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This version of GitHub Enterprise was discontinued on 2023-01-18. No patch releases will be made, even for critical security issues. For better performance, improved security, and new features, upgrade to the latest version of GitHub Enterprise. For help with the upgrade, contact GitHub Enterprise support.

Replacing a cluster node

To replace a GitHub Enterprise Server node, you must mark the affected nodes offline in the cluster configuration file (cluster.conf) and add the replacement nodes. This might be necessary if a node were to fail, or to add a node with more resources to increase performance.

Warning: The replacement node must use a hostname that has not been used previously in the cluster to avoid conflicts.

Replacing a functional node

  1. Provision and install GitHub Enterprise Server with a unique hostname on the replacement node.

  2. Using the administrative shell or DHCP, only configure the IP address of the replacement node. Don't configure any other settings.

  3. To add the newly provisioned replacement node, on any node, modify the cluster.conf file to remove the failed node and add the replacement node. For example, this modified cluster.conf file replaces ghe-data-node-3 with the newly provisioned node, ghe-replacement-data-node-3:

    [cluster "ghe-replacement-data-node-3"]
      hostname = ghe-replacement-data-node-3
      ipv4 = 192.168.0.7
      # ipv6 = fd12:3456:789a:1::7
      git-server = true
      pages-server = true
      mysql-server = true
      elasticsearch-server = true
      redis-server = true
      memcache-server = true
      metrics-server = true
      storage-server = true
    
  4. From the administrative shell of the node with the modified cluster.conf, run ghe-cluster-config-init. This will initialize the newly added node in the cluster.

  5. From the same node, run ghe-cluster-config-apply. This will validate the configuration file, copy it to each node in the cluster, and configure each node according to the modified cluster.conf file.

  6. If you're taking a node offline that has git-server = true set in cluster.conf, evacuate the node. For more information, see "Evacuating a cluster node."

  7. To mark the failed node offline, on any node, modify the cluster configuration file (cluster.conf) in the relevant node section to include the text offline = true.

    For example, this modified cluster.conf will mark the ghe-data-node-3 node as offline:

      [cluster "ghe-data-node-3"]
      hostname = ghe-data-node-3
      offline = true
      ipv4 = 192.168.0.6
      # ipv6 = fd12:3456:789a:1::6
      
  8. From the administrative shell of the node where you modified cluster.conf, run ghe-cluster-config-apply. This will validate the configuration file, copy it to each node in the cluster, and mark the node offline.

  9. If you're replacing the primary MySQL or Redis node, in cluster.conf, modify the mysql-master or redis-master value with the replacement node name.

    For example, this modified cluster.conf file specifies a newly provisioned cluster node, ghe-replacement-data-node-1 as the primary MySQL and Redis node:

    mysql-master = ghe-replacement-data-node-1
    redis-master = ghe-replacement-data-node-1
    

Replacing a node in an emergency

  1. Provision and install GitHub Enterprise Server with a unique hostname on the replacement node.

  2. Using the administrative shell or DHCP, only configure the IP address of the replacement node. Don't configure any other settings.

  3. To mark the failed node offline, on any node, modify the cluster configuration file (cluster.conf) in the relevant node section to include the text offline = true.

    For example, this modified cluster.conf will mark the ghe-data-node-3 node as offline:

      [cluster "ghe-data-node-3"]
      hostname = ghe-data-node-3
      offline = true
      ipv4 = 192.168.0.6
      # ipv6 = fd12:3456:789a:1::6
      
  4. From the administrative shell of the node where you modified cluster.conf, run ghe-cluster-config-apply. This will validate the configuration file, copy it to each node in the cluster, and mark the node offline.

  5. To add the newly provisioned replacement node, on any node, modify the cluster.conf file to remove the failed node and add the replacement node. For example, this modified cluster.conf file replaces ghe-data-node-3 with the newly provisioned node, ghe-replacement-data-node-3:

    [cluster "ghe-replacement-data-node-3"]
      hostname = ghe-replacement-data-node-3
      ipv4 = 192.168.0.7
      # ipv6 = fd12:3456:789a:1::7
      git-server = true
      pages-server = true
      mysql-server = true
      elasticsearch-server = true
      redis-server = true
      memcache-server = true
      metrics-server = true
      storage-server = true
    
  6. If you're replacing the primary MySQL or Redis node, in cluster.conf, modify the mysql-master or redis-master value with the replacement node name.

    For example, this modified cluster.conf file specifies a newly provisioned cluster node, ghe-replacement-data-node-1 as the primary MySQL and Redis node:

    mysql-master = ghe-replacement-data-node-1
    redis-master = ghe-replacement-data-node-1
    
  7. From the administrative shell of the node with the modified cluster.conf, run ghe-cluster-config-init. This will initialize the newly added node in the cluster.

  8. From the same node, run ghe-cluster-config-apply. This will validate the configuration file, copy it to each node in the cluster, and configure each node according to the modified cluster.conf file.

  9. If you're taking a node offline that has git-server = true set in cluster.conf, evacuate the node. For more information, see "Evacuating a cluster node."