diff --git a/asterix-algebra/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/translator/AbstractAqlTranslator.java b/asterix-algebra/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/translator/AbstractAqlTranslator.java
index 9fe5750..3ca94c8 100644
--- a/asterix-algebra/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/translator/AbstractAqlTranslator.java
+++ b/asterix-algebra/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/translator/AbstractAqlTranslator.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.aql.expression.DropStatement;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.aql.expression.InsertStatement;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.aql.expression.NodeGroupDropStatement;
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.config.AsterixClusterProperties;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.exceptions.AsterixException;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.metadata.bootstrap.MetadataConstants;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.metadata.dataset.hints.DatasetHints;
@@ -41,6 +42,12 @@
     protected static final Map<String, BuiltinType> builtinTypeMap = AsterixBuiltinTypeMap.getBuiltinTypes();
 
     public void validateOperation(Dataverse defaultDataverse, Statement stmt) throws AsterixException {
+
+        if (AsterixClusterProperties.INSTANCE.getState().equals(AsterixClusterProperties.State.UNUSABLE)) {
+            throw new AsterixException(" Asterix Cluster is in " + AsterixClusterProperties.State.UNUSABLE + " state."
+                    + "\n One or more Node Controllers have left.\n");
+        }
+
         boolean invalidOperation = false;
         String message = null;
         String dataverse = defaultDataverse != null ? defaultDataverse.getDataverseName() : null;
diff --git a/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/aql/translator/AqlTranslator.java b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/aql/translator/AqlTranslator.java
index d4e5e22..20c5349 100644
--- a/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/aql/translator/AqlTranslator.java
+++ b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/aql/translator/AqlTranslator.java
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.aql.expression.WriteStatement;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.aql.util.FunctionUtils;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.config.DatasetConfig.DatasetType;
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.config.AsterixClusterProperties;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.config.GlobalConfig;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.exceptions.AsterixException;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.functions.FunctionSignature;
diff --git a/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/hyracks/bootstrap/CCApplicationEntryPoint.java b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/hyracks/bootstrap/CCApplicationEntryPoint.java
index 01cbca0..3b71b66 100644
--- a/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/hyracks/bootstrap/CCApplicationEntryPoint.java
+++ b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/hyracks/bootstrap/CCApplicationEntryPoint.java
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
         webServer.start();
         setupJSONAPIServer(externalProperties);
         jsonAPIServer.start();
+        ccAppCtx.addClusterLifecycleListener(ClusterLifecycleListener.INSTANCE);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/hyracks/bootstrap/ClusterLifecycleListener.java b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/hyracks/bootstrap/ClusterLifecycleListener.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d1ea1dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/hyracks/bootstrap/ClusterLifecycleListener.java
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2009-2013 by The Regents of the University of California
+ * 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 from
+ *
+ *     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 edu.uci.ics.asterix.hyracks.bootstrap;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.logging.Level;
+import java.util.logging.Logger;
+
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.config.AsterixClusterProperties;
+import edu.uci.ics.hyracks.api.application.IClusterLifecycleListener;
+
+public class ClusterLifecycleListener implements IClusterLifecycleListener {
+
+    public static ClusterLifecycleListener INSTANCE = new ClusterLifecycleListener();
+
+    private ClusterLifecycleListener() {
+    }
+
+    private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(ClusterLifecycleListener.class.getName());
+
+    @Override
+    public void notifyNodeJoin(String nodeId, Map<String, String> ncConfiguration) {
+        if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.INFO)) {
+            LOGGER.info("NC: " + nodeId + " joined");
+        }
+        AsterixClusterProperties.INSTANCE.addNCConfiguration(nodeId, ncConfiguration);
+    }
+
+    public void notifyNodeFailure(Set<String> deadNodeIds) {
+        for (String deadNode : deadNodeIds) {
+            if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.INFO)) {
+                LOGGER.info("NC: " + deadNode + " left");
+            }
+            AsterixClusterProperties.INSTANCE.removeNCConfiguration(deadNode);
+        }
+
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/api/AsterixAppContextInfo.java b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/api/AsterixAppContextInfo.java
index 06a1c1f..cd8fb9c 100644
--- a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/api/AsterixAppContextInfo.java
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/api/AsterixAppContextInfo.java
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@
         INSTANCE.metadataProperties = new AsterixMetadataProperties(propertiesAccessor);
         INSTANCE.storageProperties = new AsterixStorageProperties(propertiesAccessor);
         INSTANCE.txnProperties = new AsterixTransactionProperties(propertiesAccessor);
-
         Logger.getLogger("edu.uci.ics").setLevel(INSTANCE.externalProperties.getLogLevel());
     }
 
