---
layout: default
navsection: installguide
title: Install API server and Controller
...
{% comment %}
Copyright (C) The Arvados Authors. All rights reserved.
SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-3.0
{% endcomment %}
# "Introduction":#introduction
# "Install dependencies":#dependencies
# "Set up database":#database-setup
# "Update config.yml":#update-config
# "Update nginx configuration":#update-nginx
# "Install arvados-api-server and arvados-controller":#install-packages
# "Confirm working installation":#confirm-working
h2(#introduction). Introduction
The Arvados core API server consists of four services: PostgreSQL, Arvados Rails API, Arvados Controller, and Nginx.
Here is a simplified diagram showing the relationship between the core services. Client requests arrive at the public-facing Nginx reverse proxy. The request is forwarded to Arvados controller. The controller is able handle some requests itself, the rest are forwarded to the Arvados Rails API. The Rails API server implements the majority of business logic, communicating with the PostgreSQL database to fetch data and make transactional updates. All services are stateless, except the PostgreSQL database. This guide assumes all of these services will be installed on the same node, but it is possible to install these services across multiple nodes.
!(full-width){{site.baseurl}}/images/proxy-chain.svg!
h2(#dependencies). Install dependencies
# "Install PostgreSQL":install-postgresql.html
# "Install Ruby and Bundler":ruby.html
# "Install nginx":nginx.html
# "Install Phusion Passenger":https://www.phusionpassenger.com/library/walkthroughs/deploy/ruby/ownserver/nginx/oss/install_passenger_main.html
h2(#database-setup). Set up database
{% assign service_role = "arvados" %}
{% assign service_database = "arvados_production" %}
{% assign use_contrib = true %}
{% include 'install_postgres_database' %}
h2(#update-config). Update config.yml
Starting from an "empty config.yml file,":config.html#empty add the following configuration keys.
h3. Tokens
SystemRootToken: "$system_root_token"
ManagementToken: "$management_token"
Collections:
BlobSigningKey: "$blob_signing_key"
These secret tokens are used to authenticate messages between Arvados components.
* @SystemRootToken@ is used by Arvados system services to authenticate as the system (root) user when communicating with the API server.
* @ManagementToken@ is used to authenticate access to system metrics.
* @Collections.BlobSigningKey@ is used to control access to Keep blocks.
Each token should be a string of at least 50 alphanumeric characters. You can generate a suitable token with the following command:
~$ tr -dc 0-9a-zA-Z </dev/urandom | head -c50 ; echo
h3. PostgreSQL.Connection
PostgreSQL:
Connection:
host: localhost
user: arvados
password: $postgres_password
dbname: arvados_production
Replace the @$postgres_password@ placeholder with the password you generated during "database setup":#database-setup .
h3. Services
Services:
Controller:
ExternalURL: "https://ClusterID.example.com"
InternalURLs:
"http://localhost:8003": {}
RailsAPI:
# Does not have an ExternalURL
InternalURLs:
"http://localhost:8004": {}
Replace @ClusterID.example.com@ with the hostname that you previously selected for the API server.
The @Services@ section of the configuration helps Arvados components contact one another (service discovery). Each service has one or more @InternalURLs@ and an @ExternalURL@. The @InternalURLs@ describe where the service runs, and how the Nginx reverse proxy will connect to it. The @ExternalURL@ is how external clients contact the service.
h2(#update-nginx). Update nginx configuration
Use a text editor to create a new file @/etc/nginx/conf.d/arvados-api-and-controller.conf@ with the following configuration. Options that need attention are marked in red.
proxy_http_version 1.1;
# When Keep clients request a list of Keep services from the API
# server, use the origin IP address to determine if the request came
# from the internal subnet or it is an external client. This sets the
# $external_client variable which in turn is used to set the
# X-External-Client header.
#
# The API server uses this header to choose whether to respond to a
# "available keep services" request with either a list of internal keep
# servers (0) or with the keepproxy (1).
#
# Following the example here, update the 10.20.30.0/24 netmask
# to match your private subnet.
# Update 1.2.3.4 and add lines as necessary with the public IP
# address of all servers that can also access the private network to
# ensure they are not considered 'external'.
geo $external_client {
default 1;
127.0.0.0/24 0;
10.20.30.0/24 0;
1.2.3.4/32 0;
}
# This is the port where nginx expects to contact arvados-controller.
upstream controller {
server localhost:8003 fail_timeout=10s;
}
server {
# This configures the public https port that clients will actually connect to,
# the request is reverse proxied to the upstream 'controller'
listen 443 ssl;
server_name ClusterID.example.com;
ssl_certificate /YOUR/PATH/TO/cert.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /YOUR/PATH/TO/cert.key;
# Refer to the comment about this setting in the passenger (arvados
# api server) section of your Nginx configuration.
client_max_body_size 128m;
location / {
proxy_pass http://controller;
proxy_redirect off;
proxy_connect_timeout 90s;
proxy_read_timeout 300s;
proxy_max_temp_file_size 0;
proxy_request_buffering off;
proxy_buffering off;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
proxy_set_header X-External-Client $external_client;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto https;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
}
}
server {
# This configures the Arvados API server. It is written using Ruby
# on Rails and uses the Passenger application server.
listen localhost:8004;
server_name localhost-api;
root /var/www/arvados-api/current/public;
index index.html index.htm index.php;
passenger_enabled on;
# If you are using RVM, uncomment the line below.
# If you're using system ruby, leave it commented out.
#passenger_ruby /usr/local/rvm/wrappers/default/ruby;
# This value effectively limits the size of API objects users can
# create, especially collections. If you change this, you should
# also ensure the following settings match it:
# * `client_max_body_size` in the previous server section
# * `API.MaxRequestSize` in config.yml
client_max_body_size 128m;
}
{% assign arvados_component = 'arvados-api-server arvados-controller' %}
{% include 'install_packages' %}
{% assign arvados_component = 'arvados-controller' %}
{% include 'start_service' %}
h2(#confirm-working). Confirm working installation
We recommend using the "Cluster diagnostics tool.":diagnostics.html The first few tests (10, 20, 30) will succeed if you have a working API server and controller. Of course, tests for services that you have not yet installed and configured will fail.
Here are some other checks you can perform manually.
h3. Confirm working controller
$ curl https://ClusterID.example.com/arvados/v1/config
h3. Confirm working Rails API server
$ curl https://ClusterID.example.com/discovery/v1/apis/arvados/v1/rest
h3. Confirm that you can use the system root token to act as the system root user
$ curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $system_root_token" https://ClusterID.example.com/arvados/v1/users/current
h3. Troubleshooting
If you are getting TLS errors, make sure the @ssl_certificate@ directive in your nginx configuration has the "full certificate chain":http://nginx.org/en/docs/http/configuring_https_servers.html#chains
Logs can be found in @/var/www/arvados-api/current/log/production.log@ and using @journalctl -u arvados-controller@.
See also the admin page on "Logging":{{site.baseurl}}/admin/logging.html .