I'm just double-checking, but when using NTS, is it required to specify ALL the data centers in the strategy_options attribute? IOW, I do NOT want replication to ALL data centers; only a two of the three. So, if my property file snitch describes all of the existing data centers and nodes as: $CASSANDRA_HOME/conf/cassandra-topology.properties: # Cassandra Node IP=Data Center:Rack # default for unknown nodes default=DC1:rac1 Can I specify strategy_options as: strategy_options=[{DC1:2, DC2:1}] and just leave out DC3 entirely? If not, will setting the last one to 0 work?: strategy_options=[{DC1:2, DC2:1, DC3:0}] Thanks!