PACEMAKER(8)

🌸 PACEMAKER(8) 🌸

Okay so bestie, you found a section 8 manual page (that's the sysadmin-y one, iykyk) and it's lowkey the whole Pacemaker cluster resource manager party. Buckle up 💖

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✨ NAME ✨

Pacemaker — literally part of the Pacemaker cluster resource manager. That's the vibe. That's the whole name section. Slay.

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

crm_diff original_xml operation [options]

That's it, that's the shape of it. original_xml, then an operation, then your [options]. Periodt.

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💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

So what does this thing do? It compares two Pacemaker configurations (both in XML format, no cap) and spits out a custom diff-like output for you. Or — main character energy — it takes an output like that and applies it as a patch. Two whole personalities in one binary. Obsessed. ✨

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

🤝 Help Options (the "help me help you" era)

• -h, --help — shows you the help options. classic.
• --help-all — shows all the help options. the full lore drop.
• --help-output — shows the output help. 🫶
• --help-xml — shows the original XML options.
• --help-operation — shows the operation options.
• --help-additional — shows the additional options. yes there's more. there's always more 💀

📤 Output Options (how you serve it)

• --output-as=FORMAT — pick your output format, bestie. it's one of: text (that's the default, the go-to) or xml.
• --output-to=DEST — name the file where the output goes. or, iconic move, pass "-" and it goes to stdout instead 🌈

📜 Original XML (where the original lives)

• -o, --original=FILE — the XML is chilling inside the named file. heads up though: currently --original-string overrides this. and in a future release? the last one you specified wins. we love a glow-up 🦋
• -O, --original-string=STRING — the XML is just handed to you as a supplied string. currently this takes precedence over --original. in a future release, the last one specified will be used. same rule, different day 💜

🛠️ Operation (pick your move)

• -n, --new=FILE — compares the original XML to whatever's in the named file. currently --new-string overrides this. in a future release, the last one specified will be used.
• -N, --new-string=STRING — compares the original XML with the contents of the string you supply. currently this takes precedence over --patch and --new. in a future release, the last one specified will be used. okay the "last one wins" thing is coming for all of us fr fr 😭
• -p, --patch=FILE — patches the original XML with the contents of the named file. currently --new-string and (if it was specified later) --new override the input source you put here. in a future release, the last one specified will be used.

Note, and this one matters: even if this input source gets overridden, the input source will still be applied as a patch to the original XML. the vibe check happens regardless 💀

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⭐ OPTIONS ⭐ (the sequel)

🧚 Additional Options

• -c, --cib — compares/patches the inputs as a CIB (which means it includes version details). extra info, extra sparkle ✨
• -u, --no-version — generates the difference without version details. minimalism, but make it XML.

💖 Application Options

• -$, --version — displays the software version and dips. bye bestie 👋
• -V, --verbose — cranks up the debug output. and yes, you can specify it multiple times, so go off, stack it 🔥

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🌟 EXAMPLES (the tutorial arc) 🌟

First up, get your two different configuration files by running cibadmin on the two cluster setups you wanna compare:

# cibadmin --query > cib-old.xml

# cibadmin --query > cib-new.xml

Then calculate and save the difference between the two files:

# crm_diff --original cib-old.xml --new cib-new.xml > patch.xml

Now apply the patch to the original file:

# crm_diff --original cib-old.xml --patch patch.xml > updated.xml

And finally — the boss level — apply the patch to the running cluster:

# cibadmin --patch -x patch.xml

Look at you go. Iconic behavior. 👑

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🫶 AUTHOR 🫶

Written by Andrew Beekhof and the Pacemaker project contributors. legends, honestly 💜

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And that's the whole page, bestie! This was Pacemaker 3.0.3+20260728.7052..., dated September 2026, handed to you from manual section 8. No cap, you're basically a cluster admin now. 🎀✨🌸