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Overview

Most Orchestration issues fall into one of five categories: stack creation failures, stacks stuck in progress, template validation errors, resource dependency failures, and nested stack propagation issues. Use the event log as the primary diagnostic tool — it records each resource transition with timestamps and error messages.
Always check the stack event log first: openstack stack event list <stack-name> --nested-depth 5 provides a chronological view of every resource action across all nested stacks.

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Troubleshooting Reference

Symptoms: Stack creation stops and the status shows CREATE_FAILED. One or more resources show CREATE_FAILED in the resource list.Diagnosis:
List stack events
openstack stack event list my-stack --nested-depth 5
Show the specific failed resource
openstack stack resource show my-stack my_instance
Common causes and resolutions:
CauseResolution
Invalid image name or IDVerify the image exists: openstack image list --status active
Flavor not foundVerify the flavor: openstack flavor list
Network not foundVerify the network: openstack network list
Quota exceededCheck quota: openstack quota show
Security group rule conflictReview security group rules for duplicates or conflicting CIDR ranges
No hosts available in availability zoneCheck host capacity with your administrator
Key pair not foundVerify: openstack keypair list
Recovery: After fixing the root cause, re-deploy the stack. CREATE_FAILED stacks can be deleted and recreated, but cannot be resumed:
Delete failed stack and redeploy
openstack stack delete --yes my-stack
openstack stack create --template template.yaml --wait my-stack
Symptoms: The stack status has not changed from IN_PROGRESS for an extended period (beyond the expected resource creation time).Diagnosis:
Check current resource states
openstack stack resource list my-stack
Stream live events
openstack stack event list my-stack --follow
Common causes and resolutions:
CauseResolution
WaitCondition waiting for a signal that never arrivesCheck the instance console log: openstack console log show <instance-id>. Verify the signal URL in user_data is correct.
Instance in BUILD state for too longCheck compute host capacity and scheduler logs via XDeploy
Dependency cycle between resourcesReview depends_on declarations and get_resource references for circular chains
External API timeoutThe Orchestration engine retries — wait for the configured timeout before intervening
Force-abort a stuck stack (admin only):
Abandon a stuck stack
openstack stack abandon my-stack
stack abandon releases the stack from Orchestration management but does NOT delete the underlying resources. You must clean up instances, volumes, and networks manually.
Symptoms: openstack orchestration template validate returns errors, or the Dashboard rejects the template at upload time.Diagnosis:
Validate template
openstack orchestration template validate -t my-template.yaml
Common error messages and resolutions:
Error MessageResolution
Unknown type: Xloud::Compute::ServerrCheck for typos in resource type names — type names are case-sensitive
Property X is not supportedCheck the property name against the resource type documentation
Parameter X not foundA get_param references a parameter that is not defined in the parameters section
Circular dependency detectedA depends_on or get_resource chain creates a cycle — draw the dependency graph to identify the loop
Invalid YAMLUse a YAML linter (e.g., yamllint) to find indentation or syntax errors
Use two-space indentation consistently throughout your templates. Tabs are not valid in YAML and will cause parse failures.
Symptoms: A resource fails because a resource it depends on was not yet created, or an attribute reference returns an empty value.Diagnosis:
Show resource detail and status
openstack stack resource show my-stack resource_name
List resource events
openstack stack resource event list my-stack resource_name
Common causes and resolutions:
CauseResolution
get_attr used on a resource still in CREATE_IN_PROGRESSAdd an explicit depends_on to ensure the source resource is complete before the dependent resource starts
get_attr attribute path is incorrectCheck the resource type’s attribute documentation for the correct path
Resource deleted out-of-band (manually)The stack’s view of the resource is stale — run openstack stack update --existing to reconcile
Volume attachment fails because instance is still buildingAdd depends_on: [my_instance] to the VolumeAttachment resource
Symptoms: A parent stack fails or stalls because a child (nested) stack encounters an error.Diagnosis:
List events across all nested stacks
openstack stack event list my-parent-stack --nested-depth 5
List nested stacks
openstack stack resource list my-parent-stack
# Find the Xloud::Orchestration::Stack resource, then:
openstack stack show <child-stack-id>
Common causes and resolutions:
CauseResolution
Child template file not accessibleEnsure get_file: paths are relative to the parent template directory, or use template_url with an accessible URL
Parameter mismatch between parent and childVerify that all parameters passed to the child template via parameters: match the parameter names defined in the child
Child stack output referenced before creation completesAdd depends_on to resources that consume child stack outputs
get_attr on nested stack refers to undefined outputVerify the output name exists in the child template’s outputs section

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Diagnostic Command Reference

Key troubleshooting commands
# List all stacks with status
openstack stack list

# Show stack detail and status reason
openstack stack show my-stack

# List resources with status
openstack stack resource list my-stack

# Show a specific resource
openstack stack resource show my-stack resource_name

# Stream events in real time
openstack stack event list my-stack --follow

# Events across all nested stacks
openstack stack event list my-stack --nested-depth 5

# Validate a template before deploying
openstack orchestration template validate -t my-template.yaml

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Next Steps

Getting Started

Review stack creation fundamentals and template structure

Template Guide

Correct template syntax, parameter types, and intrinsic functions

Admin Troubleshooting

Engine-level diagnostics and service configuration issues

Resource Types

Verify correct resource type names and property definitions