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Prepare Your Linux Environment for a Manual Installation

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This article walks through recommendations to prepare your Linux environment for the manual installation of the Pentaho Server on your own web application server. 

Process Overview

The following tasks for preparing a Linux environment for Pentaho Server installation include setting up the correct directory structure, ensuring proper tools are in place, and the downloading and unpacking of the Pentaho installation files:

If you have already installed a web application server, you can skip Step 4 of this process.

  1. Create the Pentaho User.
  2. Create Linux Directory Structure.
  3. Install Java.
  4. Install Your Web Application Server.
  5. Install the Pentaho Repository Host Database.
  6. Download and Unpack the Installation Files.
  7. Set Environment Variables.
  8. Advanced Linux Considerations.

Create the Pentaho User

Create a 'pentaho' user account that is assigned administrative privileges by performing the following steps.

  1. Create an administrative user on the computer which will host the Pentaho Server and name it 'pentaho'.
  2. Verify that you have the appropriate permissions to read, write, and execute commands in the pentaho user's home directory.
  3. Make sure your users can write to the directory where you install the Pentaho suite.

You will use this account to complete the rest of the installation instructions.

Create Linux Directory Structure

Choose an installation path. We recommend the following steps.

  1. Log on to the machine on which you will run the Pentaho Server. Make sure that you are logged on as the pentaho user.
  2. Create this directory path from the 'Pentaho' home directory. 
    <your home directory>/pentaho/server/pentaho-server
<your home directory>/.pentaho
  3. Verify that you have the appropriate permissions to read, write, and execute commands in the directories you created.

Install Java

Install a supported version of Java.

  1. Check the Components Reference to see which version of Java Pentaho supports.
  2. Download the supported version of the JRE or JDK from the Oracle site and install it. 

Install Your Web Application Server

If you want to install Pentaho on your own web application server, you will first need to install your web application server. You must complete the installation yourself.

If you already have a Tomcat or JBoss web application server installed and you want to run the Pentaho Server on it, you can skip this step.

The Pentaho Server can be deployed on either the Tomcat or JBoss web application server. By default, Pentaho Server software is configured for Tomcat, so if you choose to use Tomcat, you will make fewer configuration changes than choosing to use JBoss.

  1. Check the Components Reference list to see which version of Tomcat or JBoss Pentaho supports.
  2. To download and install the web application software, use the instructions in the documentation for the web application server of your choice. We recommend that you install the web application server in the pentaho/server/pentaho-server directory.
  3. Verify the web application server is installed correctly by starting it and viewing the default page. If the web application server does not start, troubleshoot it using the web application server's documentation before you continue with the Pentaho Server installation process.
  4. Stop the web application server.

Install the Pentaho Repository Host Database

The Pentaho Repository houses data needed for Pentaho tools to provide scheduling and security functions. The repository also stores metadata and models for reports that you create. You can choose to host the Pentaho Repository on the following supported databases:

  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Oracle
  • MS SQL Server

To install the Pentaho Repository's host database, complete the following steps.

  1. Check the Components Reference section to determine which versions of the databases Pentaho supports.
  2. Download and install the database of your choice. 
  3. Verify that the database is installed correctly.

Download and Unpack Installation Files

The Pentaho Server software, data files, and examples are stored in pre-packaged .war and .zip files. You will need to manually copy these files to correct directories.

Step 1: Download Files

Download the following installation and plugin files from the Pentaho Customer Support Portal.

  1. On the Customer Portal home page, sign in using the Pentaho support user name and password provided in your Pentaho Welcome Packet. 
  2. Click Downloads, then click Pentaho 8.0 GA Release in the 8.x list. 
  3. On the bottom of the Pentaho 8.0 GA Release page, click the Pentaho Server > Manual Build (No Web Application Server) folder in the Box widget and download each of the files listed below.

Optionally, on the bottom of the Pentaho 8.0 GA Release page, click the Operations Mart folder in the Box widget and download the Pentaho Operations Mart .zip file. 

Component Zip File
Pentaho Server Installation File pentaho-server-5.0.0-dist.zip
Dashboard Designer Plugin pdd-plugin-ee-5.0.0-dist.zip
Interactive Reporting Plugin pir-plugin-ee-5.0.0-dist.zip
Pentaho Analyzer Plugin paz-plugin-ee-5.0.0-dist.zip
BA Operations Mart Files (which are optional) pentaho-operations-mart-5.0.0-dist.zip

Step 2: Unpack the Pentaho Server Installation File

Since the Pentaho Server installation file is a package file, perform the following steps to unpack it:

  1. Unzip the Pentaho Server Installation file to a folder. The packaged installation file is in the folder.
  2. Run the install.sh. file to unpack the installation file. The IZPak window appears.

