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+# Kafka External Stream Troubleshooting Guide
+
+## FAQ: Common Kafka External Stream Issues
+
+### Q: Why can I list topics but get "Failed to query watermark offsets" when creating external streams?
+
+**A:** This is typically a network connectivity issue that occurs during external stream creation. While you can list topics (metadata requests), the stream creation process fails when trying to query watermark offsets from partition leaders.
+
+**Key difference:**
+- **Metadata requests** (listing topics): Can be answered by any broker in the cluster
+- **Watermark offset queries** (during stream creation): Must connect to the broker that is currently acting as the leader for each partition
+
+**Example error:**
+```
+Failed to create stream 'default.MV_SITE_TELEMETRY_KEYLESS', 
+error= Code: 1002. DB::Exception: Failed to query watermark offsets 
+topic=dcentriq.site.telemetry partition=0 error=Local: Timed out in queue.
+```
+
+**Common scenarios:**
+- Private Link configuration issues
+- VPN peering problems  
+- Incorrect port configurations
+- Firewall restrictions blocking access to partition leader brokers
+- DNS resolution issues for advertised listener addresses
+
+---
+
+### Q: How do I debug Kafka external stream connectivity issues?
+
+**A:** Follow this step-by-step debugging process:
+
+#### Step 1: Verify Basic Connectivity
+1. **Test topic listing** (metadata request):
+   - If this works, you can connect to at least one broker in the cluster
+   - Any Kafka broker can answer metadata requests about cluster state
+   - If this fails, check basic network connectivity and authentication
+
+   **Using kcat:**
+   ```bash
+   # List topics
+   kcat -L -b <your-kafka-broker>
+   ```
+   
+   **Using rpk for RedPanda clusters:**
+   ```bash
+   # List topics
+   rpk topic list --brokers <broker-address>
+   ```
+
+#### Step 2: Test Consumer Connectivity
+2. **Use kcat for debugging**:
+   ```bash
+   # Test consuming from the topic
+   kcat -C -b <your-kafka-broker> -t <topic-name> -p 0 -o beginning -e
+   ```
+   
+3. **Use rpk for RedPanda clusters**:
+   ```bash
+   # Test topic consumption
+   rpk topic consume <topic-name> --brokers <broker-address>
+   ```
+
+#### Step 3: Check Multi-Broker Connectivity
+4. **Verify access to partition leaders**:
+   - Kafka clients need to maintain connections to multiple brokers
+   - Data is partitioned, so clients must talk to the broker hosting their data
+   - Check that you can reach all brokers that host partitions for your topics
+
+#### Step 4: Common Network Issues to Check
+- **Private Link vs VPN Peering**: Ensure consistent network routing
+- **Port access**: Verify all required Kafka ports are accessible
+- **Security groups/firewalls**: Check both source and destination rules
+- **DNS resolution**: Ensure broker hostnames resolve correctly
+
+---
+
+## Keywords
+`kafka external stream`, `network connectivity`, `watermark offsets`, `troubleshooting`
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