# Setting up elasticsearch with NLB, what happens if master node goes down?

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/setting-up-elasticsearch-with-nlb-what-happens-if-master-node-goes-down/13070>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [August 5, 2013, 10:47am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/setting-up-elasticsearch-with-nlb-what-happens-if-master-node-goes-down/13070 "2013-08-05T10:47:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tommy\_Albinsson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@Tommy\_Albinsson](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Tommy_Albinsson)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 10:47am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/setting-up-elasticsearch-with-nlb-what-happens-if-master-node-goes-down/13070/1 "2013-08-05T10:47:31Z")

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Hi!

I have set up a ElasticSearch cluster with NLB (Network load balancing). It  
all works very well, but I have a question about when/if a node goes down.

ElasticSearch, should then choose another node as master, the most eligible  
on? Right? But what happens for me is this.It is to seperate scenarious  
that I can't wrap my head around.

1. Ok, I shutdown the master node. Then the virtual ip stops responding and  
I get 404. It seems like NLB is still trying to direct all the traffic to  
the master node which I shutdown. The host is still up, only the  
elasticsearch application is shutdown. So how do I make NLB try the other  
host? Which infact is up and running.

2. I shutdown one node, not the master. The virtual ip setup with NLB still  
responds and I can access the head plugin via it. So far so good. But, if I  
try to access my site ([asp.net](http://asp.net) mvc using NEST) using the cluster IP get  
this.

_No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it  
[VIRTUAL IP]_

.Which is very strange, since the virtual ip is up and running and I can  
access everything via the head plugin.

So the questions are, how do I tell NLB to try the other host when  
elasticsearch master node is down, but the server is still up, and why does  
my cluster become inaccessible when I shut down one of the other nodes in  
it. Am I missing some configuration?

Thanks!

//Tommy

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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 6, 2017, 2:22am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/setting-up-elasticsearch-with-nlb-what-happens-if-master-node-goes-down/13070/2 "2017-07-06T02:22:56Z")

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