Bitnami Re:dash Virtual Machine

Description

Re:dash is an open source data visualization and collaboration tool. It was designed to allow fast and easy access to billions of records in all the most popular data sources.

First steps with the Bitnami Re:dash Stack

Welcome to your new Bitnami application! This guide includes some basic information you will need to get started with your application.

How to import a Bitnami Virtual Machine?

Check the following instructions to import a Bitnami Virtual Machine:

Importing a Bitnami Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

Select the "File -> Import Appliance" menu option and select the .ova file downloaded from the Bitnami website. Then click "Continue".
Once it is imported, click the "Start" button in the VirtualBox toolbar.

For a detailed walkthrough, check our Virtualbox tutorial.

Importing a Bitnami Virtual Machine in a VMware product

Select the "File -> Import" menu option and select the .ova file downloaded from the Bitnami website. Then click "Continue".
Once the import is complete, click "Finish" to start the virtual machine.

For a detailed walkthrough, check our VMware tutorial, which uses VMware Fusion as an example. To learn how to use our virtual machines with other VMware products, refer to the VMware Workstation documentation or the VMware vSphere documentation.

What credentials do I need?

You need two sets of credentials:

The application credentials, consisting of a username and password. These credentials allow you to log in to your new Bitnami application.
The server credentials, consisting of an SSH username and password. These credentials allow you to log in to your Virtual Machines server using an SSH client and execute commands on the server using the command line.

What is the administrator username set for me to log in to the application for the first time?

Username: user@example.com

What is the administrator password?

Password: The administrator password to log in to your application is randomly generated during the first boot. Check the FAQ to learn how to retrieve it.

What SSH username should I use for secure shell access to my application?

SSH username: bitnami

What is my server IP address?

The IP address is displayed on screen at the end of the boot process, but you can check it at any time by running the following command:

  $ sudo ifconfig

How do I get my SSH key or password?

You can obtain the SSH password from the virtual machine console when it starts up. Click here for more information.

How to access your application?

Once you have imported your Bitnami Virtual Machine, the IP address for your application is displayed on the virtual machine's login screen. Access the application via your browser by entering this IP address.

Check these instructions about how to remotely access the Bitnami application.

What are the default ports?

A port is an endpoint of communication in an operating system that identifies a specific process or a type of service. Bitnami stacks include several services or servers that require a port.

Remember that if you need to open some ports you can follow the instructions given in the FAQ to learn how to open the server ports for remote access.

Port 22 is the default port for SSH connections.

Bitnami opens some ports for the main servers. These are the ports opened by default: 80, 443.

How to start or stop the services?

Each Bitnami stack includes a control script that lets you easily stop, start and restart services. The script is located at /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh. Call it without any service name arguments to start all services:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh start

Or use it to restart a single service, such as Apache only, by passing the service name as argument:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart apache

Use this script to stop all services:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop

Restart the services by running the script without any arguments:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart

Obtain a list of available services and operations by running the script without any arguments:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh

How to change the default administrator password?

For security, it is recommended that you change the default administrator password as soon as possible. Follow the steps below:

Log in to the application as an administrator.
Click the arrow at the top right corner and a menu will appear.
Click the username.
Select the "Password" tab.
Enter the old and new passwords.
Click on "Save" to save your changes.

How to create a full backup of Re:dash?

Backup

The Bitnami Re:dash Stack is self-contained and the simplest option for performing a backup is to copy or compress the Bitnami stack installation directory. To do so in a safe manner, you will need to stop all servers, so this method may not be appropriate if you have people accessing the application continuously.

Follow these steps:

Change to the directory in which you wish to save your backup:
```
  $ cd /your/directory
```

Stop all servers:

  $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop

Create a compressed file with the stack contents:

  $ sudo tar -pczvf application-backup.tar.gz /opt/bitnami

Restart all servers:

  $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh start

You should now download or transfer the application-backup.tar.gz file to a safe location.

Restore

Follow these steps:

Change to the directory containing your backup:
```
  $ cd /your/directory
```

Stop all servers:

  $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop

Move the current stack to a different location:

  $ sudo mv /opt/bitnami /tmp/bitnami-backup

Uncompress the backup file to the original directoryv

  $ sudo tar -pxzvf application-backup.tar.gz -C /

Start all servers:

  $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh start

If you want to create only a database backup, refer to these instructions for MySQL and PostgreSQL.

How to upgrade Re:dash?

NOTE: It is strongly recommended to create a backup before starting the update process. If you have important data, create and restore a backup to ensure that everything works properly.

