diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterAdminService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterAdminService.java
index e680877..d1c4325 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterAdminService.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterAdminService.java
@@ -15,14 +15,56 @@
  */
 package org.onosproject.cluster;
 
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import org.onlab.packet.IpAddress;
+
 /**
  * Service for administering the cluster node membership.
- * <p>
- * This service has a view of the cluster membership that is isolated to the local node's version during upgrades.
- * For an equivalent service that has control over all nodes during an upgrade use
- * {@link UnifiedClusterAdminService}.
- *
- * @see UnifiedClusterAdminService
  */
-public interface ClusterAdminService extends MembershipAdminService {
+public interface ClusterAdminService extends ClusterService {
+
+    /**
+     * Forms cluster configuration based on the specified set of node
+     * information.&nbsp; This method resets and restarts the controller
+     * instance.
+     *
+     * @param nodes    set of nodes that form the cluster
+     */
+    void formCluster(Set<ControllerNode> nodes);
+
+    /**
+     * Forms cluster configuration based on the specified set of node
+     * information.&nbsp; This method resets and restarts the controller
+     * instance.
+     *
+     * @param nodes    set of nodes that form the cluster
+     * @param partitionSize number of nodes to compose a partition
+     */
+    void formCluster(Set<ControllerNode> nodes, int partitionSize);
+
+    /**
+     * Adds a new controller node to the cluster.
+     *
+     * @param nodeId  controller node identifier
+     * @param ip      node IP listen address
+     * @param tcpPort tcp listen port
+     * @return newly added node
+     */
+    ControllerNode addNode(NodeId nodeId, IpAddress ip, int tcpPort);
+
+    /**
+     * Removes the specified node from the cluster node list.
+     *
+     * @param nodeId controller node identifier
+     */
+    void removeNode(NodeId nodeId);
+
+    /**
+     * Marks the current node as fully started or not.
+     *
+     * @param started true indicates all components have been started
+     */
+    void markFullyStarted(boolean started);
+
 }
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterService.java
index f17e4d9..e4cf7ec 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterService.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterService.java
@@ -15,13 +15,63 @@
  */
 package org.onosproject.cluster;
 
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import org.joda.time.DateTime;
+import org.onosproject.core.Version;
+import org.onosproject.event.ListenerService;
+
 /**
  * Service for obtaining information about the individual nodes within the controller cluster.
- * <p>
- * This service's view of the nodes in the cluster is isolated to a single version of the software. During upgrades,
- * when multiple versions of the software are running in the same cluster, users of this service will only be able
- * to see nodes running the same version as the local node. This is useful for limiting communication to nodes running
- * the same version of the software.
  */
-public interface ClusterService extends MembershipService {
+public interface ClusterService extends ListenerService<ClusterEvent, ClusterEventListener> {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the local controller node.
+     *
+     * @return local controller node
+     */
+    ControllerNode getLocalNode();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the set of current cluster members.
+     *
+     * @return set of cluster members
+     */
+    Set<ControllerNode> getNodes();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the specified controller node.
+     *
+     * @param nodeId controller node identifier
+     * @return controller node
+     */
+    ControllerNode getNode(NodeId nodeId);
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the availability state of the specified controller node. Note
+     * that this does not imply that all the core and application components
+     * have been fully activated; only that the node has joined the cluster.
+     *
+     * @param nodeId controller node identifier
+     * @return availability state
+     */
+    ControllerNode.State getState(NodeId nodeId);
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the version of the given controller node.
+     *
+     * @param nodeId controller node identifier
+     * @return controller version
+     */
+    Version getVersion(NodeId nodeId);
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the system time when the availability state was last updated.
+     *
+     * @param nodeId controller node identifier
+     * @return system time when the availability state was last updated.
+     */
+    DateTime getLastUpdated(NodeId nodeId);
+
 }
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ControllerNode.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ControllerNode.java
index 4983652..1d1a3ec 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ControllerNode.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ControllerNode.java
@@ -74,7 +74,6 @@
      */
     IpAddress ip();
 
