Method and device for managing cluster membership by use of storage area network fabric

Managing cluster membership and providing and managing locks in the switches forming the interconnecting network. To manage the cluster membership, a zone is created, with indicated members existing in the zone and the zone being managed by the switches. The nodes communicate their membership events, such as alive messages, using an API to work with the switch to which they are attached. The desired membership algorithm is executed by the switches, preferably in a distributed manner. Each switch then enforces the membership policies, including preventing operations from evicted nodes. This greatly simplifies the programs used on the nodes and unburdens them from many time consuming tasks, thus providing improved cluster performance. In a like manner, the switches in the fabric manage the resource locks. The nodes send their lock requests, such as creation and ownership requests, to the switch to which they are connected using an API. The switches then perform the desired lock operation and provide a response to the requesting node. Again, this greatly simplifies the programs used on the nodes and unburdens them from many time consuming activities, providing improved cluster performance.