diff --git a/pkg/api/deep_copy_generated.go b/pkg/api/deep_copy_generated.go
index 6bbc7638c8c..b282343f1ed 100644
--- a/pkg/api/deep_copy_generated.go
+++ b/pkg/api/deep_copy_generated.go
@@ -921,6 +921,7 @@ func deepCopy_api_NodeList(in NodeList, out *NodeList, c *conversion.Cloner) err
 func deepCopy_api_NodeSpec(in NodeSpec, out *NodeSpec, c *conversion.Cloner) error {
 	out.PodCIDR = in.PodCIDR
 	out.ExternalID = in.ExternalID
+	out.ProviderID = in.ProviderID
 	out.Unschedulable = in.Unschedulable
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/types.go b/pkg/api/types.go
index e2f09829f99..70b48abd769 100644
--- a/pkg/api/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/types.go
@@ -1241,6 +1241,10 @@ type NodeSpec struct {
 	// External ID of the node assigned by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider)
 	ExternalID string `json:"externalID,omitempty"`
 
+	// ID of the node assigned by the cloud provider
+	// Note: format is "<ProviderName>://<ProviderSpecificNodeID>"
+	ProviderID string `json:"providerID,omitempty"`
+
 	// Unschedulable controls node schedulability of new pods. By default node is schedulable.
 	Unschedulable bool `json:"unschedulable,omitempty"`
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/conversion_generated.go b/pkg/api/v1/conversion_generated.go
index a01943f5fac..02cb44d4250 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/conversion_generated.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/conversion_generated.go
@@ -995,6 +995,7 @@ func convert_api_NodeSpec_To_v1_NodeSpec(in *api.NodeSpec, out *NodeSpec, s conv
 	}
 	out.PodCIDR = in.PodCIDR
 	out.ExternalID = in.ExternalID
+	out.ProviderID = in.ProviderID
 	out.Unschedulable = in.Unschedulable
 	return nil
 }
@@ -3269,6 +3270,7 @@ func convert_v1_NodeSpec_To_api_NodeSpec(in *NodeSpec, out *api.NodeSpec, s conv
 	}
 	out.PodCIDR = in.PodCIDR
 	out.ExternalID = in.ExternalID
+	out.ProviderID = in.ProviderID
 	out.Unschedulable = in.Unschedulable
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/deep_copy_generated.go b/pkg/api/v1/deep_copy_generated.go
index 2b408eff4b0..e99397bc3bf 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/deep_copy_generated.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/deep_copy_generated.go
@@ -852,6 +852,7 @@ func deepCopy_v1_NodeList(in NodeList, out *NodeList, c *conversion.Cloner) erro
 func deepCopy_v1_NodeSpec(in NodeSpec, out *NodeSpec, c *conversion.Cloner) error {
 	out.PodCIDR = in.PodCIDR
 	out.ExternalID = in.ExternalID
+	out.ProviderID = in.ProviderID
 	out.Unschedulable = in.Unschedulable
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/defaults_test.go b/pkg/api/v1/defaults_test.go
index c13c2f7fc05..a359ee0de10 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/defaults_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/defaults_test.go
@@ -397,6 +397,9 @@ func TestSetDefaultNodeExternalID(t *testing.T) {
 	if n2.Spec.ExternalID != name {
 		t.Errorf("Expected default External ID: %s, got: %s", name, n2.Spec.ExternalID)
 	}
+	if n2.Spec.ProviderID != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected empty default Cloud Provider ID, got: %s", n2.Spec.ProviderID)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestSetDefaultObjectFieldSelectorAPIVersion(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/types.go b/pkg/api/v1/types.go
index 3d1f25f769b..5d9faf38e46 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/types.go
@@ -1229,7 +1229,9 @@ type NodeSpec struct {
 	// PodCIDR represents the pod IP range assigned to the node
 	PodCIDR string `json:"podCIDR,omitempty" description:"pod IP range assigned to the node"`