-
     /**
      * Returns the TCP port on which the node listens for connections.
      *
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Member.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Member.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..796299b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Member.java
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.onosproject.cluster;
+
+import java.util.Objects;
+
+import org.onosproject.core.Version;
+
+import static com.google.common.base.MoreObjects.toStringHelper;
+import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
+
+/**
+ * Controller member identity.
+ */
+public final class Member {
+
+    private final NodeId nodeId;
+    private final Version version;
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new cluster member identifier from the specified string.
+     *
+     * @param nodeId node identifier
+     * @param version node version
+     */
+    public Member(NodeId nodeId, Version version) {
+        this.nodeId = checkNotNull(nodeId);
+        this.version = version;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the node identifier.
+     *
+     * @return the node identifier
+     */
+    public NodeId nodeId() {
+        return nodeId;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the node version.
+     *
+     * @return the node version
+     */
+    public Version version() {
+        return version;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        return Objects.hash(nodeId, version);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object object) {
+        if (object instanceof Member) {
+            Member member = (Member) object;
+            return member.nodeId.equals(nodeId) && Objects.equals(member.version, version);
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return toStringHelper(this)
+                .add("nodeId", nodeId)
+                .add("version", version)
+                .toString();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipAdminService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipAdminService.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 908a963..0000000
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipAdminService.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,70 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-package org.onosproject.cluster;
-
-import java.util.Set;
-
-import org.onlab.packet.IpAddress;
-
-/**
- * Service for administering the cluster node membership.
- */
-public interface MembershipAdminService extends MembershipService {
-
-    /**
-     * Forms cluster configuration based on the specified set of node
-     * information.&nbsp; This method resets and restarts the controller
-     * instance.
-     *
-     * @param nodes    set of nodes that form the cluster
-     */
-    void formCluster(Set<ControllerNode> nodes);
-
-    /**
-     * Forms cluster configuration based on the specified set of node
-     * information.&nbsp; This method resets and restarts the controller
-     * instance.
-     *
-     * @param nodes    set of nodes that form the cluster
-     * @param partitionSize number of nodes to compose a partition
-     */
-    void formCluster(Set<ControllerNode> nodes, int partitionSize);
-
-    /**
-     * Adds a new controller node to the cluster.
-     *
-     * @param nodeId  controller node identifier
-     * @param ip      node IP listen address
-     * @param tcpPort tcp listen port
-     * @return newly added node
-     */
-    ControllerNode addNode(NodeId nodeId, IpAddress ip, int tcpPort);
-
-    /**
-     * Removes the specified node from the cluster node list.
-     *
-     * @param nodeId controller node identifier
-     */
-    void removeNode(NodeId nodeId);
-
-    /**
-     * Marks the current node as fully started or not.
-     *
-     * @param started true indicates all components have been started
-     */
-    void markFullyStarted(boolean started);
-
-}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipGroup.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipGroup.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6526a1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipGroup.java
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.onosproject.cluster;
+
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import org.onosproject.core.Version;
+
+import static com.google.common.base.MoreObjects.toStringHelper;
+
+/**
+ * Membership group.
+ */
+public class MembershipGroup {
+    private final Version version;
+    private final Set<Member> members;
+
+    public MembershipGroup(Version version, Set<Member> members) {
+        this.version = version;
+        this.members = members;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the group version.
+     *
+     * @return the group version
+     */
+    public Version version() {
+        return version;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the set of members in the group.
+     *
+     * @return the set of members in the group
+     */
+    public Set<Member> members() {
+        return members;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return toStringHelper(this)
+                .add("version", version)
+                .add("members", members)
+                .toString();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipService.java
index 7b366f6..f56daf5 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipService.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/MembershipService.java
@@ -15,32 +15,59 @@
  */
 package org.onosproject.cluster;
 
+import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Set;
 
-import org.joda.time.DateTime;
 import org.onosproject.core.Version;
-import org.onosproject.event.ListenerService;
 
 /**
- * Service for obtaining information about the individual nodes within
- * the controller cluster.
+ * Service for obtaining information about the individual members of the controller cluster.
  */
-public interface MembershipService
-    extends ListenerService<ClusterEvent, ClusterEventListener> {
+public interface MembershipService {
 
     /**
-     * Returns the local controller node.
+     * Returns the local member.
      *
-     * @return local controller node
+     * @return local member
      */
-    ControllerNode getLocalNode();
+    Member getLocalMember();
 
     /**
-     * Returns the set of current cluster members.
+     * Returns the group associated with the local member.
      *
-     * @return set of cluster members
+     * @return the group associated with the local member
      */
-    Set<ControllerNode> getNodes();
+    MembershipGroup getLocalGroup();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the set of current cluster members in the local group.
+     *
+     * @return set of cluster members in the local group
+     */
+    Set<Member> getMembers();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the set of membership groups in the cluster.
+     *
+     * @return the set of membership groups in the cluster
+     */
+    Collection<MembershipGroup> getGroups();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the membership group for the given version.
+     *
+     * @param version the version for which to return the membership group
+     * @return the membership group for the given version
+     */
+    MembershipGroup getGroup(Version version);
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the set of members in the given version.
+     *
+     * @param version the version for which to return the set of members
+     * @return the set of members for the given version
+     */
+    Set<Member> getMembers(Version version);
 
