diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/servlet/ClusterAPIServlet.java b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/servlet/ClusterAPIServlet.java
index 0d9ff16..7e7b068 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/servlet/ClusterAPIServlet.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/servlet/ClusterAPIServlet.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.logging.Level;
 import java.util.logging.Logger;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
@@ -44,6 +45,10 @@
     public static final String CONFIG_URI_KEY = "configUri";
     public static final String STATS_URI_KEY = "statsUri";
     public static final String THREAD_DUMP_URI_KEY = "threadDumpUri";
+    public static final String SHUTDOWN_URI_KEY = "shutdownUri";
+    public static final String FULL_SHUTDOWN_URI_KEY = "fullShutdownUri";
+    public static final String VERSION_URI_KEY = "versionUri";
+    public static final Pattern PARENT_DIR = Pattern.compile("/[^./]+/\\.\\./");
 
     @Override
     public final void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) {
@@ -93,17 +98,13 @@
         json.put("config", allProperties);
 
         JSONArray ncs = json.getJSONArray("ncs");
-        final StringBuffer requestURL = request.getRequestURL();
+        final StringBuilder requestURL = new StringBuilder(request.getRequestURL());
         if (requestURL.charAt(requestURL.length() - 1) != '/') {
             requestURL.append('/');
         }
         requestURL.append(pathToNode);
-        String clusterURL = "";
-        String newClusterURL = requestURL.toString();
-        while (!clusterURL.equals(newClusterURL)) {
-            clusterURL = newClusterURL;
-            newClusterURL = clusterURL.replaceAll("/[^./]+/\\.\\./", "/");
-        }
+        String clusterURL = canonicalize(requestURL);
+        String analyticsURL = canonicalize(clusterURL + "../");
         String nodeURL = clusterURL + "node/";
         for (int i = 0; i < ncs.length(); i++) {
             JSONObject nc = ncs.getJSONObject(i);
@@ -121,6 +122,19 @@
         cc.put(CONFIG_URI_KEY, clusterURL + "cc/config");
         cc.put(STATS_URI_KEY, clusterURL + "cc/stats");
         cc.put(THREAD_DUMP_URI_KEY, clusterURL + "cc/threaddump");
+        json.put(SHUTDOWN_URI_KEY, analyticsURL + "shutdown");
+        json.put(FULL_SHUTDOWN_URI_KEY, analyticsURL + "shutdown?all=true");
+        json.put(VERSION_URI_KEY, analyticsURL + "version");
         return json;
     }
+
+    private String canonicalize(CharSequence requestURL) {
+        String clusterURL = "";
+        String newClusterURL = requestURL.toString();
+        while (!clusterURL.equals(newClusterURL)) {
+            clusterURL = newClusterURL;
+            newClusterURL = PARENT_DIR.matcher(clusterURL).replaceAll("/");
+        }
+        return clusterURL;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/servlet/ShutdownAPIServlet.java b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/servlet/ShutdownAPIServlet.java
index d8cb553..d99b379 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/servlet/ShutdownAPIServlet.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/api/http/servlet/ShutdownAPIServlet.java
@@ -34,10 +34,15 @@
 import org.apache.asterix.common.config.GlobalConfig;
 import org.apache.asterix.runtime.util.ClusterStateManager;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.client.IHyracksClientConnection;
+import org.json.JSONArray;
 import org.json.JSONObject;
 
 public class ShutdownAPIServlet extends HttpServlet {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+    public static final String NODE_ID_KEY = "node_id";
+    public static final String NCSERVICE_PID = "ncservice_pid";
+    public static final String INI = "ini";
+    public static final String PID = "pid";
 
     @Override
     protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
@@ -61,7 +66,18 @@
         try {
             jsonObject.put("status", "SHUTTING_DOWN");
             jsonObject.put("date", new Date());
-            jsonObject.put("cluster", ClusterStateManager.INSTANCE.getClusterStateDescription());
+            JSONObject clusterState = ClusterStateManager.INSTANCE.getClusterStateDescription();
+            JSONArray ncs = clusterState.getJSONArray("ncs");
+            for (int i = 0; i < ncs.length(); i++) {
+                JSONObject nc = ncs.getJSONObject(i);
+                String node = nc.getString(NODE_ID_KEY);
+                JSONObject details = new JSONObject(hcc.getNodeDetailsJSON(node, false, true));
+                nc.put(PID, details.get(PID));
+                if (details.has(INI) && details.getJSONObject(INI).has(NCSERVICE_PID)) {
+                    nc.put(NCSERVICE_PID, details.getJSONObject(INI).getInt(NCSERVICE_PID));
+                }
+            }
+            jsonObject.put("cluster", clusterState);
 