 	// External ID of the node assigned by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider)
-	ExternalID string `json:"externalID,omitempty" description:"external ID assigned to the node by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider). Defaults to node name when empty."`
+	ExternalID string `json:"externalID,omitempty" description:"deprecated. External ID assigned to the node by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider). Defaults to node name when empty."`
+	// ID of the node assigned by the cloud provider
+	ProviderID string `json:"providerID,omitempty" description:"ID of the node assigned by the cloud provider in the format: <ProviderName>://<ProviderSpecificNodeID>"`
 	// Unschedulable controls node schedulability of new pods. By default node is schedulable.
 	Unschedulable bool `json:"unschedulable,omitempty" description:"disable pod scheduling on the node"`
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta1/conversion.go b/pkg/api/v1beta1/conversion.go
index ac1b6f9d000..6b4654bb779 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta1/conversion.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta1/conversion.go
@@ -888,6 +888,7 @@ func addConversionFuncs() {
 			}
 			out.PodCIDR = in.Spec.PodCIDR
 			out.ExternalID = in.Spec.ExternalID
+			out.ProviderID = in.Spec.ProviderID
 			out.Unschedulable = in.Spec.Unschedulable
 			return s.Convert(&in.Status.Capacity, &out.NodeResources.Capacity, 0)
 		},
@@ -920,6 +921,7 @@ func addConversionFuncs() {
 			}
 			out.Spec.PodCIDR = in.PodCIDR
 			out.Spec.ExternalID = in.ExternalID
+			out.Spec.ProviderID = in.ProviderID
 			out.Spec.Unschedulable = in.Unschedulable
 			return s.Convert(&in.NodeResources.Capacity, &out.Status.Capacity, 0)
 		},
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta1/defaults_test.go b/pkg/api/v1beta1/defaults_test.go
index d254396b634..e1e62d5dc1f 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta1/defaults_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta1/defaults_test.go
@@ -326,6 +326,9 @@ func TestSetDefaultMinionExternalID(t *testing.T) {
 	if m2.ExternalID != name {
 		t.Errorf("Expected default External ID: %s, got: %s", name, m2.ExternalID)
 	}
+	if m2.ProviderID != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected empty default Cloud Provider ID, got: %s", m2.ProviderID)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestSetDefaultObjectFieldSelectorAPIVersion(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go b/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go
index eb456722443..a4b5bd6ba18 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go
@@ -1210,7 +1210,9 @@ type Minion struct {
 	// Labels for the node
 	Labels map[string]string `json:"labels,omitempty" description:"map of string keys and values that can be used to organize and categorize minions; labels of a minion assigned by the scheduler must match the scheduled pod's nodeSelector"`
 	// External ID of the node
-	ExternalID string `json:"externalID,omitempty" description:"external id of the node assigned by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider). Defaults to node name when empty."`
+	ExternalID string `json:"externalID,omitempty" description:"deprecated. External id of the node assigned by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider). Defaults to node name when empty."`
+	// ID of the node assigned by the cloud provider
+	ProviderID string `json:"providerID,omitempty" description:"ID of the node assigned by the cloud provider in the format: <ProviderName>://<ProviderSpecificNodeID>"`
 }
 