     /**
      * Returns the specified controller node.
@@ -48,32 +75,6 @@
      * @param nodeId controller node identifier
      * @return controller node
      */
-    ControllerNode getNode(NodeId nodeId);
-
-    /**
-     * Returns the availability state of the specified controller node. Note
-     * that this does not imply that all the core and application components
-     * have been fully activated; only that the node has joined the cluster.
-     *
-     * @param nodeId controller node identifier
-     * @return availability state
-     */
-    ControllerNode.State getState(NodeId nodeId);
-
-    /**
-     * Returns the version of the given controller node.
-     *
-     * @param nodeId controller node identifier
-     * @return controller version
-     */
-    Version getVersion(NodeId nodeId);
-
-    /**
-     * Returns the system time when the availability state was last updated.
-     *
-     * @param nodeId controller node identifier
-     * @return system time when the availability state was last updated.
-     */
-    DateTime getLastUpdated(NodeId nodeId);
+    Member getMember(NodeId nodeId);
 
 }
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/UnifiedClusterAdminService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/UnifiedClusterAdminService.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 9fb7407..0000000
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/UnifiedClusterAdminService.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-package org.onosproject.cluster;
-
-import com.google.common.annotations.Beta;
-
-/**
- * Cluster membership administration service that supports modification of all nodes during an upgrade.
- */
-@Beta
-public interface UnifiedClusterAdminService extends MembershipAdminService {
-}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/UnifiedClusterService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/UnifiedClusterService.java
deleted file mode 100644
index f690f3e..0000000
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/UnifiedClusterService.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-package org.onosproject.cluster;
-
-import com.google.common.annotations.Beta;
-
-/**
- * Unified multi-version cluster membership service.
- * <p>
- * During upgrades, the nodes within a cluster may be running multiple versions of the software.
- * This service has a view of the entire cluster running any version. Users of this service must be careful when
- * communicating with nodes described by this service as compatibility issues can result from communicating across
- * versions. For an equivalent service that has an isolated view of the cluster, see {@link ClusterService}.
- *
- * @see ClusterService
- */
-@Beta
-public interface UnifiedClusterService extends MembershipService {
-}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/ClusterCommunicationService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/ClusterCommunicationService.java
index dfc558d..7aa5ac6 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/ClusterCommunicationService.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/ClusterCommunicationService.java
@@ -15,15 +15,152 @@
  */
 package org.onosproject.store.cluster.messaging;
 