             final PrintWriter writer = response.getWriter();
             writer.print(jsonObject.toString(4));
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_1/cluster_state_1.1.adm b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_1/cluster_state_1.1.adm
index 8b66885..ea002ab 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_1/cluster_state_1.1.adm
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_1/cluster_state_1.1.adm
@@ -54,15 +54,23 @@
         "web.queryinterface.port": 19006,
         "web.secondary.port": 19005
     },
+    "fullShutdownUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/shutdown?all=true",
     "metadata_node": "asterix_nc1",
     "ncs": [
         {
             "configUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc1/config",
             "node_id": "asterix_nc1",
             "partitions": [
-                "partition_0",
-                "partition_1"
+                {
+                    "active": true,
+                    "partition_id": "partition_0"
+                },
+                {
+                    "active": true,
+                    "partition_id": "partition_1"
+                }
             ],
+            "state": "ACTIVE",
             "statsUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc1/stats",
             "threadDumpUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc1/threaddump"
         },
@@ -70,12 +78,21 @@
             "configUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc2/config",
             "node_id": "asterix_nc2",
             "partitions": [
-                "partition_2",
-                "partition_3"
+                {
+                    "active": true,
+                    "partition_id": "partition_2"
+                },
+                {
+                    "active": true,
+                    "partition_id": "partition_3"
+                }
             ],
+            "state": "ACTIVE",
             "statsUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc2/stats",
             "threadDumpUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc2/threaddump"
         }
     ],
-    "state": "ACTIVE"
-}
+    "shutdownUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/shutdown",
+    "state": "ACTIVE",
+    "versionUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/version"
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_3/cluster_state_3.1.adm b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_3/cluster_state_3.1.adm
index 4357d25..b0815ee 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_3/cluster_state_3.1.adm
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_3/cluster_state_3.1.adm
@@ -3,9 +3,16 @@
         "configUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc1/config",
         "node_id": "asterix_nc1",
         "partitions": [
-            "partition_0",
-            "partition_1"
+            {
+                "active": true,
+                "partition_id": "partition_0"
+            },
+            {
+                "active": true,
+                "partition_id": "partition_1"
+            }
         ],
+        "state": "ACTIVE",
         "statsUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc1/stats",
         "threadDumpUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc1/threaddump"
     },
@@ -13,9 +20,16 @@
         "configUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc2/config",
         "node_id": "asterix_nc2",
         "partitions": [
-            "partition_2",
-            "partition_3"
+            {
+                "active": true,
+                "partition_id": "partition_2"
+            },
+            {
+                "active": true,
+                "partition_id": "partition_3"
+            }
         ],
+        "state": "ACTIVE",
         "statsUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc2/stats",
         "threadDumpUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc2/threaddump"
     }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_4/cluster_state_4.1.adm b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_4/cluster_state_4.1.adm
index c893534..4635690 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_4/cluster_state_4.1.adm
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/test/resources/runtimets/results/api/cluster_state_4/cluster_state_4.1.adm
@@ -2,9 +2,16 @@
     "configUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc1/config",
     "node_id": "asterix_nc1",
     "partitions": [
-        "partition_0",
-        "partition_1"
+        {
+            "active": true,
+            "partition_id": "partition_0"
+        },
+        {
+            "active": true,
+            "partition_id": "partition_1"
+        }
     ],
+    "state": "ACTIVE",
     "statsUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc1/stats",
     "threadDumpUri": "http://127.0.0.1:19002/admin/cluster/node/asterix_nc1/threaddump"
 }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/pom.xml b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/pom.xml
index 1fbc0ec..e082629 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/pom.xml
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/pom.xml
@@ -97,5 +97,15 @@
       <artifactId>appassembler-booter</artifactId>
       <version>1.10</version>
     </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>commons-io</groupId>
+      <artifactId>commons-io</artifactId>
+      <version>2.4</version>
+    </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>org.json</groupId>
+      <artifactId>json</artifactId>
+      <version>20090211</version>
+    </dependency>
   </dependencies>
 </project>
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/ClientCommand.java b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/ClientCommand.java
index c86ea36..979cd55 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/ClientCommand.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/ClientCommand.java
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@
 public abstract class ClientCommand {
 
     public enum Command {
-        GET_CLUSTER_STATE("Get state of cluster (errorcode 0 = UP, non-zero = DOWN)"),
-        WAIT_FOR_CLUSTER("Wait for cluster to be ready (errorcode 0 = UP, non-zero = UNKNOWN)"),
+        GET_CLUSTER_STATE("Get state of cluster (errorcode 0 = ACTIVE, 1 = DOWN, 2 = UNUSABLE, 3 = OTHER)"),
+        WAIT_FOR_CLUSTER("Wait for cluster to be ready (errorcode 0 = ACTIVE, non-zero = UNKNOWN)"),
         SHUTDOWN_CLUSTER("Instructs the cluster to shut down, leaving NCService processes intact"),
         SHUTDOWN_CLUSTER_ALL("Instructs the cluster to shut down, including NCService processes");
 