 // MinionList is a list of minions.
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta2/conversion.go b/pkg/api/v1beta2/conversion.go
index cdef72d683e..0418056cabb 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta2/conversion.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta2/conversion.go
@@ -810,6 +810,7 @@ func addConversionFuncs() {
 			}
 			out.PodCIDR = in.Spec.PodCIDR
 			out.ExternalID = in.Spec.ExternalID
+			out.ProviderID = in.Spec.ProviderID
 			out.Unschedulable = in.Spec.Unschedulable
 			return s.Convert(&in.Status.Capacity, &out.NodeResources.Capacity, 0)
 		},
@@ -842,6 +843,7 @@ func addConversionFuncs() {
 			}
 			out.Spec.PodCIDR = in.PodCIDR
 			out.Spec.ExternalID = in.ExternalID
+			out.Spec.ProviderID = in.ProviderID
 			out.Spec.Unschedulable = in.Unschedulable
 			return s.Convert(&in.NodeResources.Capacity, &out.Status.Capacity, 0)
 		},
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta2/defaults_test.go b/pkg/api/v1beta2/defaults_test.go
index 0a9224b5f8f..aaf70963e54 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta2/defaults_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta2/defaults_test.go
@@ -325,6 +325,9 @@ func TestSetDefaultMinionExternalID(t *testing.T) {
 	if m2.ExternalID != name {
 		t.Errorf("Expected default External ID: %s, got: %s", name, m2.ExternalID)
 	}
+	if m2.ProviderID != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected empty default Cloud Provider ID, got: %s", m2.ProviderID)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestSetDefaultObjectFieldSelectorAPIVersion(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go b/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go
index ae654016fdc..1bef33e39ab 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go
@@ -1226,7 +1226,9 @@ type Minion struct {
 	// Labels for the node
 	Labels map[string]string `json:"labels,omitempty" description:"map of string keys and values that can be used to organize and categorize minions; labels of a minion assigned by the scheduler must match the scheduled pod's nodeSelector"`
 	// External ID of the node
-	ExternalID string `json:"externalID,omitempty" description:"external id of the node assigned by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider). Defaults to node name when empty."`
+	ExternalID string `json:"externalID,omitempty" description:"deprecated. External id of the node assigned by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider). Defaults to node name when empty."`
+	// ID of the node assigned by the cloud provider
+	ProviderID string `json:"providerID,omitempty" description:"ID of the node assigned by the cloud provider in the format: <ProviderName>://<ProviderSpecificNodeID>"`
 }
 
 // MinionList is a list of minions.
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta3/conversion_generated.go b/pkg/api/v1beta3/conversion_generated.go
index da2f98b40c2..c1af048ff6f 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta3/conversion_generated.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta3/conversion_generated.go
@@ -902,6 +902,7 @@ func convert_api_NodeSpec_To_v1beta3_NodeSpec(in *api.NodeSpec, out *NodeSpec, s
 	}
 	out.PodCIDR = in.PodCIDR
 	out.ExternalID = in.ExternalID
+	out.ProviderID = in.ProviderID
 	out.Unschedulable = in.Unschedulable
 	return nil
 }
@@ -3047,6 +3048,7 @@ func convert_v1beta3_NodeSpec_To_api_NodeSpec(in *NodeSpec, out *api.NodeSpec, s
 	}
 	out.PodCIDR = in.PodCIDR
 	out.ExternalID = in.ExternalID
+	out.ProviderID = in.ProviderID
 	out.Unschedulable = in.Unschedulable
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta3/deep_copy_generated.go b/pkg/api/v1beta3/deep_copy_generated.go
index 15ed66e26b0..5f8db18e954 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta3/deep_copy_generated.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta3/deep_copy_generated.go
@@ -856,6 +856,7 @@ func deepCopy_v1beta3_NodeList(in NodeList, out *NodeList, c *conversion.Cloner)
 func deepCopy_v1beta3_NodeSpec(in NodeSpec, out *NodeSpec, c *conversion.Cloner) error {
 	out.PodCIDR = in.PodCIDR
 	out.ExternalID = in.ExternalID
+	out.ProviderID = in.ProviderID
 	out.Unschedulable = in.Unschedulable
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta3/defaults_test.go b/pkg/api/v1beta3/defaults_test.go
index 6d5a411979b..745be4c4f9f 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta3/defaults_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta3/defaults_test.go
@@ -334,6 +334,9 @@ func TestSetDefaultNodeExternalID(t *testing.T) {
 	if n2.Spec.ExternalID != name {
 		t.Errorf("Expected default External ID: %s, got: %s", name, n2.Spec.ExternalID)
 	}
+	if n2.Spec.ProviderID != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected empty default Cloud Provider ID, got: %s", n2.Spec.ProviderID)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestSetDefaultObjectFieldSelectorAPIVersion(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go b/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go
index c5fdb8180bd..cc4977b94d2 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go
@@ -1236,7 +1236,9 @@ type NodeSpec struct {
 	// PodCIDR represents the pod IP range assigned to the node
 	PodCIDR string `json:"podCIDR,omitempty" description:"pod IP range assigned to the node"`
 	// External ID of the node assigned by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider)
-	ExternalID string `json:"externalID,omitempty" description:"external ID assigned to the node by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider). Defaults to node name when empty."`
+	ExternalID string `json:"externalID,omitempty" description:"deprecated. External ID assigned to the node by some machine database (e.g. a cloud provider). Defaults to node name when empty."`
+	// ID of the node assigned by the cloud provider
+	ProviderID string `json:"providerID,omitempty" description:"ID of the node assigned by the cloud provider in the format: <ProviderName>://<ProviderSpecificNodeID>"`
 	// Unschedulable controls node schedulability of new pods. By default node is schedulable.
 	Unschedulable bool `json:"unschedulable,omitempty" description:"disable pod scheduling on the node"`
 }
diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/aws/aws.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/aws/aws.go
index 343ce8feadf..3e905e81608 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/aws/aws.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/aws/aws.go
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/golang/glog"
 )
 
