on the ZooKeeper node.

Reduce TaskTracker Slots Where Necessary

Monitor the server load on the nodes in your cluster that are running high-demand services such as ZooKeeper or CLDB. If the TaskTracker service is running on nodes that also run a high-demand service, you can reduce the number of task slots provided by the TaskTracker service. Tune the number of task slots according to the acceptable load levels for nodes in your cluster.

Separate High-Demand Services

The following are guidelines about which services to separate on large clusters:

  • JobTracker on ZooKeeper nodes: Avoid running the JobTracker service on nodes that are running the ZooKeeper service. On large clusters, the JobTracker service can consume significant resources.
  • MySQL on CLDB nodes: Avoid running the MySQL server that supports the MapR Metrics service on a CLDB node. Consider running the MySQL server on a machine external to the cluster to prevent the MySQL server’s resource needs from affecting services on the cluster.
  • TaskTracker on CLDB or ZooKeeper nodes: When the TaskTracker service is running on a node that is also running the CLDB or ZooKeeper services, consider reducing the number of task slots that this node's instance of the TaskTracker service provides. See Resource Allocation for Jobs and Applications.
  • Webserver on CLDB nodes: Avoid running the webserver on CLDB nodes. Queries to the MapR Metrics service can impose a bandwidth load that reduces CLDB performance.
  • JobTracker on large clusters: Run the JobTracker service on a dedicated node for clusters with over 250 nodes.