A computing environment includes a number of nodes, one of which is a primary node that controls the operation of the computing environment and another of which is a backup node that is capable of controlling operation of the computing environment. The primary node includes a hardware management module (HMM) that controls hardware components in the computing environment. The HMM also detects and reports events relating to the hardware components. The primary node further includes a software management module (SMM) that controls instances of software components of the computing environment, and detects and reports events related to the same. A node management module (NMM) in the primary node elects the node as the primary from among the number of nodes. The NMM receives the reports of events from the HMM and SMM, and selectively transfers operational control of the computing environment to a backup node in response to the reports. A configuration management module (CMM) transfers a configuration of the computing environment to the backup node. A replication library is used in transferring a state of each of the instances of software components to the backup node.