
How to Install Tableau Server on REHL/Windows Env
Table of Contents
What is Tableau
What if your data could speak? With Tableau, it can—through stunning visuals, interactive dashboards, and powerful insights. So to make these stunning visuals available for a larger audience once must have a Tableau Server. So follow me till end if you want to Install on your instance
Key Points:
- 🖥️ Hardware Requirements: Least of 8 cores (16 vCPUs) with 2.0 GHz or higher and 128 GB RAM for Tableau Server rendition 2022.3 or later. Prior adaptations require less RAM (64 GB for 2021.4.x to 2022.1.x, 32 GB for 2021.3.x or prior). Plate space: Least 50 GB suggested Tableau Help
- 🌐 Multi-Node Deployments: Each node in a multi-node Tableau Server cluster must meet or exceed hardware recommendations and must use the same operating system and version across nodes. Dedicated nodes for specific tasks (e.g., Tableau Prep Conductor) have lower requirements Tableau Help
- 🛠️ Installation Directory: Tableau Server installs on the system drive by default but allows customisation during installation. Log files and data directory locations depend on the installation path Tableau Help
- ☁️ Cloud Deployments: For cloud setups (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure), vCPU requirements are double the physical core requirements due to hyper-threading Tableau Help
- 🔄 Scalability Testing: Organisation should assess their extract storage needs by testing with sample extracts. Repository backups also require storage planning Tableau Help
- 🔒 Licensing Considerations: Ensure licenses are deactivated before cloning a virtual machine to avoid licensing issues Tableau Help
Prerequisites:
Ensure the following firewall settings are configured to allow Tableau Server traffic. Note that port 443 cannot be modified:
- Port 80: Used by Gateway
- Port 443: Used for SSL configuration
- Port 8850: Used for TSM (Tableau Server Manager) Configuration
- Port 8860: Used for PostgreSQL Database
Install the Initial Node of Tableau Server (Linux Server)
This procedure describes how to install the initial node of Tableau Server as defined by the reference architecture. The procedure uses the TSM command line whenever possible, as it is platform-agnostic and works well in virtualised and headless environments.
Step-by-Step Installation
- Update Dependencies: Update the Linux server and its dependencies
sudo yum update
- Install nano (Editor for Configuration Files) This step allows you to edit configuration files:
sudo yum install nano
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- Install wget (for Downloading Files) This is needed to download the Tableau Server .rpm file:
sudo yum install wget
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- Set Admin Password Change the password for the root admin user:
sudo passwd
su root
passwd {username_here}
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- Add User to the Root User List
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Check the permissions and add the user to the wheel group: Save the changes with :wq!, then exit by typing exit.
cat /etc/group # View group and permissions
vi /etc/group # Edit the file
- Download the Tableau Server RPM File Download the .rpm file for Tableau Server (version 2020.4.24 in this example):
wget https://downloads.tableau.com/esdalt/2020.4.24/tableau-server-2020-4-24.x86_64.rpm
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- Install Tableau Server Run the following command to install the server:
sudo yum install tableau-server-2020-4-24.x86_64.rpm
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Handling Server Configuration Alerts If the server configuration is insufficient, an alert will be displayed. You may need to address any hardware or configuration issues based on the alert.!! !
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Navigate to the Tableau Server Directory Go to the Tableau server package directory to initialise TSM:
cd /opt/tableau/tableau_server/packages/<script-version>
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- Initialise TSM Initialise Tableau Server with the following command:
sudo ./initialize-tsm --accepteula
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- Access TSM Configuration Web Page Open the following URL in a browser to complete the configuration:
<Url>:8850
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User Authentication Methods
When installing Tableau Server, you must select a method for managing users. This decision is crucial as it cannot be changed once chosen.
Local Authentication
User accounts (including usernames and passwords) are managed locally on the Tableau Server. Administrators can automate user creation via CLI commands. Users will have separate credentials from the system.
Active Directory
If using Active Directory, Tableau Server connects to your Microsoft AD to manage users. No separate credentials are required for Tableau, as users authenticate via AD.
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License Activation
You will be prompted to provide a Tableau Server license or opt for a trial version.
Server Configuration
During installation, you will choose between Local Authentication and Active Directory integration. This decision cannot be changed later, so ensure the correct option is selected.
Post-Installation Setup on Linux
Add Server Admin User via CLI To add the initial admin user:
tabcmd initialuser --server http://localhost --username "new-admin-username"
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Configure PostgreSQL Driver
Download PostgreSQL Driver
Download the PostgreSQL JDBC driver from Tableau’s official site:
sudo wget https://downloads.tableau.com/drivers/linux/postgresql/postgresql-42.3.3.jar
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Check Server Status
To verify if the PostgreSQL driver is properly configured, check the server status:
Go to Server Status → Analysis → Traffic
If you see an error, the PostgreSQL driver might not be configured correctly.
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Configure the Driver
Copy the downloaded .jar file to the following directory (you may need to create it manually):
/opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc
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Restart Tableau Server
Restart Tableau Server to apply changes and confirm that the backend information is visible.
Create a PostgreSQL User
Create a user for logging into PostgreSQL:
tsm data-access repository-access enable --repository-username "your-desired-username" --repository-password "your-desired-password"
tsm data-access repository-access enable --repository-username "your-desired-username" --repository-password "your-desired-password"
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Tableau Server Initialisation (Windows Installation)
The installation process for Tableau Server on Windows is similar to the Linux installation process, with some platform-specific steps. The following steps are identical:
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Sign in as a user with administrator access: To install you must have an admin access
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Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the Setup and install the application!![ !
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Click Next ! - On the Server installation type page, you can specify whether you are installing the first node of a Server installation or additional nodes in a multi-node installation. You do not need to change this from the default (Create a new Tableau Server installation.) unless you are installing a multi-node Tableau Server
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Click Next.- On the Product activation type page, select whether you want to use the Tableau authorization-to-run (ATR) service to activate Tableau Server (the default), and then click Install. For more information about the Tableau authorization -to-run (ATR) service
After the installation completes, click Finish. Setup will then open the TSM configuration web page on the computer where you are installing Tableau Server.
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