Upgrade Apache Cassandra

A comprehensive guide to upgrading "Apache Cassandra" clusters with minimal risk, and downtime. Learn best practices.

What you'll learn

Learn how to plan for upgrading "Apache Cassandra" clusters

Learn how to prepare for upgrading "Apache Cassandra"

Learn how to upgrade "Apache Cassandra" clusters

Learn how to use various versions of Java

Requirements

Basic Knowledge of Linux

Knowledge of Apache Cassandra

Knowledge of Apache Cassandra Usage

Knowledge of Apache Cassandra Administration

Description

*** This training course was recorded during December 2024 and Early 2025 ***Welcome to this training course, a comprehensive guide to upgrading "Apache Cassandra" clusters with minimal risk and downtime. You will learn best practices for planning, testing and executing upgrades.I have truly enjoyed creating this course, carefully designing each section to make the upgrade process clear, practical and engaging. Upgrading a distributed database like Cassandra may seem complex, but with the right knowledge and approach, it becomes an exciting challenge rather than a daunting task.To successfully make use of the content in this course, you should have working knowledge of Apache Cassandra. You should know what is Apache Cassandra and you should know how to install and configure Apache Cassandra, along with basic administration knowledge.We will discuss the importance of "the Upgrade".Software upgrade typically includes significant improvements, new features, performance enhancements, bug fixes and updated security measures.When performing a database upgrade, its essential to plan carefully to ensure availability and minimize downtime. Cassandra's distributed architecture allows upgrading one node at a time enabling "near zero" downtime.After this training course, you will be able to design a proper plan to upgrade Apache Cassandra clusters for a smooth upgrade experience and seamless operation.It is highly recommended to run one of the supported versions of "Apache Cassandra" in production environments.We will learn, how to "install and configure" three different versions of Java Runtime Environment on a Linux server.Upgrading Cassandra involves several key steps and we will discuss all these upgrade steps in detail.We will discuss and understand the various SStable versions in Cassandra.We will understand the differences in the "minor version upgrade" and the "major version upgrade".We will take an existing Cassandra cluster with version 3.11.8 and we will upgrade it to version 3.11.17 (a minor version upgrade) using "in place" upgrade method.Next, we will take an existing Cassandra cluster with version 3.11.17 and we will upgrade it to version 4.1.7 (a major version upgrade).Similarly, we will take an existing Cassandra cluster with version 4.1.7 and we will upgrade it to version 5.0.2 and make it run with OpenJDK 17.We will enable several new features which are ONLY available in Apache Cassandra release 5.0.By the end of this training course, you will be equipped with the knowledge, best practices and real world insights needed to confidently handle any Apache Cassandra upgrade scenario.Whether its a minor patch or a major version upgrade you will understand the steps, tools and precautions required to execute a smooth and successful upgrade.With this solid foundation you will be ready to troubleshoot challenges, make informed decisions and ensure seamless upgrades with minimal risk and downtime. Rest assured, after this training course you will be more than ready to take on "any Cassandra upgrade" with confidence and clarity.

Overview

Section 1: Course Overview

Lecture 1 Course Overview

Section 2: Introduction

Lecture 2 Introduction

Lecture 3 Course Prerequisites

Section 3: Database Upgrade

Lecture 4 What & Why Upgrade ?

Lecture 5 Database Upgrade

Lecture 6 In-place Upgrade

Lecture 7 Open Source vs DataStax Enterprise

Lecture 8 Current vs. Archived Software

Lecture 9 Cassandra Upgrade Path

Lecture 10 Downgrading Cassandra

Section 4: OS / Python / Java

Lecture 11 OS Versions

Lecture 12 Supported Python Versions

Lecture 13 Supported Java Versions

Lecture 14 JDK vs. JRE ; Open JDK vs. Oracle JDK

Section 5: Java Versions

Lecture 15 Java 8

Lecture 16 Java 11

Lecture 17 Java 17

Lecture 18 Switch between Java 8 / 11 / 17

Section 6: Cassandra Upgrade Planning

Lecture 19 Cassandra Upgrade Steps

Lecture 20 Cassandra sstable Versions

Lecture 21 NOT running "nodetool upgradesstables"

Lecture 22 Importance of Cassandra Backups

Lecture 23 Minor Version Upgrade vs. Major Version Upgrade

Lecture 24 Cassandra Multi-DC Upgrade

Lecture 25 Cassandra Mixed Version Cluster

Section 7: Servers

Lecture 26 Servers

Section 8: Upgrade Cassandra 3.11.8 to 3.11.17

Lecture 27 Review Cassandra 3.11.8 Cluster

Lecture 28 Review ~/.bash_profile

Lecture 29 Cassandra 3.11.8 Cluster Summary

Lecture 30 Download/Extract Cassandra 3.11.17

Lecture 31 cassandra.yaml

Lecture 32 cassandra-rackdc.properties - part 1

Lecture 33 cassandra-env.sh

Lecture 34 jvm.options

Lecture 35 cassandra-rackdc.properties - part 2

Lecture 36 Review Before Upgrade

Lecture 37 Upgrade Cassandra Cluster to 3.11.17

Lecture 38 nodetool upgradesstables

Lecture 39 Remove Old Version of Cassandra

Section 9: Upgrade Cassandra 3.11.17 to 4.1.7

Lecture 40 Review Cassandra 3.11.17 Cluster

Lecture 41 Review ~/.bash_profile

Lecture 42 Cassandra 3.11.17 Cluster Summary

Lecture 43 Download/Extract Cassandra 4.1.7

Lecture 44 cassandra.yaml

Lecture 45 cassandra-rackdc.properties - part 1

Lecture 46 cassandra-env.sh

Lecture 47 JVM Settings

Lecture 48 cassandra-rackdc.properties - part 2

Lecture 49 Review Before Upgrade

Lecture 50 Upgrade Cassandra Cluster to 4.1.7

Lecture 51 nodetool upgradesstables

Lecture 52 Upgrade from Java 8 to Java 11

Lecture 53 Remove Old Version of Cassandra

Section 10: Upgrade Cassandra 4.1.7 to 5.0.2

Lecture 54 Review Cassandra 4.1.7 Cluster

Lecture 55 Review ~/.bash_profile

Lecture 56 Cassandra 4.1.7 Cluster Summary

Lecture 57 Download/Extract Cassandra 5.0.2

Lecture 58 cassandra.yaml

Lecture 59 cassandra-rackdc.properties - part 1

Lecture 60 cassandra-env.sh

Lecture 61 JVM Settings

Lecture 62 cassandra-rackdc.properties - part 2

Lecture 63 Review Before Upgrade

Lecture 64 Upgrade Cassandra Cluster to 5.0.2

Lecture 65 nodetool upgradesstables

Lecture 66 Upgrade from Java 11 to Java 17

Lecture 67 Enable New Features of Apache Cassandra 5.0

Lecture 68 Remove Old Version of Cassandra

Section 11: Upgrade By Moving To New Nodes

Lecture 69 Upgrade By Moving To New Nodes

Section 12: What's Next

Lecture 70 What's Next

Section 13: Updates

Lecture 71 April 2025 Update

Section 14: Bonus

Lecture 72 Bonus Lecture

Apache Cassandra Administrators,Apache Cassandra Operators