Removing a node

Reduce the size of a datacenter.

• 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.

  Note: To avoid excessive data streaming, make node topology changes one at a time.

  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, choose the appropriate option:
  • If the cluster uses vnodes, remove the node using the nodetool removenode command.
  • If the cluster does not use vnodes, before running the nodetool removenode command, adjust your tokens to evenly distribute the data across the remaining nodes to avoid creating a hot spot.
• If removenode fails, run nodetool assassinate.