+const ProviderName = "aws"
+
 // Abstraction over EC2, to allow mocking/other implementations
 type EC2 interface {
 	// Query EC2 for instances matching the filter
@@ -244,7 +246,7 @@ func (s *awsSdkEC2) DeleteVolume(volumeID string) (resp *ec2.DeleteVolumeOutput,
 }
 
 func init() {
-	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider("aws", func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) {
+	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider(ProviderName, func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) {
 		metadata := &awsSdkMetadata{}
 		return newAWSCloud(config, getAuth, metadata)
 	})
@@ -360,6 +362,11 @@ func (aws *AWSCloud) Clusters() (cloudprovider.Clusters, bool) {
 	return nil, false
 }
 
+// ProviderName returns the cloud provider ID.
+func (aws *AWSCloud) ProviderName() string {
+	return ProviderName
+}
+
 // TCPLoadBalancer returns an implementation of TCPLoadBalancer for Amazon Web Services.
 func (aws *AWSCloud) TCPLoadBalancer() (cloudprovider.TCPLoadBalancer, bool) {
 	return nil, false
@@ -414,7 +421,7 @@ func (aws *AWSCloud) NodeAddresses(name string) ([]api.NodeAddress, error) {
 	return addresses, nil
 }
 
-// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance (deprecated).
 func (aws *AWSCloud) ExternalID(name string) (string, error) {
 	inst, err := aws.getInstancesByDnsName(name)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -423,6 +430,17 @@ func (aws *AWSCloud) ExternalID(name string) (string, error) {
 	return *inst.InstanceID, nil
 }
 
+// InstanceID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+func (aws *AWSCloud) InstanceID(name string) (string, error) {
+	inst, err := aws.getInstancesByDnsName(name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	// In the future it is possible to also return an endpoint as:
+	// <endpoint>/<zone>/<instanceid>
+	return "/" + *inst.Placement.AvailabilityZone + "/" + *inst.InstanceID, nil
+}
+
 // Return the instances matching the relevant private dns name.
 func (aws *AWSCloud) getInstancesByDnsName(name string) (*ec2.Instance, error) {
 	f := &ec2InstanceFilter{}
diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/cloud.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/cloud.go
index ab5feea5b7a..f0835821703 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/cloud.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/cloud.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package cloudprovider
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"net"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -36,6 +37,8 @@ type Interface interface {
 	Clusters() (Clusters, bool)
 	// Routes returns a routes interface along with whether the interface is supported.
 	Routes() (Routes, bool)
+	// ProviderName returns the cloud provider ID.
+	ProviderName() string
 }
 
