Machine Reappears as Old System After Chassis Swap¶
When repurposing hardware (for example, replacing a chassis or motherboard) while reusing existing disks, Digital Rebar may continue to identify the system as a previously known machine instead of treating it as new.
This occurs because identity data preserved on disk can cause the system to match an existing machine record.
Solution¶
To force Digital Rebar to treat the system as a new machine:
- Locate the old machine record and clear its fingerprint
- Locate the current machine record and clear its fingerprint
- Reboot the physical machine
On the next boot, Digital Rebar will generate a new fingerprint and the machine should enter discovery.
Additional Information¶
Additional resources and information related to this Knowledge Base article.
Verification¶
After reboot:
- Machine enters discovery
- A new or corrected machine record appears
- The system no longer resolves to the old identity
If the issue persists, confirm fingerprints were cleared on both machine records and repeat the procedure.
Best Practices¶
- Wipe disks when repurposing hardware
- Treat disk reuse as an identity-impacting change
- Avoid clearing fingerprints on production systems unless an identity change is intended
Versions¶
all
Keywords¶
machine identity, fingerprint, discovery, repurpose hardware, disks reused