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/GetClusterStateCommand.java b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/GetClusterStateCommand.java
index 275583e..77ed78f 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/GetClusterStateCommand.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/GetClusterStateCommand.java
@@ -19,10 +19,15 @@
 package org.apache.asterix.clienthelper.commands;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
 
 import org.apache.asterix.clienthelper.Args;
+import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
+import org.json.JSONException;
+import org.json.JSONObject;
 
 public class GetClusterStateCommand extends RemoteCommand {
 
@@ -38,18 +43,32 @@
     @Override
     public int execute() throws IOException {
         log("Attempting to determine state of cluster " + hostPort + "...");
-        int statusCode = tryGet(args.getClusterStatePath());
-        // TODO (mblow): interrogate result to determine cluster readiness, not rely on HTTP 200
-        switch (statusCode) {
-            case HttpServletResponse.SC_OK:
-                logState("UP");
-                return 0;
-            case -1:
-                logState("DOWN");
-                return 1;
-            default:
-                logState("UNKNOWN");
-                return 2;
+        HttpURLConnection conn;
+        // 0 = ACTIVE, 1 = DOWN, 2 = UNUSABLE, 3 = OTHER
+        try {
+            conn = openConnection(args.getClusterStatePath(), Method.GET);
+            if (conn.getResponseCode() == HttpServletResponse.SC_OK) {
+                String result = IOUtils.toString(conn.getInputStream(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8.name());
+                JSONObject json = new JSONObject(result);
+                final String state = json.getString("state");
+                logState(state);
+                switch (state) {
+                    case "ACTIVE":
+                        return 0;
+                    case "UNUSABLE":
+                        return 2;
+                    default:
+                        return 3;
+                }
+            }
+            logState("UNKNOWN (HTTP error code: " + conn.getResponseCode() + ")");
+            return 3;
+        } catch (IOException e) { // NOSONAR - log or rethrow exception
+            logState("DOWN");
+            return 1;
+        } catch (JSONException e) { // NOSONAR - log or rethrow exception
+            logState("UNKNOWN (malformed response)");
+            return 3;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/RemoteCommand.java b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/RemoteCommand.java
index 77ccbb4..031a721 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/RemoteCommand.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/RemoteCommand.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 package org.apache.asterix.clienthelper.commands;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
 import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import java.net.URL;
@@ -40,12 +41,9 @@
 
     @SuppressWarnings("squid:S1166") // log or rethrow exception
     protected int tryConnect(String path, Method method) throws MalformedURLException {
-        URL url = new URL("http://" + hostPort + "/" + path);
         try {
-            HttpURLConnection conn = (HttpURLConnection)url.openConnection();
-            conn.setRequestMethod(method.name());
+            HttpURLConnection conn = openConnection(path, method);
             return conn.getResponseCode();
-
         } catch (IOException e) {
             return -1;
         }
@@ -58,4 +56,15 @@
     protected int tryPost(String path) throws MalformedURLException {
         return tryConnect(path, Method.POST);
     }
+
+    protected InputStream openAsStream(String path, Method method) throws IOException {
+        return openConnection(path, method).getInputStream();
+    }
+
+    protected HttpURLConnection openConnection(String path, Method method) throws IOException {
+        URL url = new URL("http://" + hostPort + "/" + path);
+        HttpURLConnection conn = (HttpURLConnection)url.openConnection();
+        conn.setRequestMethod(method.name());
+        return conn;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/WaitForClusterCommand.java b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/WaitForClusterCommand.java
index fda22ee..390ce7b 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/WaitForClusterCommand.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-client-helper/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/clienthelper/commands/WaitForClusterCommand.java
@@ -19,10 +19,15 @@
 package org.apache.asterix.clienthelper.commands;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
 
 import org.apache.asterix.clienthelper.Args;
+import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
+import org.json.JSONException;
+import org.json.JSONObject;
 