 // Clusters is an abstract, pluggable interface for clusters of containers.
@@ -59,6 +62,18 @@ func GetLoadBalancerName(service *api.Service) string {
 	return ret
 }
 
+func GetInstanceProviderID(cloud Interface, nodeName string) (string, error) {
+	instances, ok := cloud.Instances()
+	if !ok {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get instances from cloud provider")
+	}
+	instanceID, err := instances.InstanceID(nodeName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get instance ID from cloud provider: %v", err)
+	}
+	return cloud.ProviderName() + "://" + instanceID, nil
+}
+
 // TCPLoadBalancer is an abstract, pluggable interface for TCP load balancers.
 type TCPLoadBalancer interface {
 	// TODO: Break this up into different interfaces (LB, etc) when we have more than one type of service
@@ -85,8 +100,10 @@ type Instances interface {
 	// returns the address of the calling instance. We should do a rename to
 	// make this clearer.
 	NodeAddresses(name string) ([]api.NodeAddress, error)
-	// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+	// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance (deprecated).
 	ExternalID(name string) (string, error)
+	// InstanceID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+	InstanceID(name string) (string, error)
 	// List lists instances that match 'filter' which is a regular expression which must match the entire instance name (fqdn)
 	List(filter string) ([]string, error)
 	// GetNodeResources gets the resources for a particular node
diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/fake/fake.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/fake/fake.go
index d9db3b6c187..15ef13c1522 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/fake/fake.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/fake/fake.go
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/cloudprovider"
 )
 
+const ProviderName = "fake"
+
 // FakeBalancer is a fake storage of balancer information
 type FakeBalancer struct {
 	Name       string
@@ -81,6 +83,11 @@ func (f *FakeCloud) Clusters() (cloudprovider.Clusters, bool) {
 	return f, true
 }
 
+// ProviderName returns the cloud provider ID.
+func (f *FakeCloud) ProviderName() string {
+	return ProviderName
+}
+
 // TCPLoadBalancer returns a fake implementation of TCPLoadBalancer.
 // Actually it just returns f itself.
 func (f *FakeCloud) TCPLoadBalancer() (cloudprovider.TCPLoadBalancer, bool) {
@@ -152,6 +159,12 @@ func (f *FakeCloud) ExternalID(instance string) (string, error) {
 	return f.ExtID[instance], f.Err
 }
 
+// InstanceID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+func (f *FakeCloud) InstanceID(instance string) (string, error) {
+	f.addCall("instance-id")
+	return f.ExtID[instance], nil
+}
+
 // List is a test-spy implementation of Instances.List.
 // It adds an entry "list" into the internal method call record.
 func (f *FakeCloud) List(filter string) ([]string, error) {
diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/gce/gce.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/gce/gce.go
index 863bc5ddae5..38544416060 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/gce/gce.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/gce/gce.go
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/cloud/compute/metadata"
 )
 
+const ProviderName = "gce"
+
 const EXTERNAL_IP_METADATA_URL = "http://169.254.169.254/computeMetadata/v1/instance/network-interfaces/0/access-configs/0/external-ip"
 
 // GCECloud is an implementation of Interface, TCPLoadBalancer and Instances for Google Compute Engine.
@@ -67,7 +69,7 @@ type Config struct {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider("gce", func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) { return newGCECloud(config) })
+	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider(ProviderName, func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) { return newGCECloud(config) })
 }
 
 func getMetadata(url string) (string, error) {
@@ -182,6 +184,11 @@ func (gce *GCECloud) Clusters() (cloudprovider.Clusters, bool) {
 	return gce, true
 }
 
+// ProviderName returns the cloud provider ID.
+func (gce *GCECloud) ProviderName() string {
+	return ProviderName
+}
+
 // TCPLoadBalancer returns an implementation of TCPLoadBalancer for Google Compute Engine.
 func (gce *GCECloud) TCPLoadBalancer() (cloudprovider.TCPLoadBalancer, bool) {
 	return gce, true
@@ -481,7 +488,7 @@ func (gce *GCECloud) NodeAddresses(_ string) ([]api.NodeAddress, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
-// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance (deprecated).
 func (gce *GCECloud) ExternalID(instance string) (string, error) {
 	inst, err := gce.getInstanceByName(instance)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -490,6 +497,11 @@ func (gce *GCECloud) ExternalID(instance string) (string, error) {
 	return strconv.FormatUint(inst.Id, 10), nil
 }
 
