diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadata.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadata.java
index 6da48fa..a2681e0 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadata.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadata.java
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
+import org.apache.commons.collections.CollectionUtils;
+
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
 import static com.google.common.base.Verify.verifyNotNull;
 import static com.google.common.base.Verify.verify;
@@ -32,7 +34,7 @@
 /**
  * Cluster metadata.
  * <p>
- * Metadata specifies the attributes that define a ONOS cluster and comprises the collection
+ * Metadata specifies how a ONOS cluster is constituted and is made up of the collection
  * of {@link org.onosproject.cluster.ControllerNode nodes} and the collection of data
  * {@link org.onosproject.cluster.Partition partitions}.
  */
@@ -71,7 +73,8 @@
     }
 
     /**
-     * Returns the collection of data {@link org.onosproject.cluster.Partition partitions} that make up the cluster.
+     * Returns the collection of {@link org.onosproject.cluster.Partition partitions} that make
+     * up the cluster.
      * @return collection of partitions.
      */
     public Collection<Partition> getPartitions() {
@@ -93,7 +96,7 @@
     }
 
     /*
-     * Provide a deep quality check of the meta data (non-Javadoc)
+     * Provide a deep equality check of the cluster metadata (non-Javadoc)
      *
      * @see java.lang.Object#equals(java.lang.Object)
      */
@@ -146,7 +149,7 @@
         }
 
         /**
-         * Sets the collection of data partitions, returning the cluster metadata builder for method chaining.
+         * Sets the partitions, returning the cluster metadata builder for method chaining.
          * @param partitions collection of partitions
          * @return this cluster metadata builder
          */
@@ -171,10 +174,8 @@
          */
         private void verifyMetadata() {
             verifyNotNull(metadata.getName(), "Cluster name must be specified");
-            verifyNotNull(metadata.getNodes(), "Cluster nodes must be specified");
-            verifyNotNull(metadata.getPartitions(), "Cluster partitions must be specified");
-            verify(!metadata.getNodes().isEmpty(), "Cluster nodes must not be empty");
-            verify(!metadata.getPartitions().isEmpty(), "Cluster nodes must not be empty");
+            verify(CollectionUtils.isEmpty(metadata.getNodes()), "Cluster nodes must be specified");
+            verify(CollectionUtils.isEmpty(metadata.getPartitions()), "Cluster partitions must be specified");
 
             // verify that partitions are constituted from valid cluster nodes.
             boolean validPartitions = Collections2.transform(metadata.getNodes(), ControllerNode::id)
@@ -185,4 +186,4 @@
             verify(validPartitions, "Partition locations must be valid cluster nodes");
         }
     }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataAdminService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataAdminService.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..51bb524
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataAdminService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2016 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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;
+
+/**
+ * Service for making updates to {@link ClusterMetadata cluster metadata}.
+ */
+public interface ClusterMetadataAdminService {
+
+    /**
+     * Updates the cluster metadata.
+     * @param metadata new metadata
+     */
+    void setClusterMetadata(ClusterMetadata metadata);
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataService.java
index 25a6df6..948ee46 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataService.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataService.java
@@ -15,10 +15,13 @@
  */
 package org.onosproject.cluster;
 
+import org.onosproject.event.ListenerService;
+
 /**
- * Service for obtaining metadata information about the cluster.
+ * Service for accessing {@link ClusterMetadata cluster metadata}.
  */
-public interface ClusterMetadataService {
+public interface ClusterMetadataService
+    extends ListenerService<ClusterMetadataEvent, ClusterMetadataEventListener> {
 
     /**
      * Returns the current cluster metadata.
@@ -27,13 +30,7 @@
     ClusterMetadata getClusterMetadata();
 
