Patent ID: 8521860

Claim:
A computer implemented method of providing state notifications to a client, the method comprising: receiving at a first node a request to connect to the first node to access information on the first node, wherein the first node is one of a plurality of nodes in a cluster; sending a response from the first node, the response establishing a session for accessing information on the first node; receiving a second request for node information regarding the plurality of nodes; in response to the second request, sending a second response with the node information, wherein the node information identifies at least two nodes of the plurality of nodes that serve as witness nodes for monitoring a resource and further identifies a ranking for each of the at least two nodes; receiving a registration request at the first node to register for notifications regarding at least one resource, wherein the first node serves as a first witness node and monitors the at least one resource; and sending from the first node, a notification with the state of the at least one resource.