create native alternatives to java tools

[tchaikov]

we now have two sets of tools around scylla in parallel.

• one of which is https://github.com/scylladb/scylla-tools-java, they were inherited from Cassandra. since quite a few of the scylla developers are not experts in Java, and the interactivity between java and scylla is not that good -- we have to use RESTful API to bridge them. they are not well maintained. and other problem we are facing is that these tools were forked from the 3.x branch, which does not have UUID sstable identifier support, but recently, we introduced the support to scylla. this creates a gap of our tooling.
• the other is the native tools builtin in scylla. these tools are launched using scylla <command>. these tools inherently have better interoperability with scylla. and since these tools colocate with scylla, it would be simpler to add features requiring the coordination between these two parties in a single executable and in a single source repository.

so, in the long run, we want to drop the dependency on https://github.com/scylladb/scylla-tools-java as a whole, and replace the actively used tool with the native tools provided by scylla.

the involved java tools and their replacement solution are listed below:

• sstablemetadata: scylla sstable dump-*
• sstableloader: load and stream. we will have a dedicated issue for tracking this.
• sstableverify: scylla sstable validate
• sstablescrub: scylla sstable scrub
• nodetool: scylla nodetool

some other java tools which are not being actively used

• sstableutil
• sstableupgrade
• json2sstable: deprecated. see https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/CASSANDRA-9618

since this task involves more than one steps. this issue is created to track all of them:

Tasks

Beta Give feedback

1. add deprecation notices in the document, and note their replacement. #15020
   documentation +1
2. https://github.com/scylladb/scylla-dtest/issues/3350
3. create an sstableloader alternative #14857
   +0
4. Scylla-native repacement for nodetool #15588
   48 of 48
   area/nodetool area/scylla tools enhancement +3
   
5. implement sstablelevelreset as a scylla native tool #15038
   +0
6. patch java tools print a message when they see a UUID generation scylla-tools-java#360
   bug showstopper +2
   
7. add deprecation notices in the java tools, and note their replacement.
8. after a grace period, the java tools won't be distributed anymore. and https://github.com/scylladb/scylla-tools-java will be put in archive mode

[mykaul]

@tchaikov , please work with @tgrabiec to see which tools (the new, non-Java alternatives) need support for Tablets.

[denesb]

@tchaikov , please work with @tgrabiec to see which tools (the new, non-Java alternatives) need support for Tablets.

All of the current native tools are completely indifferent to replication strategies. They work with local, concrete objects like values or sstables directly.

[Lorak-mmk]

nodetool is also part of scylla-tools-java but is not on the list. If we want to drop dependency of scylla-tools-java, we'd have to take care of it too - preferably by creating our own that talks to REST API (that would allow us to drop scylla-jmx too).

[denesb]

nodetool is also part of scylla-tools-java but is not on the list. If we want to drop dependency of scylla-tools-java, we'd have to take care of it too - preferably by creating our own that talks to REST API (that would allow us to drop scylla-jmx too).

There is already a POC for a scylla-native nodetool replacement: #14841.

[tchaikov]

nodetool is also part of scylla-tools-java but is not on the list. If we want to drop dependency of scylla-tools-java, we'd have to take care of it too - preferably by creating our own that talks to REST API (that would allow us to drop scylla-jmx too).

thanks. i revised the issue description to add nodetool and Botond's POC .

[denesb]

@tchaikov please consider adding #15588 to the tasklist above, instead of the POC (which implemented just a single command).

[tchaikov]

@tchaikov please consider adding #15588 to the tasklist above, instead of the POC (which implemented just a single command).

sure. replaced the link to #14841 with the one to #15588

[denesb]

I would like to attempt to wrap this up for 6.1, so we can reap the full benefits of the effort that went into the native nodetool.