Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some commonly asked questions that you may encounter that can assist you along the way when working with Cumulus.
General
How do I deploy a new instance in Cumulus?
Answer: For steps on the Cumulus deployment process go to How to Deploy Cumulus.
What prerequisites are needed to setup Cumulus?
Answer: You will need access to the AWS console and an Earthdata login before you can deploy Cumulus.
What is the preferred web browser for the Cumulus environment?
Answer: Our preferred web browser is the latest version of Google Chrome.
How do I quickly troubleshoot an issue in Cumulus?
Answer: To troubleshoot and fix issues in Cumulus reference our recommended solutions in Troubleshooting Cumulus.
Where can I get support help?
Answer: The following options are available for assistance:
- Cumulus: Outside NASA users should file a GitHub issue and inside NASA users should file a JIRA issue.
- AWS: You can create a case in the AWS Support Center, accessible via your AWS Console.
Integrators & Developers
What is a Cumulus integrator?
Answer: Those who are working within Cumulus and AWS for deployments and to manage workflows. They may perform the following functions:
- Configure and deploy Cumulus to the AWS environment
- Configure Cumulus workflows
- Write custom workflow tasks
What are the steps if I run into an issue during deployment?
Answer: If you encounter an issue with your deployment go to the Troubleshooting Deployment guide.
What is a Cumulus workflow?
Answer: A workflow is a provider-configured set of steps that describe the process to ingest data. Workflows are defined using AWS Step Functions. For more details, we suggest visiting here.
How do I set up a Cumulus workflow?
Answer: You will need to create a provider, have an associated collection (add a new one), and generate a new rule first. Then you can set up a Cumulus workflow by following these steps here.
What are the common use cases that a Cumulus integrator encounters?
Answer: The following are some examples of possible use cases you may see:
Operators
What is a Cumulus operator?
Answer: Those that ingests, archives, and troubleshoots datasets (called collections in Cumulus). Your daily activities might include but not limited to the following:
- Ingesting datasets
- Maintaining historical data ingest
- Starting and stopping data handlers
- Managing collections
- Managing provider definitions
- Creating, enabling, and disabling rules
- Investigating errors for granules and deleting or re-ingesting granules
- Investigating errors in executions and isolating failed workflow step(s)
What are the common use cases that a Cumulus operator encounters?
Answer: The following are some examples of possible use cases you may see:
Can you re-run a workflow execution in AWS?
Answer: Yes. For steps on how to re-run a workflow execution go to Re-running workflow executions in the Cumulus Operator Docs.