Hardware

Minimum Specifications

Following is the minimum system requirement for the ClusterControl host:

• Architecture: x86_64 only
• RAM: >2 GB
• CPU: >2 cores
• Disk space: >40 GB
• Tested cloud platform:
  • AWS EC2
  • Google Cloud
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Digital Ocean
• Internet connection (for selected cluster deployment)

The above should be able to manage and monitor a three-node database cluster smoothly.

Capacity Planning

In regards to capacity planning, to simply put into perspective, we have seen real-world use-case where a single ClusterControl server in production with 24 CPUs, 32GB RAM, 150 GB disk space (currently 92% usage) to manage 67 clusters with around 130 nodes (database + load balancers).

We have also covered optimizing the performance of ClusterControl in this blog post, How to Optimize Performance of ClusterControl and Its Components.

CPU

The CPU capacity of the ClusterControl server plays a crucial role in handling various tasks such as monitoring, managing, and orchestrating database clusters. To accommodate a significant workload and ensure scalability for future growth, we recommend a minimum of 8 to 24 CPU cores with multi-threading capabilities.

RAM

Memory availability directly impacts the performance and responsiveness of ClusterControl, especially when handling a large number of database clusters and nodes. For optimal operation, we recommend 8 to 32 GB of RAM. However, considering the increasing complexity of database environments and potential future expansions, provisioning additional memory is advisable. During the installation stage, the installer script tunes the necessary parameters for MySQL and Apache according to the amount of RAM in the host. If you have increased the RAM after the installation, it is recommended to revisit the tuning by looking at this blog post, How to Optimize Performance of ClusterControl and Its Components.

Disk Space

Disk space requirements primarily depend on the size of the monitoring data, logs, backups, and other associated files generated by ClusterControl. Given the example use-case disk utilization of 92% for 150GB, it is recommended to allocate at least 300GB of disk space for the ClusterControl server. This ensures sufficient headroom for data growth and temporary storage needs. If you use ClusterControl as the centralized backup repository, consider adding more disk space, adding another disk or mounting a networked file system like NFS, SMB or iSCSI to cater to this. If you use Prometheus and agent-based monitoring, you may also use a dedicated Prometheus server (by default Prometheus will be installed on the ClusterControl server) to scale up the monitoring resources.

Network Bandwidth

ClusterControl relies on network communication for monitoring, provisioning, and managing database clusters. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure adequate network bandwidth to support the expected workload. A Gigabit Ethernet connection or higher is recommended for optimal performance. For inter-WAN communication, consider placing the ClusterControl server at the nearest of the most critical segment (production/primary).

Additional Considerations

High Availability

For mission-critical environments, implementing high availability (HA) for the ClusterControl server is highly recommended. This involves deploying redundant ClusterControl nodes in an active-passive or active-active configuration to ensure continuous operation and fault tolerance. See Standby ClusterControl Server for High Availability or High Availability ClusterControl (CMON HA). Note that CMON HA is only available in the Enterprise edition.

Storage Performance

While sufficient disk space is essential, equally important is the performance of the storage subsystem. Utilizing fast and reliable storage technologies such as solid-state drives (SSDs) or high-performance RAID arrays can significantly improve the responsiveness of ClusterControl, especially during data-intensive operations like backups, restores, scaling and reporting.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Regular monitoring of hardware resources, including CPU, RAM, disk space, and network utilization, is essential to identify potential bottlenecks or capacity issues proactively. Additionally, periodic maintenance tasks such as disk cleanup, log rotation, and performance tuning should be scheduled to optimize the ClusterControl server’s performance and stability.