Why are we getting "Error, Parameters must be in the form '-parameter value'" during search head cluster member initialization?

[att35]

Hi,

I am trying to setup a Search Head Cluster, and during the Cluster member initialization step, ./splunk init shcluster-config command always results in

Error, Parameters must be in the form '-parameter value'

Double checked all values and there are no typos. Only item I am not using is "shcluster_label" which the guide says is optional.

Following steps from: http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/6.4.0/DistSearch/SHCdeploymentoverview

Please assist.

Thanks,

~ Abhi

[att35 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Initially I had copied from the manual and edited the values but later manually typed the command and was getting the same error.

I was able to finally get it working by removing the "-secret" parameter from the command. After that it worked and displayed
Search head clustering has been initialized on this node.
You need to restart the Splunk Server (splunkd) for your changes to take effect.

I had set the pass4SymmKey already under server.conf. Could this be the reason for the the error? Maybe it was rejecting the parameter as it's already present in the file?

After that, I was able to successfully bootstrap and set the captain. "splunk show shcluster-status" confirms that all members are up.

Thanks,

~ Abhi

[jkat54]

I converted this to the answer. Please mark it as such.

did you have a space between -secret and it's value? IF you're really curious, please open another question.

[somesoni2]

Are you copying the command from somewhere (notepad/word) OR typing the whole command?