diff --git a/algebricks/algebricks-runtime/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/algebricks/runtime/operators/meta/AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.java b/algebricks/algebricks-runtime/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/algebricks/runtime/operators/meta/AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.java
index 06ef1097..addfb2e 100644
--- a/algebricks/algebricks-runtime/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/algebricks/runtime/operators/meta/AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.java
+++ b/algebricks/algebricks-runtime/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/algebricks/runtime/operators/meta/AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.java
@@ -33,118 +33,136 @@
 import edu.uci.ics.hyracks.dataflow.std.base.AbstractUnaryInputUnaryOutputOperatorNodePushable;
 import edu.uci.ics.hyracks.dataflow.std.base.AbstractUnaryOutputSourceOperatorNodePushable;
 
-public class AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor extends AbstractSingleActivityOperatorDescriptor {
+public class AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor extends
+		AbstractSingleActivityOperatorDescriptor {
 
-    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+	private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
-    // array of factories for building the local runtime pipeline
-    private final AlgebricksPipeline pipeline;
+	// array of factories for building the local runtime pipeline
+	private final AlgebricksPipeline pipeline;
 
-    public AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor(IOperatorDescriptorRegistry spec, int inputArity, int outputArity,
-            IPushRuntimeFactory[] runtimeFactories, RecordDescriptor[] internalRecordDescriptors) {
-        super(spec, inputArity, outputArity);
-        if (outputArity == 1) {
-            this.recordDescriptors[0] = internalRecordDescriptors[internalRecordDescriptors.length - 1];
-        }
-        this.pipeline = new AlgebricksPipeline(runtimeFactories, internalRecordDescriptors);
-    }
+	public AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor(IOperatorDescriptorRegistry spec,
+			int inputArity, int outputArity,
+			IPushRuntimeFactory[] runtimeFactories,
+			RecordDescriptor[] internalRecordDescriptors) {
+		super(spec, inputArity, outputArity);
+		if (outputArity == 1) {
+			this.recordDescriptors[0] = internalRecordDescriptors[internalRecordDescriptors.length - 1];
+		}
+		this.pipeline = new AlgebricksPipeline(runtimeFactories,
+				internalRecordDescriptors);
+	}
 
-    public AlgebricksPipeline getPipeline() {
-        return pipeline;
-    }
+	public AlgebricksPipeline getPipeline() {
+		return pipeline;
+	}
 
-    @Override
-    public JSONObject toJSON() throws JSONException {
-        JSONObject json = super.toJSON();
-        json.put("micro-operators", pipeline.getRuntimeFactories());
-        return json;
-    }
+	@Override
+	public JSONObject toJSON() throws JSONException {
+		JSONObject json = super.toJSON();
+		json.put("micro-operators", pipeline.getRuntimeFactories());
+		return json;
+	}
 
-    @Override
-    public String toString() {
-        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
-        sb.append("Asterix { \n");
-        for (IPushRuntimeFactory f : pipeline.getRuntimeFactories()) {
-            sb.append("  " + f.toString() + ";\n");
-        }
-        sb.append("}");
-        // sb.append(super.getInputArity());
-        // sb.append(";");
-        // sb.append(super.getOutputArity());
-        // sb.append(";");
-        return sb.toString();
-    }
+	@Override
+	public String toString() {
+		StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+		sb.append("Asterix { \n");
+		for (IPushRuntimeFactory f : pipeline.getRuntimeFactories()) {
+			sb.append("  " + f.toString() + ";\n");
+		}
+		sb.append("}");
+		// sb.append(super.getInputArity());
+		// sb.append(";");
+		// sb.append(super.getOutputArity());
+		// sb.append(";");
+		return sb.toString();
+	}
 
-    @Override
-    public IOperatorNodePushable createPushRuntime(final IHyracksTaskContext ctx,
-            final IRecordDescriptorProvider recordDescProvider, int partition, int nPartitions) {
-        if (inputArity == 0) {
-            return createSourceInputPushRuntime(ctx, recordDescProvider, partition, nPartitions);
-        } else {
-            return createOneInputOneOutputPushRuntime(ctx, recordDescProvider, partition, nPartitions);
-        }
-    }
+	@Override
+	public IOperatorNodePushable createPushRuntime(
+			final IHyracksTaskContext ctx,
+			final IRecordDescriptorProvider recordDescProvider, int partition,
+			int nPartitions) {
+		if (inputArity == 0) {
+			return createSourceInputPushRuntime(ctx, recordDescProvider,
+					partition, nPartitions);
+		} else {
+			return createOneInputOneOutputPushRuntime(ctx, recordDescProvider,
+					partition, nPartitions);
+		}
+	}
 
-    private IOperatorNodePushable createSourceInputPushRuntime(final IHyracksTaskContext ctx,
-            final IRecordDescriptorProvider recordDescProvider, int partition, int nPartitions) {
-        return new AbstractUnaryOutputSourceOperatorNodePushable() {
+	private IOperatorNodePushable createSourceInputPushRuntime(
+			final IHyracksTaskContext ctx,
+			final IRecordDescriptorProvider recordDescProvider, int partition,
+			int nPartitions) {
+		return new AbstractUnaryOutputSourceOperatorNodePushable() {
 
