---
name: containers-ts-worker-bm-instance-id
title: 'Classic: Why is the bare metal instance ID inconsistent with worker records?'
description: '[Classic infrastructure]'
last-updated: 2026-07-30
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/containers?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Classic: Why is the bare metal instance ID inconsistent with worker records?
{: #bm_machine_id}
{: support}



[Classic infrastructure]{: tag-classic-inf}



When you use `ibmcloud ks worker` commands with your bare metal worker node, you see a message similar to the following.
{: tsSymptoms}

```sh
The worker node instance ID changed. Reload the worker node if bare metal hardware was serviced.
```
{: screen}


The machine ID can become inconsistent with the IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service worker record when the machine experiences hardware issues. When IBM Cloud infrastructure resolves this issue, a component can change within the system that the service does not identify.
{: tsCauses}

For IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service to re-identify the machine, [reload the bare metal worker node](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/containers?topic=containers-kubernetes-service-cli&format=markdown#worker-reload-cli). Note that reloading also updates the machine's patch version. For more information, see the [Kubernetes version information](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/containers?topic=containers-cs_versions&format=markdown).
{: tsResolve}

You can also [delete the bare metal worker node](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/containers?topic=containers-kubernetes-service-cli&format=markdown#cluster-rm-cli). Remember that bare metal instances are billed monthly.