---
title:  Cluster Configuration Files and Troubleshooting
---

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When you use the cluster configuration service in <%=vars.product_name%>,
you can examine the generated configuration.
The gfsh [export cluster-configuration](../../tools_modules/gfsh/command-pages/export.html#topic_mdv_jgz_ck)
command outputs configured properties,
the configuration on a per-group basis or for the
entire cluster, and the list of deployed JAR files.

If the output is written to either a ZIP file or an XML file,
you can import this configuration to a new cluster.
See [Exporting and Importing Cluster Configurations](export-import.html#concept_wft_dkq_34).

Upon the deploy of a JAR file,
the JAR file is added to a created directory called `cluster_config` within
the locator's directory of files.
Within `cluster_config` will be another directory named for the member group
that has the configuration.
For configurations that apply to all members of a cluster,
the directory is named either `cluster`
or the name specified when starting up the locator with
the `--cluster-config-dir` option.


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## Troubleshooting Tips

-   When you start a locator using `gfsh`, you should see the following message:

    ``` pre
    Cluster configuration service is up and running.
    ```

    If you do not see this message, there may be a problem with the cluster configuration service. Use the `status cluster-config-service` command to check the status of the cluster configuration.

    -   If the command returns RUNNING, the cluster configuration is running normally.
    -   If the command returns WAITING, run the `status locator` command. The output of this command returns the cause of the WAITING status.
-  When using a `cache.xml` file for configuration,
there is a specific order to the application of the configuration
in these files.
<%=vars.product_name%> applies the cluster-wide configuration files first.
Group-level configurations follow.
Last will be the configuration in a member's own configuration files
(`cache.xml` and `gemfire.properties` files).
-   If a server start fails with the following exception: `ClusterConfigurationNotAvailableException`, the cluster configuration service may not be in the RUNNING state. Because the server requests the cluster configuration from the locator, which is not available, the `start server` command fails.
-   You can determine what configurations a server received from a locator by examining the server's log file. See [Logging](../../managing/logging/logging.html#concept_30DB86B12B454E168B80BB5A71268865).
-   If a `start server` command specifies a cache.xml file that conflicts with the existing cluster configuration, the server startup may fail.
-   If a `gfsh` command fails because the cluster configuration cannot be saved, the following message displays:

    ``` pre
    Failed to persist the configuration changes due to this command, 
    Revert the command to maintain consistency. Please use "status cluster-config-service" 
    to determine whether Cluster configuration service is RUNNING."
    ```

-   There are some types of configurations that cannot be made using `gfsh`. See [gfsh Limitations](gfsh_persist.html#concept_r22_hyw_bl__section_bn3_23p_y4).