 public class WaitForClusterCommand extends RemoteCommand {
 
@@ -38,23 +43,41 @@
                 + "for cluster " + hostPort + " to be available.");
 
         long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        boolean first = true;
+        String lastState = null;
         while (true) {
-            if (tryGet(args.getClusterStatePath()) == HttpServletResponse.SC_OK) {
-                log("Cluster started.");
-                return 0;
+            if (!first) {
+                if (args.getTimeoutSecs() >= 0
+                        && (startTime + (args.getTimeoutSecs() * 1000) < System.currentTimeMillis())) {
+                    break;
+                }
+                try {
+                    Thread.sleep(500);
+                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                    return 22;
+                }
             }
-            if (args.getTimeoutSecs() >= 0
-                    && (startTime + (args.getTimeoutSecs() * 1000) < System.currentTimeMillis())) {
-                break;
-            }
+            first = false;
+
+            HttpURLConnection conn;
             try {
-                Thread.sleep(500);
-            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
-                return 22;
+                conn = openConnection(args.getClusterStatePath(), Method.GET);
+                if (conn.getResponseCode() == HttpServletResponse.SC_OK) {
+                    String result = IOUtils.toString(conn.getInputStream(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8.name());
+                    JSONObject json = new JSONObject(result);
+                    lastState = json.getString("state");
+                    if ("ACTIVE".equals(lastState)) {
+                        log("Cluster started and is ACTIVE.");
+                        return 0;
+                    }
+                }
+            } catch (JSONException |IOException e) { //NOSONAR - log or rethrow exception
+                // ignore exception, try again
             }
         }
         log("Cluster " + hostPort + " was not available before timeout of " + args.getTimeoutSecs()
-                + " seconds was exhausted.");
+                + " seconds was exhausted" + (lastState != null ? " (state: " + lastState + ")" : "")
+                + "; check logs for more information");
         return 1;
     }
 }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/runtime/util/ClusterStateManager.java b/asterixdb/asterix-runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/runtime/util/ClusterStateManager.java
index 487b8fa..bc15788 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/runtime/util/ClusterStateManager.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-runtime/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/runtime/util/ClusterStateManager.java
@@ -629,10 +629,23 @@
         for (Map.Entry<String, ClusterPartition[]> entry : node2PartitionsMap.entrySet()) {
             JSONObject nodeJSON = new JSONObject();
             nodeJSON.put("node_id", entry.getKey());
-            List<String> partitions = new ArrayList<>();
+            boolean allActive = true;
+            boolean anyActive = false;
+            Set<Map<String, Object>> partitions = new HashSet<>();
             for (ClusterPartition part : entry.getValue()) {
-                partitions.add("partition_" + part.getPartitionId());
+                HashMap<String, Object> partition = new HashMap<>();
+                partition.put("partition_id", "partition_" + part.getPartitionId());
+                partition.put("active", part.isActive());
+                partitions.add(partition);
+                allActive = allActive && part.isActive();
+                if (allActive) {
+                    anyActive = true;
+                }
             }
+            nodeJSON.put("state", failedNodes.contains(entry.getKey()) ? "FAILED"
+                    : allActive ? "ACTIVE"
+                    : anyActive ? "PARTIALLY_ACTIVE"
+                    : "INACTIVE");
             nodeJSON.put("partitions", partitions);
             stateDescription.accumulate("ncs", nodeJSON);
         }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/start-sample-cluster.bat b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/start-sample-cluster.bat
index db86560..589d55e 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/start-sample-cluster.bat
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/start-sample-cluster.bat
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 
 echo CLUSTERDIR=%CLUSTERDIR%
 echo INSTALLDIR=%INSTALLDIR%
+echo LOGSDIR=%LOGSDIR%
 echo.
 cd %CLUSTERDIR%
 if NOT EXIST %LOGSDIR% (
@@ -64,21 +65,18 @@
 start /MIN "cc" cmd /c "echo See output in %LOGSDIR%\cc.log && %INSTALLDIR%\bin\${CC_COMMAND} -config-file %CLUSTERDIR%\conf\cc.conf >>%LOGSDIR%\cc.log 2>&1"
 
 echo.
-echo Waiting for sample cluster [localhost:${LISTEN_PORT}] to be ready...
-call %INSTALLDIR%\bin\${HELPER_COMMAND} wait_for_cluster -quiet -timeout 30
-if %ERRORLEVEL% NEQ 0 (
-  echo ERROR: cluster did not start successfully
-  echo See output in %LOGSDIR%\
-  goto :ERROR
+call %INSTALLDIR%\bin\${HELPER_COMMAND} wait_for_cluster -timeout 30
+if %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
+  goto :END
 )
-echo Sample cluster [localhost:${LISTEN_PORT}] is ready...
-echo.
-echo See output in %LOGSDIR%
-echo.
-popd
-endlocal
 
