Patent ID: 8412790

Claim:
A method that uses a processor for determining a major group among at least two groups created by splitting an initial group comprising a plurality of nodes in a network-based distributed environment, the method comprising: comparing a number of nodes included in a first group with a number of nodes included in a second group, the first and second groups being among the at least two groups created by splitting the initial group; acquiring history information of the nodes included in the first group and the second group; and determining, using the processor, the first group or the second group as the major group using at least one of a result of comparing the number of nodes and the acquired history information, wherein the first group and the second group are created from the initial group being split at least twice, and the first group or the second group is determined as the major group only when a group which both of the first group and the second group recently belonged to was a major group, and wherein the acquired history information comprises information on time points when the nodes included in the first group and the second group joined the initial group.