Julian Sommer
16 KiB
Hive Installation
Notes for development environment installation.
Dependencies
For running on Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 and 25.10.
sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt install nbdkit nbdkit-plugin-dev pkg-config qemu-system qemu-utils qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system libvirt-clients libvirt-dev make gcc
Ensure the Go toolkit is installed, recommended to install the latest directly from https://go.dev/dl/.
Confirm go is correctly installed, and set in your $PATH.
go version
Hive provides AWS API/SDK layer functionality, which requires the AWS CLI tool to be installed to interface with the system.
sudo apt install awscli
Confirm awscli version > 2.0 is installed which is required by Hive. If your OS package manager installed an older version, e.g 1.X, install the latest version of the AWS CLI tool directly.
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/getting-started-install.html
aws --version
aws-cli/2.32.4
Build
Create the base directory for the Hive development environment.
mkdir -p ~/Development/mulga/
cd ~/Development/mulga/
git clone https://github.com/mulgadc/hive.git
Setup the dev environment and package dependencies on viperblock and predastore.
cd hive
./scripts/clone-deps.sh # Clone viperblock + predastore repositories
./scripts/dev-setup.sh # Setup complete development environment
Once complete, confirm ./bin/hive exists and executable.
Single Node Installation
For rapid development and testing, hive can be installed locally as a single node instance. Follow the instructions below for a complete working environment.
Init
When running Hive for the first time, run the init function to create the default directories for data, config files and layout required.
Example single node installation to get started, this will create a new region ap-southeast-2 and availability zone ap-southeast-2a on your local instance:
./bin/hive admin init --region ap-southeast-2 --az ap-southeast-2a --node node1 --nodes 1
Next, set the AWS profile to use hive which points to the local environment.
export AWS_PROFILE=hive
Launch Services
Start the core services for development.
./scripts/start-dev.sh
Create SSH Key
For first install, create or import an existing key pair which can be used to launch EC2 instances.
Import Existing Key
Import an existing key pair, replace ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub with your specified key.
aws ec2 import-key-pair --key-name "hive-key" --public-key-material fileb://~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
If no key exists, generate one using ssh-keygen and repeat the command above.
ssh-keygen -t rsa
Create New Key
Alternatively, create a new key pair using the AWS CLI tool and store the JSON output of the AWS SDK using the jq command.
aws ec2 create-key-pair \
--key-name hive-key \
| jq -r '.KeyMaterial | rtrimstr("\n")' > ~/.ssh/hive-key
Update permissions for the key for ssh to accept reading the file.
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/hive-key
Next, generate a public key from the specified private key pair.
ssh-keygen -y -f ~/.ssh/hive-key > ~/.ssh/hive-key.pub
Validate New Key
aws ec2 describe-key-pairs
{
"KeyPairs": [
{
"KeyPairId": "key-3caa0a34f53d12a3",
"KeyType": "ed25519",
"Tags": [],
"CreateTime": "2025-10-28T13:39:23.458000+00:00",
"KeyName": "hive-key",
"KeyFingerprint": "SHA256:/g/A5OkeZeSydz9WUErXYVdCt00b0VbfN6RLn2YVFAY"
}
]
}
Create AMI Template
Use the hive CLI tool to import a selected OS image. Note, the source file can be compressed (e.g image.tar.gz, image.gz, image.tar.xz) and the tool will automatically extract and upload the raw OS image as an AMI after validation the disk image contains a UEFI/BIOS boot capability.
Note, when downloading OS images, use supported platforms that support the cloud-init feature to automatically bootstrap when using the Hive EC2 functionality to access SSH and networking services.
Automatic Image Import
Discover available images to automatically download and install. This will pull the images from the distro official mirror and simplify the process to bootstrap a Hive installation with AMIs that include common operating systems.
./bin/hive admin images list
NAME | DISTRO | VERSION | ARCH | BOOT
alpine-3.22.2-x86_64 | alpine | 3.22.2 | x86_64 | bios
debian-12-arm64 | debian | 12 | arm64 | bios
debian-12-x86_64 | debian | 12 | x86_64 | bios
ubuntu-24.04-arm64 | ubuntu | 24.04 | arm64 | bios
ubuntu-24.04-x86_64 | ubuntu | 24.04 | x86_64 | bios
Next, choose the image you would like to import as an AMI. Choose the appropriate x86_64 or arm64 architecture depending on your platform.
./bin/hive admin images import --name debian-12-arm64 --force
Make note of the Image-ID ami-XXX
✅ Image import complete. Image-ID (AMI): ami-e29fcc65734aec9ea
Next, verify available disk images to confirm the import was successful, replace ami-XXX with the value from the command output.
aws ec2 describe-images --image-ids ami-XXX
Manual Image Import
Using this method you can import any OS disk image. For example, download the Debian 12 image from the repository https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/bookworm/latest/.
