diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixClusterProperties.java b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixClusterProperties.java
index cf2034b..71bb77e 100644
--- a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixClusterProperties.java
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixClusterProperties.java
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@
  */
 package edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.config;
 
+import java.io.File;
 import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -27,10 +29,12 @@
 
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.api.AsterixAppContextInfo;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.event.schema.cluster.Cluster;
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.event.schema.cluster.Env;
 import edu.uci.ics.asterix.event.schema.cluster.Node;
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.event.schema.cluster.Property;
 
 /**
- * A holder class for properties related to the Asterix cluster. 
+ * A holder class for properties related to the Asterix cluster.
  */
 public class AsterixClusterProperties {
 
@@ -52,6 +56,8 @@
             JAXBContext ctx = JAXBContext.newInstance(Cluster.class);
             Unmarshaller unmarshaller = ctx.createUnmarshaller();
             cluster = (Cluster) unmarshaller.unmarshal(is);
+            populateClusterProperties(cluster);
+
         } catch (JAXBException e) {
             LOGGER.warning("Failed to read cluster configuration file " + CLUSTER_CONFIGURATION_XML);
         }
@@ -116,6 +122,31 @@
         return cluster.getSubstituteNodes().getNode() == null ? 0 : cluster.getSubstituteNodes().getNode().size();
     }
 
+    public static void populateClusterProperties(Cluster cluster) {
+        List<Property> clusterProperties = null;
+        if (cluster.getEnv() != null && cluster.getEnv().getProperty() != null) {
+            clusterProperties = cluster.getEnv().getProperty();
+            clusterProperties.clear();
+        } else {
+            clusterProperties = new ArrayList<Property>();
+        }
+
+        System.out.println("ASTERIX APP CTX INFO:" + AsterixAppContextInfo.getInstance());
+        System.out.println("EXT PROPERTIES " + AsterixAppContextInfo.getInstance().getExternalProperties());
+        System.out.println("NC JAVA PARAMS "
+                + AsterixAppContextInfo.getInstance().getExternalProperties().getNCJavaParams());
+        clusterProperties.add(new Property("nc.java.opts", AsterixAppContextInfo.getInstance().getExternalProperties()
+                .getNCJavaParams()));
+        clusterProperties.add(new Property("ASTERIX_HOME", cluster.getWorkingDir().getDir() + File.separator
+                + "asterix"));
+        clusterProperties.add(new Property("CLUSTER_NET_IP", cluster.getMasterNode().getClusterIp()));
+        clusterProperties.add(new Property("CLIENT_NET_IP", cluster.getMasterNode().getClientIp()));
+        clusterProperties.add(new Property("LOG_DIR", cluster.getLogDir()));
+        clusterProperties.add(new Property("JAVA_HOME", cluster.getJavaHome()));
+        clusterProperties.add(new Property("WORKING_DIR", cluster.getWorkingDir().getDir()));
+        cluster.setEnv(new Env(clusterProperties));
+    }
+
     public State getState() {
         return state;
     }
diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixExternalProperties.java b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixExternalProperties.java
index cf38932..f0159fb 100644
--- a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixExternalProperties.java
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixExternalProperties.java
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
     private static final String EXTERNAL_APISERVER_KEY = "api.port";
     private static int EXTERNAL_APISERVER_DEFAULT = 19101;
 
+    private static final String EXTERNAL_NC_JAVA_OPTS_KEY = "nc.java.opts";
+    private static String EXTERNAL_NC_JAVA_OPTS_DEFAULT = "-Xmx1024m";
+
     public AsterixExternalProperties(AsterixPropertiesAccessor accessor) {
         super(accessor);
     }
@@ -31,4 +34,9 @@
         return accessor.getProperty(EXTERNAL_LOGLEVEL_KEY, EXTERNAL_LOGLEVEL_DEFAULT,
                 PropertyInterpreters.getLevelPropertyInterpreter());
     }
+
+    public String getNCJavaParams() {
+        return accessor.getProperty(EXTERNAL_NC_JAVA_OPTS_KEY, EXTERNAL_NC_JAVA_OPTS_DEFAULT,
+                PropertyInterpreters.getStringPropertyInterpreter());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixMetadataProperties.java b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixMetadataProperties.java
index 6d47e78..eeec8e8 100644
--- a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixMetadataProperties.java
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixMetadataProperties.java
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@
         super(accessor);
     }
 
+    public String getInstanceName() {
+        return accessor.getInstanceName();
+    }
+
     public String getMetadataNodeName() {
         return accessor.getMetadataNodeName();
     }
diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixPropertiesAccessor.java b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixPropertiesAccessor.java
index 7b2f2a6..4c8d9d9 100644
--- a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixPropertiesAccessor.java
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/AsterixPropertiesAccessor.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 public class AsterixPropertiesAccessor {
     private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(AsterixPropertiesAccessor.class.getName());
 
+    private final String instanceName;
     private final String metadataNodeName;
     private final Set<String> nodeNames;
     private final Map<String, String[]> stores;
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@
         } catch (JAXBException e) {
             throw new AsterixException("Failed to read configuration file " + fileName);
         }
+        instanceName = asterixConfiguration.getInstanceName();
         metadataNodeName = asterixConfiguration.getMetadataNode();
         stores = new HashMap<String, String[]>();
         List<Store> configuredStores = asterixConfiguration.getStore();
@@ -102,4 +104,8 @@
                     + "'.\n See the description: \n" + p.getDescription() + "\nDefault = " + defaultValue);
         }
     }
+
+    public String getInstanceName() {
+        return instanceName;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/resources/schema/asterix-conf.xsd b/asterix-common/src/main/resources/schema/asterix-conf.xsd
index f53fb4b..73710ac 100644
--- a/asterix-common/src/main/resources/schema/asterix-conf.xsd
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/resources/schema/asterix-conf.xsd
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 	<!-- definition of simple types -->
 
         
+	<xs:element name="instanceName" type="xs:string" />
 	<xs:element name="metadataNode" type="xs:string" />
 	<xs:element name="storeDirs" type="xs:string" />
 	<xs:element name="ncId" type="xs:string" />
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@
 	<xs:element name="asterixConfiguration">
 		<xs:complexType>
 			<xs:sequence>
+				<xs:element ref="mg:instanceName" minOccurs="0"/>
 				<xs:element ref="mg:metadataNode" minOccurs="0"/>
 				<xs:element ref="mg:store" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
 				<xs:element ref="mg:property" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" />