     /**
-     * Updates the cluster metadata.
-     * @param metadata new metadata
-     */
-    void setClusterMetadata(ClusterMetadata metadata);
-
-    /**
-     * Returns the local controller node representing this instance.
+     * Returns the {@link ControllerNode controller node} representing this instance.
      * @return local controller node
      */
     ControllerNode getLocalNode();
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataStore.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataStore.java
index 7e83b5b..99361d8 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataStore.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/ClusterMetadataStore.java
@@ -21,14 +21,14 @@
 import org.onosproject.store.service.Versioned;
 
 /**
- * Manages persistence of cluster metadata; not intended for direct use.
+ * Manages persistence of {@link ClusterMetadata cluster metadata}; not intended for direct use.
  */
 public interface ClusterMetadataStore extends Store<ClusterMetadataEvent, ClusterMetadataStoreDelegate> {
 
     /**
      * Returns the cluster metadata.
      * <p>
-     * The returned metadata is versioned to aid determining if a metadata instance is more recent than another.
+     * The retuned metadata is encapsulated as a {@link Versioned versioned} and therefore has a specific version.
      * @return cluster metadata
      */
     Versioned<ClusterMetadata> getClusterMetadata();
@@ -39,39 +39,38 @@
      */
     void setClusterMetadata(ClusterMetadata metadata);
 
-    // TODO: The below methods should move to a separate store interface that is responsible for
-    // tracking cluster partition operational state.
+    /**
+     * Adds a controller node to the list of active members for a partition.
+     * <p>
+     * Active members of a partition are those that are actively participating
+     * in the data replication protocol being employed. When a node first added
+     * to a partition, it is in a passive or catch up mode where it attempts to
+     * bring it self up to speed with other active members in the partition.
+     * @param partitionId partition identifier
+     * @param nodeId identifier of controller node
+     */
+    void addActivePartitionMember(PartitionId partitionId, NodeId nodeId);
 
     /**
-     * Sets a controller node as an active member of a partition.
-     * <p>
-     * Active members are those replicas that are up to speed with the rest of the system and are
-     * usually capable of participating in the replica state management activities in accordance with
-     * the data consistency and replication protocol in use.
+     * Removes a controller node from the list of active members for a partition.
      * @param partitionId partition identifier
      * @param nodeId id of controller node
      */
-    void setActiveReplica(String partitionId, NodeId nodeId);
+    void removeActivePartitionMember(PartitionId partitionId, NodeId nodeId);
 
     /**
-     * Removes a controller node as an active member for a partition.
+     * Returns the collection of controller nodes that are the active members for a partition.
      * <p>
-     * Active members are those replicas that are up to speed with the rest of the system and are
-     * usually capable of participating in the replica state management activities in accordance with
-     * the data consistency and replication protocol in use.
-     * @param partitionId partition identifier
-     * @param nodeId id of controller node
-     */
-    void unsetActiveReplica(String partitionId, NodeId nodeId);
-
-    /**
-     * Returns the collection of controller nodes that are the active replicas for a partition.
+     * Active members of a partition are typically those that are actively
+     * participating in the data replication protocol being employed. When
+     * a node first added to a partition, it is in a passive or catch up mode where
+     * it attempts to bring it self up to speed with other active members in the partition.
      * <p>
-     * Active members are those replicas that are up to speed with the rest of the system and are
-     * usually capable of participating in the replica state management activities in accordance with
-     * the data consistency and replication protocol in use.
+     * <b>Note:</b>If is possible for this list to different from the list of partition members
+     * specified by cluster meta data. The discrepancy can arise due to the fact that
+     * adding/removing members from a partition requires a data hand-off mechanism to complete.
      * @param partitionId partition identifier
-     * @return identifiers of controller nodes that are the active replicas
+     * @return identifiers of controller nodes that are active members
      */
-    Collection<NodeId> getActiveReplicas(String partitionId);
+    Collection<NodeId> getActivePartitionMembers(PartitionId partitionId);
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Partition.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Partition.java
index 1eca4ae..e3a1352 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Partition.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Partition.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ * Copyright 2016 Open Networking Laboratory
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -15,77 +15,23 @@
  */
 package org.onosproject.cluster;
 
