diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/MastershipService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/MastershipService.java
index be91609..d417516 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/MastershipService.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/MastershipService.java
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@
     Set<DeviceId> getDevicesOf(NodeId nodeId);
 
     /**
-     * Returns the mastership term service for getting term information.
+     * Returns the mastership term service for getting read-only
+     * term information.
      *
      * @return the MastershipTermService for this mastership manager
      */
diff --git a/core/api/src/test/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/MastershipTermTest.java b/core/api/src/test/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/MastershipTermTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..139c695
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/test/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/MastershipTermTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package org.onlab.onos.cluster;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import com.google.common.testing.EqualsTester;
+
+public class MastershipTermTest {
+
+    private static final NodeId N1 = new NodeId("foo");
+    private static final NodeId N2 = new NodeId("bar");
+
+    private static final MastershipTerm TERM1 = MastershipTerm.of(N1, 0);
+    private static final MastershipTerm TERM2 = MastershipTerm.of(N2, 1);
+    private static final MastershipTerm TERM3 = MastershipTerm.of(N2, 1);
+    private static final MastershipTerm TERM4 = MastershipTerm.of(N1, 1);
+
+    @Test
+    public void basics() {
+        assertEquals("incorrect term number", 0, TERM1.termNumber());
+        assertEquals("incorrect master", new NodeId("foo"), TERM1.master());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEquality() {
+        new EqualsTester().addEqualityGroup(MastershipTerm.of(N1, 0), TERM1)
+        .addEqualityGroup(TERM2, TERM3)
+        .addEqualityGroup(TERM4);
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/impl/MastershipManager.java b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/impl/MastershipManager.java
index a8d2052..2b9b048 100644
--- a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/impl/MastershipManager.java
+++ b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/cluster/impl/MastershipManager.java
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Reference;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.ReferenceCardinality;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Service;
+import org.onlab.onos.cluster.ClusterEvent;
+import org.onlab.onos.cluster.ClusterEventListener;
 import org.onlab.onos.cluster.ClusterService;
 import org.onlab.onos.cluster.MastershipAdminService;
 import org.onlab.onos.cluster.MastershipEvent;
@@ -49,15 +51,19 @@
     @Reference(cardinality = ReferenceCardinality.MANDATORY_UNARY)
     protected ClusterService clusterService;
 
+    private ClusterEventListener clusterListener = new InternalClusterEventListener();
+
     @Activate
     public void activate() {
         eventDispatcher.addSink(MastershipEvent.class, listenerRegistry);
+        clusterService.addListener(clusterListener);
         log.info("Started");
     }
 
     @Deactivate
     public void deactivate() {
         eventDispatcher.removeSink(MastershipEvent.class);
+        clusterService.removeListener(clusterListener);
         log.info("Stopped");
     }
 
@@ -141,4 +147,27 @@
 
     }
 
+    //callback for reacting to cluster events
+    private class InternalClusterEventListener implements ClusterEventListener {
+
+        @Override
+        public void event(ClusterEvent event) {
+            switch (event.type()) {
+                //FIXME: worry about addition when the time comes
+                case INSTANCE_ADDED:
+                case INSTANCE_ACTIVATED:
+                     break;
+                case INSTANCE_REMOVED:
+                case INSTANCE_DEACTIVATED:
+                    for (DeviceId d : getDevicesOf(event.subject().id())) {
+                        //this method should be an admin iface?
+                        relinquishMastership(d);
+                    }
+                    break;
+                default:
+                    log.warn("unknown cluster event {}", event);
+            }
+        }
+
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/device/impl/DeviceManager.java b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/device/impl/DeviceManager.java
index 80b9b18..eeab313 100644
--- a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/device/impl/DeviceManager.java
+++ b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/device/impl/DeviceManager.java
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import org.onlab.onos.cluster.MastershipEvent;
 import org.onlab.onos.cluster.MastershipListener;
 import org.onlab.onos.cluster.MastershipService;
+import org.onlab.onos.cluster.MastershipTermService;
 import org.onlab.onos.event.AbstractListenerRegistry;
 import org.onlab.onos.event.EventDeliveryService;
 import org.onlab.onos.net.Device;
@@ -74,11 +75,14 @@
     @Reference(cardinality = ReferenceCardinality.MANDATORY_UNARY)
     protected MastershipService mastershipService;
 
+    protected MastershipTermService termService;
+
     @Activate
     public void activate() {
         store.setDelegate(delegate);
         eventDispatcher.addSink(DeviceEvent.class, listenerRegistry);
         mastershipService.addListener(mastershipListener);
+        termService = mastershipService.requestTermService();
         log.info("Started");
     }
 
diff --git a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/topology/impl/DefaultTopologyProvider.java b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/topology/impl/DefaultTopologyProvider.java
index 770f368..7ee6ddd 100644
--- a/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/topology/impl/DefaultTopologyProvider.java
+++ b/core/net/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/topology/impl/DefaultTopologyProvider.java
@@ -65,8 +65,8 @@
     private volatile boolean isStarted = false;
 
     private TopologyProviderService providerService;
-    private DeviceListener deviceListener = new InnerDeviceListener();
-    private LinkListener linkListener = new InnerLinkListener();
+    private DeviceListener deviceListener = new InternalDeviceListener();
+    private LinkListener linkListener = new InternalLinkListener();
 
     private EventAccumulator accumulator;
     private ExecutorService executor;
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@
     }
 
     // Callback for device events
-    private class InnerDeviceListener implements DeviceListener {
+    private class InternalDeviceListener implements DeviceListener {
         @Override
         public void event(DeviceEvent event) {
             DeviceEvent.Type type = event.type();
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@
     }
 
     // Callback for link events
-    private class InnerLinkListener implements LinkListener {
+    private class InternalLinkListener implements LinkListener {
         @Override
         public void event(LinkEvent event) {
             accumulator.add(event);
diff --git a/core/trivial/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/trivial/impl/SimpleMastershipStore.java b/core/trivial/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/trivial/impl/SimpleMastershipStore.java
index 61dbe61..11577ad 100644
--- a/core/trivial/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/trivial/impl/SimpleMastershipStore.java
+++ b/core/trivial/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/trivial/impl/SimpleMastershipStore.java
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@
 import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
-import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
-import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentMap;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
 
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Activate;
@@ -48,9 +46,9 @@
             new DefaultControllerNode(new NodeId("local"), LOCALHOST);
 
     //devices mapped to their masters, to emulate multiple nodes
-    protected final ConcurrentMap<DeviceId, NodeId> masterMap =
-            new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    protected final Map<DeviceId, NodeId> masterMap = new HashMap<>();
     protected final Map<DeviceId, AtomicInteger> termMap = new HashMap<>();
+    protected final Set<NodeId> masters = new HashSet<>();
 
     @Activate
     public void activate() {