You can upgrade the Bitnami Re:dash Stack following the steps below.

Download the latest release tarball from GitHub.

Create a backup of your current version:

 $ mv /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs.bak

Create the htdocs directory for the new version and unpack it there:

 $ mkdir /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs
 $ tar -C /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs -xvf /path/to/new/tarball

Copy your .env file and your venv/ directory from the current version to the new version:

 $ cp /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs.bak/.env /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs
 $ cp -R /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs.bak/venv /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs

Check if you have any new migrations in the new version. Check it by running this command:

 $ diff /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs/migrations /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs.bak/migrations

Apply new migrations (if it is necessary):

 $ cd /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs
 $ . venv/bin/activate
 $ ./bin/run python migrations/new_migrations.py

Install any new requirements:

 $ cd /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs
 $ . venv/bin/activate
 $ pip install -r requirements.txt

Restart servers:
```
 $ /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart
```

How to create an SSL certificate?

OpenSSL is required to create an SSL certificate. A certificate request can then be sent to a certificate authority (CA) to get it signed into a certificate, or if you have your own certificate authority, you may sign it yourself, or you can use a self-signed certificate (because you just want a test certificate or because you are setting up your own CA).

Follow the steps below:

Generate a new private key:

 $ sudo openssl genrsa -out /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key 2048

Create a certificate:
```
 $ sudo openssl req -new -key /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key -out /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/cert.csr
```
IMPORTANT: Enter the server domain name when the above command asks for the "Common Name".
Send cert.csr to the certificate authority. When the certificate authority completes their checks (and probably received payment from you), they will hand over your new certificate to you.

Until the certificate is received, create a temporary self-signed certificate:

 $ sudo openssl x509 -in /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/cert.csr -out /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.crt -req -signkey /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key -days 365

Back up your private key in a safe location after generating a password-protected version as follows:
```
 $ sudo openssl rsa -des3 -in /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key -out privkey.pem
```
Note that if you use this encrypted key in the Apache configuration file, it will be necessary to enter the password manually every time Apache starts. Regenerate the key without password protection from this file as follows:
```
 $ sudo openssl rsa -in privkey.pem -out /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key
```

Find more information about certificates at http://www.openssl.org.

How to enable HTTPS support with SSL certificates?

NOTE: The steps below assume that you are using a custom domain name and that you have already configured the custom domain name to point to your cloud server.

Bitnami images come with SSL support already pre-configured and with a dummy certificate in place. Although this dummy certificate is fine for testing and development purposes, you will usually want to use a valid SSL certificate for production use. You can either generate this on your own (explained here) or you can purchase one from a commercial certificate authority.

Once you obtain the certificate and certificate key files, you will need to update your server to use them. Follow these steps to activate SSL support:

Use the table below to identify the correct locations for your certificate and configuration files.

Variable	Value
Current application URL	https://[custom-domain]/
	Example: https://my-domain.com/ or https://my-domain.com/appname
Apache configuration file	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/bitnami/bitnami.conf
Certificate file	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.crt
Certificate key file	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key
CA certificate bundle file (if present)	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server-ca.crt

Copy your SSL certificate and certificate key file to the specified locations.

NOTE: If you use different names for your certificate and key files, you should reconfigure the SSLCertificateFile and SSLCertificateKeyFile directives in the corresponding Apache configuration file to reflect the correct file names.

If your certificate authority has also provided you with a PEM-encoded Certificate Authority (CA) bundle, you must copy it to the correct location in the previous table. Then, modify the Apache configuration file to include the following line below the SSLCertificateKeyFile directive. Choose the correct directive based on your scenario and Apache version:

Variable	Value
Apache configuration file	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/bitnami/bitnami.conf
Directive to include (Apache v2.4.8+)	SSLCACertificateFile "/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server-ca.crt"
Directive to include (Apache < v2.4.8)	SSLCertificateChainFile "/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server-ca.crt"

NOTE: If you use a different name for your CA certificate bundle, you should reconfigure the SSLCertificateChainFile or SSLCACertificateFile directives in the corresponding Apache configuration file to reflect the correct file name.

Once you have copied all the server certificate files, you may make them readable by the root user only with the following commands:
```
 $ sudo chown root:root /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server*

 $ sudo chmod 600 /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server*
```
Open port 443 in the server firewall. Refer to the FAQ for more information.
Restart the Apache server.

You should now be able to access your application using an HTTPS URL.

How to force HTTPS redirection with Apache?

