A method for providing high availability computing service. The method comprises monitoring a high availability computing service by monitoring applications, each monitoring application executing on a different computer system, one of the monitoring applications executing in a primary role, and the remaining monitoring applications executing in a secondary role. The method further comprises writing a last touched time value into a DNS resource record of a domain name system (DNS) server by the monitoring application executing in the primary role, reading the last touched time value in the DNS resource record of the DNS server by each of the monitoring applications executing in the secondary role. The method comprises determining by one of the monitoring applications executing in the secondary role to assume the primary role based on determining that the last touched time value in the DNS resource record of the DNS server exceeds a predetermined age threshold.