diff --git a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/PeerManager.java b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/PeerManager.java
index 635657670..07f25769c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/PeerManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/PeerManager.java
@@ -288,8 +288,36 @@ public abstract class PeerManager
      * @param nodeNamespace The namespace for nodes to peer with. This node will connect to other
      * nodes with the same prefix from the NODES table.
      */
-    public void init (String nodeName, String sharedSecret,
-                      String hostName, String publicHostName, int port, String nodeNamespace)
+    public void init (
+        String nodeName, String sharedSecret, String hostName,
+        String publicHostName, int port, String nodeNamespace)
+    {
+        init(nodeName, sharedSecret, hostName, publicHostName, null, port, nodeNamespace);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Initializes this peer manager and initiates the process of connecting to its peer nodes.
+     * This will also reconfigure the ConnectionManager and ClientManager with peer related bits,
+     * so this should not be called until <em>after</em> the main server has set up its client
+     * factory and authenticator.
+     *
+     * @param nodeName this node's unique name.
+     * @param sharedSecret a shared secret used to allow the peers to authenticate with one
+     * another.
+     * @param hostName the DNS name of the server running this node.
+     * @param publicHostName if non-null, a separate public DNS hostname by which the node is to
+     * be known to normal clients (we may want inter-peer communication to take place over a
+     * different network than the communication between real clients and the various peer
+     * servers).
+     * @param region the region in which the node lives, which may be null.  Nodes in different
+     * regions must connect to each other through the public host name.
+     * @param port the port on which other nodes should connect to us.
+     * @param nodeNamespace The namespace for nodes to peer with. This node will connect to other
+     * nodes with the same prefix from the NODES table.
+     */
+    public void init (
+        String nodeName, String sharedSecret, String hostName, String publicHostName,
+        String region, int port, String nodeNamespace)
     {
         _nodeNamespace = nodeNamespace;
         _nodeName = nodeName;
@@ -313,7 +341,8 @@ public abstract class PeerManager
 
         // register ourselves with the node table
         _self = new NodeRecord(
-            _nodeName, hostName, (publicHostName == null) ? hostName : publicHostName, port);
+            _nodeName, hostName, (publicHostName == null) ? hostName : publicHostName,
+            region, port);
         _invoker.postUnit(new WriteOnlyUnit("registerNode(" + _self + ")") {
             @Override
             public void invokePersist () throws Exception {
@@ -1254,6 +1283,14 @@ public abstract class PeerManager
         return new PeerCreds(_nodeName, _sharedSecret);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns the region in which the local node exists.
+     */
+    protected String getRegion ()
+    {
+        return _self.region;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Called when we hear about a client logging on to another node.
      */
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/PeerNode.java b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/PeerNode.java
index 0b8bf35b6..1a1b3475c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/PeerNode.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/PeerNode.java
@@ -127,7 +127,9 @@ public class PeerNode
     public void refresh (NodeRecord record)
     {
         // if the hostname of this node changed, kill our existing client and connect anew
-        if (!record.hostName.equals(_record.hostName) && _client.isActive()) {
+        String region = _peermgr.getRegion();
+        String hostName = record.getPeerHostName(region);
+        if (!hostName.equals(_record.getPeerHostName(region)) && _client.isActive()) {
             _client.logoff(false);
         }
 
@@ -149,7 +151,7 @@ public class PeerNode
 
         // otherwise configure our client with the right bits and logon
         _client.setCredentials(_peermgr.createCreds());
-        _client.setServer(_record.hostName, new int[] { _record.port });
+        _client.setServer(hostName, new int[] { _record.port });
         _client.logon();
         _lastConnectStamp = System.currentTimeMillis();
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/persist/NodeRecord.java b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/persist/NodeRecord.java
index 765852065..b02600af2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/persist/NodeRecord.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/peer/server/persist/NodeRecord.java
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ package com.threerings.presents.peer.server.persist;
 
 import java.sql.Timestamp;
 
+import com.google.common.base.Objects;
+
 import com.samskivert.util.StringUtil;
 
 import com.samskivert.depot.Key;
@@ -43,6 +45,7 @@ public class NodeRecord extends PersistentRecord
     public static final ColumnExp<String> NODE_NAME = colexp(_R, "nodeName");
     public static final ColumnExp<String> HOST_NAME = colexp(_R, "hostName");
     public static final ColumnExp<String> PUBLIC_HOST_NAME = colexp(_R, "publicHostName");
+    public static final ColumnExp<String> REGION = colexp(_R, "region");
     public static final ColumnExp<Integer> PORT = colexp(_R, "port");
     public static final ColumnExp<Timestamp> LAST_UPDATED = colexp(_R, "lastUpdated");
     public static final ColumnExp<Boolean> SHUTDOWN = colexp(_R, "shutdown");
@@ -50,7 +53,7 @@ public class NodeRecord extends PersistentRecord
 
     /** Increment this value if you modify the definition of this persistent
      * object in a way that will result in a change to its SQL counterpart. */
-    public static final int SCHEMA_VERSION = 2;
+    public static final int SCHEMA_VERSION = 3;
 
     /** The unique name assigned to this node. */
     @Id
@@ -65,6 +68,11 @@ public class NodeRecord extends PersistentRecord
     @Column(name="PUBLIC_HOST_NAME", length=64)
     public String publicHostName;
 
+    /** The region in which the node exists.  Nodes in different regions must connect through the
+     * public host name. */
+    @Column(name="REGION", length=64, nullable=true)
+    public String region;
+
     /** The port on which to connect to this node. */
     @Column(name="PORT")
     public int port;
@@ -83,11 +91,13 @@ public class NodeRecord extends PersistentRecord
     }
 
     /** Creates a record for the specified node. */
-    public NodeRecord (String nodeName, String hostName, String publicHostName, int port)
+    public NodeRecord (
+        String nodeName, String hostName, String publicHostName, String region, int port)
     {
         this.nodeName = nodeName;
         this.hostName = hostName;
         this.publicHostName = publicHostName;
+        this.region = region;
         this.port = port;
     }
 
@@ -97,6 +107,14 @@ public class NodeRecord extends PersistentRecord
         this.nodeName = nodeName;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns the host name to which peers in the specified region should connect.
+     */
+    public String getPeerHostName (String region)
+    {
+        return Objects.equal(this.region, region) ? hostName : publicHostName;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public String toString ()
     {