Add the following to the top of the /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/conf/httpd-prefix.conf file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^/(.*) https://%{SERVER_NAME}/$1 [R,L]

After modifying the Apache configuration files:

Open port 443 in the server firewall. Refer to the FAQ for more information.
Restart Apache to apply the changes.

How to debug Apache errors?

Once Apache starts, it will create two log files at /opt/bitnami/apache2/logs/access_log and /opt/bitnami/apache2/logs/error_log respectively.

The access_log file is used to track client requests. When a client requests a document from the server, Apache records several parameters associated with the request in this file, such as: the IP address of the client, the document requested, the HTTP status code, and the current time.
The error_log file is used to record important events. This file includes error messages, startup messages, and any other significant events in the life cycle of the server. This is the first place to look when you run into a problem when using Apache.

If no error is found, you will see a message similar to:

Syntax OK

Updating the IP address or hostname

Re:dash requires updating the IP address/domain name if the machine IP address/domain name changes. The bnconfig tool also has an option which updates the IP address, called --machine_hostname (use --help to check if that option is available for your application). Note that this tool changes the URL to http://NEW_DOMAIN/redash.

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/bnconfig --machine_hostname NEW_DOMAIN

If you have configured your machine to use a static domain name or IP address, you should rename or remove the /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/bnconfig file.

$ sudo mv /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/bnconfig /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/bnconfig.disabled

NOTE: Be sure that your domain is propagated. Otherwise, this will not work. You can verify the new DNS record by using the Global DNS Propagation Checker and entering your domain name into the search field.

You can also change your hostname by modifying it in your hosts file. Enter the new hostname using your preferred editor.

$ sudo nano /etc/hosts

Add a new line with the IP address and the new hostname. Here's an example. Remember to replace the IP-ADDRESS and DOMAIN placeholders with the correct IP address and domain name.

IP-ADDRESS DOMAIN

How to find the PostgreSQL database credentials?

Database username: postgres.
Database password: The same as the application password. Find out how to obtain application credentials.

How to connect to the PostgreSQL database?

You can connect to the PostgreSQL database from the same computer where it is installed with the psql client tool.

$ psql -U postgres

You will be prompted to enter the *postgres* user password. This is the same as the [application password](/virtual-machine/faq#how-to-find-application-credentials).

How to configure outbound email settings?

For the system to be able to send emails, set the mail server to use and the host name of your Re:dash server. Do this by adding the lines below in the /opt/bitnami/apps/redash/htdocs/.env file.

The example shown below uses Gmail for outbound email. Remember to update this with equivalent values for your SMTP host or, if using Gmail, replace the USERNAME and PASSWORD placeholders with correct values for your Gmail account.

export REDASH_MAIL_SERVER="smtp.gmail.com" # default: localhost
export REDASH_MAIL_PORT="587" # default: 25
export REDASH_MAIL_USE_TLS="true" # default: False
export REDASH_MAIL_USE_SSL="" # default: False
export REDASH_MAIL_USERNAME="USERNAME@gmail.com" # default: None
export REDASH_MAIL_PASSWORD="PASSWORD" # default: None
export REDASH_MAIL_DEFAULT_SENDER="USERNAME@gmail.com" # Email address to send from

export REDASH_HOST="" # base address of your re:dash instance, for example: "https://demo.redash.io"

How to use Google BigQuery in Re:dash?

Re:dash has multiple supported data sources and one of them is Google BigQuery. Follow the steps below in order to use Google BigQuery in the Bitnami Re:dash Stack.

Step 1. Go to your Re:dash site and click "Add Data Source".

Select "BigQuery" type.
Set your "Project ID" (this is the Google Cloud Platform project ID).
Upload your JSON Key File, generated when creating a service account. If your application doesn't run on Google App Engine or Google Compute Engine, you must obtain these credentials in the Google Developers Console. To generate service-account credentials, do the following:
- Open the Service accounts section of the Developers Console's "Permissions page".
- Click the "Create service account" item.
- In the "Create service account" window, type a name for the service account and select "Furnish a new private key". Then click the "Create" item. A new public/private key pair will be generated and downloaded for your machine.

Step 2. Set proper permissions to your service account.

To insert a query job in a project the calling user must be at least a Reader on the project. Follow the steps below in order to update the users and service accounts that are members of your project.
Go to the Google Developer Console for your project.
Select "Permissions" in the navigation panel, and make sure the service account identity you are calling is a "Viewer" on the project.

Step 3. Insert a query

Create a dataset in Google BigQuery (see BigQuery Web UI Quickstart).
Then, go to the Re:dash application site and click on "Queries -> New Query". Select your dataset as Data Source and "Execute" the query.