 :ERROR
+echo.
 popd
 endlocal
 exit /B 1
+
+:END
+echo.
+popd
+endlocal
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/start-sample-cluster.sh b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/start-sample-cluster.sh
index e97f900..53ceff8 100755
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/start-sample-cluster.sh
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/start-sample-cluster.sh
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 
 echo "CLUSTERDIR=$CLUSTERDIR"
 echo "INSTALLDIR=$INSTALLDIR"
+echo "LOGSDIR=$LOGSDIR"
 echo
 cd $CLUSTERDIR
 mkdir -p $LOGSDIR
@@ -59,11 +60,5 @@
 $INSTALLDIR/bin/${NC_SERVICE_COMMAND} -logdir - -config-file $CLUSTERDIR/conf/blue.conf >> $LOGSDIR/blue-service.log 2>&1 &
 $INSTALLDIR/bin/${NC_SERVICE_COMMAND} -logdir - >> $LOGSDIR/red-service.log 2>&1 &
 $INSTALLDIR/bin/${CC_COMMAND} -config-file $CLUSTERDIR/conf/cc.conf >> $LOGSDIR/cc.log 2>&1 &
-echo "Waiting for sample cluster (localhost:${LISTEN_PORT}) to be ready..."
-if $INSTALLDIR/bin/${HELPER_COMMAND} wait_for_cluster -quiet -timeout 30;
-then
-  echo "Sample cluster (localhost:${LISTEN_PORT}) is ready..."
-else
-  echo "ERROR: cluster did not start successfully"
-fi
-echo "See output in $LOGSDIR/"
+$INSTALLDIR/bin/${HELPER_COMMAND} wait_for_cluster -timeout 30
+exit $?
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/stop-sample-cluster.bat b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/stop-sample-cluster.bat
index d1f31b0..8e35c5f 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/stop-sample-cluster.bat
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/stop-sample-cluster.bat
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 set INSTALLDIR=%cd%
 
 call %INSTALLDIR%\bin\${HELPER_COMMAND} get_cluster_state -quiet
-if %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
+if %ERRORLEVEL% NEQ 1 (
   call %INSTALLDIR%\bin\${HELPER_COMMAND} shutdown_cluster_all
 ) else (
   echo WARNING: sample cluster does not appear to be running, will attempt to wait for
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/stop-sample-cluster.sh b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/stop-sample-cluster.sh
index 462d53d..b69ee53 100755
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/stop-sample-cluster.sh
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/main/samples/local/bin/stop-sample-cluster.sh
@@ -40,9 +40,8 @@
 
 CLUSTERDIR=$(cd $DIRNAME/..; echo $PWD)
 INSTALLDIR=$(cd $CLUSTERDIR/../..; echo $PWD)
-
-if $INSTALLDIR/bin/${HELPER_COMMAND} get_cluster_state -quiet;
-then
+$INSTALLDIR/bin/${HELPER_COMMAND} get_cluster_state -quiet
+if [ $? -ne 1 ]; then
   $INSTALLDIR/bin/${HELPER_COMMAND} shutdown_cluster_all
 else
   echo "WARNING: sample cluster does not appear to be running, will attempt to wait for"
@@ -59,4 +58,4 @@
   sleep 2s
   echo -n .
 done
-[ ! $first ] && echo ".done."
+[ ! $first ] && echo ".done." || true
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/server/test/SampleLocalClusterIT.java b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/server/test/SampleLocalClusterIT.java
index a49086b..4a5f90f 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/server/test/SampleLocalClusterIT.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-server/src/test/java/org/apache/asterix/server/test/SampleLocalClusterIT.java
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@
     public void test0_startCluster() throws Exception {
         Process process = new ProcessBuilder(joinPath(LOCAL_SAMPLES_DIR, "bin/start-sample-cluster.sh"))
                 .inheritIO().start();
-        Assert.assertEquals(process.waitFor(), 0);
+        Assert.assertEquals(0, process.waitFor());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -90,14 +90,14 @@
                 "http://127.0.0.1:19002" + Servlets.AQL_QUERY.getPath(), Collections.emptyList());
         StringWriter sw = new StringWriter();
         IOUtils.copy(resultStream, sw);
-        Assert.assertEquals(sw.toString().trim(), "2");
+        Assert.assertEquals("2", sw.toString().trim());
     }
 
