A method for maintaining fault tolerance in a storage cluster is provided. Embodiments include receiving, by a management component associated with a distributed data store on a cluster of host machines, a request to place a first host machine of the cluster of host machines in a maintenance mode, wherein the first host machine stores given data of the distributed data store. Embodiments include determining whether a second host machine that does not currently store any data of the distributed data store exists in the cluster of host machines. Embodiments include determining, based on whether the second host machine exists in the cluster of host machines, whether to transfer the given data of the distributed data store from the first host machine to the second host machine. Embodiments include initiating the maintenance mode on the first host machine.