Patent ID: 8745106

Claim:
A method comprising: determining a number of a plurality of servers providing a multi-master directory service; receiving by a processing unit executing one of the plurality of servers, a first number associated with the one of the plurality of servers to represent a first identifier associated with the one of the plurality of servers, wherein the first number that is associated with the one of the plurality of servers is different from other first numbers that are associated with other servers in the plurality of servers; adding, by the one of the plurality of servers, the number of the plurality of servers to the first number that is associated with the one of the plurality of servers to generate a second identifier that is associated with the one of the plurality of servers, wherein the second identifier is different from other second identifiers at the other servers in the plurality of servers; assigning, by the one of the plurality of servers, at least one of the first identifier that is associated with the one of the plurality of servers or the second identifier that is associated with the one of the plurality of servers to at least one entity of a plurality of entities, wherein the at least one of the first identifier associated with the one of the plurality of servers or the second identifier associated with the one of the plurality of servers represent at least one of a user identifier or a group identifier; querying the plurality of servers for a largest value of an identifier that the plurality of servers have previously assigned to the plurality of entities; determining the other first numbers to assign to each of the other servers in the plurality of servers based on the largest value; selecting the one of the plurality of servers a first server; and assigning the other first numbers to each of the other servers based on the first number that is associated with the one of the plurality of servers.