     @Test
     public void test2_stopCluster() throws Exception {
         Process process = new ProcessBuilder(joinPath(LOCAL_SAMPLES_DIR, "bin/stop-sample-cluster.sh"))
                 .inheritIO().start();
-        Assert.assertEquals(process.waitFor(), 0);
+        Assert.assertEquals(0, process.waitFor());
         try {
             new URL("http://127.0.0.1:19002").openConnection().connect();
             Assert.assertTrue("Expected connection to be refused.", false);
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/ClusterControllerService.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/ClusterControllerService.java
index 685a36b..4fde1f6 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/ClusterControllerService.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/ClusterControllerService.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 import java.io.FileReader;
 import java.net.InetAddress;
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.work.ReportProfilesWork;
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.work.ReportResultPartitionFailureWork;
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.work.ReportResultPartitionWriteCompletionWork;
+import org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.work.ShutdownNCServiceWork;
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.work.TaskCompleteWork;
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.work.TaskFailureWork;
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.work.TriggerNCWork;
@@ -114,7 +116,7 @@
 import org.xml.sax.InputSource;
 
 public class ClusterControllerService implements IControllerService {
-    private static Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(ClusterControllerService.class.getName());
+    private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(ClusterControllerService.class.getName());
 
     private final CCConfig ccConfig;
 
@@ -279,12 +281,43 @@
         }
     }
 
+    private void terminateNCServices() throws Exception {
+        Ini ini = ccConfig.getIni();
+        if (ini == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+        List<ShutdownNCServiceWork> shutdownNCServiceWorks = new ArrayList<>();
+        for (String section : ini.keySet()) {
+            if (!section.startsWith("nc/")) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            String ncid = section.substring(3);
+            String address = IniUtils.getString(ini, section, "address", null);
+            int port = IniUtils.getInt(ini, section, "port", 9090);
+            if (address == null) {
+                address = InetAddress.getLoopbackAddress().getHostAddress();
+            }
+            ShutdownNCServiceWork shutdownWork = new ShutdownNCServiceWork(address, port, ncid);
+            workQueue.schedule(shutdownWork);
+            shutdownNCServiceWorks.add(shutdownWork);
+        }
+        for (ShutdownNCServiceWork shutdownWork : shutdownNCServiceWorks) {
+            shutdownWork.sync();
+        }
+    }
+
     private void notifyApplication() throws Exception {
         if (aep != null) {
             // Sometimes, there is no application entry point. Check hyracks-client project
             aep.startupCompleted();
         }
     }
+    public void stop(boolean terminateNCService) throws Exception {
+        if (terminateNCService) {
+            terminateNCServices();
+        }
+        stop();
+    }
 
