diff --git a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/NodeRange.pm b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/NodeRange.pm
index 334d6f724..a4c1a75b7 100644
--- a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/NodeRange.pm
+++ b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/NodeRange.pm
@@ -397,6 +397,12 @@ sub expandatom { #TODO: implement table selection as an atom (nodetype.os==rhels
 
 sub retain_cache { #A semi private operation to be used *ONLY* in the interesting Table<->NodeRange module interactions.
     $retaincache=shift;
+    unless ($retaincache) { #take a call to retain_cache(0) to also mean that any existing
+        #cache must be zapped
+        if ($nodelist) { $nodelist->_clear_cache(); }
+        undef $nodelist;
+        @allnodeset=();
+    }
 }
 sub extnoderange { #An extended noderange function.  Needed as the more straightforward function return format too simple for this.
     my $range = shift;
diff --git a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Table.pm b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Table.pm
index 453e174f9..68858ea89 100644
--- a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Table.pm
+++ b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Table.pm
@@ -1949,6 +1949,8 @@ sub getAllNodeAttribs
     xCAT::NodeRange::retain_cache(1);
     $self->{_use_cache} = 0;
     $self->{nodelist}->{_use_cache}=0;
+    $self->_clear_cache();
+    $self->{nodelist}->_clear_cache();
     $self->_build_cache($attribq);
     $self->{nodelist}->_build_cache(['node','groups']);
     $self->{_use_cache} = 1;