Removing a node

Reduce the size of a datacenter.

Use these instructions when you want to remove nodes to reduce the size of your cluster, not for replacing a dead node.

Procedure

  • Check whether the node is up or down using nodetool status:

    The nodetool command shows the status of the node (UN=up, DN=down):

  • If the node is up, run nodetool decommission.

    This assigns the ranges that the node was responsible for to other nodes and replicates the data appropriately.

    Use nodetool netstats to monitor the progress.

    Note: Decommission does not shutdown the node, shutdown the node after decommission has completed.
  • If the node is down, remove the node using the nodetool removenode command.
  • If removenode fails, run nodetool assassinate.