Error: It looks like [IP_Address_A] and [IP_Address_B] are the same host.

Products

• Network Observability
• CA Performance Management

Issue/Introduction

During the installation or upgrade of the Data Repository (Vertica) using `dr_install.sh`, the installer fails with the following error during the system information gathering phase:

 

`Error: It looks like [IP_Address_A] and [IP_Address_B] are the same host.`

`Hint: Each cluster host must be a distinct machine.`

 

This occurs even when the hostnames correctly map to distinct IP addresses in the `cluster.properties` file and the `/etc/hosts` file.

 

Environment

DX NetOps :: All Supported Versions

Installing/Upgrading as a sudo user

Cause

The Vertica installer requires non-interactive sudo access to perform system checks across all cluster nodes.

In some environments, supplementary configuration files in `/etc/sudoers.d/` may have restrictive permissions that prevent the `sudo` command from successfully parsing the full sudoers configuration.

 

Specifically, if a file in `/etc/sudoers.d/` (even an empty or unused file) has permissions that are too restrictive (e.g., missing read permissions for the root/executing user),

the `sudo` command may fail or behave inconsistently.

This prevents the installer from distinguishing between unique hosts during its remote execution checks, leading to the false "same host" error.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, ensure that all files within the `/etc/sudoers.d/` directory have the correct permissions to be read by the system during sudo execution.

 

1. Log in to the affected node(s) as a root user.
2. Navigate to the sudoers configuration directory:

   ```bash

   cd /etc/sudoers.d/

   ```

3. Identify any files with incorrect permissions. Even if a file is **0 KB** in size and not actively in use, it must still be accessible.
4. Apply the standard permissions (0440) to the files in that directory:

   ```bash

   chmod 0440 /etc/sudoers.d/*

   ```

5. Rerun the `dr_install.sh` script.

 

Additional Information

**Note:** It is a best practice to verify that the `/etc/sudoers.d/` directory itself has 0750 permissions.