-            public void initialize() throws HyracksDataException {
-                IFrameWriter startOfPipeline;
-                RecordDescriptor pipelineOutputRecordDescriptor = outputArity > 0 ? AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.this.recordDescriptors[0]
-                        : null;
+			public void initialize() throws HyracksDataException {
+				IFrameWriter startOfPipeline;
+				RecordDescriptor pipelineOutputRecordDescriptor = outputArity > 0 ? AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.this.recordDescriptors[0]
+						: null;
 
-                PipelineAssembler pa = new PipelineAssembler(pipeline, inputArity, outputArity, null,
-                        pipelineOutputRecordDescriptor);
-                try {
-                    startOfPipeline = pa.assemblePipeline(writer, ctx);
-                } catch (AlgebricksException e) {
-                    throw new HyracksDataException(e);
-                }
-                startOfPipeline.open();
-                startOfPipeline.close();
-            }
-        };
-    }
+				PipelineAssembler pa = new PipelineAssembler(pipeline,
+						inputArity, outputArity, null,
+						pipelineOutputRecordDescriptor);
+				try {
+					startOfPipeline = pa.assemblePipeline(writer, ctx);
+				} catch (AlgebricksException e) {
+					throw new HyracksDataException(e);
+				}
+				startOfPipeline.open();
+				startOfPipeline.close();
+			}
+		};
+	}
 
-    private IOperatorNodePushable createOneInputOneOutputPushRuntime(final IHyracksTaskContext ctx,
-            final IRecordDescriptorProvider recordDescProvider, int partition, int nPartitions) {
-        return new AbstractUnaryInputUnaryOutputOperatorNodePushable() {
+	private IOperatorNodePushable createOneInputOneOutputPushRuntime(
+			final IHyracksTaskContext ctx,
+			final IRecordDescriptorProvider recordDescProvider, int partition,
+			int nPartitions) {
+		return new AbstractUnaryInputUnaryOutputOperatorNodePushable() {
 
-            private IFrameWriter startOfPipeline;
+			private IFrameWriter startOfPipeline;
 
-            @Override
-            public void open() throws HyracksDataException {
-                if (startOfPipeline == null) {
-                    RecordDescriptor pipelineOutputRecordDescriptor = outputArity > 0 ? AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.this.recordDescriptors[0]
-                            : null;
-                    RecordDescriptor pipelineInputRecordDescriptor = recordDescProvider.getInputRecordDescriptor(
-                            AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.this.getActivityId(), 0);
-                    PipelineAssembler pa = new PipelineAssembler(pipeline, inputArity, outputArity,
-                            pipelineInputRecordDescriptor, pipelineOutputRecordDescriptor);
-                    try {
-                        startOfPipeline = pa.assemblePipeline(writer, ctx);
-                    } catch (AlgebricksException ae) {
-                        throw new HyracksDataException(ae);
-                    }
-                }
-                startOfPipeline.open();
-            }
+			@Override
+			public void open() throws HyracksDataException {
+				if (startOfPipeline == null) {
+					RecordDescriptor pipelineOutputRecordDescriptor = outputArity > 0 ? AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.this.recordDescriptors[0]
+							: null;
+					RecordDescriptor pipelineInputRecordDescriptor = recordDescProvider
+							.getInputRecordDescriptor(
+									AlgebricksMetaOperatorDescriptor.this
+											.getActivityId(), 0);
+					PipelineAssembler pa = new PipelineAssembler(pipeline,
+							inputArity, outputArity,
+							pipelineInputRecordDescriptor,
+							pipelineOutputRecordDescriptor);
+					try {
+						startOfPipeline = pa.assemblePipeline(writer, ctx);
+					} catch (AlgebricksException ae) {
+						throw new HyracksDataException(ae);
+					}
+				}
+				startOfPipeline.open();
+			}
 
-            @Override
-            public void nextFrame(ByteBuffer buffer) throws HyracksDataException {
-                startOfPipeline.nextFrame(buffer);
-            }
+			@Override
+			public void nextFrame(ByteBuffer buffer)
+					throws HyracksDataException {
+				startOfPipeline.nextFrame(buffer);
+			}
 
-            @Override
-            public void close() throws HyracksDataException {
-                startOfPipeline.close();
-            }
+			@Override
+			public void close() throws HyracksDataException {
+				startOfPipeline.close();
+			}
 
-            @Override
-            public void fail() throws HyracksDataException {
-                startOfPipeline.fail();
-            }
-        };
-    }
+			@Override
+			public void fail() throws HyracksDataException {
+				startOfPipeline.fail();
+			}
+		};
+	}
 }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/common/controllers/CCConfig.java b/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/common/controllers/CCConfig.java
index c7244fb..8e5b672 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/common/controllers/CCConfig.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/common/controllers/CCConfig.java
@@ -38,10 +38,10 @@
     public int httpPort = 16001;
 
     @Option(name = "-heartbeat-period", usage = "Sets the time duration between two heartbeats from each node controller in milliseconds (default: 10000)")
-    public int heartbeatPeriod = 10000;
+    public int heartbeatPeriod = 5000;
 
     @Option(name = "-max-heartbeat-lapse-periods", usage = "Sets the maximum number of missed heartbeats before a node is marked as dead (default: 5)")
-    public int maxHeartbeatLapsePeriods = 5;
+    public int maxHeartbeatLapsePeriods = 1;
 
     @Option(name = "-profile-dump-period", usage = "Sets the time duration between two profile dumps from each node controller in milliseconds. 0 to disable. (default: 0)")
     public int profileDumpPeriod = 0;