Patent ID: 7519008

Claim:
A method for managing nodes which are members of a computing system group, the method on a member comprising: determining that a configuration of a member of a computing system group is able to assume a role of a primary member of the computing system group, wherein all members of the computing system group receive, in order, all messages directed to group members and wherein at least one subset of members within the computing system group are associated with a site, wherein members at the site have access to resources that are within one resource pool associated with the site, and wherein the determining comprises determining that the member is able to assume a role as a primary site member, wherein the primary site member has access to all resources associated with the site; assigning, in response to determining that the configuration of the member of the computing system group is able to support performance as a primary member, the member a first status; assigning, in response to determining that the configuration of the member of the computing system group is not able to support performance as a primary member, the member a second status; processing within the member all messages that are transmitted to all members of the group when the member is assigned the first status and when the member is assigned the second status, wherein the configuration of the member, while assigned either the first status or the second status, is adjusted based upon contents of the messages; determining that the member is able to assume a role as a primary group member of the computing system group, wherein the assigning the member the first group status is further in response to determining that the member is able to assume the role as the primary group member, and wherein the assigning the member the second group status is further in response to determining that the member is not able to assume the role as the primary group member.