Configuration drift

Configuration drift means an instance has not received the configuration version assigned to it. The assigned version is the fleet's default version, unless the instance is pinned to another version with Migrate Instances. You rolled out a new version, but it has not reached the instance yet.

Why drift happens

• The instance has not checked in since the default version changed, so the version has not been delivered to it. It shows Pending pickup.
• The instance has gone quiet on an older version. It shows Stale and catches up when it reconnects.

An instance that has received the default version is no longer counted as drift, even while it is still Applying it. An instance that rejected the version shows Apply failed. It received the version, so it is not counted as drift.

When every instance is In sync with the default version, the drift count is zero.

See drift

The fleet detail page shows drift in two places: the Version drift count in the stats strip, which counts the instances whose served version does not match their assigned version, and the per-instance status column. See Monitor a fleet.

Resolve drift

• Pending pickup: resolves on its own as the collector checks in. Allow a heartbeat cycle.
• Stale: the collector is unreachable. Check the host and the collector process. The instance catches up when it reconnects.
• Apply failed: not counted as version drift, but it needs attention. Fix the configuration and roll out again. See Update the configuration.

Kubernetes fleets

On a Kubernetes fleet, configuration is assigned per collector, so drift compares each collector's assigned version with the version it runs. A collector you onboarded but have not assigned a configuration to is report-only and is never counted as drift. See Kubernetes fleets.