If the total number of nodes cannot be fully divided by the replication factor, the remainder nodes will be left idle. For example, if you currently have a 5-node cluster with a replication factor of 1 and a partitioning factor of 5. Changing the replication factor to 2 without adding new nodes will change the distribution of your cluster to be 2*2, with one node being left idle. To avoid nodes being left idle, ensure that you pick a replication factor that can fully divide the total number of nodes you have in the cluster.