diff --git a/asterix-events/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/event/management/EventExecutor.java b/asterix-events/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/event/management/EventExecutor.java
index 04c6333..0157f65 100644
--- a/asterix-events/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/event/management/EventExecutor.java
+++ b/asterix-events/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/event/management/EventExecutor.java
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@
                     String val = node.getJavaHome() == null ? p.getValue() : node.getJavaHome();
                     envBuffer.append(p.getKey() + "=" + val + " ");
                 } else if (p.getKey().equals("JAVA_OPTS")) {
-                    String val = "\"" + "-Xmx" + (node.getRam() == null ? cluster.getRam() : node.getRam());
+                    String val = "\"" + "-Xmx"
+                            + (node.getJavaHeap() == null ? cluster.getJavaHeap() : node.getJavaHeap());
                     if (node.getDebug() != null) {
                         val = val + " " + "-Xdebug -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,address=" + node.getDebug().intValue()
                                 + "," + "server=y,suspend=n";
diff --git a/asterix-events/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/event/management/EventUtil.java b/asterix-events/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/event/management/EventUtil.java
index e3de560..bf31e9f 100644
--- a/asterix-events/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/event/management/EventUtil.java
+++ b/asterix-events/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/event/management/EventUtil.java
@@ -181,8 +181,8 @@
 		}
 
 		if (nodeid.equals(cluster.getMasterNode().getId())) {
-			String ram = cluster.getMasterNode().getRam() == null ? cluster
-					.getRam() : cluster.getMasterNode().getRam();
+			String ram = cluster.getMasterNode().getJavaHeap() == null ? cluster
+					.getJavaHeap() : cluster.getMasterNode().getJavaHeap();
 			String logDir = cluster.getMasterNode().getLogdir() == null ? cluster
 					.getLogdir() : cluster.getMasterNode().getLogdir();
 			String javaHome = cluster.getMasterNode().getJavaHome() == null ? cluster
diff --git a/asterix-events/src/main/resources/schema/cluster.xsd b/asterix-events/src/main/resources/schema/cluster.xsd
index eaf343d..38afda3 100644
--- a/asterix-events/src/main/resources/schema/cluster.xsd
+++ b/asterix-events/src/main/resources/schema/cluster.xsd
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 <!-- definition of simple types --> 
 <xs:element name="name" type="xs:string"/>
-<xs:element name="ram" type="xs:string"/>
+<xs:element name="java_heap" type="xs:string"/>
 <xs:element name="logdir" type="xs:string"/>
 <xs:element name="id" type="xs:string"/>
 <xs:element name="ip" type="xs:string"/>
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
       <xs:element ref="cl:ip"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:cluster-ip"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:java_home" minOccurs="0"/>
-      <xs:element ref="cl:ram" minOccurs="0"/>
+      <xs:element ref="cl:java_heap" minOccurs="0"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:logdir" minOccurs="0"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:debug" minOccurs="0"/>
     </xs:sequence>
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
     <xs:sequence>
       <xs:element ref="cl:id"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:ip"/>
-      <xs:element ref="cl:ram" minOccurs="0"/>
+      <xs:element ref="cl:java_heap" minOccurs="0"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:java_home" minOccurs="0"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:logdir" minOccurs="0"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:store" minOccurs="0"/>
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
       <xs:element ref="cl:name"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:username"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:env" minOccurs="0"/>
-      <xs:element ref="cl:ram" minOccurs="0"/>
+      <xs:element ref="cl:java_heap" minOccurs="0"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:java_home" minOccurs="0"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:logdir" minOccurs="0"/>
       <xs:element ref="cl:store" minOccurs="0"/>
diff --git a/asterix-installer/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/installer/command/CreateCommand.java b/asterix-installer/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/installer/command/CreateCommand.java
index 55e172b..5ddc9e9 100644
--- a/asterix-installer/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/installer/command/CreateCommand.java
+++ b/asterix-installer/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/installer/command/CreateCommand.java
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
 		clusterProperties.add(new Property("ASTERIX_HOME", cluster
 				.getWorkingDir().getDir() + File.separator + "asterix"));
 		clusterProperties.add(new Property("JAVA_OPTS", "-Xmx"
-				+ cluster.getRam()));
+				+ cluster.getJavaHeap()));
 		clusterProperties.add(new Property("CLUSTER_NET_IP", cluster
 				.getMasterNode().getClusterIp()));
 		clusterProperties.add(new Property("CLIENT_NET_IP", cluster
diff --git a/asterix-installer/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/installer/command/ValidateCommand.java b/asterix-installer/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/installer/command/ValidateCommand.java
index dcdbe18..8d9804c 100644
--- a/asterix-installer/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/installer/command/ValidateCommand.java
+++ b/asterix-installer/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/installer/command/ValidateCommand.java
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
 	@Override
 	protected void execCommand() throws Exception {
 		ValidateConfig vConfig = (ValidateConfig) config;
-		logValidationResult("Enviornment", validateEnvironment());
+		logValidationResult("Environment", validateEnvironment());
 		if (((ValidateConfig) config).cluster != null) {
 			logValidationResult("Cluster configuration",
 					validateCluster(vConfig.cluster));
@@ -73,9 +73,9 @@
 		return "\nValidate the installer's configuration or a cluster configuration"
 				+ "\nUsage"
 				+ "\nFor validating the installer configuration"
-				+ "\n use $ managix validate"
+				+ "\nuse managix validate"
 				+ "\n\nFor validating a cluster configuration"
-				+ "\n$ use managix validate -c <path to the cluster configuration file>";
+				+ "\nuse managix validate -c <path to the cluster configuration file>";
 	}
 
 	public boolean validateEnvironment() throws Exception {
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@
 
 			MasterNode masterNode = cluster.getMasterNode();
 			Node master = new Node(masterNode.getId(), masterNode.getIp(),
-					masterNode.getRam(), masterNode.getJavaHome(),
+					masterNode.getJavaHeap(), masterNode.getJavaHome(),
 					masterNode.getLogdir(), null, masterNode.getDebug());
 
 			valid = valid & validateNodeConfiguration(master, cluster);
@@ -197,10 +197,11 @@
 			}
 		}
 
-		if (node.getRam() == null || node.getRam().length() == 0) {
-			if (cluster.getRam() == null || cluster.getRam().length() == 0) {
+		if (node.getJavaHeap() == null || node.getJavaHeap().length() == 0) {
+			if (cluster.getJavaHeap() == null
+					|| cluster.getJavaHeap().length() == 0) {
 				valid = false;
-				LOGGER.fatal("ram not defined at cluster/node level for node: "
+				LOGGER.fatal("java heap size not defined at cluster/node level for node: "
 						+ node.getId() + ERROR);
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/asterix-installer/src/main/resources/clusters/local/local.xml b/asterix-installer/src/main/resources/clusters/local/local.xml
index 1413999..7a8e78f 100644
--- a/asterix-installer/src/main/resources/clusters/local/local.xml
+++ b/asterix-installer/src/main/resources/clusters/local/local.xml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   <logdir>/tmp/asterix/logs</logdir>
   <store>/tmp/asterix/storage</store>
   <java_home></java_home>
-  <ram>1024m</ram>
+  <java_heap>1024m</java_heap>
   <master-node>
      <id>master</id>
      <ip>127.0.0.1</ip>