+// InstanceID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+func (gce *GCECloud) InstanceID(instance string) (string, error) {
+	return gce.projectID + "/" + gce.zone + "/" + canonicalizeInstanceName(instance), nil
+}
+
 // List is an implementation of Instances.List.
 func (gce *GCECloud) List(filter string) ([]string, error) {
 	listCall := gce.service.Instances.List(gce.projectID, gce.zone)
diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/mesos/mesos.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/mesos/mesos.go
index 97cd5407d1c..cacc3b40b17 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/mesos/mesos.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/mesos/mesos.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 var (
-	PluginName    = "mesos"
+	ProviderName  = "mesos"
 	CloudProvider *MesosCloud
 
 	noHostNameSpecified = errors.New("No hostname specified")
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ var (
 
 func init() {
 	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider(
-		PluginName,
+		ProviderName,
 		func(configReader io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) {
 			provider, err := newMesosCloud(configReader)
 			if err == nil {
@@ -110,6 +110,11 @@ func (c *MesosCloud) Routes() (cloudprovider.Routes, bool) {
 	return nil, false
 }
 
+// ProviderName returns the cloud provider ID.
+func (c *MesosCloud) ProviderName() string {
+	return ProviderName
+}
+
 // ListClusters lists the names of the available Mesos clusters.
 func (c *MesosCloud) ListClusters() ([]string, error) {
 	// Always returns a single cluster (this one!)
@@ -161,7 +166,7 @@ func ipAddress(name string) (net.IP, error) {
 	return ipaddr, nil
 }
 
-// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance (deprecated).
 func (c *MesosCloud) ExternalID(instance string) (string, error) {
 	ip, err := ipAddress(instance)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -170,6 +175,11 @@ func (c *MesosCloud) ExternalID(instance string) (string, error) {
 	return ip.String(), nil
 }
 
+// InstanceID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+func (c *MesosCloud) InstanceID(name string) (string, error) {
+	return "", nil
+}
+
 // List lists instances that match 'filter' which is a regular expression
 // which must match the entire instance name (fqdn).
 func (c *MesosCloud) List(filter string) ([]string, error) {
diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/openstack/openstack.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/openstack/openstack.go
index fb855bec152..53db708f1a1 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/openstack/openstack.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/openstack/openstack.go
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/golang/glog"
 )
 
+const ProviderName = "openstack"
+
 var ErrNotFound = errors.New("Failed to find object")
 var ErrMultipleResults = errors.New("Multiple results where only one expected")
 var ErrNoAddressFound = errors.New("No address found for host")
@@ -99,7 +101,7 @@ type Config struct {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider("openstack", func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) {
+	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider(ProviderName, func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) {
 		cfg, err := readConfig(config)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
@@ -355,7 +357,7 @@ func (i *Instances) NodeAddresses(name string) ([]api.NodeAddress, error) {
 	return addrs, nil
 }
 
-// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance (deprecated).
 func (i *Instances) ExternalID(name string) (string, error) {
 	srv, err := getServerByName(i.compute, name)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -364,6 +366,17 @@ func (i *Instances) ExternalID(name string) (string, error) {
 	return srv.ID, nil
 }
 
+// InstanceID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+func (i *Instances) InstanceID(name string) (string, error) {
+	srv, err := getServerByName(i.compute, name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	// In the future it is possible to also return an endpoint as:
+	// <endpoint>/<instanceid>
+	return "/" + srv.ID, nil
+}
+
 func (i *Instances) GetNodeResources(name string) (*api.NodeResources, error) {
 	glog.V(4).Infof("GetNodeResources(%v) called", name)
 
