Can Hadoop be compared to NOSQL database like Cassandra?

Though NOSQL is the closet technology that can be compared to Hadoop, it has its own pros and cons. There is no DFS in NOSQL. Hadoop is not a database. It’s a filesystem (HDFS) and distributed programming framework (MapReduce).

Why ‘Reading‘ is done in parallel and ‘Writing‘ is not in HDFS?

Reading is done in parallel because by doing so we can access the data fast. But we do not perform the write operation in parallel. The reason is that if we perform the write operation in parallel, then it might result in data inconsistency. For example, you have a file and two nodes are trying to write data into the file in parallel, then the first node does not know what the second node has written and vice-versa. So, this makes it confusing which data to be stored and accessed.

Which are the two types of ‘writes’ in HDFS?

There are two types of writes in HDFS: posted and non-posted write. Posted Write is when we write it and forget about it, without worrying about the acknowledgement. It is similar to our traditional Indian post. In a Non-posted Write, we wait for the acknowledgement. It is similar to the today’s courier services. Naturally, non-posted write is more expensive than the posted write. It is much more expensive, though both writes are asynchronous.

Is a job split into maps?

No, a job is not split into maps. Spilt is created for the file. The file is placed on datanodes in blocks. For each split,  a map is needed.

Why are the number of splits equal to the number of maps?

The number of maps is equal to the number of input splits because we want the key and value pairs of all the input splits.

Do we require two servers for the Namenode and the datanodes?

Yes, we need two different servers for the Namenode and the datanodes. This is because Namenode requires highly configurable system as it stores information about the location details of all the files stored in different datanodes and on the other hand, datanodes require low configuration system.

Is map like a pointer?

No, Map is not like a pointer.

What is the difference between MapReduce engine and HDFS cluster?

HDFS cluster is the name given to the whole configuration of master and slaves where data is stored. Map Reduce Engine is the programming module which is used to retrieve and analyze data.

What is ‘Key value pair’ in HDFS?

Key value pair is the intermediate data generated by maps and sent to reduces for generating the final output.

Can you explain how do ‘map’ and ‘reduce’ work?

Namenode takes the input and divide it into parts and assign them to data nodes. These datanodes process the tasks assigned to them and make a key-value pair and returns the intermediate output to the Reducer. The reducer collects this key value pairs of all the datanodes and combines them and generates the final output.

What is MapReduce?

Map Reduce is the ‘heart‘ of Hadoop that consists of two parts – ‘map’ and ‘reduce’. Maps and reduces are programs for processing data. ‘Map’ processes the data first to give some intermediate output which is further processed by ‘Reduce’ to generate the final output. Thus, MapReduce allows for distributed processing of the map and reduction operations.

What is the difference between Gen1 and Gen2 Hadoop with regards to the Namenode?

In Gen 1 Hadoop, Namenode is the single point of failure. In Gen 2 Hadoop, we have what is known as Active and Passive Namenodes kind of a structure. If the active Namenode fails, passive Namenode takes over the charge.

What is a Secondary Namenode? Is it a substitute to the Namenode?

The secondary Namenode constantly reads the data from the RAM of the Namenode and writes it into the hard disk or the file system. It is not a substitute to the Namenode, so if the Namenode fails, the entire Hadoop system goes down.

What if rack 2 and datanode fails?

If both rack2 and datanode present in rack 1 fails then there is no chance of getting data from it. In order to avoid such situations, we need to replicate that data more number of times instead of replicating only thrice. This can be done by changing the value in replication factor which is set to 3 by default.

Do we need to place 2nd and 3rd data in rack 2 only?

Yes, this is to avoid datanode failure.

On what basis data will be stored on a rack?

When the client is ready to load a file into the cluster, the content of the file will be divided into blocks. Now the client consults the Namenode and gets 3 datanodes for every block of the file which indicates where the block should be stored. While placing the datanodes, the key rule followed is “for every block of data, two copies will exist in one rack, third copy in a different rack“. This rule is known as “Replica Placement Policy“.

What is a rack?

Rack is a storage area with all the datanodes put together. These datanodes can be physically located at different places. Rack is a physical collection of datanodes which are stored at a single location. There can be multiple racks in a single location.

What is the communication channel between client and namenode/datanode?

The mode of communication is SSH.

Is client the end user in HDFS?

No, Client is an application which runs on your machine, which is used to interact with the Namenode (job tracker) or datanode (task tracker).

Who is a ‘user’ in HDFS?

A user is like you or me, who has some query or who needs some kind of data.