Feedback: cockroach start - incorrect statement about --join flag

[hand-crdb]

Steven Hand (hand-crdb) commented:

Page: https://cockroachlabs.com/docs/v24.1/cockroach-start.html

What is the reason for your feedback?

[ ] Missing the information I need

[ ] Too complicated

[ ] Out of date

[x] Something is broken

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Additional details

The page says, at the documentation for the --join flag:

cockroach start must be run with the --join flag. To start a single-node cluster, use cockroach start-single-node instead.

However, it is not required to specify the --join flag when running cockroach start. An example of running cockroach start without setting the --join flag can be seen on the same web page, at

https://www.cockroachlabs.com/docs/v24.1/cockroach-start#create-a-table-with-node-locality-information

In the example shown, the first of the three cockroach start commands does not specify the --join flag. Perhaps this freedom to not specify the --join flag only applies to the first node that is started.

BTW there is a minor typo elsewhere on this page. It says "nodes in on GCE" (my emph.):

Start each node on GCE with --locality set to describe its location, --locality-advertise-addr set to advertise its private address to other nodes in on GCE, --advertise-addr set to advertise its public address to nodes on AWS, and --join set to the public addresses of 3-5 of the initial nodes:

Jira Issue: DOC-10375