Patent ID: 8589564

Claim:
An apparatus for maintaining compatibility between nodes within a distributed systems management environment, comprising: a master node, the master node including a primary storage area, the primary storage area including at least two primary storage sections, the primary storage sections storing a plurality of software configuration settings; and a plurality of slave nodes comprising a first set of slave nodes and a second set of slave nodes, the first set of slave nodes configurable with a plurality of software configuration settings having a first format version, the second set of slave nodes unable to operate with the plurality of software configuration settings having the first format version, and each slave node of the plurality of slave nodes including a secondary storage area; wherein the master node is operable to: read the plurality of software configuration settings having the first format version from a first primary storage section of the at least two primary storage sections; transform the plurality of software configuration settings having the first format version to a plurality of software configuration settings having a second format version, the second set of slave nodes configurable with the plurality of software configuration settings having the second format version, the plurality of software configuration settings having the first format version being transformed on the master node; write the plurality of software configuration settings having the second format version to a second primary storage section of the at least two primary storage sections; convey the plurality of software configuration settings having the first format version from the first primary storage section to each secondary storage area of said first set of slave nodes; and convey the plurality of software configuration settings having the second format version from the second primary storage section to each secondary storage area of the second set of slave nodes, the second set of slave nodes remaining unable to operate with the plurality of software configuration settings having the first format version in response to receiving the plurality of software configuration settings having the second format version.