Cluster resources fails to start with error : "Resource start-up disabled since no STONITH resources have been defined"

Solution Verified - Updated

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 6, 7, 8 or 9 (with the High Availability and Resilient Storage Add Ons)
  • Pacemaker

Issue

  • Pacemaker cluster resources fails to start on new build clusters or clusters with no fence/stonith resource configured.
  • Below warning appears in pcs status command output :
 WARNINGS:
 No stonith devices and stonith-enabled is not false

Resolution

  • Create a stonith device for the cluster by referring to the following links as per OS release :

Root Cause

  • Red Hat does not provide support for clusters without a STONITH device configured for any member, and the expected behavior of such a cluster is undefined. Clusters without STONITH for every node may behave in problematic ways, and should not be relied on for High Availability of critical services or applications. Refer to the support policy below that details General Requirements for Fencing/STONITH :

  • A key aspect of Red Hat cluster design is that a system must be configured with at least one fencing device to ensure that the services that the cluster provides remain available when a node in the cluster encounters a problem. Fencing is the mechanism that the cluster uses to resolve issues and failures that occur. When you design your cluster services to take advantage of fencing, you can ensure that a problematic cluster node will be cut off quickly and the remaining nodes in the cluster can take over those services, making for a more resilient and stable cluster. Refer to the article below for more information on importance of fencing in cluster :

Diagnostic Steps

  • Below error is observed in /var/log/messeges :
   Aug 20 11:40:37 testnode1 pacemaker-schedulerd[09144]: error: Resource start-up disabled since no STONITH 
   resources have been defined
   Aug 20 11:40:37 testnode1 pacemaker-schedulerd[09144]: error: Either configure some or disable STONITH with the 
   stonith-enabled option
   Aug 20 11:40:37 testnode1 pacemaker-schedulerd[09144]: error: NOTE: Clusters with shared data need STONITH to 
   ensure data integrity
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