REDUCED QUORUM FOR A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM TO PROVIDE IMPROVED SERVICE AVAILABILITY

Example implementations relate to maintaining service availability. According to an example, a distributed system including multiple nodes establishes a number of the nodes to operate as voters in a quorum evaluation process for a service supported by the nodes. A first proper subset of the nodes is identified to operate as the voters and the remainder of the nodes do not vote in the quorum evaluation process. Responsive to detecting, by a voter, existence of a failure that results in the voter being part of a second proper subset of the nodes and that calls for a quorum evaluation, the voter determines whether the second proper subset of nodes has a quorum by initiating the quorum evaluation process. When the determining is affirmative, the second proper subset continues to support the service; otherwise, the second proper subset discontinues to make progress on behalf of the service.