Initialize a Node
A new Couchbase Server node can be initialized, to establish node-specific paths for local storage.
Understanding Initialization
Following installation and start-up of Couchbase Server, a node must be:
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Initialized, whereby its disk-paths for data, indexes, analytics, and eventing can be established.
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Provisioned, whereby all other details, including Full Administrator credentials, service assignments, and memory quota-definitions are established.
Optionally, initialization can be performed explicitly and independently of provisioning, as a prior process, in order to establish custom disk-paths. When the node is subsequently provisioned, these are preserved (unless, as is possible with UI-based provisioning, they are optionally overwritten, and the node is thus re-initialized).
If initialization is not explicitly performed, it will occur as part of the eventual provisioning process, and default disk-path values will be applied.
Note that disk-paths cannot be changed after a node has been provisioned, and has thus either become a cluster of one node, or has been added to a cluster of other nodes.
Examples on This Page
The examples in the subsections below show how to initialize the same node; using the CLI, and the REST API respectively. Note that UI-based initialization only be performed as part of the overall provisioning process.
The examples assume:
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Couchbase Server has been installed and started.
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The IP address of the node is
10.142.181.103.
Initialize a Node with the CLI
To initialize a node with the CLI, use the node-init command, as follows:
couchbase-cli node-init -c 10.142.181.103 \ -u placeholdername -p placeholderpwd \ --node-init-data-path /opt/couchbase/var/lib/couchbase/data \ --node-init-index-path /opt/couchbase/var/lib/couchbase/data \ --node-init-analytics-path /opt/couchbase/var/lib/couchbase/data \ --node-init-hostname node1-devcluster.com \ --ipv4
This initializes the disk-paths for data, indexes, and analytics on node 10.142.181.103 to the values shown.
Note that the command requires that a username and password be specified, although the node has not yet been provisioned with credentials.
Placeholders are therefore provided: these can be overwritten during subsequent provisioning.
The command additionally specifies IPv4 as the address family for the node, and assigns the node a hostname of node1-devcluster.com.
To specify IPv6, use the --ipv6 flag instead.
If successful, the operation returns the following:
SUCCESS: Node initialized
For more information, see the reference for the node-init command.
Initialize a Node with the REST API
To initialize a node with the REST API, use the POST /nodes/self/controller/settings http method and URI, as follows:
curl -u Administrator:password -v -X POST \ http://10.142.181.103:8091/nodes/self/controller/settings \ -d 'path=%2Fopt%2Fcouchbase%2Fvar%2Flib%2Fcouchbase%2Fdata&' \ -d 'index_path=%2Fopt%2Fcouchbase%2Fvar%2Flib%2Fcouchbase%2Fidata&' \ -d 'cbas_path=%2Fopt%2Fcouchbase%2Fvar%2Flib%2Fcouchbase%2Fadata&' \ -d 'eventing_path=%2Fopt%2Fcouchbase%2Fvar%2Flib%2Fcouchbase%2Fedata&'
This initializes the disk-paths for data, indexes, analytics, and eventing on node 10.142.181.103 to the values shown.
For more information on /nodes/self/controller/settings, see Creating a New Cluster.
Note that to assign a name to the node, the POST /node/controller/rename http method and URI can be used, as follows:
curl -v -X POST -u Administrator:password \ http://10.143.192.103:8091/node/controller/rename \ -d hostname=node1-devcluster.com
The assigns the name node1-devcluster.com to the node.
Next Steps
Following initialization, a node can be provisioned so as to become a Couchbase Cluster of one node. See Create a Cluster for details.