Index: src/docbkx/book.xml
===================================================================
--- src/docbkx/book.xml (revision 1243533)
+++ src/docbkx/book.xml (working copy)
@@ -1378,6 +1378,9 @@
the client will requery the catalog tables to determine the new
location of the user region.
+ See for more information about the impact of the Master on HBase Client
+ communication.
+ Administrative functions are handled through HBaseAdmin
Connections
@@ -1661,6 +1664,15 @@
take over the Master role.
+ Runtime Impact
+ A common dist-list question is what happens to an HBase cluster when the Master goes down. Because the
+ HBase client talks directly to the RegionServers, the cluster can still function in a "steady
+ state." Additionally, per ROOT and META exist as HBase tables (i.e., are
+ not resident in the Master). However, the Master controls critical functions such as RegionServer failover and
+ completing region splits. So while the cluster can still run for a time without the Master,
+ the Master should be restarted as soon as possible.
+
+ InterfaceThe methods exposed by HMasterInterface are primarily metadata-oriented methods: