# Force replication
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/force-replication/254429
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [November 5, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/force-replication/254429 "2020-11-05T14:55:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@vincent2mots](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/vincent2mots)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/force-replication/254429/1 "2020-11-05T14:55:22Z")
Hi there!
I started a new fresh Elasticsearch (7.9) cluster with sample flights data.
If I look up for the "number\_of\_replicas" setting of this index, I get 1. And, if I try to use the cat/shards API, I see one primary replicas one of my nodes and the other replica on other node.
Now, I want to modify the number\_of\_replicas from 1 to 2. When I do so, everything seems fine but I was excepting, into the /cat/shards API, to see a new replica and it's not the case.
Did I misunderstood the concept of replicas? Or maybe there is some time between the change of parameter and the moment the data is actually replicated?
Best regards,
---
### Author:  [@Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_Dahlqvist)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/force-replication/254429/2 "2020-11-05T15:19:54Z")
You can never have more than one copy of a shard (primary/replica) per node so it will depend on the number of data nodes you have in the cluster.
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### Author:  [@vincent2mots](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/vincent2mots)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/force-replication/254429/3 "2020-11-05T15:33:02Z")
I have 4 data nodes in my cluster
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### Author:  [@Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_Dahlqvist)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/force-replication/254429/4 "2020-11-05T15:44:14Z")
Can you share the output and how you changed the setting?
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### Author:  [@vincent2mots](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/vincent2mots)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/force-replication/254429/5 "2020-11-05T20:10:50Z")
Thanks for the idea!!
The problem was the command I used to change the number of replicas
Instead of :
> PUT /kibana\_sample\_data\_ecommerce/\_settings
> {
> "index" : {
> "number\_of\_replicas" : 2
> }
> }
I had to use:
> PUT /kibana\_sample\_data\_ecommerce/\_settings
> {
> "index" : {
> "number\_of\_replicas" : 2,
> **"auto\_expand\_replicas": false**
> }
> }
Now it's better!
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/force-replication/254429/6 "2020-12-03T20:10:54Z")
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