Patent ID: 8443231

Claim:
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system to perform a method comprising: identifying a first number of nodes that constitute a server cluster; designating a subset comprising not more than a second number of said nodes as quorum disks for said server cluster, said second number less than said first number, wherein said quorum disks are accessed in response to a split-brain event that partitions said server cluster into different sub-clusters of nodes; storing, on each of said quorum disks, a first list identifying said nodes that constitute said server cluster; storing a second list identifying said subset of nodes designated as quorum disks on at least a simple majority of nodes on said second list; and replacing said second list with a third and more recent list of quorum disks only if said third list is updated on at least a simple majority of quorum disks on said second list.