@@ -394,6 +407,11 @@ func (os *OpenStack) Clusters() (cloudprovider.Clusters, bool) {
 	return nil, false
 }
 
+// ProviderName returns the cloud provider ID.
+func (os *OpenStack) ProviderName() string {
+	return ProviderName
+}
+
 type LoadBalancer struct {
 	network *gophercloud.ServiceClient
 	compute *gophercloud.ServiceClient
diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/ovirt/ovirt.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/ovirt/ovirt.go
index f4325a4f7d8..6c78202df1d 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/ovirt/ovirt.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/ovirt/ovirt.go
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/cloudprovider"
 )
 
+const ProviderName = "ovirt"
+
 type OVirtInstance struct {
 	UUID      string
 	Name      string
@@ -75,7 +77,7 @@ type XmlVmsList struct {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider("ovirt",
+	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider(ProviderName,
 		func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) {
 			return newOVirtCloud(config)
 		})
@@ -115,6 +117,11 @@ func (aws *OVirtCloud) Clusters() (cloudprovider.Clusters, bool) {
 	return nil, false
 }
 
+// ProviderName returns the cloud provider ID.
+func (v *OVirtCloud) ProviderName() string {
+	return ProviderName
+}
+
 // TCPLoadBalancer returns an implementation of TCPLoadBalancer for oVirt cloud
 func (v *OVirtCloud) TCPLoadBalancer() (cloudprovider.TCPLoadBalancer, bool) {
 	return nil, false
@@ -160,7 +167,7 @@ func (v *OVirtCloud) NodeAddresses(name string) ([]api.NodeAddress, error) {
 	return []api.NodeAddress{{Type: api.NodeLegacyHostIP, Address: address.String()}}, nil
 }
 
-// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance (deprecated).
 func (v *OVirtCloud) ExternalID(name string) (string, error) {
 	instance, err := v.fetchInstance(name)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -169,6 +176,17 @@ func (v *OVirtCloud) ExternalID(name string) (string, error) {
 	return instance.UUID, nil
 }
 
+// InstanceID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+func (v *OVirtCloud) InstanceID(name string) (string, error) {
+	instance, err := v.fetchInstance(name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	// TODO: define a way to identify the provider instance to complete
+	// the format <provider_instance_id>/<instance_id>.
+	return "/" + instance.UUID, err
+}
+
 func getInstancesFromXml(body io.Reader) (OVirtInstanceMap, error) {
 	if body == nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("ovirt rest-api response body is missing")
diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/rackspace/rackspace.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/rackspace/rackspace.go
index 72fce7bcc00..8df8230da65 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/rackspace/rackspace.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/rackspace/rackspace.go
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/golang/glog"
 )
 
+const ProviderName = "rackspace"
+
 var ErrNotFound = errors.New("Failed to find object")
 var ErrMultipleResults = errors.New("Multiple results where only one expected")
 var ErrNoAddressFound = errors.New("No address found for host")
@@ -89,7 +91,7 @@ type Config struct {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider("rackspace", func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) {
+	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider(ProviderName, func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) {
 		cfg, err := readConfig(config)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
@@ -364,11 +366,16 @@ func (i *Instances) NodeAddresses(name string) ([]api.NodeAddress, error) {
 	return []api.NodeAddress{{Type: api.NodeLegacyHostIP, Address: net.ParseIP(ip).String()}}, nil
 }
 
-// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance (deprecated).
 func (i *Instances) ExternalID(name string) (string, error) {
 	return "", fmt.Errorf("unimplemented")
 }
 
+// InstanceID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+func (i *Instances) InstanceID(name string) (string, error) {
+	return "", nil
+}
+
 func (i *Instances) GetNodeResources(name string) (*api.NodeResources, error) {
 	glog.V(2).Infof("GetNodeResources(%v) called", name)
 
@@ -399,6 +406,11 @@ func (os *Rackspace) Clusters() (cloudprovider.Clusters, bool) {
 	return nil, false
 }
 
