# Adding master nodes gets cluster to red and doesn't assign SHARDS to 1 node

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/adding-master-nodes-gets-cluster-to-red-and-doesnt-assign-shards-to-1-node/51828>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [June 3, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/adding-master-nodes-gets-cluster-to-red-and-doesnt-assign-shards-to-1-node/51828 "2016-06-03T19:49:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Marjana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Marjana](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Marjana)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/adding-master-nodes-gets-cluster-to-red-and-doesnt-assign-shards-to-1-node/51828/1 "2016-06-03T19:49:31Z")

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Hello,  
I have a test cluster that has 2 nodes. I want to change the configuration, to add 3 master nodes, so my 2 initial nodes serve just as data nodes.  
So this is what I tried:  
I start my new 3 masters, and they become one cluster.  
Then I disable shard allocation on my 2 node cluster, change the settings to specify they are to be just data nodes. Restart the 2 nodes. They join the 3 node cluster, which is now 5 node (3 master 2 nodes). I enable shard allocation. But my cluster remains red, with about half unassigned shards. When I list shards, the only "STARTED" are on one data node. The other data node doesn't have any shards.  
Why are shards not pushed to the one node? My cluster health:  
{  
"cluster\_name" : "tlsaasprodqa",  
"status" : "red",  
"timed\_out" : false,  
"number\_of\_nodes" : 5,  
"number\_of\_data\_nodes" : 2,  
"active\_primary\_shards" : 1354,  
"active\_shards" : 1354,  
"relocating\_shards" : 0,  
"initializing\_shards" : 0,  
"unassigned\_shards" : 1356,  
"delayed\_unassigned\_shards" : 0,  
"number\_of\_pending\_tasks" : 0,  
"number\_of\_in\_flight\_fetch" : 0  
}

my cluster settings:  
"cluster" : {  
"routing" : {  
"allocation" : {  
"enable" : "all",  
"node\_initial\_primaries\_recoveries" : "50",  
"cluster\_concurrent\_rebalance" : "0",  
"node\_concurrent\_recoveries" : "20"  
}  
}  
}  
},  
"transient" : {  
"cluster" : {  
"routing" : {  
"allocation" : {  
"enable" : "all",  
"node\_concurrent\_recoveries" : "20"  
}  
}  
}  
}

If I kill ES on 3 master nodes and set one of the data nodes to be data/master, these shards will be assigned.  
What am I doing wrong? Is this the proper way to add 3 master nodes?  
All nodes have the same version, 1.7.1.  
Thanks

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/adding-master-nodes-gets-cluster-to-red-and-doesnt-assign-shards-to-1-node/51828/2 "2017-07-05T22:46:19Z")

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