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
+import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
+import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
+import java.util.function.Consumer;
+import java.util.function.Function;
+
+import org.onosproject.cluster.NodeId;
+
 /**
  * Service for assisting communications between controller cluster nodes.
- * <p>
- * Communication via this service is isolated to nodes running a single version of the software. During upgrades, when
- * nodes may be running multiple versions simultaneously, this service prevents nodes running different versions of
- * the software from communicating with each other, thus avoiding compatibility issues. For an equivalent cross-version
- * compatible service, see {@link UnifiedClusterCommunicationService}.
- *
- * @see UnifiedClusterCommunicationService
  */
-public interface ClusterCommunicationService extends ClusterCommunicator {
+public interface ClusterCommunicationService {
+
+    /**
+     * Adds a new subscriber for the specified message subject.
+     *
+     * @param subject    message subject
+     * @param subscriber message subscriber
+     * @param executor executor to use for running handler.
+     * @deprecated in Cardinal Release
+     */
+    @Deprecated
+    void addSubscriber(MessageSubject subject, ClusterMessageHandler subscriber, ExecutorService executor);
+
+    /**
+     * Broadcasts a message to all controller nodes.
+     *
+     * @param message message to send
+     * @param subject message subject
+     * @param encoder function for encoding message to byte[]
+     * @param <M> message type
+     */
+    <M> void broadcast(M message,
+            MessageSubject subject,
+            Function<M, byte[]> encoder);
+
+    /**
+     * Broadcasts a message to all controller nodes including self.
+     *
+     * @param message message to send
+     * @param subject message subject
+     * @param encoder function for encoding message to byte[]
+     * @param <M> message type
+     */
+    <M> void broadcastIncludeSelf(M message,
+            MessageSubject subject,
+            Function<M, byte[]> encoder);
+
+    /**
+     * Sends a message to the specified controller node.
+     *
+     * @param message message to send
+     * @param subject message subject
+     * @param encoder function for encoding message to byte[]
+     * @param toNodeId destination node identifier
+     * @param <M> message type
+     * @return future that is completed when the message is sent
+     */
+    <M> CompletableFuture<Void> unicast(M message,
+            MessageSubject subject,
+            Function<M, byte[]> encoder,
+            NodeId toNodeId);
+
+    /**
+     * Multicasts a message to a set of controller nodes.
+     *
+     * @param message message to send
+     * @param subject message subject
+     * @param encoder function for encoding message to byte[]
+     * @param nodeIds  recipient node identifiers
+     * @param <M> message type
+     */
+    <M> void multicast(M message,
+            MessageSubject subject,
+            Function<M, byte[]> encoder,
+            Set<NodeId> nodeIds);
+
+    /**
+     * Sends a message and expects a reply.
+     *
+     * @param message message to send
+     * @param subject message subject
+     * @param encoder function for encoding request to byte[]
+     * @param decoder function for decoding response from byte[]
+     * @param toNodeId recipient node identifier
+     * @param <M> request type
+     * @param <R> reply type
+     * @return reply future
+     */
+    <M, R> CompletableFuture<R> sendAndReceive(M message,
+            MessageSubject subject,
+            Function<M, byte[]> encoder,
+            Function<byte[], R> decoder,
+            NodeId toNodeId);
+
+    /**
+     * Adds a new subscriber for the specified message subject.
+     *
+     * @param subject message subject
+     * @param decoder decoder for resurrecting incoming message
+     * @param handler handler function that processes the incoming message and produces a reply
+     * @param encoder encoder for serializing reply
+     * @param executor executor to run this handler on
+     * @param <M> incoming message type
+     * @param <R> reply message type
+     */
+    <M, R> void addSubscriber(MessageSubject subject,
+            Function<byte[], M> decoder,
+            Function<M, R> handler,
+            Function<R, byte[]> encoder,
+            Executor executor);
+
+    /**
+     * Adds a new subscriber for the specified message subject.
+     *
+     * @param subject message subject
+     * @param decoder decoder for resurrecting incoming message
+     * @param handler handler function that processes the incoming message and produces a reply
+     * @param encoder encoder for serializing reply
+     * @param <M> incoming message type
+     * @param <R> reply message type
+     */
+    <M, R> void addSubscriber(MessageSubject subject,
+            Function<byte[], M> decoder,
+            Function<M, CompletableFuture<R>> handler,
+            Function<R, byte[]> encoder);
+
+    /**
+     * Adds a new subscriber for the specified message subject.
+     *
+     * @param subject message subject
+     * @param decoder decoder to resurrecting incoming message
+     * @param handler handler for handling message
+     * @param executor executor to run this handler on
+     * @param <M> incoming message type
+     */
+    <M> void addSubscriber(MessageSubject subject,
+            Function<byte[], M> decoder,
+            Consumer<M> handler,
+            Executor executor);
+
+    /**
+     * Removes a subscriber for the specified message subject.
+     *
+     * @param subject message subject
+     */
+    void removeSubscriber(MessageSubject subject);
 }
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/ClusterCommunicator.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/ClusterCommunicator.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 7d2480e..0000000
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/ClusterCommunicator.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,166 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-package org.onosproject.store.cluster.messaging;
-
-import java.util.Set;
-import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
-import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
