A method for enabling a Node Controller (NC), which claims a duplicate or invalid service processor Node Controller Identification (NCID) in a distributed service processor system, to be integrated into the system includes reading an NCID by the NC after the NC is booted, saving the NCID into a non-volatile storage and broadcasting an NC Present Message (NPM) to a System Controller (SC) repeatedly until the SC initiates communication, updating the NCID for the NC in the non-volatile storage when the NC receives an NCID change message from the SC and rating any future NPM as a new NCID, and checking a record of a new NC when the SC receives the NPM from the NC. If the SC has a record of a recorded NC with the same NCID as the new NC, then the SC checks its role as a primary SC. If the SC does not have the record of the recorded NC with the same NCID as the new NC, then the SC checks validity of the NCID.