-import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
-import java.util.Set;
-
-import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
-import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
-
-import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
 
 /**
- * A data partition.
- * <p>
- * Partition represents a slice of the data space and is made up of a collection
- * of {@link org.onosproject.cluster.ControllerNode nodes}
- * that all maintain copies of this data.
+ * A partition or shard is a group of controller nodes that are work together to maintain state.
+ * A ONOS cluster is typically made of of one or partitions over which the the data is partitioned.
  */
-public class Partition {
-
-    private final String name;
-    private final Set<NodeId> members;
-
-    private Partition() {
-        name = null;
-        members = null;
-    }
-
-    public Partition(String name, Collection<NodeId> members) {
-        this.name = checkNotNull(name);
-        this.members = ImmutableSet.copyOf(checkNotNull(members));
-    }
+public interface Partition {
 
     /**
-     * Returns the partition name.
-     * <p>
-     * Each partition is identified by a unique name.
-     * @return partition name
+     * Returns the partition identifier.
+     * @return partition identifier
      */
-    public String getName() {
-        return this.name;
-    }
+    PartitionId getId();
 
     /**
-     * Returns the collection of controller node identifiers that make up this partition.
+     * Returns the controller nodes that are members of this partition.
      * @return collection of controller node identifiers
      */
-    public Collection<NodeId> getMembers() {
-        return this.members;
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public int hashCode() {
-        return Arrays.deepHashCode(new Object[] {name, members});
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public boolean equals(Object other) {
-        if (this == other) {
-            return true;
-        }
-
-        if (other == null || !Partition.class.isInstance(other)) {
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        Partition that = (Partition) other;
-
-        if (!this.name.equals(that.name) || (this.members == null && that.members != null)
-                || (this.members != null && that.members == null) || this.members.size() != that.members.size()) {
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        return Sets.symmetricDifference(this.members, that.members).isEmpty();
-    }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+    Collection<NodeId> getMembers();
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/PartitionId.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/PartitionId.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e73d0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/PartitionId.java
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2016 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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 static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkArgument;
+
+import java.util.Objects;
+
+/**
+ * {@link Partition} identifier.
+ */
+public class PartitionId implements Comparable<PartitionId> {
+
+    private final int id;
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a partition identifier from an integer.
+     *
+     * @param id input integer
+     */
+    public PartitionId(int id) {
+        checkArgument(id >= 0, "partition id must be non-negative");
+        this.id = id;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a partition identifier from an integer.
+     *
+     * @param id input integer
+     */
+    public static PartitionId from(int id) {
+        return new PartitionId(id);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the partition identifier as an integer.
+     * @return number
+     */
+    public int asInt() {
+        return id;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        return id;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object obj) {
+        if (this == obj) {
+            return true;
+        }
+        if (obj instanceof PartitionId) {
+            final PartitionId other = (PartitionId) obj;
+            return Objects.equals(this.id, other.id);
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return String.valueOf(id);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int compareTo(PartitionId that) {
+        return Integer.compare(this.id, that.id);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/impl/ClusterManager.java b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/impl/ClusterManager.java
index 7ddac0c..11bba9c 100644
--- a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/impl/ClusterManager.java
+++ b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/impl/ClusterManager.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterEvent;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterEventListener;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadata;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadataAdminService;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadataService;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterService;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterStore;
@@ -35,10 +36,13 @@
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ControllerNode;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.NodeId;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.Partition;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.PartitionId;
 import org.onosproject.event.AbstractListenerManager;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 
+import com.google.common.collect.Collections2;
 import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
+import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
@@ -71,6 +75,9 @@
     protected ClusterMetadataService clusterMetadataService;
 
     @Reference(cardinality = ReferenceCardinality.MANDATORY_UNARY)
+    protected ClusterMetadataAdminService clusterMetadataAdminService;
+
+    @Reference(cardinality = ReferenceCardinality.MANDATORY_UNARY)
     protected ClusterStore store;
 
