Most efficient way to address "Cluster not ready no quorum (500)"

[logui]

Today I was doing some tests with my two node cluster, I shutdown both of them, then I started one of them who has a few VMs with auto start, and none of them were starting, because the other node was shutdown. Very inconvenient when you want to do maintenance, I know three nodes is the recommended configuration, but this is a home lab, and adding another node is having to buy another mini-PC.

I have been researching different options, so far there seems to be at least three different solutions (maybe there are more), from most complicated/costly to simpler/cheaper ones:

1. Add a third node
2. Add a QDevice
3. Give a node an extra vote

I like option #3, to give one node an extra vote, but what if the situation is that, that node, the one with 2 votes, is the one who is shutdown, the other node with 1 vote will not work.

Then we come to option #2 with the QDevice, I can have a VM running 24/7 on my main PC with the QDevice, but that seems inefficient, because I can't turn off the PC, who is actually a laptop and sometimes I have to move it to a different location.

Of course, option #1 is the most adequate, but I don't want to have to add a third device to the home lab, with the initial cost of another mini-PC, plus the running cost of having it on 24/7.

Any other ideas or suggestions? Thanks

Update: Another option I might have, would be to repurpose an appliance that is running TrueNAS, to run Proxmox and be the third Node, then run TrueNAS within Proxmox on that third node, I don't know if TrueNAS performance will be degraded within Proxmox, and that appliance only has 16GB RAM, thoughts?

 

[Moayad]

Hi,

You could install the QDevice on a Raspberry Pi, it's an affordable way to provide the necessary 3rd vote for qourm without the need for a full node + will not cost like add a 3th node.

 

[logui]

Hi,

You could install the QDevice on a Raspberry Pi, it's an affordable way to provide the necessary 3rd vote for qourm without the need for a full node + will not cost like add a 3th node.

Thank you, I ended up installing a QDevice within a VM in TrueNAS

 

[Johannes S]

Thank you, I ended up installing a QDevice within a VM in TrueNAS

This is a great solution for your issue. If you don't already have it: I would also run a Proxmox Backup Server VM on the TrueNAS, so you can backup your vms outside of the cluster

 

[logui]

This is a great solution for your issue. If you don't already have it: I would also run a Proxmox Backup Server VM on the TrueNAS, so you can backup your vms outside of the cluster

I have configured an NFS share in TrueNAS connected to Proxmox and doing manual backups, I will definitely explore your idea, thank you

 

[Johannes S]

I have configured an NFS share in TrueNAS connected to Proxmox and doing manual backups, I will definitely explore your idea, thank you

PBS has deduplication so it's Backups will need less space than vzdumps to NFS.