Currently running a 3 node cluster with replication factor 3 on the keyspaces. Need to add more nodes to the cluster as the size of each node is approaching 2TB. Can I add just 1 more node to the cluster and have a 4 node cluster or does the cluster always need to have odd number of nodes? Using a consistency level of ONE currently for both read and write.
2 Answers
You can have as many nodes in the cluster as you want, particularly if you are not using the racks feature in Cassandra (all nodes are in the same logical C* rack).
If you are using C* racks, our recommendation is to have an equal number of nodes in each rack so the load distribution is balanced across the racks in each DC.
For example, if your app keyspaces have a replication factor of 3 and you have 3 racks then the number of nodes in the DC should be in multiples of the replication factor -- 3, 6, 9, 12 and so on. This would allow you to configure the same number of nodes in each rack.
This isn't a hard requirement but is best practice so nodes have an equal amount of load and data on them. Cheers!
You can have even number of nodes in a Cassandra cluster. So you can add another node to the cluster. If you are using vnodes, then it will be easier, otherwise a lot of work needs to be done to balance the cluster.
One more thing, reading and writing with consistency level ONE decreases the consistency. If it suits your usecase then it is fine but general recommendation is to use QUORUM on the production system.
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