     @Reference(cardinality = ReferenceCardinality.MANDATORY_UNARY)
@@ -136,7 +143,7 @@
                                                   .withControllerNodes(nodes)
                                                   .withPartitions(buildDefaultPartitions(nodes))
                                                   .build();
-        clusterMetadataService.setClusterMetadata(metadata);
+        clusterMetadataAdminService.setClusterMetadata(metadata);
         try {
             log.warn("Shutting down container for cluster reconfiguration!");
             systemService.reboot("now", SystemService.Swipe.NONE);
@@ -171,15 +178,36 @@
         List<ControllerNode> sorted = new ArrayList<>(nodes);
         Collections.sort(sorted, (o1, o2) -> o1.id().toString().compareTo(o2.id().toString()));
         Collection<Partition> partitions = Lists.newArrayList();
-
+        // add p0 partition
+        partitions.add(new Partition() {
+            @Override
+            public PartitionId getId() {
+                return PartitionId.from((0));
+            }
+            @Override
+            public Collection<NodeId> getMembers() {
+                return Sets.newHashSet(Collections2.transform(nodes, ControllerNode::id));
+            }
+        });
+        // add extended partitions
         int length = nodes.size();
         int count = 3;
         for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
+            int index = i;
             Set<NodeId> set = new HashSet<>(count);
             for (int j = 0; j < count; j++) {
                 set.add(sorted.get((i + j) % length).id());
             }
-            partitions.add(new Partition("p" + (i + 1), set));
+            partitions.add(new Partition() {
+                @Override
+                public PartitionId getId() {
+                    return PartitionId.from((index + 1));
+                }
+                @Override
+                public Collection<NodeId> getMembers() {
+                    return set;
+                }
+            });
         }
         return partitions;
     }
diff --git a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/impl/ClusterMetadataManager.java b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/impl/ClusterMetadataManager.java
index a0f7a83..1bb2182 100644
--- a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/impl/ClusterMetadataManager.java
+++ b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/impl/ClusterMetadataManager.java
@@ -1,3 +1,18 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015-2016 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.impl;
 
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
@@ -17,6 +32,7 @@
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Service;
 import org.onlab.packet.IpAddress;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadata;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadataAdminService;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadataEvent;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadataEventListener;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadataService;
@@ -34,10 +50,10 @@
 @Service
 public class ClusterMetadataManager
     extends AbstractListenerManager<ClusterMetadataEvent, ClusterMetadataEventListener>
-    implements ClusterMetadataService {
+    implements ClusterMetadataService, ClusterMetadataAdminService {
 
-    private ControllerNode localNode;
     private final Logger log = getLogger(getClass());
+    private ControllerNode localNode;
 
     private ClusterMetadataStoreDelegate delegate = new InternalStoreDelegate();
 
diff --git a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/impl/DefaultPartition.java b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/impl/DefaultPartition.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..82a3ba7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/impl/DefaultPartition.java
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015-2016 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.impl;
+
+import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
+
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Objects;
+
+import org.onosproject.cluster.NodeId;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.Partition;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.PartitionId;
+
+import com.google.common.base.MoreObjects;
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
+import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
+
+/**
+ * Default {@link Partition} implementation.
+ */
+public class DefaultPartition implements Partition {
+
+    private final PartitionId id;
+    private final Collection<NodeId> members;
+
+    private DefaultPartition() {
+        id = null;
+        members = null;
+    }
+
+    public DefaultPartition(PartitionId id, Collection<NodeId> members) {
+        this.id = checkNotNull(id);
+        this.members = ImmutableSet.copyOf(members);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public PartitionId getId() {
+        return this.id;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Collection<NodeId> getMembers() {
+        return this.members;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return MoreObjects.toStringHelper(getClass())
+                .add("id", id)
+                .add("members", members)
+                .toString();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        return Objects.hash(id, members);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object other) {
+        if (!(other instanceof DefaultPartition)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        DefaultPartition that = (DefaultPartition) other;
+        return this.getId().equals(that.getId()) &&
+                Sets.symmetricDifference(Sets.newHashSet(this.members), Sets.newHashSet(that.members)).isEmpty();
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/impl/StaticClusterMetadataStore.java b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/impl/StaticClusterMetadataStore.java
index 3cd992b..da4ec99 100644
--- a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/impl/StaticClusterMetadataStore.java
+++ b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/cluster/impl/StaticClusterMetadataStore.java
@@ -1,3 +1,18 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015-2016 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.impl;
 