+// ProviderName returns the cloud provider ID.
+func (os *Rackspace) ProviderName() string {
+	return ProviderName
+}
+
 func (os *Rackspace) TCPLoadBalancer() (cloudprovider.TCPLoadBalancer, bool) {
 	return nil, false
 }
diff --git a/pkg/cloudprovider/vagrant/vagrant.go b/pkg/cloudprovider/vagrant/vagrant.go
index fcbb1f04ca2..2bd18150d17 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudprovider/vagrant/vagrant.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudprovider/vagrant/vagrant.go
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/cloudprovider"
 )
 
+const ProviderName = "vagrant"
+
 // VagrantCloud is an implementation of Interface, TCPLoadBalancer and Instances for developer managed Vagrant cluster.
 type VagrantCloud struct {
 	saltURL  string
@@ -40,7 +42,7 @@ type VagrantCloud struct {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider("vagrant", func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) { return newVagrantCloud() })
+	cloudprovider.RegisterCloudProvider(ProviderName, func(config io.Reader) (cloudprovider.Interface, error) { return newVagrantCloud() })
 }
 
 // SaltToken is an authorization token required by Salt REST API.
@@ -84,6 +86,11 @@ func (v *VagrantCloud) Clusters() (cloudprovider.Clusters, bool) {
 	return nil, false
 }
 
+// ProviderName returns the cloud provider ID.
+func (v *VagrantCloud) ProviderName() string {
+	return ProviderName
+}
+
 // TCPLoadBalancer returns an implementation of TCPLoadBalancer for Vagrant cloud.
 func (v *VagrantCloud) TCPLoadBalancer() (cloudprovider.TCPLoadBalancer, bool) {
 	return nil, false
@@ -135,7 +142,7 @@ func (v *VagrantCloud) NodeAddresses(instance string) ([]api.NodeAddress, error)
 	return []api.NodeAddress{{Type: api.NodeLegacyHostIP, Address: ip.String()}}, nil
 }
 
-// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+// ExternalID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance (deprecated).
 func (v *VagrantCloud) ExternalID(instance string) (string, error) {
 	// Due to vagrant not running with a dedicated DNS setup, we return the IP address of a minion as its hostname at this time
 	minion, err := v.getInstanceByAddress(instance)
@@ -145,6 +152,15 @@ func (v *VagrantCloud) ExternalID(instance string) (string, error) {
 	return minion.IP, nil
 }
 
+// InstanceID returns the cloud provider ID of the specified instance.
+func (v *VagrantCloud) InstanceID(instance string) (string, error) {
+	minion, err := v.getInstanceByAddress(instance)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return minion.IP, nil
+}
+
 // saltMinionsByRole filters a list of minions that have a matching role.
 func (v *VagrantCloud) saltMinionsByRole(minions []SaltMinion, role string) []SaltMinion {
 	var filteredMinions []SaltMinion
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
index db752463a5e..b67eb48df46 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
@@ -700,11 +700,19 @@ func (kl *Kubelet) initialNodeStatus() (*api.Node, error) {
 		}
 		// TODO(roberthbailey): Can we do this without having credentials to talk
 		// to the cloud provider?
-		instanceID, err := instances.ExternalID(kl.hostname)
+		// TODO: ExternalID is deprecated, we'll have to drop this code
+		externalID, err := instances.ExternalID(kl.hostname)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get instance ID from cloud provider: %v", err)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get external ID from cloud provider: %v", err)
+		}
+		node.Spec.ExternalID = externalID
+		// TODO: We can't assume that the node has credentials to talk to the
+		// cloudprovider from arbitrary nodes. At most, we should talk to a
+		// local metadata server here.
+		node.Spec.ProviderID, err = cloudprovider.GetInstanceProviderID(kl.cloud, kl.hostname)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
 		}
-		node.Spec.ExternalID = instanceID
 	} else {
 		node.Spec.ExternalID = kl.hostname
 	}