ESXi lost custom attributes

[EdSp]

We place custom attributes on the nodes (and VMs) to keep track of some metadata. However we noticed that after a rename or reip of the node, that the custom attributes were lost!?

Anyone seen this before or any advice on how to prevent this?

Thanks,
Ed

[ptarnawski]

Hey @EdSp ,

I have seen this before. Custom attributes are stored in the node's metadata, which is a separate database from the node's state. When you rename or reip a node, the node's state is updated, but the node's metadata is not. This is why the custom attributes are lost.

To prevent this, you can use the nodetool set_attr command to update the node's metadata. For example, to add a custom attribute called foo with the value bar, you would use the following command:

nodetool set_attr <node_id> foo bar

You can also use the dsetool command to update the node's metadata. For example, to add a custom attribute called foo with the value bar, you would use the following command:

" dsetool set_attr <node_id> foo bar "

Note that you must use the nodetool or dsetool command to update the node's metadata after you rename or reip the node. If you simply update the node's state, the custom attributes will still be lost.

[RobertaSims]

Thank you for saving my day.

[EdSp]

I was looking around for the nodetool. I only see it in the context of Datastax/Cassandra? I am using a VMware vSphere environment; I am not using Datastax/Cassandra.

Thanks,
Ed