Patent ID: 8417899

Claim:
A computing system configured to operate as a cluster, the system comprising: at least two nodes each assigned a corresponding registration key to operate as a member of the cluster; and a shared storage device in communication with the at least two nodes, the shared storage device including a designated storage space for a reservation key and for each of the registration keys associated with the at least two nodes; wherein each of the at least two nodes includes an associated processor executing a polling thread that periodically reads the designated storage space on the shared storage device at a polling interval to determine if its corresponding node registration key is present and halts the node if the corresponding node registration key has been removed; and wherein each of the at least two nodes includes a cluster membership agent that, in response to determining that a node should be expelled from the cluster, removes a corresponding node registration key from the designated storage space of the shared storage device and publishes new membership information indicating that the corresponding node has departed the cluster only after delaying for a time period greater than the polling interval.