Proxmox Rename Cluster: What Actually Works

Proxmox rename cluster isn’t officially supported, but it works. The trick is doing it on every node at once, not one at a time. Most forum advice gets that wrong.

Why the official docs say no

Proxmox stores the cluster name in corosync.conf and uses it for the cluster filesystem and fencing. Change it on one node and you get a split brain. The docs don’t cover renaming because it’s risky, not because it’s impossible.

The actual steps

1. Stop the cluster stack on all nodes:

   systemctl stop pve-cluster corosync

2. On each node, edit /etc/pve/corosync.conf and change cluster_name to the new name.
3. Update /etc/hosts on every node so the cluster name resolves to the local node IP.
4. Rename the cluster filesystem directory:

   mv /etc/pve/nodes/$(hostname) /etc/pve/nodes/$(hostname)-old
   mkdir /etc/pve/nodes/$(hostname)

5. Start the cluster stack:

   systemctl start corosync pve-cluster

Wait a minute, then check pvecm status. The new name should show up.

What the forums get wrong

Most advice says to edit /etc/hostname or use pvecm updatecerts. That’s for renaming a node, not a cluster. The cluster name lives in corosync and the filesystem, not the hostname.

If you get a quorum error after renaming, check /etc/pve/corosync.conf on every node. One stale copy breaks the whole thing. I’d also look at Proxmox HA rebooted all nodes: fix the watchdog and fencing misconfig if fencing acts up.

Should you do it?

Honestly, unless you have a good reason, leave the cluster name alone. It’s cosmetic and the risk isn’t worth it. But if you’re stuck with a bad name from a test setup, this order works.