What should be done before restarting a vault machine that is part of a cluster?

Stopping the node from the Management Utility before restarting a vault machine that is part of a cluster is crucial for maintaining the integrity and functionality of the cluster. This process ensures that the node is gracefully taken offline, allowing for proper disconnection from other nodes in the cluster without disrupting ongoing operations. This step helps prevent data loss, service disruption, or potential inconsistencies in the vault's data, as the system can synchronize and manage node states appropriately.

Taking this action also allows for any necessary maintenance or updates to be performed without affecting the overall cluster operation. It ensures that when the machine is brought back online, it can rejoin the cluster correctly and resume its responsibilities without issues.

While running diagnostics, backing up configurations, and notifying users may be important tasks in certain situations, they are not specific prerequisites for restarting a vault machine within a cluster environment. These tasks could be considered good practices in general maintenance but do not directly address the critical step of managing node states during a restart.