@@ -108,4 +107,5 @@
     public AsterixExternalProperties getExternalProperties() {
         return externalProperties;
     }
+
 }
diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixClusterProperties.java b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixClusterProperties.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..362774f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixClusterProperties.java
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2009-2013 by The Regents of the University of California
+ * 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 from
+ *
+ *     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 edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.config;
+
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.logging.Level;
+import java.util.logging.Logger;
+
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.api.AsterixAppContextInfo;
+
+public class AsterixClusterProperties {
+
+    private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(AsterixClusterProperties.class.getName());
+
+    private static final String IO_DEVICES = "iodevices";
+
+    public static final AsterixClusterProperties INSTANCE = new AsterixClusterProperties();
+
+    private Map<String, Map<String, String>> ncConfiguration = new HashMap<String, Map<String, String>>();
+
+    private AsterixClusterProperties() {
+    }
+
+    public enum State {
+        ACTIVE,
+        UNUSABLE
+    }
+
+    private State state = State.UNUSABLE;
+
+    public void removeNCConfiguration(String nodeId) {
+        state = State.UNUSABLE;
+        ncConfiguration.remove(nodeId);
+    }
+
+    public void addNCConfiguration(String nodeId, Map<String, String> configuration) {
+        ncConfiguration.put(nodeId, configuration);
+        if (ncConfiguration.keySet().size() == AsterixAppContextInfo.getInstance().getMetadataProperties()
+                .getNodeNames().size()) {
+            state = State.ACTIVE;
+        }
+        if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.INFO)) {
+            LOGGER.info(" Registering configuration parameters for node id" + nodeId);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the number of IO devices configured for a Node Controller
+     * 
+     * @param nodeId
+     *            unique identifier of the Node Controller
+     * @return number of IO devices. -1 if the node id is not valid. A node id is not valid
+     *         if it does not correspond to the set of registered Node Controllers.
+     */
+    public int getNumberOfIODevices(String nodeId) {
+        Map<String, String> ncConfig = ncConfiguration.get(nodeId);
+        if (ncConfig == null) {
+            if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.WARNING)) {
+                LOGGER.warning("Configuration parameters for nodeId" + nodeId
+                        + " not found. The node has not joined yet or has left.");
+            }
+            return -1;
+        }
+        return ncConfig.get(IO_DEVICES).split(",").length;
+    }
+
+    public State getState() {
+        return state;
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/dataflow/IAsterixApplicationContextInfo.java b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/dataflow/IAsterixApplicationContextInfo.java
index 401af28..2b04e32 100644
--- a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/dataflow/IAsterixApplicationContextInfo.java
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/dataflow/IAsterixApplicationContextInfo.java
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
  */
 package edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.dataflow;
 
+import java.util.Map;
+
 import edu.uci.ics.hyracks.api.application.ICCApplicationContext;
 import edu.uci.ics.hyracks.storage.am.common.api.IIndexLifecycleManagerProvider;
 import edu.uci.ics.hyracks.storage.common.IStorageManagerInterface;
@@ -38,4 +40,5 @@
      * @return ICCApplicationContext implementation instance
      */
     public ICCApplicationContext getCCApplicationContext();
+
 }