diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/intent/IntentData.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/intent/IntentData.java
index f1776a9..1bfa0dc 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/intent/IntentData.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/intent/IntentData.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 import com.google.common.base.MoreObjects;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.NodeId;
 import org.onosproject.store.Timestamp;
 
 import java.util.List;
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@
 
     private IntentState state;
     private Timestamp version;
+    private NodeId origin;
 
     private List<Intent> installables;
 
@@ -61,6 +63,19 @@
         return version;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Sets the origin, which is the node that created the instance.
+     *
+     * @param origin origin instance
+     */
+    public void setOrigin(NodeId origin) {
+        this.origin = origin;
+    }
+
+    public NodeId origin() {
+        return origin;
+    }
+
     public void setState(IntentState newState) {
         this.state = newState;
     }
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 c33d2ea..cbf2398 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
@@ -16,11 +16,9 @@
 package org.onosproject.store.cluster.messaging;
 
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.ListenableFuture;
-
 import org.onosproject.cluster.NodeId;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 
 // TODO: remove IOExceptions?
@@ -51,9 +49,8 @@
      * @param message  message to send
      * @param toNodeId node identifier
      * @return true if the message was sent successfully; false otherwise.
-     * @throws IOException when I/O exception of some sort has occurred
      */
-    boolean unicast(ClusterMessage message, NodeId toNodeId) throws IOException;
+    boolean unicast(ClusterMessage message, NodeId toNodeId);
 
     /**
      * Multicast a message to a set of controller nodes.
@@ -62,7 +59,7 @@
      * @param nodeIds  recipient node identifiers
      * @return true if the message was sent successfully to all nodes in the group; false otherwise.
      */
-    boolean multicast(ClusterMessage message, Set<NodeId> nodeIds);
+    boolean multicast(ClusterMessage message, Iterable<NodeId> nodeIds);
 
     /**
      * Sends a message synchronously.