As data grows, you'll likely need to add nodes to your existing GBase 8a MPP cluster without downtime. This hands‑on guide walks through the full process of adding a composite GNode to a running GBASE cluster.

Prerequisites

• Existing cluster: A healthy GBase 8a cluster
• New node: A server with a static IP address configured
• Network: All nodes must be able to communicate with each other

Step‑by‑Step

Step 1: Stop the Cluster

Stop services on all existing nodes to guarantee data consistency during the expansion:

gcadmin all stop

Step 2: Configure the New Node's Network

Set up a static IP on the new machine and verify connectivity:

ping 172.16.5.172

Step 3: Set Up the System Environment

On the new node, perform the following:

• Create the gbase user and group
• Tune system and kernel parameters
• Run the SetSysEnv.py environment script
• Configure passwordless SSH

Step 4: Edit the Installation Config

Update demo.options with the new node's details:

NEW_NODE_IP=172.16.5.178
NODE_ROLE=gnode
CLUSTER_NAME=my_gcluster

Accept the license agreement and confirm the target node when prompted by the installer.

Step 5: Install and Join the Cluster

Once the software deployment completes automatically, add the node to the cluster:

# Register the node
gcadmin addNode --host=172.16.5.178 --role=gnode

# Verify the node status
gcadmin show cluster

Important Reminders

• Backup first: Always back up data before expanding.
• Version match: Ensure the new node runs the same software version as the cluster.
• Resource planning: Allocate storage and memory appropriately.
• Network latency: Keep latency between new and existing nodes within acceptable limits.

Verification

After the expansion, confirm everything is healthy:

# Cluster status
gcadmin all status

# Node connectivity
gcadmin show nodes

# Data distribution
gbase -e "show distribution"

Following these steps, you'll have a smoothly scaled out gbase database cluster — ready to absorb continued data growth with GBASE's distributed engine.