18.6.6.2 Unreachable Majority Timeout

By default, members that find themselves in a minority due to a network partition do not automatically leave the group. You can use the system variable group_replication_unreachable_majority_timeout to set a number of seconds for a member to wait after losing contact with the majority of group members, and then exit the group. Setting a timeout means you do not need to pro-actively monitor for servers that are in a minority group after a network partition, and you can avoid the possibility of creating a split-brain situation (with two versions of the group membership) due to inappropriate intervention.

When the timeout specified by group_replication_unreachable_majority_timeout elapses, all pending transactions that have been processed by the member and the others in the minority group are rolled back, and the servers in that group move to the ERROR state. By default, a minority member then follows the exit action specified by group_replication_exit_state_action. Alternatively you can use the group_replication_autorejoin_tries system variable, which is available from MySQL 8.0.16, to make the member automatically try to rejoin the group.

Consider the following points when deciding whether or not to set an unreachable majority timeout:

If you do not use the group_replication_unreachable_majority_timeoutsystem variable, the process for operator invention in the event of a network partition is described in Section 18.4.4, “Network Partitioning”. The process involves checking which servers are functioning and forcing a new group membership if necessary.