     @Override
     public void stop() throws Exception {
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/ClusterShutdownWork.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/ClusterShutdownWork.java
index 63ca4ae..29e1f83 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/ClusterShutdownWork.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/ClusterShutdownWork.java
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
                 throw new IPCException("Shutdown in Progress");
             }
             Map<String, NodeControllerState> nodeControllerStateMap = ccs.getNodeMap();
-            Set<String> nodeIds = new TreeSet<String>();
+            Set<String> nodeIds = new TreeSet<>();
             nodeIds.addAll(nodeControllerStateMap.keySet());
             /**
              * set up our listener for the node ACKs
@@ -70,33 +70,22 @@
                 @Override
                 public void run() {
                     try {
-                        /**
+                        /*
                          * wait for all our acks
                          */
                         boolean cleanShutdown = shutdownStatus.waitForCompletion();
-                        if (cleanShutdown) {
-                            callback.setValue(true);
-                            ccs.stop();
-                            LOGGER.info("JVM Exiting.. Bye!");
-                            Runtime rt = Runtime.getRuntime();
-                            rt.exit(0);
+                        if (!cleanShutdown) {
+                            /*
+                             * best effort - just exit, user will have to kill misbehaving NCs
+                             */
+                            LOGGER.severe("Clean shutdown of NCs timed out- giving up!  Unresponsive nodes: " +
+                                    shutdownStatus.getRemainingNodes());
                         }
-                        /**
-                         * best effort - just exit, user will have to kill misbehaving NCs
-                         */
-                        else {
-                            LOGGER.severe("Clean shutdown of NCs timed out- CC bailing out!");
-                            StringBuilder unresponsive = new StringBuilder();
-                            for (String s : shutdownStatus.getRemainingNodes()) {
-                                unresponsive.append(s).append(' ');
-                            }
-                            LOGGER.severe("Unresponsive Nodes: " + unresponsive);
-                            callback.setValue(false);
-                            ccs.stop();
-                            LOGGER.info("JVM Exiting.. Bye!");
-                            Runtime rt = Runtime.getRuntime();
-                            rt.exit(1);
-                        }
+                        callback.setValue(cleanShutdown);
+                        ccs.stop(terminateNCService);
+                        LOGGER.info("JVM Exiting.. Bye!");
+                        Runtime rt = Runtime.getRuntime();
+                        rt.exit(cleanShutdown ? 0 : 1);
                     } catch (Exception e) {
                         callback.setException(e);
                     }
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/ShutdownNCServiceWork.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/ShutdownNCServiceWork.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dfc22b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/ShutdownNCServiceWork.java
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ * distributed with this work for additional information
+ * regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.work;
+
+import static org.apache.hyracks.control.common.controllers.ServiceConstants.NC_SERVICE_MAGIC_COOKIE;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.ObjectOutputStream;
+import java.net.Socket;
+import java.util.logging.Level;
+import java.util.logging.Logger;
+
+import org.apache.hyracks.control.common.controllers.ServiceConstants.ServiceCommand;
+import org.apache.hyracks.control.common.work.SynchronizableWork;
+
+/**
+ * A work which is run at CC shutdown for each NC specified in the configuration file.
+ * It contacts the NC service on each node and instructs it to terminate.
+ */
+public class ShutdownNCServiceWork extends SynchronizableWork {
+
+    private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(ShutdownNCServiceWork.class.getName());
+
+    private final String ncHost;
+    private final int ncPort;
+    private final String ncId;
+
+    public ShutdownNCServiceWork(String ncHost, int ncPort, String ncId) {
+        this.ncHost = ncHost;
+        this.ncPort = ncPort;
+        this.ncId = ncId;
+    }
+    @Override
+    public final void doRun() {
+        LOGGER.info("Connecting to NC service '" + ncId + "' at " + ncHost + ":" + ncPort);
+        try (Socket s = new Socket(ncHost, ncPort)) {
+            ObjectOutputStream oos = new ObjectOutputStream(s.getOutputStream());
+            oos.writeUTF(NC_SERVICE_MAGIC_COOKIE);
+            oos.writeUTF(ServiceCommand.TERMINATE.name());
+            oos.close();
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            LOGGER.log(Level.WARNING, "Failed to contact NC service '" + ncId + "' at " + ncHost + ":" + ncPort, e);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/TriggerNCWork.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/TriggerNCWork.java
index 9a52a06..a7bca25 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/TriggerNCWork.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-cc/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/cc/work/TriggerNCWork.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
  */
 package org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.work;
 
+import static org.apache.hyracks.control.common.controllers.ServiceConstants.NC_SERVICE_MAGIC_COOKIE;
+
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.ObjectOutputStream;
 import java.io.StringWriter;
@@ -26,6 +28,7 @@
 import java.util.logging.Logger;
 
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.cc.ClusterControllerService;
+import org.apache.hyracks.control.common.controllers.ServiceConstants.ServiceCommand;
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.common.work.AbstractWork;
 import org.ini4j.Ini;
 
@@ -35,11 +38,6 @@
  */
 public class TriggerNCWork extends AbstractWork {
 
-    // This constant must match the corresponding constant in
-    // hyracks-control/hyracks-nc-service/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/nc/service/NCService.java
-    // I didn't want to introduce a Maven-level dependency on the
-    // hyracks-nc-service package (or vice-versa).
-    public static final String NC_MAGIC_COOKIE = "hyncmagic";
     private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(TriggerNCWork.class.getName());
 
