Configuring MaxScale for MaxGUI

Enable the MaxGUI dashboard by configuring the MaxScale REST API. Learn to set up network listeners, enable TLS security, and create the required administrative user credentials.

Overview

MaxGUI is a graphical utility that can perform administrative tasks using MaxScale's REST API. It is available starting in MaxScale 2.5. It supports many different operations.

MaxGUI is not available out-of-the box. MaxScale requires some configuration before MaxGUI can be used.

Enabling MaxGUI

1. If you want to use MaxGUI remotely, configure the REST API for remote connections.

Several global parameters must be configured in maxscale.cnf.

Parameter	Description
admin_host	• This parameter defines the network address that the REST API listens on.• The default value is 127.0.0.1.
admin_port	• This parameter defines the network port that the REST API listens on.• The default value is 8989.

For example:

[maxscale]
...
admin_host            = 0.0.0.0
admin_port            = 8443

1. MaxGUI requires TLS, so you must enable TLS for MaxScale's REST API Several global parameters must be configured in maxscale.cnf.

Parameter	Description
admin_ssl_key	* This parameter defines the private key used by the REST API.
admin_ssl_cert	* This parameter defines the certificate used by the REST API.
admin_ssl_ca_cert	*This parameter defines the CA certificate that signed the REST API's certificate.

For example:

[maxscale]
...
admin_ssl_key=/certs/server-key.pem
admin_ssl_cert=/certs/server-cert.pem
admin_ssl_ca_cert=/certs/ca-cert.pem

1. Ensure that the admin_gui global parameter is enable. It is enabled by default, so it will only be disabled if it was previously disabled manually.

2. Restart the MaxScale instance.

$ sudo systemctl restart maxscale

1. Create a new admin REST API user with MaxCtrl:

$ maxctrl --secure 
   --user=admin 
   --password=mariadb 
   --hosts=192.0.2.100:8443
   --tls-key=/certs/client-key.pem 
   --tls-cert=/certs/client-cert.pem 
   --tls-ca-cert=/certs/ca.pem 
   create user "maxscale_rest_admin" "maxscale_rest_admin_password" --type=admin

Replace maxscale_rest_admin and maxscale_rest_admin_password with the desired user and password.

1. Delete the default REST API named admin with MaxCtrl:

$ maxctrl --secure 
   --user=maxscale_rest_admin 
   --password=maxscale_rest_admin_password 
   --hosts=192.0.2.100:8443
   --tls-key=/certs/client-key.pem 
   --tls-cert=/certs/client-cert.pem 
   --tls-ca-cert=/certs/ca.pem 
   destroy user "admin"

1. Visit MaxGUI in your web browser.

For example:

• If you were accessing it from local host with the default port, then you would visit this address: 127.0.0.1:8989

• If you were accessing it with the above example configuration, then you would visit this address: 192.168.2.100:8443

1. Enter your user and password to login.

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