Managing a Cluster Node

A SmartZone cluster supports up to four nodes and distributes the database tables across members to tolerate a single node failure without service loss. If two nodes fail in a 3‑ or 4‑node cluster, the cluster enters an out‑of‑service (OOS) state and operations become unpredictable until at least one node is restored. GUI access may be unavailable in this condition.
If a single node fails and will remain offline, remove it so the tables redistribute across the remaining nodes; re‑add it after remediation so the database can rebuild on that node.
Attention: When two nodes are down, do not attempt configuration changes. Restore a node first to protect the database integrity.
Cluster node management involves the following tasks:

In this section:

  1. Replacing a Controller Node
Parent topic: Troubleshooting Issues with the Controller

Joining an SZ Node to an Existing Cluster

Add a vSZ node using the Setup Wizard with the cluster in a healthy state.
Consider the following when adding a node to an existing cluster:
  • The target cluster is healthy (no member OOS). Join fails if any node is out of service.
  • All nodes are running the same SZ firmware version.
  • For three‑interface deployments, the Control, Management, and Cluster interfaces are on separate VLANs and each interface type shares a common subnet across nodes.
  • You have the leader IP address and admin password.
  • Refer to the RUCKUS SmartZone Upgrade Guide for complete vSZ deployment requirements.

High-level steps to add an SZ node to an existing cluster are as follows:

Note: Refer to the RUCKUS Virtual SmartZone Getting Started Guide, the RUCKUS SmartZone 144 Getting Started Guide, or to the RUCKUS SmartZone 300 Getting Started Guide for complete details on using the Setup Wizard to install your controller.

  1. In the Setup Wizard, under Cluster Information, select Join Existing Cluster.
    The cluster-related join fields appear.
  2. Enter the Cluster Name and Controller Name, optionally, enter the Controller Description. Supported characters are: alphanumerics, hyphen, and underscore.
  3. In Join Exist vSZ Cluster IP, enter the leader’s IP address. In Admin Password, enter the leader admin password.
  4. Click Next and complete the remaining wizard steps.
    The node joins after validation.
After completion, confirm the new node appears on the Cluster page with a healthy state and services online.
Note: If you find issues when joining a new node to the cluster, refer to Troubleshooting SmartZone Node not Joining the Cluster.

Removing a Follower or Failed Node

Remove a follower/failed node to stabilize the cluster and redistribute database tables.
  1. In the controller web UI, select Network > Data and Control Plane > Cluster.
  2. Locate the node and click Delete.
    The node is disconnected from the cluster and connected APs or switches (if any) failover to the remaining cluster nodes.
  3. Wait for the cluster to redistribute the database tables across the remaining nodes.
    The services stabilize on the remaining members.
    Note: If remediation was performed on the removed node (hardware, VM, or network), you may subsequently re‑add it using the procedure Joining an SZ Node to an Existing Cluster so the database rebuilds on that node.