diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/resources/schema/cluster.xsd b/asterix-common/src/main/resources/schema/cluster.xsd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be7d863
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/resources/schema/cluster.xsd
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>
+<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
+	xmlns:cl="cluster" targetNamespace="cluster" elementFormDefault="qualified">
+
+	<!-- definition of simple types -->
+	<xs:element name="name" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="log_dir" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="txn_log_dir" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="id" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="client_ip" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="cluster_ip" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="key" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="value" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="dir" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="NFS" type="xs:boolean" />
+	<xs:element name="store" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="iodevices" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="java_home" type="xs:string" />
+	<xs:element name="username" type="xs:string" />
+
+	<!-- definition of complex elements -->
+	<xs:element name="working_dir">
+		<xs:complexType>
+			<xs:sequence>
+				<xs:element ref="cl:dir" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:NFS" />
+			</xs:sequence>
+		</xs:complexType>
+	</xs:element>
+
+	<xs:element name="master_node">
+		<xs:complexType>
+			<xs:sequence>
+				<xs:element ref="cl:id" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:client_ip" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:cluster_ip" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:java_home" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:log_dir" minOccurs="0" />
+			</xs:sequence>
+		</xs:complexType>
+	</xs:element>
+
+	<xs:element name="property">
+		<xs:complexType>
+			<xs:sequence>
+				<xs:element ref="cl:key" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:value" />
+			</xs:sequence>
+		</xs:complexType>
+	</xs:element>
+
+	<xs:element name="env">
+		<xs:complexType>
+			<xs:sequence>
+				<xs:element ref="cl:property" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
+			</xs:sequence>
+		</xs:complexType>
+	</xs:element>
+
+	<xs:element name="node">
+		<xs:complexType>
+			<xs:sequence>
+				<xs:element ref="cl:id" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:cluster_ip" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:java_home" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:log_dir" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:txn_log_dir" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:store" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:iodevices" minOccurs="0" />
+			</xs:sequence>
+		</xs:complexType>
+	</xs:element>
+
+	<xs:element name="substitute_nodes">
+		<xs:complexType>
+			<xs:sequence>
+				<xs:element ref="cl:node" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
+			</xs:sequence>
+		</xs:complexType>
+	</xs:element>
+
+	<xs:element name="cluster">
+		<xs:complexType>
+			<xs:sequence>
+				<xs:element ref="cl:name" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:username" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:env" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:java_home" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:log_dir" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:txn_log_dir" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:store" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:iodevices" minOccurs="0" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:working_dir" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:master_node" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:node" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
+				<xs:element ref="cl:substitute_nodes"/>
+			</xs:sequence>
+		</xs:complexType>
+	</xs:element>
+
+</xs:schema>