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
@@ -28,6 +43,7 @@
 import org.onosproject.cluster.DefaultControllerNode;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.NodeId;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.Partition;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.PartitionId;
 import org.onosproject.store.AbstractStore;
 import org.onosproject.store.service.Versioned;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
@@ -44,6 +60,7 @@
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.module.SimpleModule;
 import com.google.common.base.Throwables;
 import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
+import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
 import com.google.common.io.Files;
 
 /**
@@ -76,6 +93,7 @@
         module.addDeserializer(NodeId.class, new NodeIdDeserializer());
         module.addSerializer(ControllerNode.class, new ControllerNodeSerializer());
         module.addDeserializer(ControllerNode.class, new ControllerNodeDeserializer());
+        module.addDeserializer(Partition.class, new PartitionDeserializer());
         mapper.registerModule(module);
         File metadataFile = new File(CLUSTER_METADATA_FILE);
         if (metadataFile.exists()) {
@@ -89,10 +107,21 @@
             String localIp = getSiteLocalAddress();
             ControllerNode localNode =
                     new DefaultControllerNode(new NodeId(localIp), IpAddress.valueOf(localIp), DEFAULT_ONOS_PORT);
+            Partition defaultPartition = new Partition() {
+                @Override
+                public PartitionId getId() {
+                    return PartitionId.from(1);
+                }
+
+                @Override
+                public Collection<NodeId> getMembers() {
+                    return Sets.newHashSet(localNode.id());
+                }
+            };
             metadata.set(ClusterMetadata.builder()
                     .withName("default")
                     .withControllerNodes(Arrays.asList(localNode))
-                    .withPartitions(Lists.newArrayList(new Partition("p1", Lists.newArrayList(localNode.id()))))
+                    .withPartitions(Lists.newArrayList(defaultPartition))
                     .build());
             version = System.currentTimeMillis();
         }
@@ -138,25 +167,33 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void setActiveReplica(String partitionId, NodeId nodeId) {
+    public void addActivePartitionMember(PartitionId partitionId, NodeId nodeId) {
         throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void unsetActiveReplica(String partitionId, NodeId nodeId) {
+    public void removeActivePartitionMember(PartitionId partitionId, NodeId nodeId) {
         throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
     }
 
     @Override
-    public Collection<NodeId> getActiveReplicas(String partitionId) {
+    public Collection<NodeId> getActivePartitionMembers(PartitionId partitionId) {
         return metadata.get().getPartitions()
                        .stream()
-                       .filter(r -> r.getName().equals(partitionId))
+                       .filter(r -> r.getId().equals(partitionId))
                        .findFirst()
                        .map(r -> r.getMembers())
                        .orElse(null);
     }
 
+    private static class PartitionDeserializer extends JsonDeserializer<Partition> {
+        @Override
+        public Partition deserialize(JsonParser jp, DeserializationContext ctxt)
+                throws IOException, JsonProcessingException {
+            return jp.readValueAs(DefaultPartition.class);
+        }
+    }
+
     private static class ControllerNodeSerializer extends JsonSerializer<ControllerNode> {
         @Override
         public void serialize(ControllerNode node, JsonGenerator jgen, SerializerProvider provider)
diff --git a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/consistent/impl/DatabaseManager.java b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/consistent/impl/DatabaseManager.java
index 90d81ee..8436526 100644
--- a/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/consistent/impl/DatabaseManager.java
+++ b/core/store/dist/src/main/java/org/onosproject/store/consistent/impl/DatabaseManager.java
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterService;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ControllerNode;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.NodeId;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.PartitionId;
 import org.onosproject.core.ApplicationId;
 import org.onosproject.core.IdGenerator;
 import org.onosproject.persistence.PersistenceService;
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@
 import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;
+import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 import static org.slf4j.LoggerFactory.getLogger;
@@ -151,12 +153,11 @@
     public void activate() {
         localNodeId = clusterService.getLocalNode().id();
 
