Modifying Node Hostnames (FQDN / IP Address) in Aria Operations for Logs Cluster Configuration

Products

VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

In VMware Aria Operations for Logs, after adding a new worker node to the cluster, the node may appear with an IP address in the cluster management page instead of the FQDN. Alternatively, there is an administrative requirement to maintain an IP address in the cluster management page rather than the FQDN.

This article outlines the procedure to safely modify how node addresses are referenced within the internal configuration.

Environment

Aria Operations for logs 8.18.x

Resolution

Update Cluster Configuration: Navigate to the Internal Config page via the web UI: https://PRIMARY_IP_ADDRESS/internal/config.

Edit the reference to the standalone (primary) node to use the IP address of the node instead of the existing FQDN, or vice versa.

Original:

<distributed overwrite-children="true">
    <daemon host="<AriaOperationsforlogsNodeFQDN>" port="16520" token="<token-id>">
      <service-group name="standalone" />
    </daemon>
    <daemon host="<AriaOperationsforlogsNodeIPAddress>" port="16520" token="<token-id>">
      <service-group name="workernode" />
    </daemon>
    <daemon host="<AriaOperationsforlogsNodeIPAddress>" port="16520" token="<token-id>">
      <service-group name="workernode" />
    </daemon>
</distributed>

Edited:

<distributed overwrite-children="true">
    <daemon host="<AriaOperationsforlogsNodeIPAddress>" port="16520" token="<token-id>">
      <service-group name="standalone" />
    </daemon>
    <daemon host="<AriaOperationsforlogsNodeIPAddress>" port="16520" token="<token-id>">
      <service-group name="workernode" />
    </daemon>
    <daemon host="<AriaOperationsforlogsNodeIPAddress>" port="16520" token="<token-id>">
      <service-group name="workernode" />
    </daemon>
</distributed>

Restart Services: For a VMware Aria Operations for Logs cluster setup, you must restart the Log Insight service on all nodes. Start with the Primary node, followed by the Worker nodes:
```
service loginsight stop
service loginsight start
```
Validate Cluster State: Navigate to Management > Cluster in the UI. Ensure all nodes show as Connected and the Primary Node reflects the IP Address instead of the FQDN, or vice versa, based on your configuration.

Additional Information

If you need to reassign the primary node's original FQDN to the Integrated Load Balancer (ILB) while updating the primary node to use a new FQDN and reference its own IP address internally, follow the procedure outlined below.

Prerequisites

Take a snapshot backup of all VMware Aria Operations for Logs nodes as per KB 383191.
Ensure a new DNS A-record and PTR record are created and propagated for the Primary Node's new FQDN.
Update the original FQDN DNS records to resolve to the planned ILB VIP.

Primary Node FQDN Restructuring Procedure

Update Node OS Hostname: Connect to the Primary Node via SSH as root and run the following command to set the new FQDN at the OS level:
```
hostnamectl set-hostname <New_Primary_FQDN>
```
Update Cluster Configuration: Navigate to the Internal Config page via the web UI: https://PRIMARY_IP_ADDRESS/internal/config. Edit the reference to the standalone (primary) node to use the IP address of the node instead of the existing FQDN as per the above resolution steps
Restart Services: Restart the Log Insight service on all nodes. Start with the Primary node, followed by the Worker nodes:
```
service loginsight stop
service loginsight start
```
Validate Cluster State: Navigate to Management > Cluster in the UI. Ensure all nodes show as Connected and the Primary Node reflects the IP Address instead of the FQDN.
Configure the ILB: Once the Primary Node successfully operates on the new FQDN, configure the Integrated Load Balancer under Management > Cluster. Input the target ILB VIP and assign the original FQDN to the ILB. Refer to the Activate the Integrated Load Balancer documentation for more information.