When you use E-MapReduce (EMR), cluster instability may occur or clusters may become unavailable due to unexpected operations. Take note of the information in this topic to avoid these issues. This topic describes the limits of EMR.
When you use EMR, you must perform all operations in the EMR console. We recommend that you do not perform operations in the Elastic Compute Service (ECS) console. This may cause cluster instability or abnormalities. Take note of the information in this topic. In the case that you perform the operations that are prohibited, you will bear the consequences and responsibilities.
High-risk operations (prohibited)
Operation | Possible result | Suggestion |
Delete or modify the hosts file that is stored in the etc/ directory. | You cannot find the services that run on the nodes of your cluster, which causes service exceptions. | Add information to the hosts file. |
Modify parameters in component configuration files in the ECS console. | After specific services are restarted, the settings of the parameters that are modified are overwritten. | Modify the parameters in the EMR console. |
Redeploy ECS instances in the ECS console or by calling the API operation provided by ECS. | The EMR service is affected. | None |
Attach disks to the nodes of your EMR cluster in the ECS console or by calling the API operation provided by ECS. | The disks are unavailable because EMR cannot recognize and initialize the disks. | None |
Detach disks from the nodes of your EMR cluster in the ECS console or by calling the API operation provided by ECS. | This may cause data loss because EMR is unaware of the disk detaching operation. | |
Remove core nodes in the ECS console or by calling the API operation provided by ECS. | This causes data loss, and execution failures of jobs on the removed nodes. | None |
Remove master nodes in the ECS console or by calling the API operation provided by ECS. |
| None |
Remove task nodes in the ECS console or by calling the API operation provided by ECS. | The jobs that you run on the removed nodes fail. | None |
Stop the MySQL service of the master node. (Type is set to Built-in MySQL when you create an EMR cluster.) | The MySQL service deployed on the master-1-1 node is associated with Hive MetaStore, Oozie, and Ranger. If you stop the MySQL service, the associated components cannot access the specific database. | None |
Change the password of the root user that is used to access the MySQL service deployed on the master-1-1 node. (Type is set to Built-in MySQL when you create an EMR cluster.) | The associated component such as Hue or Ranger fails. | None |
Modify the security group to which ECS instances belong, the VPC in which ECS instances are deployed, and the vSwitch of ECS instances in the ECS console or by calling the API operation provided by ECS. |
| None |
Change the billing method in the ECS console or by calling the API operation provided by ECS. | After you change the billing method, you can no longer change the new billing method back to the original one. | Change the billing method in the EMR console. For more information, see Switch from pay-as-you-go to subscription. Important You cannot change the billing method from subscription to pay-as-you-go in the EMR console. |
Delete agent-related directories. | EMR clusters cannot run as expected. | None |
FAQ
Problem description | Solution |
Insufficient disk capacity | Increase the capacity of a single disk or add core nodes in the EMR console. EMR clusters do not support the addition of disks. |
Excess disk capacity | Purchase a new cluster and release the original one. For more information, see Create a cluster. EMR clusters do not support scale-down of disk capacity. |
Insufficient computing capabilities | Add task nodes in the EMR console. For more information, see Scale out a cluster. |
Excess computing capabilities | Resolve this issue based on the billing method of your cluster.
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Outdated component versions | Purchase a cluster of a later version. You are not allowed to update a specific component of an existing cluster. For more information, see Create a cluster. |
Conversion from a non-HA cluster to an HA cluster | Non-HA clusters cannot be converted to HA clusters. We recommend that you purchase an HA cluster. |
Deployment of third-party software or services on EMR | We recommend that you use bootstrap actions to install third-party software or third-party services when you create a cluster. If you manually install third-party software or third-party services after you create a cluster, you must reinstall the software or services when you add nodes. |