elastic/elasticsearch

Bulk requests to an alias based on an old cluster state can cause strange rejection message

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#27,767 opened on Dec 12, 2017

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Description

When a bulk request is based on an older state (where the index appears to need to be created) or where the node has not yet joined the cluster, and the request is issued using an alias instead of a concrete index, the node can send the request, then receive a confusing message about there already being an alias for that name, such as:

    [RemoteTransportException[[node-1][127.0.0.1:9300][indices:admin/create]]; 
    nested: InvalidIndexNameException[Invalid index name [current], already exists as 
    alias];]

There are really two things that should happen in this situation:

  • We should check that the node is in a ready state before continuing with the bulk processing (ie, there are no WRITE blocks in the cluster state)
  • When we receive a message about the alias already existing, we should not fail the bulk operation(s)

Relates to https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-index-name/111131

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javarest api
Domain
backendsearch
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
unclear
Prerequisites
JavaElasticsearch internalscluster state knowledge
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
15
Research direction
Investigate how bulk requests are processed in TransportBulkAction, specifically how cluster state readiness is checked and how alias creation conflicts are handled. Review the forum discussion at https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid index name/111131 for context. The fix likely involves adding a cluster state readiness check before processing bulk requests and catching the alias already exists exception to avoid failing the bulk operation. Look at relevant source files like TransportBulkAction.java and any cluster state validation logic.
Bulk requests to an alias based on an old cluster state can cause strange rejection message · elastic/elasticsearch#27767 | Good First Issue