[GitHub] nifi-site pull request #17: MiNiFi-260: Create a "Getting Started" Guide for...

[apiri <gi...@git.apache.org>]

Github user apiri commented on a diff in the pull request:

    https://github.com/apache/nifi-site/pull/17#discussion_r110673346
  
    --- Diff: src/pages/markdown/minifi/getting-started.md ---
    @@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
    +---
    +title:     Apache NiFi MiNiFi: Getting Started
    +---
    +
    +# Getting started with MiNiFi
    +
    +This page explains how to configure and deploy MiNiFi agents.
    +
    +The Java agent is able to run most of [NiFi's available processors](http://nifi.apache.org/docs.html), but is a larger binary distribution (49MB) and consumes greater system resources (24MB max JVM heapsize by default). If you need maximum flexibility to make routing and processing decisions at your data's point of origin, the Java agent is a good fit.
    +
    +The C++ agent is a smaller binary (3.2MB), consumes low system memory (about 5MB at idle) but has [a limited subset of processors](https://github.com/apache/nifi-minifi-cpp#caveats). If your primary concern is gathering and pushing data to downstream consumers and minimizing system impact, the C++ agent is a good fit.
    +
    +
    +1. Install the appropriate OS level dependencies:
    +
    +  #### MiNiFi Java:
    +
    +  - Java 1.8+
    +
    +  #### MiNiFi C++:
    +   ###### RHEL/CentOS:
    +   - yum install -y epel-release
    +   - yum install -y leveldb
    +
    +   ###### Debian/Ubuntu:
    +   - apt install -y libleveldb-dev
    +   - apt install -y libxml2
    +2. Download the relevant compressed binary from the [Downloads](download.html) page 
    +3. Copy and decompress the binary to your target deployment environment
    +4. Set the MINIFI_HOME environment variable to your decompressed binary directory
    +5. From $MINIFI_HOME, ./bin/minifi.sh {start|stop|run|restart|status|flowStatus|dump|install}
    +
    +*flowStatus* and *dump* are available only for MiNiFi Java.
    +
    +For MiNiFi Java, the agent logs to $MINIFI_HOME/logs/minifi-app.log.
    +
    +For MiNiFi C++, the agent logs to $MINIFI_HOME/minifi-app.log.txt
    +
    +# Configuring MiNiFi Agent Flows
    +
    +Agents execute the flow defined in $MINIFI_HOME/conf/config.yml. The shipped config.yml file has an "empty" flow.
    +
    +While it's possible to create and modify config.yml programmatically or by hand, the more common scenario is to:
    +1. Use NiFi's web interface to define a flow
    +2. Save the flow as a template and download its XML file
    +3. Use the [Converter Toolkit](minifi-toolkit.html) to convert the template XML to an equivalent config.yml
    +4. Put the config.yml file in $MINIFI_HOME/conf and start the agent.
    +
    +# Pushing Data From MiNiFi to NiFi
    +
    +What follows is an illustrated walkthrough of configuring MiNiFi and NiFi to generate and collect log data.
    +
    +If you're new to NiFi, watch the [NiFi introductory video series](http://nifi.apache.org/videos.html) before proceeding. If you don't already have NiFi, you can download it from [here](http://nifi.apache.org/download.html). 
    +
    +## Configuring NiFi to Receive Data
    +
    +First, check that $NIFI_HOME/conf/nifi.properties has a Site to Site input socket port specified:
    +```
    +# Site to Site properties
    +nifi.remote.input.host=
    +nifi.remote.input.secure=false
    +nifi.remote.input.socket.port=1026
    +nifi.remote.input.http.enabled=true
    +nifi.remote.input.http.transaction.ttl=30 sec
    +```
    +
    +Restart NiFi so changes take effect.
    +
    +On NiFi's web UI, place an Input Port "From MiNiFi" and connect it to a downstream processor:
    +![](../assets/images/minifi/nifi-receive.png)
    +
    +## Creating the MiNiFi Flow
    +
    +Create a new process group, and double click on it to enter it. Working inside this new processor group will let us create a clean template that includes flow components meant to run in MiNiFi.
    +
    +Inside the process group, create a Remote Process Group (RPG) and give it the URL of your NiFi instance. The RPG will connect to NiFi and discover the input port created earlier.
    +
    +Create a TailFile processor and connect it to the RPG, selecting the "From MiNiFi" input port.
    +![](../assets/images/minifi/minifi-flow.png)
    +
    +Now create a template, download it as an XML file, and download the [Converter ToolKit](download.html).
    +
    +From the toolkit directory:
    +```
    +[root@host minifi-toolkit-0.0.1]# ./bin/config.sh transform /path/to/template.xml /output/path/config.yml
    +
    +Java home: /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.8.0-openjdk
    +MiNiFi Toolkit home: /minifi-toolkit-0.0.1
    +
    +
    +No validation errors found in template.
    --- End diff --
    
    We likely have some room for improvement on this front (from a tooling perspective, less so this doc patch).


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