Control plane machines are created in wrong zone

    4.21.0-0.nightly-2025-12-15-125449

not always, but seems high probability
I've observed several inconsistent clusters, but I've also seen consistent clusters.

    1.Install an AWS cluster, we use automated template:  ipi-on-aws/versioned-installer-ci  

liuhuali@Lius-MacBook-Pro huali-test % oc get clusterversion
NAME      VERSION                              AVAILABLE   PROGRESSING   SINCE   STATUS
version   4.21.0-0.nightly-2025-12-15-125449   True        False         4h21m   Cluster version is 4.21.0-0.nightly-2025-12-15-125449

    2.Check the control plane machines, found they are created in wrong zones. For example, master-0's availabilityZone and subnet is for us-east-2a but it is created in us-east-2c


liuhuali@Lius-MacBook-Pro huali-test % oc project openshift-machine-api
Now using project "openshift-machine-api" on server "https://api.hongli-aws421.qe.devcluster.openshift.com:6443".
liuhuali@Lius-MacBook-Pro huali-test % oc get machine
NAME                                          PHASE     TYPE         REGION      ZONE         AGE
hongli-aws421-p4vc5-master-0                  Running   m6i.xlarge   us-east-2   us-east-2c   4h49m
hongli-aws421-p4vc5-master-1                  Running   m6i.xlarge   us-east-2   us-east-2a   4h49m
hongli-aws421-p4vc5-master-2                  Running   m6i.xlarge   us-east-2   us-east-2b   4h49m
hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2a-wgk22   Running   m6i.xlarge   us-east-2   us-east-2a   4h45m
hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2b-vxgzw   Running   m6i.xlarge   us-east-2   us-east-2b   4h45m
hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2c-9hg7x   Running   m6i.xlarge   us-east-2   us-east-2c   4h45m
liuhuali@Lius-MacBook-Pro huali-test % oc get machine hongli-aws421-p4vc5-master-0  -oyaml
apiVersion: machine.openshift.io/v1beta1
kind: Machine
metadata:
  annotations:
    machine.openshift.io/instance-state: running
  creationTimestamp: "2025-12-18T03:56:56Z"
  finalizers:
  - machine.machine.openshift.io
  generation: 3
  labels:
    machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-cluster: hongli-aws421-p4vc5
    machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-role: master
    machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-type: master
    machine.openshift.io/instance-type: m6i.xlarge
    machine.openshift.io/region: us-east-2
    machine.openshift.io/zone: us-east-2c
  name: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-master-0
  namespace: openshift-machine-api
  ownerReferences:
  - apiVersion: machine.openshift.io/v1
    blockOwnerDeletion: true
    controller: true
    kind: ControlPlaneMachineSet
    name: cluster
    uid: 537381af-16e6-4d8f-aa7e-006e307abaf3
  resourceVersion: "11832"
  uid: 0566c424-d379-4d4e-9166-65e4574bff82
spec:
  lifecycleHooks:
    preDrain:
    - name: EtcdQuorumOperator
      owner: clusteroperator/etcd
  metadata: {}
  providerID: aws:///us-east-2c/i-08a0072714a14259f
  providerSpec:
    value:
      ami:
        id: ami-0bc8dda494f111572
      apiVersion: machine.openshift.io/v1beta1
      blockDevices:
      - ebs:
          encrypted: true
          iops: 0
          kmsKey:
            arn: ""
          volumeSize: 120
          volumeType: gp3
      capacityReservationId: ""
      credentialsSecret:
        name: aws-cloud-credentials
      deviceIndex: 0
      iamInstanceProfile:
        id: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-master-profile
      instanceType: m6i.xlarge
      kind: AWSMachineProviderConfig
      loadBalancers:
      - name: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-int
        type: network
      - name: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-ext
        type: network
      metadata: {}
      metadataServiceOptions: {}
      placement:
        availabilityZone: us-east-2a
        region: us-east-2
      securityGroups:
      - filters:
        - name: tag:Name
          values:
          - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-node
      - filters:
        - name: tag:Name
          values:
          - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-lb
      - filters:
        - name: tag:Name
          values:
          - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-controlplane
      subnet:
        filters:
        - name: tag:Name
          values:
          - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-subnet-private-us-east-2a
      tags:
      - name: kubernetes.io/cluster/hongli-aws421-p4vc5
        value: owned
      userDataSecret:
        name: master-user-data
status:
  addresses:
  - address: 10.0.75.197
    type: InternalIP
  - address: ip-10-0-75-197.us-east-2.compute.internal
    type: InternalDNS
  - address: ip-10-0-75-197.us-east-2.compute.internal
    type: Hostname
  conditions:
  - lastTransitionTime: "2025-12-18T04:01:06Z"
    message: 'Drain operation currently blocked by: [{Name:EtcdQuorumOperator Owner:clusteroperator/etcd}]'
    reason: HookPresent
    severity: Warning
    status: "False"
    type: Drainable
  - lastTransitionTime: "2025-12-18T04:01:06Z"
    status: "True"
    type: InstanceExists
  - lastTransitionTime: "2025-12-18T04:00:59Z"
    status: "True"
    type: Terminable
  lastUpdated: "2025-12-18T04:01:06Z"
  nodeRef:
    kind: Node
    name: ip-10-0-75-197.us-east-2.compute.internal
    uid: 3a8d34ee-298e-4ecc-a848-556e643fabab
  phase: Running
  providerStatus:
    conditions:
    - lastTransitionTime: "2025-12-18T04:01:06Z"
      message: Machine successfully created
      reason: MachineCreationSucceeded
      status: "True"
      type: MachineCreation
    instanceId: i-08a0072714a14259f
    instanceState: running