-        Map<String, Set<NodeId>> partitionMap = Maps.newHashMap();
+        Map<PartitionId, Set<NodeId>> partitionMap = Maps.newHashMap();
         clusterMetadataService.getClusterMetadata().getPartitions().forEach(p -> {
-            partitionMap.put(p.getName(), Sets.newHashSet(p.getMembers()));
+            partitionMap.put(p.getId(), Sets.newHashSet(p.getMembers()));
         });
 
-
         String[] activeNodeUris = partitionMap.values()
                     .stream()
                     .reduce((s1, s2) -> Sets.union(s1, s2))
@@ -183,28 +184,19 @@
 
         coordinator = new DefaultClusterCoordinator(copycatConfig.resolve());
 
-        DatabaseConfig inMemoryDatabaseConfig =
-                newDatabaseConfig(BASE_PARTITION_NAME, newInMemoryLog(), activeNodeUris);
-        inMemoryDatabase = coordinator
-                .getResource(inMemoryDatabaseConfig.getName(), inMemoryDatabaseConfig.resolve(clusterConfig)
-                .withSerializer(copycatConfig.getDefaultSerializer())
-                .withDefaultExecutor(copycatConfig.getDefaultExecutor()));
+        Function<PartitionId, Log> logFunction = id -> id.asInt() == 0 ? newInMemoryLog() : newPersistentLog();
 
-        List<Database> partitions = partitionMap.entrySet()
-            .stream()
-            .map(entry -> {
-                String[] replicas = entry.getValue().stream().map(this::nodeIdToUri).toArray(String[]::new);
-                return newDatabaseConfig(entry.getKey(), newPersistentLog(), replicas);
-                })
-            .map(config -> {
-                Database db = coordinator.getResource(config.getName(), config.resolve(clusterConfig)
-                        .withSerializer(copycatConfig.getDefaultSerializer())
-                        .withDefaultExecutor(copycatConfig.getDefaultExecutor()));
-                return db;
-            })
-            .collect(Collectors.toList());
+        Map<PartitionId, Database> databases = Maps.transformEntries(partitionMap, (k, v) -> {
+                    String[] replicas = v.stream().map(this::nodeIdToUri).toArray(String[]::new);
+                    DatabaseConfig config = newDatabaseConfig(String.format("p%s", k), logFunction.apply(k), replicas);
+                    return coordinator.getResource(config.getName(), config.resolve(clusterConfig)
+                            .withSerializer(copycatConfig.getDefaultSerializer())
+                            .withDefaultExecutor(copycatConfig.getDefaultExecutor()));
+        });
 
-        partitionedDatabase = new PartitionedDatabase("onos-store", partitions);
+        inMemoryDatabase = databases.remove(PartitionId.from(0));
+
+        partitionedDatabase = new PartitionedDatabase("onos-store", databases.values());
 
