diff --git a/server/src/com/cloud/agent/manager/AgentManagerImpl.java b/server/src/com/cloud/agent/manager/AgentManagerImpl.java
index 069819251c8..293035903aa 100755
--- a/server/src/com/cloud/agent/manager/AgentManagerImpl.java
+++ b/server/src/com/cloud/agent/manager/AgentManagerImpl.java
@@ -1274,7 +1274,7 @@ public class AgentManagerImpl implements AgentManager, HandlerFactory, Manager {
         try {
             if (id != null) {
                 host = _hostDao.findById(id);
-                if (!_hostDao.directConnect(host, _nodeId, false)) {
+                if (!_hostDao.directConnect(host, _nodeId)) {
                     s_logger.info("MS " + host.getManagementServerId() + " is loading " + host);
                     return null;
                 }
@@ -1287,7 +1287,7 @@ public class AgentManagerImpl implements AgentManager, HandlerFactory, Manager {
             }
 
             if (host != null) {
-                if (!_hostDao.directConnect(host, _nodeId, true)) {
+                if (!_hostDao.directConnect(host, _nodeId)) {
                     host = _hostDao.findById(id);
                     s_logger.info("MS " + host.getManagementServerId() + " is loading " + host + " after it has been initialized.");
                     return null;
diff --git a/server/src/com/cloud/agent/manager/ClusteredAgentManagerImpl.java b/server/src/com/cloud/agent/manager/ClusteredAgentManagerImpl.java
index e7048c62c1e..160de9d7108 100644
--- a/server/src/com/cloud/agent/manager/ClusteredAgentManagerImpl.java
+++ b/server/src/com/cloud/agent/manager/ClusteredAgentManagerImpl.java
@@ -143,18 +143,7 @@ public class ClusteredAgentManagerImpl extends AgentManagerImpl implements Clust
     }
 
     private void runDirectAgentScanTimerTask() {
-        GlobalLock scanLock = GlobalLock.getInternLock("clustermgr.scan");
-        try {
-            if (scanLock.lock(ACQUIRE_GLOBAL_LOCK_TIMEOUT_FOR_COOPERATION)) {
-                try {
-                    scanDirectAgentToLoad();
-                } finally {
-                    scanLock.unlock();
-                }
-            }
-        } finally {
-            scanLock.releaseRef();
-        }
+        scanDirectAgentToLoad();
     }
 
     private void scanDirectAgentToLoad() {
@@ -164,22 +153,8 @@ public class ClusteredAgentManagerImpl extends AgentManagerImpl implements Clust
 
         // for agents that are self-managed, threshold to be considered as disconnected is 3 ping intervals
         long cutSeconds = (System.currentTimeMillis() >> 10) - (_pingInterval * 3);
-        List<HostVO> hosts = _hostDao.findDirectAgentToLoad(cutSeconds, _loadSize);
-        if (hosts != null && hosts.size() == _loadSize) {
-            //if list contains more than one cluster, exclude the last cluster from the list
-            if (hosts.size() > 1 && hosts.get(0).getClusterId().longValue() != hosts.get(hosts.size()-1).getClusterId().longValue()) {
-                Long clusterId = hosts.get((int) (_loadSize - 1)).getClusterId();
-                if (clusterId != null) {
-                    for (int i = (int) (_loadSize - 1); i > 0; i--) {
-                        if (hosts.get(i).getClusterId().longValue() == clusterId.longValue()) {
-                            hosts.remove(i);
-                        } else {
-                            break;
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-        }
+        List<HostVO> hosts = _hostDao.findAndUpdateDirectAgentToLoad(cutSeconds, _loadSize, _nodeId);
+        
         if (hosts != null && hosts.size() > 0) {
             s_logger.debug("Found " + hosts.size() + " unmanaged direct hosts, processing connect for them...");
             for (HostVO host : hosts) {
diff --git a/server/src/com/cloud/host/dao/HostDao.java b/server/src/com/cloud/host/dao/HostDao.java
index e296ff8058b..30d1592346c 100644
--- a/server/src/com/cloud/host/dao/HostDao.java
+++ b/server/src/com/cloud/host/dao/HostDao.java
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ public interface HostDao extends GenericDao<HostVO, Long> {
 	 */
 	List<HostVO> findDirectlyConnectedHosts();
 
-    List<HostVO> findDirectAgentToLoad(long lastPingSecondsAfter, Long limit);
+    List<HostVO> findAndUpdateDirectAgentToLoad(long lastPingSecondsAfter, Long limit, long managementServerId);
 	/**
 	 * Mark the host as disconnected if it is in one of these states.
 	 * The management server id is set to null.
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ public interface HostDao extends GenericDao<HostVO, Long> {
 
     List<HostVO> listSecondaryStorageHosts(long dataCenterId);
 
-    boolean directConnect(HostVO host, long msId, boolean secondConnect);
+    boolean directConnect(HostVO host, long msId);
     
     List<HostVO> listDirectHostsBy(long msId, Status status);
     
diff --git a/server/src/com/cloud/host/dao/HostDaoImpl.java b/server/src/com/cloud/host/dao/HostDaoImpl.java
index c8f6ba83437..e56ee693429 100644
--- a/server/src/com/cloud/host/dao/HostDaoImpl.java
+++ b/server/src/com/cloud/host/dao/HostDaoImpl.java
@@ -371,12 +371,24 @@ public class HostDaoImpl extends GenericDaoBase<HostVO, Long> implements HostDao
         return search(sc, null);
     }
 
-    @Override
-    public List<HostVO> findDirectAgentToLoad(long lastPingSecondsAfter, Long limit) {
+    @Override @DB
+    public List<HostVO> findAndUpdateDirectAgentToLoad(long lastPingSecondsAfter, Long limit, long managementServerId) {
+        Transaction txn = Transaction.currentTxn();
+        txn.start();
+        
     	SearchCriteria<HostVO> sc = UnmanagedDirectConnectSearch.create();
     	sc.setParameters("lastPinged", lastPingSecondsAfter);
         sc.setParameters("statuses", Status.ErrorInMaintenance, Status.Maintenance, Status.PrepareForMaintenance);
-        return search(sc, new Filter(HostVO.class, "clusterId", true, 0L, limit));
+        List<HostVO> hosts = lockRows(sc, new Filter(HostVO.class, "clusterId", true, 0L, limit), true);
+        
+        for (HostVO host : hosts) {
+            host.setManagementServerId(managementServerId);
+            update(host.getId(), host);
+        }
+        
+        txn.commit();
+        
+        return hosts;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -525,12 +537,10 @@ public class HostDaoImpl extends GenericDaoBase<HostVO, Long> implements HostDao
     }
 
     @Override
-    public boolean directConnect(HostVO host, long msId, boolean secondConnect) {
+    public boolean directConnect(HostVO host, long msId) {
         SearchCriteria<HostVO> sc = DirectConnectSearch.create();
         sc.setParameters("id", host.getId());
-        if (secondConnect) {
-            sc.setParameters("server", msId);
-        }
+        sc.setParameters("server", msId);
 
         host.setManagementServerId(msId);
         host.setLastPinged(System.currentTimeMillis() >> 10);