-import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
-import java.util.function.Consumer;
-import java.util.function.Function;
-
-import org.onosproject.cluster.NodeId;
-
-/**
- * Service for assisting communications between controller cluster nodes.
- */
-public interface ClusterCommunicator {
-
-    /**
-     * Adds a new subscriber for the specified message subject.
-     *
-     * @param subject    message subject
-     * @param subscriber message subscriber
-     * @param executor executor to use for running handler.
-     * @deprecated in Cardinal Release
-     */
-    @Deprecated
-    void addSubscriber(MessageSubject subject, ClusterMessageHandler subscriber, ExecutorService executor);
-
-    /**
-     * Broadcasts a message to all controller nodes.
-     *
-     * @param message message to send
-     * @param subject message subject
-     * @param encoder function for encoding message to byte[]
-     * @param <M> message type
-     */
-    <M> void broadcast(M message,
-            MessageSubject subject,
-            Function<M, byte[]> encoder);
-
-    /**
-     * Broadcasts a message to all controller nodes including self.
-     *
-     * @param message message to send
-     * @param subject message subject
-     * @param encoder function for encoding message to byte[]
-     * @param <M> message type
-     */
-    <M> void broadcastIncludeSelf(M message,
-            MessageSubject subject,
-            Function<M, byte[]> encoder);
-
-    /**
-     * Sends a message to the specified controller node.
-     *
-     * @param message message to send
-     * @param subject message subject
-     * @param encoder function for encoding message to byte[]
-     * @param toNodeId destination node identifier
-     * @param <M> message type
-     * @return future that is completed when the message is sent
-     */
-    <M> CompletableFuture<Void> unicast(M message,
-            MessageSubject subject,
-            Function<M, byte[]> encoder,
-            NodeId toNodeId);
-
-    /**
-     * Multicasts a message to a set of controller nodes.
-     *
-     * @param message message to send
-     * @param subject message subject
-     * @param encoder function for encoding message to byte[]
-     * @param nodeIds  recipient node identifiers
-     * @param <M> message type
-     */
-    <M> void multicast(M message,
-            MessageSubject subject,
-            Function<M, byte[]> encoder,
-            Set<NodeId> nodeIds);
-
-    /**
-     * Sends a message and expects a reply.
-     *
-     * @param message message to send
-     * @param subject message subject
-     * @param encoder function for encoding request to byte[]
-     * @param decoder function for decoding response from byte[]
-     * @param toNodeId recipient node identifier
-     * @param <M> request type
-     * @param <R> reply type
-     * @return reply future
-     */
-    <M, R> CompletableFuture<R> sendAndReceive(M message,
-            MessageSubject subject,
-            Function<M, byte[]> encoder,
-            Function<byte[], R> decoder,
-            NodeId toNodeId);
-
-    /**
-     * Adds a new subscriber for the specified message subject.
-     *
-     * @param subject message subject
-     * @param decoder decoder for resurrecting incoming message
-     * @param handler handler function that processes the incoming message and produces a reply
-     * @param encoder encoder for serializing reply
-     * @param executor executor to run this handler on
-     * @param <M> incoming message type
-     * @param <R> reply message type
-     */
-    <M, R> void addSubscriber(MessageSubject subject,
-            Function<byte[], M> decoder,
-            Function<M, R> handler,
-            Function<R, byte[]> encoder,
-            Executor executor);
-
-    /**
-     * Adds a new subscriber for the specified message subject.
-     *
-     * @param subject message subject
-     * @param decoder decoder for resurrecting incoming message
-     * @param handler handler function that processes the incoming message and produces a reply
-     * @param encoder encoder for serializing reply
-     * @param <M> incoming message type
-     * @param <R> reply message type
-     */
-    <M, R> void addSubscriber(MessageSubject subject,
-            Function<byte[], M> decoder,
-            Function<M, CompletableFuture<R>> handler,
-            Function<R, byte[]> encoder);
-
-    /**
-     * Adds a new subscriber for the specified message subject.
-     *
-     * @param subject message subject
-     * @param decoder decoder to resurrecting incoming message
-     * @param handler handler for handling message
-     * @param executor executor to run this handler on
-     * @param <M> incoming message type
-     */
-    <M> void addSubscriber(MessageSubject subject,
-            Function<byte[], M> decoder,
-            Consumer<M> handler,
-            Executor executor);
-
-    /**
-     * Removes a subscriber for the specified message subject.
-     *
-     * @param subject message subject
-     */
-    void removeSubscriber(MessageSubject subject);
-}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/UnifiedClusterCommunicationService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/UnifiedClusterCommunicationService.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 042c803..0000000
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/messaging/UnifiedClusterCommunicationService.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,31 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-package org.onosproject.store.cluster.messaging;
-
-import com.google.common.annotations.Beta;
-
-/**
- * Service for unified communication across controller nodes running multiple software versions.
- * <p>
- * This service supports communicating across nodes running different versions of the software simultaneously. During
- * upgrades, when nodes may be running a mixture of versions, this service can be used to coordinate across those
- * versions. But users of this service must be extremely careful to preserve backward/forward compatibility for
- * messages sent across versions. Encoders and decoders used for messages sent/received on this service should
- * support evolving schemas.
- */
-@Beta
-public interface UnifiedClusterCommunicationService extends ClusterCommunicator {
-}