How can I use python > 2.6.6 with spark on BigInsights on cloud Enterprise clusters?

Question

The version of python with BigInsights is currently 2.6.6. How can I use a different version of Python with my spark jobs running on yarn?

Note that users of BigInsights on cloud do not have root access.

Answer 1

Install Anaconda

This script installs anaconda python on a BigInsights on cloud 4.2 Enterprise cluster. Note that these instructions do NOT work for Basic clusters because you are only able to login to a shell node and not any other nodes.

Ssh into the mastermanager node, then run (changing the values for your environment):

export BI_USER=snowch
export BI_PASS=changeme
export BI_HOST=bi-hadoop-prod-4118.bi.services.us-south.bluemix.net

Next run the following. The script attempts to be as idemopotent as possible so it shouldn't matter if you run it multiple times:

# abort if the script encounters an error or undeclared variables
set -euo

CLUSTER_NAME=$(curl -s -k -u $BI_USER:$BI_PASS  -X GET https://${BI_HOST}:9443/api/v1/clusters | python -c 'import sys, json; print(json.load(sys.stdin)["items"][0]["Clusters"]["cluster_name"]);')
echo Cluster Name: $CLUSTER_NAME

CLUSTER_HOSTS=$(curl -s -k -u $BI_USER:$BI_PASS  -X GET https://${BI_HOST}:9443/api/v1/clusters/${CLUSTER_NAME}/hosts | python -c 'import sys, json; items = json.load(sys.stdin)["items"]; hosts = [ item["Hosts"]["host_name"] for item in items ]; print(" ".join(hosts));')
echo Cluster Hosts: $CLUSTER_HOSTS

wget -c https://repo.continuum.io/archive/Anaconda2-4.1.1-Linux-x86_64.sh

# Install anaconda if it isn't already installed
[[ -d anaconda2 ]] || bash Anaconda2-4.1.1-Linux-x86_64.sh -b

# You can install your pip modules using something like this:
# ${HOME}/anaconda2/bin/python -c 'import yourlibrary' || ${HOME}/anaconda2/pip install yourlibrary

# Install anaconda on all of the cluster nodes
for CLUSTER_HOST in ${CLUSTER_HOSTS}; 
do 
   if [[ "$CLUSTER_HOST" != "$BI_HOST" ]];
   then
      echo "*** Processing $CLUSTER_HOST ***"
      ssh $BI_USER@$CLUSTER_HOST "wget -q -c https://repo.continuum.io/archive/Anaconda2-4.1.1-Linux-x86_64.sh"
      ssh $BI_USER@$CLUSTER_HOST "[[ -d anaconda2 ]] || bash Anaconda2-4.1.1-Linux-x86_64.sh -b"

      # You can install your pip modules on each node using something like this:
      # ssh $BI_USER@$CLUSTER_HOST "${HOME}/anaconda2/bin/python -c 'import yourlibrary' || ${HOME}/anaconda2/pip install yourlibrary"

      # Set the PYSPARK_PYTHON path on all of the nodes
      ssh $BI_USER@$CLUSTER_HOST "grep '^export PYSPARK_PYTHON=' ~/.bash_profile || echo export PYSPARK_PYTHON=${HOME}/anaconda2/bin/python2.7 >> ~/.bash_profile"
      ssh $BI_USER@$CLUSTER_HOST "sed -i -e 's;^export PYSPARK_PYTHON=.*$;export PYSPARK_PYTHON=${HOME}/anaconda2/bin/python2.7;g' ~/.bash_profile"
      ssh $BI_USER@$CLUSTER_HOST "cat ~/.bash_profile"
   fi
done

echo 'Finished installing'

Running a pyspark job

If you are using pyspark, you can use anaconda python, set the following variables before running the pyspark command:

export SPARK_HOME=/usr/iop/current/spark-client
export HADOOP_CONF_DIR=/usr/iop/current/hadoop-client/conf

# set these to the folders where you installed anaconda
export PYSPARK_PYTHON=/home/biadmin/anaconda2/bin/python2.7
export PYSPARK_DRIVER_PYTHON=/home/biadmin/anaconda2/bin/python2.7

spark-submit --master yarn --deploy-mode client ...

# NOTE: --deploy-mode cluster does not seem to use the PYSPARK_PYTHON setting
...

Zeppelin (optional)

If you are using Zeppelin (as per these instructions for BigInsights on cloud), set the following variables in zeppelin_env.sh:

# set these to the folders where you installed anaconda
export PYSPARK_PYTHON=/home/biadmin/anaconda2/bin/python2.7
export PYSPARK_DRIVER_PYTHON=/home/biadmin/anaconda2/bin/python2.7