A method for performing disaster recovery in a clustered environment comprises identifying, at a master device, a first indexer from a set of indexers to serve as a primary indexer for responding to queries pertaining to a subset of data. The method also comprises assigning, at the master device, a generation identifier indicating that the first indexer is the primary indexer for the subset of data. Responsive to an event prompting a change in a primary indexer designation for the subset of data, the method comprises identifying, at the master device, a second indexer from the set of indexers to serve as the primary indexer for responding to queries pertaining to the subset of data. Further, the method comprises assigning, at the master device, a new generation identifier indicating that the second indexer is the primary indexer for the subset of data.