liuhuali@Lius-MacBook-Pro huali-test % oc get machine -n openshift-machine-api -oyaml |grep us-east-
      machine.openshift.io/region: us-east-2
      machine.openshift.io/zone: us-east-2c
    providerID: aws:///us-east-2c/i-08a0072714a14259f
          availabilityZone: us-east-2a
          region: us-east-2
            - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-subnet-private-us-east-2a
    - address: ip-10-0-75-197.us-east-2.compute.internal
    - address: ip-10-0-75-197.us-east-2.compute.internal
      name: ip-10-0-75-197.us-east-2.compute.internal
      machine.openshift.io/region: us-east-2
      machine.openshift.io/zone: us-east-2a
    providerID: aws:///us-east-2a/i-0e3030c3fff419730
          availabilityZone: us-east-2b
          region: us-east-2
            - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-subnet-private-us-east-2b
    - address: ip-10-0-3-44.us-east-2.compute.internal
    - address: ip-10-0-3-44.us-east-2.compute.internal
      name: ip-10-0-3-44.us-east-2.compute.internal
      machine.openshift.io/region: us-east-2
      machine.openshift.io/zone: us-east-2b
    providerID: aws:///us-east-2b/i-0ddc50a52466d6f07
          availabilityZone: us-east-2c
          region: us-east-2
            - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-subnet-private-us-east-2c
    - address: ip-10-0-35-213.us-east-2.compute.internal
    - address: ip-10-0-35-213.us-east-2.compute.internal
      name: ip-10-0-35-213.us-east-2.compute.internal
    generateName: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2a-
      machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machineset: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2a
      machine.openshift.io/region: us-east-2
      machine.openshift.io/zone: us-east-2a
    name: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2a-wgk22
      name: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2a
    providerID: aws:///us-east-2a/i-0814e9fe0136f5ec6
          availabilityZone: us-east-2a
          region: us-east-2
            - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-subnet-private-us-east-2a
    - address: ip-10-0-9-163.us-east-2.compute.internal
    - address: ip-10-0-9-163.us-east-2.compute.internal
      name: ip-10-0-9-163.us-east-2.compute.internal
    generateName: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2b-
      machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machineset: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2b
      machine.openshift.io/region: us-east-2
      machine.openshift.io/zone: us-east-2b
    name: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2b-vxgzw
      name: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2b
    providerID: aws:///us-east-2b/i-062ae0c8a6aa8d45a
          availabilityZone: us-east-2b
          region: us-east-2
            - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-subnet-private-us-east-2b
    - address: ip-10-0-35-47.us-east-2.compute.internal
    - address: ip-10-0-35-47.us-east-2.compute.internal
      name: ip-10-0-35-47.us-east-2.compute.internal
    generateName: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2c-
      machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machineset: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2c
      machine.openshift.io/region: us-east-2
      machine.openshift.io/zone: us-east-2c
    name: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2c-9hg7x
      name: hongli-aws421-p4vc5-worker-us-east-2c
    providerID: aws:///us-east-2c/i-0d8423d7d0820cd24
          availabilityZone: us-east-2c
          region: us-east-2
            - hongli-aws421-p4vc5-subnet-private-us-east-2c
    - address: ip-10-0-77-46.us-east-2.compute.internal
    - address: ip-10-0-77-46.us-east-2.compute.internal
      name: ip-10-0-77-46.us-east-2.compute.internal 

    

    control plane machines created in wrong zones

    control plane machines should be created in the availabilityZone and subnet specified in the machine spec

slack discussion: https://redhat-internal.slack.com/archives/CF8SMALS1/p1766025295990739?thread_ts=1745837739.587219&cid=CF8SMALS1