Unable to get a valid mac address will use a dummy address – How to solve this Elasticsearch error

Opster Team

Aug-23, Version: 2.3-2.3

Briefly, this error occurs when Elasticsearch is unable to fetch a valid MAC address from the system. This could be due to network interface issues or security restrictions. Elasticsearch uses the MAC address for node identification and to prevent split-brain situations. To resolve this, ensure that the network interfaces are correctly configured and accessible. If the issue persists, you may need to check your system’s security settings to ensure Elasticsearch has the necessary permissions to access the MAC address.

This guide will help you check for common problems that cause the log ” Unable to get a valid mac address; will use a dummy address ” to appear. To understand the issues related to this log, read the explanation below about the following Elasticsearch concepts: Index and Memory.

Log Context

Log “Unable to get a valid mac address; will use a dummy address” classname is MacAddressProvider.java.
We extracted the following from Elasticsearch source code for those seeking an in-depth context :

logger.warn("Unable to get mac address; will use a dummy address"; t);
            // address will be set below
        }

        if (!isValidAddress(address)) {
            logger.warn("Unable to get a valid mac address; will use a dummy address");
            address = constructDummyMulticastAddress();
        }

        byte[] mungedBytes = new byte[6];
        SecureRandomHolder.INSTANCE.nextBytes(mungedBytes);

 

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