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Add troubleshooting section to 1.16.x docs for Vault 003 exam
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jonathanfrappier committed Dec 12, 2024
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161 changes: 161 additions & 0 deletions website/content/docs/troubleshoot/generate-root-token.mdx
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---
layout: docs
page_title: Regenerate a Vault root token
description: >-
Regenerate a lost or revoked root token.
---

# Regenerate a Vault root token

Your Vault root token is a special token that gives you access to **all** Vault
operations. Best practice is to enable an appropriate authentication method for
Vault admins once the server is running and revoke the root token.

For emergency situations where your require a root token, you can use the
[`operator generate-root`](/vault/docs/commands/operator/generate-root) CLI
command and a one-time password (OTP) or Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) to generate
a new root token.

## Before you start

- **You need your Vault keys**. If you use auto-unseal, you need your
[recovery](/vault/docs/concepts/seal#recovery-key) keys, otherwise you need
your unseal keys.
- **Identify current key holders**. You must distribute the token nonce to your
unseal/recovery key holders during root token generation.

## Step 1: Create a root token nonce

1. Generate a token nonce for your new root token:

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="OTP" group="otp">

**You need the returned OTP value to decode the new root token**.

```shell-session
$ vault operator generate-root -init
A One-Time-Password has been generated for you and is shown in the OTP field.
You will need this value to decode the resulting root token, so keep it safe.
Nonce 15565c79-cc9e-5e64-b986-8506e7bd1918
Started true
Progress 0/1
Complete false
OTP 5JFQaH76Ky2TIuSt4SPvO1CGkx
OTP Length 26
```

</Tab>
<Tab heading="PGP" group="pgp">

Use the `-pgp-key` option to provide a path to your PGP public key or Keybase
username to encrypt the new root token. **You will need the returned PGP
value to decode the new root token**.

```shell-session
$ vault operator generate-root -init -pgp-key=keybase:sethvargo
Nonce e24dec5e-f1ea-2dfe-ecce-604022006976
Started true
Progress 0/5
Complete false
PGP Fingerprint e2f8e2974623ba2a0e933a59c921994f9c27e0ff
```

</Tab>
</Tabs>

1. Distribute the nonce to each of your unseal/recovery key holders.

## Step 2: Establish key quorum with the token nonce

<Highlight title="Use TTY to autocomplete the nonce">

If you use a TTY, the `operator generate-root` command prompts for your key
and automatically completes the nonce value.

</Highlight>

1. Have each unseal/recovery key holder run `operator generator-root` with their
key and the distributed nonce value:

```shell-session
$ echo ${UNSEAL_OR_RECOVERY_KEY} | vault operator generate-root -nonce=${NONCE_VALUE} -
Root generation operation nonce: f67f4da3-4ae4-68fb-4716-91da6b609c3e
Unseal Key (will be hidden):
```

1. Vault returns the new, encoded root token to the user who triggers quorum:

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="OTP" group="otp">

```shell-session
Nonce f67f4da3-4ae4-68fb-4716-91da6b609c3e
Started true
Progress 5/5
Complete true
Encoded Token IxJpyqxn3YafOGhqhvP6cQ==
```

</Tab>

<Tab heading="PGP" group="pgp">

```shell-session
Nonce e24dec5e-f1ea-2dfe-ecce-604022006976
Started true
Progress 1/1
Complete true
PGP Fingerprint e2f8e2974623ba2a0e933a59c921994f9c27e0ff
Encoded Token wcFMA0RVkFtoqzRlARAAI3Ux8kdSpfgXdF9mg...
```

</Tab>
</Tabs>

## Step 3: Decode the new root token

Decode the new root token using OTP or PGP.

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="OTP" group="otp">

Use `operator generate-root` and the OTP value from nonce generation to decode
the new root token:

```shell-session
$ vault operator generate-root \
-decode=${ENCODED_TOKEN} \
-otp=${NONCE_OTP}
hvs.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
```

</Tab>

<Tab heading="PGP" group="pgp">

Use your PGP credentials and `gpg` or `keybase` to decrypt the new root token.