Download the image:
wget https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/bookworm/latest/debian-12-genericcloud-arm64.tar.xz -O ~/debian-12-genericcloud-arm64.tar.xz
Import as an AMI to the backend store:
./bin/hive admin images import --file ~/debian-12-genericcloud-arm64.tar.xz --arch arm64 --distro debian --version 12
Next, verify available disk images to confirm the import was successful.
aws ec2 describe-images
Run Instance
Once Hive is successfully installed and bootstrapped with a system AMI and SSH keys, proceed to run an instance. Replace ami-XXX with your imported ImageId above.
export HIVE_AMI="ami-XXX"
Launch a new instance, note hive-key is the SSH key specified in the previous stage. If using an x86_64 host specify the --instance-type t3.micro otherwise if running on ARM64 use --instance-type t4g.micro
aws ec2 run-instances \
--image-id $HIVE_AMI \
--instance-type t3.micro \
--key-name hive-key \
--security-group-ids sg-0123456789abcdef0 \
--subnet-id subnet-6e7f829e \
--count 1
A sample response is below from the RunInstance request, note the InstanceId attribute:
{
"ReservationId": "r-f101157331e261a68",
"OwnerId": "123456789012",
"Instances": [
{
"InstanceId": "i-36765eb0c6609e4d2",
"ImageId": "ami-15c3dcfe607460f15",
"State": {
"Code": 0,
"Name": "pending"
},
"KeyName": "hive-key",
"InstanceType": "t3.micro",
"LaunchTime": "2025-11-12T13:07:47.548000+00:00"
}
]
}
Export the instance ID for following the rest of the tutorial.
export INSTANCE_ID="i-XXX"
Next, validate the running instance is ready.
aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID
Confirm the State.Name attribute is set as running.
{
"Reservations": [
{
"ReservationId": "r-f101157331e261a68",
"OwnerId": "123456789012",
"Instances": [
{
"InstanceId": "i-36765eb0c6609e4d2",
"ImageId": "ami-15c3dcfe607460f15",
"State": {
"Code": 16,
"Name": "running"
},
"KeyName": "hive-key",
"InstanceType": "t3.micro",
"LaunchTime": "2025-11-12T13:07:47.548000+00:00"
}
]
}
]
}
SSH Connection (development)
For a Hive development environment (toggled off for production), a local SSH port forwaring will be active to connect directly to the instance, regardless of the VPC and network settings.
Determine the SSH port allocated.
ps auxw | grep $INSTANCE_ID
qemu-system-x86_64 -daemonize -pidfile /run/user/1000/i-36765eb0c6609e4d.pid -qmp unix:/run/user/1000/qmp-i-36765eb0c6609e4d2.sock,server,nowait -enable-kvm -M ubuntu -serial pty -cpu host -smp 2 -m 1024 -drive file=nbd://127.0.0.1:42653,format=raw,if=none,media=disk,id=os -drive file=nbd://127.0.0.1:44499,format=raw,if=virtio,media=cdrom,id=cloudinit -device virtio-blk-pci,drive=os,bootindex=1 -device virtio-rng-pci -device virtio-net-pci,netdev=net0 -netdev user,id=net0,hostfwd=tcp:127.0.0.1:33683-:22
Note the hostfwd=tcp:127.0.0.1:33683-:22, in this case the local port 33683 will connect to the new instance.
ssh -i ~/.ssh/hive-key ec2-user@127.0.0.1 -p 33683
...
Linux hive-vm-36765eb0 6.1.0-40-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.1.153-1 (2025-09-20) x86_64
ec2-user@hive-vm-36765eb0:~$
Congratulations, your first AMI image is imported, a new EC2 instance launched, and successfully connected via SSH for the configured SSH key, using the OS cloud-init procedure.
Managing Instances
Stop Instance
To stop a running instance gracefully:
aws ec2 stop-instances --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID
{
"StoppingInstances": [
{
"InstanceId": "i-36765eb0c6609e4d2",
"CurrentState": {
"Code": 64,
"Name": "stopping"
},
"PreviousState": {
"Code": 16,
"Name": "running"
}
}
]
Next, confirm the instance has stopped as requested.
aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID
{
"Reservations": [
{
"ReservationId": "r-f101157331e261a68",
"OwnerId": "123456789012",
"Instances": [
{
"InstanceId": "i-36765eb0c6609e4d2",
"ImageId": "ami-15c3dcfe607460f15",
"State": {
"Code": 80,
"Name": "stopped"
},
"KeyName": "hive-key",
"InstanceType": "t3.micro",
"LaunchTime": "2025-11-12T13:07:47.548000+00:00"
}
]
}
]
}
Start Instance
To start a previously stopped instance:
aws ec2 start-instances --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID
{
"StartingInstances": [
{
"InstanceId": "i-36765eb0c6609e4d2",
"CurrentState": {
"Code": 0,
"Name": "pending"
},
"PreviousState": {
"Code": 80,
"Name": "stopped"
}
}
]
Next, validate the instance is running as expected.
aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids "i-36765eb0c6609e4d2"
{
"Reservations": [
{
"ReservationId": "r-f101157331e261a68",
"OwnerId": "123456789012",
"Instances": [
{
"InstanceId": "i-36765eb0c6609e4d2",
"ImageId": "ami-15c3dcfe607460f15",
"State": {
"Code": 16,
"Name": "running"
},
"KeyName": "hive-key",
"InstanceType": "t3.micro",
"LaunchTime": "2025-11-12T13:07:47.548000+00:00"
}
]
}
]
}
Terminate Instance
To terminate an instance, which will first stop the instance, and on success, remove the EBS volumes and permanately remove the instance data.
aws ec2 terminate-instances --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID
{
"TerminatingInstances": [
{
"InstanceId": "i-36765eb0c6609e4d2",
"CurrentState": {
"Code": 16,
"Name": "running"
},
"PreviousState": {
"Code": 16,
"Name": "running"
}
}
]
}
Next, validate the instance is removed, this may take a few minutes depending the instance volume size.
aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID
On success no data will be returned, since the instance is no longer available.
Multi-node Configuration
To create a simulate multi-node installation on a single server (e.g node1, node2, node3) review the script ./scripts/create-multi-node.sh.
Specifically this will create 3 IPs on a specified ethernet adapter.
ip addr add 10.11.12.1/24 dev eth0
ip addr add 10.11.12.2/24 dev eth0
ip addr add 10.11.12.3/24 dev eth0
Next, hive will be installed and initiated in $HOME/node1 for configuration files.
# Initialize node1
./bin/hive admin init \
--region ap-southeast-2 \
--az ap-southeast-2a \
--node node1 \
--bind 10.11.12.1 \
--cluster-bind 10.11.12.1 \
--port 4432 \
--hive-dir ~/node1/ \
--config-dir ~/node1/config/
Two other nodes will be created, joining node1 to exchange configuration files and identify as a new node.
# Join cluster
./bin/hive admin join \
--region ap-southeast-2 \
--az ap-southeast-2a \
--node node2 \
--bind 10.11.12.2 \
--cluster-bind 10.11.12.2 \
--cluster-routes 10.11.12.1:4248 \
--host 10.11.12.1:4432 \
--data-dir ~/node2/ \
--config-dir ~/node2/config/ \
# Start node2
./scripts/start-dev.sh ~/node2/
echo "Node3 Setup:"
./bin/hive admin join \
--region ap-southeast-2 \
--az ap-southeast-2a \
--node node3 \
--bind 10.11.12.3 \
--cluster-bind 10.11.12.3 \
--cluster-routes 10.11.12.1:4248 \
--host 10.11.12.1:4432 \
--data-dir ~/node3/ \
--config-dir ~/node3/config/
./scripts/start-dev.sh ~/node3/
Once configured, each node will have it's own storage for config, data and state in ~/node[1,2,3] to simulate a unique node and network.
Once the multi-node is configured, follow the original installation instructions above to:
- Import an SSH key
- Clone an AMI
- Launch an instance
Note - when using the AWS CLI tool you must specify the IP address of the node (10.11.12.1, 10.11.12.2, or 10.11.12.3 ) and ignore SSL verification for development purposes, specifically appending the arguments --endpoint-url https://10.11.12.3:9999/ --no-verify-ssl.
aws --endpoint-url https://10.11.12.3:9999/ --no-verify-ssl ec2 describe-instances --insta
nce-ids i-9f5f648adc57ea46d
urllib3/connectionpool.py:1064: InsecureRequestWarning: Unverified HTTPS request is being made to host '10.11.12.3'. Adding certificate verification is strongly advised. See: https://urllib3.readthedocs.io/en/1.26.x/advanced-usage.html#ssl-warnings
{
"Reservations": [
{
"ReservationId": "r-9d26866c3b0d53bf4",
"OwnerId": "123456789012",
"Instances": [
{
"InstanceId": "i-9f5f648adc57ea46d",
"ImageId": "ami-d0de73dd18fa33ac9",
"State": {
"Code": 16,
"Name": "running"
},
"KeyName": "hive-key",
"InstanceType": "t3.micro",
"LaunchTime": "2025-11-21T10:36:42.834000+00:00"
}
]
}
]
For debugging, reference the node unique configuration files, e.g
tail -n 100 ~/node3/logs/hive.log
...
2025/11/21 22:59:32 Received message on subject: ec2.DescribeInstances
2025/11/21 22:59:32 Message data: {"DryRun":null,"Filters":null,"InstanceIds":["i-9f5f648adc57ea46d"],"MaxResults":null,"NextToken":null}
2025/11/21 22:59:32 INFO Processing DescribeInstances request from this node
2025/11/21 22:59:32 INFO handleEC2DescribeInstances completed count=1
...
Stop multi-node Instance
To stop a simulated multi-node instance:
./scripts/stop-multi-node.sh
Note if multiple EC2 instances are running, it make take a few minutes to gracefully terminate the instance, unmount the attached EBS volume (via NBD) and push the write-ahead-log (WAL) to the S3 server (predastore).