If you are unpacking the file in a non-graphical environment, open a Terminal or Command Prompt window and type 'java -jar installer.jar -console' and follow the instructions presented in the window.​ 

  1. Read the license agreement in the IZPack window. Select the I accept the terms of this license agreement check box, and then click Next.
  2. In the Select the installation path text box, browse to or enter the directory where you created the /pentaho/server/pentaho-server directory, and then click Next.
  3. A warning message appears informing you that the directory already exists. Click Yes.  Any existing files in the directory will be retained.
  4. Click Quit when the installation progress is complete.
File Unzip the Contents of the File to this Directory
license-installer.zip pentaho/server
jdbc-distribution-utility.zip pentaho/server
pentaho-data.zip

pentaho/server/pentaho-server
pentaho-solutions.zip pentaho/server/pentaho-server

 

  1. Copy the .war and .html files to the following directories on your web application server.​
    File Copy Files to this Directory
    pentaho.war
    • Tomcat: pentaho/server/pentaho-server/<your tomcat installation directory>/webapps
    • JBoss: pentaho/server/pentaho-server/<your jboss installation directory>/standalone/deployments
    pentaho-style.war
    • Tomcat: pentaho/server/pentaho-server/<your tomcat installation directory>/webapps
    • JBoss: pentaho/server/pentaho-server/<your jboss installation directory>/standalone/deployments
    PentahoServer_OSS_Licenses.html pentaho/server/pentaho-server

Step 3: Unpack Plugin Files

Since the plugin files are package files, they must be unpacked. Perform the following steps for each of the plugin files:

  1. Unzip the plugin file to a folder. The packaged installation file is in the folder.
  2. Run the install.sh file to unpack the installation file. The IZPak window appears.

If you are unpacking the file in a non-graphical environment, open a Terminal or Command Prompt and type java -jar installer.jar -console and follow the instructions presented in the window.

  1. Read the license agreement in the IZPack window. Select the I accept the terms of this license agreement check box, and then click Next.
  2. In the Select the installation path text box, enter the 'pentaho/server/pentaho-server/pentaho-solutions/system' directory, then click Next.
  3. A warning message appears informing you that the directory already exists. Click Yes. Any existing files in the directory will be retained.
  4. Click Quit when the installation progress is complete.

Step 4: (Optional) Unpack Operations Mart DDL Files

Since the Operations Mart distribution file is a package file, perform the following steps to unpack it:

  1. ​Unzip the BA Operations Mart distribution file to a folder. The packaged installation file is in the folder. 
  2. Run the install.sh file to unpack the installation file. The IZPak window appears.
  3. Read the license agreement in the IZPack window. Select the I accept the terms of this license agreement check box, and then click Next.
  4. In the Select the installation path text box, save the file in the pentaho/server/pentaho-server/data directory, and then click Next.
  5. A warning message appears informing you that the directory already exists. Click Yes. Any existing files in the directory will be retained.
  6. Click Quit when the installation is complete.
  7. Unzip the pentaho-operations-mart-ddl-5.0.0.zip file.  Move the directory for your database into pentaho/server/pentaho-server/data/<database name> and delete the others. The appropriate database names are shown in the following table:
    If your Pentaho Repository is on: Copy this directory into pentaho/server/pentaho-server/data/
    PostgreSQL postgresql
    MySQL mysql5
    Oracle oracle10g
    MS SQL Server sqlserver

Step 5: Verify Directory Structure

Verify that the files have been placed in the following locations by comparing the following directory structures with yours.

If your web application server is located in a directory other than  the pentaho/server/pentaho-server directory, the pentaho.war and pentaho-style.war files should appear where you've chosen to install your web application server.

Pentaho Subdirectories:

After you have finished unpacking all of the plugin and pentaho operations mart files, the pentaho directory structure should contain these subdirectories:

  • pentaho/server/pentaho-server/pentaho-solutions/system/analyzer
  • pentaho/server/pentaho-server/pentaho-solutions/system/dashboards
  • pentaho/server/pentaho-server/pentaho-solutions/system/pentaho-interactive-reporting
  • pentaho/server/pentaho-server/
  • pentaho/server/pentaho-server/data/<database name>

Set Environment Variables

Perform the following steps to set the PENTAHO_JAVA_HOME environment variables. 

If you are using a JRE, set the JRE_HOME home environment variable as well.

  1. Set the path of the PENTAHO_JAVA_HOME variable to the path of your Java installation, like this. 
    export PENTAHO_JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle
  2. Log off and log on again, then verify the variables have been properly set. 
  3. Verify the variables have been properly set.

If you do not set these variables, Pentaho will not start correctly. 

Advanced Linux Considerations

The following section is for Linux users who have a headless node.  There are two headless server scenarios that require special procedures on Linux system: 

  • A system which has no video card
  • A system which has a video card, but does not have an X server installed.

In some situations, particularly if your server does not have a video card, you will have to perform both procedures to properly generate reports with the Pentaho Server.

Systems without Video Cards

The java.awt.headless option enables systems without video output and/or human input hardware to execute operations that require them. To set this application server option when the Pentaho Server starts, you will need to modify the startup scripts for either the Pentaho Server or your Java application server.

While you do not need to do this step now, you will need to complete it prior to starting the Pentaho Server. At this point, add the following item to the list of CATALINA_OPTS parameters: '-Djava.awt.headless=true'. 

The entire line should look something like this:

export CATALINA_OPTS="-Djava.awt.headless=true -Xms4096m -Xmx6144m -XX:MaxPermSize=256m -Dsun.rmi.dgc.client.gcInterval=3600000 -Dsun.rmi.dgc.server.gcInterval=3600000"

If you intend to create a Pentaho Server service control script, you must add this parameter to that script's CATALINA_OPTS line.

Systems without X11

If you do not have an X server installed, you must complete these instructions.

To generate charts, the Pentaho Reporting engine requires functions found in X11. If you are unwilling or unable to install an X server, you can install the xvfb package instead. The xvfb package provides the X11 framebuffer emulation, which performs all graphical operations in the memory rather than sending them to the screen.

Use your operating system's package manager to properly install the xvfb package.

Prepare Your Pentaho Repository

Once you have finished preparing your environment, you can initialize and configure your Pentaho Repository. Select the database that you are using as your Pentaho Repository: