Cisco APIC Getting Started Guide, Release 6.2(x)

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Cisco APIC cluster contractions

Updated: January 12, 2026

Overview

This topic explains the cluster contraction procedure, which involves reducing a cluster's size by removing nodes sequentially, increasing the load on remaining nodes, and making decommissioned slots unavailable until re-enabled by operator input.

A cluster contraction is a cluster management operation that reduces a cluster’s size by removing one node at a time within legal boundaries, increases computational and memory load on the remaining nodes, and makes the decommissioned cluster slot unavailable until re-enabled by operator input.

  • Reduces a cluster’s size by removing one node at a time within legal boundaries.

  • Increases computational and memory load on the remaining nodes.

  • Makes the decommissioned cluster slot unavailable until re-enabled by operator input.

Cluster contraction procedure

When contracting the cluster, always decommission the last APIC in the sequence first and proceed in reverse order. For example:

  • Decommission APIC4 before APIC3.

  • Decommission APIC3 before APIC2.