**`gpg`**:

```shell-session
$ echo ${ENCODED_TOKEN} | base64 --decode | gpg --decrypt
hvs.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
```

**`keybase`**:

```shell-session
$ echo ${ENCODED_TOKEN} | base64 --decode | keybase pgp decrypt
hvs.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
```

</Tab>
</Tabs>
122 changes: 122 additions & 0 deletions website/content/docs/troubleshoot/lease-issues.mdx
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---
layout: docs
page_title: Lease problems
description: >-
Troubleshoot lease problems in Vault.
---

# Troubleshoot lease problems

Explanations, workarounds, and solutions for common lease problems in Vault.

## `429 - Too Many Requests`

### Problem

Vault returns a `429 - Too Many Requests` response when users try to
authenticate. For example:

<CodeBlockConfig hideClipboard>

```text
Error making API request.
URL: PUT https://127.0.0.1:61555/v1/auth/userpass/login/foo
Code: 429. Errors:
* 1 error occurred:
* request path "auth/userpass/login/foo": lease count quota exceeded
```

</CodeBlockConfig>

### Cause

Vault returns a `429 - Too Many Requests` response if a new lease request
violates the configured lease quota limit.

To guard against [lease explosions](/vault/docs/troubleshoot/lease-explosions),
Vault rejects authentication requests if completing the request would violate
the configured lease quota limit.

### Solution

1. Correct any client-side errors that may cause excessive lease creation.
1. Determine if your resource needs have changed and complete the
[Protecting Vault with Resource Quotas](/vault/tutorials/operations/resource-quotas)
tutorial to determine new, appropriate defaults.
1. Use the [`vault lease`](/vault/docs/commands/lease) CLI command or
[lease count quota endpoint](/vault/api-docs/system/lease-count-quotas) to
tune your lease count quota.

<Highlight title="Use proactive tuning to avoid errors">
Consider making short-term changes to your lease quotas when you expect a
significant increase in lease creation. For example, when you release a new
feature or complete a marketing push to increase your user base.
</Highlight>


## Lease explosion (degraded performance)

### Problem

Your Vault nodes are out of memory and unresponsive to new lease requests.

### Cause

Clients have caused a lease explosion with consistent, high-volume API requests.

<Note title="Lease explosions can lead to DoS">

Unchecked lease explosions create cascading denial-of-service issues for the
active node that can result in denial-of-service issues for the entire
cluster.

</Note>

### Solution

To resolve a lease explosion, you need to mitigate the problem to stabilize
Vault and provide space for cluster recovery then clean up your Vault
environment.

1. Mitigate resource stress by adjusting TTL values for your Vault instance:

Config level | Parameter | Precedence
-------------------- | ---------------------- | -----------
Database plugin | `ttl` or `default_ttl` | first
Database plugin | `max_ttl` | first
AuthN/secrets plugin | `ttl` or `default_ttl` | second
AuthN/secrets plugin | `max_ttl` | second
Vault | `default_lease_ttl` | last
Vault | `max_lease_ttl` | last

**Granular TTLs on a role, group, or user level always override plugin and
system-wide TTL values**.

1. Use firewalls or load balancers to limit API calls to Vault from aberrant
clients and reduce load on the struggling cluster .

1. Once the cluster stabilizes, check the active node to determine if you can
wait for it to purge leases automatically or if you need to speed up the
process by manually revoking leases.

1. If the cluster requires manual intervention, confirm you have a recent, valid
snapshots of the cluster.

1. Once you confirm a valid snapshot of the cluster exists, use
[`vault lease revoke`](/vault/docs/commands/lease/revoke) to manually revoke
the offending leases.

<Warning title="Potentially dangerous operation">

Revoking or forcefully revoking leases is potentially a dangerous operation.
Do not proceed without a valid snapshot. If you have a valid Vault
Enterprise license, consider contacting the
[HashiCorp Customer Support team](https://support.hashicorp.com/) for help.

</Warning>

### Related tutorials

- [Troubleshoot irrevocable leases](/vault/tutorials/monitoring/troubleshoot-irrevocable-leases)
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