         CompletableFuture<Void> status = coordinator.open()
             .thenCompose(v -> CompletableFuture.allOf(inMemoryDatabase.open(), partitionedDatabase.open())
diff --git a/providers/lldp/src/test/java/org/onosproject/provider/lldp/impl/LldpLinkProviderTest.java b/providers/lldp/src/test/java/org/onosproject/provider/lldp/impl/LldpLinkProviderTest.java
index 28b08ea..940be57 100644
--- a/providers/lldp/src/test/java/org/onosproject/provider/lldp/impl/LldpLinkProviderTest.java
+++ b/providers/lldp/src/test/java/org/onosproject/provider/lldp/impl/LldpLinkProviderTest.java
@@ -32,11 +32,13 @@
 import org.onlab.packet.ONOSLLDP;
 import org.onosproject.cfg.ComponentConfigAdapter;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadata;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadataEventListener;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ClusterMetadataService;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.ControllerNode;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.DefaultControllerNode;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.NodeId;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.Partition;
+import org.onosproject.cluster.PartitionId;
 import org.onosproject.cluster.RoleInfo;
 import org.onosproject.core.ApplicationId;
 import org.onosproject.core.CoreService;
@@ -77,6 +79,7 @@
 import org.onosproject.net.provider.ProviderId;
 
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -950,7 +953,16 @@
         public ClusterMetadata getClusterMetadata() {
             final NodeId nid = new NodeId("test-node");
             final IpAddress addr = IpAddress.valueOf(0);
-            final Partition p = new Partition("test-pt", Sets.newHashSet(nid));
+            final Partition p = new Partition() {
+                public PartitionId getId() {
+                    return PartitionId.from(1);
+                }
+
+                @Override
+                public Collection<NodeId> getMembers() {
+                    return Sets.newHashSet(nid);
+                }
+            };
             return ClusterMetadata.builder()
                     .withName("test-cluster")
                     .withControllerNodes(Sets.newHashSet(new DefaultControllerNode(nid, addr)))
@@ -958,12 +970,16 @@
         }
 
         @Override
-        public void setClusterMetadata(ClusterMetadata metadata) {
+        public ControllerNode getLocalNode() {
+            return null;
         }
 
         @Override
-        public ControllerNode getLocalNode() {
-            return null;
+        public void addListener(ClusterMetadataEventListener listener) {
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void removeListener(ClusterMetadataEventListener listener) {
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/tools/dev/bin/onos-setup-karaf b/tools/dev/bin/onos-setup-karaf
index 4814715..81168d4 100755
--- a/tools/dev/bin/onos-setup-karaf
+++ b/tools/dev/bin/onos-setup-karaf
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@
 {
   "name": "default",
   "nodes": [ {"id": "$IP", "ip": "$IP", "port": 9876 } ],
-  "partitions": [ { "name": "p1", "members": [ "$IP" ] } ]
+  "partitions": [ { "id": 0, "members": [ "$IP" ] }, { "id": 1, "members": [ "$IP" ] } ]
 }
 EOF
 
diff --git a/tools/test/bin/onos-gen-partitions b/tools/test/bin/onos-gen-partitions
index 5da0807..7f3a865 100755
--- a/tools/test/bin/onos-gen-partitions
+++ b/tools/test/bin/onos-gen-partitions
@@ -27,12 +27,18 @@
   node = lambda k: { 'id': k, 'ip': k, 'port': port }
   return [ node(environ[v]) for v in vars ]
 
-def generate_permutations(nodes, k):
+def generate_base_partition(nodes):
+  return {
+            'id': 0,
+            'members': nodes
+         }
+
+def generate_extended_partitions(nodes, k):
   l = deque(nodes)
   perms = []
   for i in range(1, len(nodes)+1):
     part = {
-             'name': 'p%d' % i,
+             'id': i,
              'members': list(l)[:k]
            }
     perms.append(part)
@@ -42,10 +48,14 @@
 if __name__ == '__main__':
   vars = get_OC_vars()
   nodes = get_nodes(vars)
-  partitions = generate_permutations([v.get('id') for v in nodes], 3)
+  base_partition = generate_base_partition([v.get('id') for v in nodes])
+  extended_partitions = generate_extended_partitions([v.get('id') for v in nodes], 3)
+  partitions = []
+  partitions.append(base_partition)
+  partitions.extend(extended_partitions)
   name = 0
   for node in nodes:
-      name = name ^ hash(node['ip'])
+    name = name ^ hash(node['ip'])
   data = {
            'name': name,
            'nodes': nodes,