     private final ClusterControllerService ccs;
@@ -55,32 +53,25 @@
     }
     @Override
     public final void run() {
-        ccs.getExecutor().execute(new Runnable() {
-            @Override
-            @SuppressWarnings("squid:S2142") // suppress interrupted exception warning
-            public void run() {
-                while (true) {
-                    if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.INFO)) {
-                        LOGGER.info("Connecting NC service '" + ncId + "' at " + ncHost + ":" + ncPort);
-                    }
-                    try (Socket s = new Socket(ncHost, ncPort)) {
-                        ObjectOutputStream oos = new ObjectOutputStream(s.getOutputStream());
-                        oos.writeUTF(NC_MAGIC_COOKIE);
-                        oos.writeUTF(serializeIni(ccs.getCCConfig().getIni()));
-                        oos.close();
-                        break;
-                        // QQQ Should probably have an ACK here
-                    } catch (IOException e) {
-                        if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.WARNING)) {
-                            LOGGER.log(Level.WARNING, "Failed to contact NC service at " + ncHost +
-                                    ":" + ncPort + "; will retry", e);
-                        }
-                    }
-                    try {
-                        Thread.sleep(5000);
-                    } catch (InterruptedException e) {
-                        break;
-                    }
+        ccs.getExecutor().execute(() -> {
+            while (true) {
+                LOGGER.info("Connecting NC service '" + ncId + "' at " + ncHost + ":" + ncPort);
+                try (Socket s = new Socket(ncHost, ncPort)) {
+                    ObjectOutputStream oos = new ObjectOutputStream(s.getOutputStream());
+                    oos.writeUTF(NC_SERVICE_MAGIC_COOKIE);
+                    oos.writeUTF(ServiceCommand.START_NC.name());
+                    oos.writeUTF(TriggerNCWork.this.serializeIni(ccs.getCCConfig().getIni()));
+                    oos.close();
+                    return;
+                    // QQQ Should probably have an ACK here
+                } catch (IOException e) {
+                    LOGGER.log(Level.WARNING, "Failed to contact NC service at " + ncHost + ":" + ncPort
+                            + "; will retry", e);
+                }
+                try {
+                    Thread.sleep(5000);
+                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                    return;
                 }
             }
         });
@@ -95,7 +86,7 @@
         ccini.store(iniString);
         // Finally insert *this* NC's name into localnc section - this is a fixed
         // entry point so that NCs can determine where all their config is.
-        iniString.append("\n[localnc]\nid=" + ncId + "\n");
+        iniString.append("\n[localnc]\nid=").append(ncId).append("\n");
         if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.FINE)) {
             LOGGER.fine("Returning Ini file:\n" + iniString.toString());
         }
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/NCConfig.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/NCConfig.java
index 64b9737..de336ed 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/NCConfig.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/NCConfig.java
@@ -129,6 +129,9 @@
             + " (default: same as -messaging-port; must set -messaging-public-port also)", required = false)
     public int messagingPublicPort = 0;
 
+    @Option(name = "-ncservice-pid", usage = "PID of the NCService which launched this NCDriver", required = false)
+    public int ncservicePid = 0;
+
     @Argument
     @Option(name = "--", handler = StopOptionHandler.class)
     public List<String> appArgs;
@@ -258,5 +261,8 @@
         if (appNCMainClass != null) {
             configuration.put("app-nc-main-class", appNCMainClass);
         }
+        if (ncservicePid != 0) {
+            configuration.put("ncservice-pid", String.valueOf(ncservicePid));
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/ServiceConstants.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/ServiceConstants.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b790b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/controllers/ServiceConstants.java
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ * distributed with this work for additional information
+ * regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.hyracks.control.common.controllers;
+
+public class ServiceConstants {
+    public enum ServiceCommand {
+        START_NC,
+        TERMINATE
+    }
+    public static final String NC_SERVICE_MAGIC_COOKIE = "hyncmagic2";
+}
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/shutdown/ShutdownRun.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/shutdown/ShutdownRun.java
index 6912892..4e5c98f 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/shutdown/ShutdownRun.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/common/shutdown/ShutdownRun.java
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 
 public class ShutdownRun implements IShutdownStatusConditionVariable{
 
-    private final Set<String> shutdownNodeIds = new TreeSet<String>();
+    private final Set<String> shutdownNodeIds = new TreeSet<>();
     private boolean shutdownSuccess = false;
     private static final int SHUTDOWN_TIMER_MS = 10000; //10 seconds
 
@@ -35,12 +35,11 @@
     /**
      * Notify that a node is shutting down.
      *
-     * @param nodeId
-     * @param status
+     * @param nodeId the node acknowledging the shutdown
      */
     public synchronized void notifyShutdown(String nodeId) {
         shutdownNodeIds.remove(nodeId);
-        if (shutdownNodeIds.size() == 0) {
+        if (shutdownNodeIds.isEmpty()) {
             shutdownSuccess = true;
             notifyAll();
         }
@@ -48,10 +47,14 @@
 
     @Override
     public synchronized boolean waitForCompletion() throws Exception {
-        /*
-         * Either be woken up when we're done, or default to fail.
-         */
-        wait(SHUTDOWN_TIMER_MS);
+        if (shutdownNodeIds.isEmpty()) {
+            shutdownSuccess = true;
+        } else {
+            /*
+             * Either be woken up when we're done, or default to fail.
+             */
+            wait(SHUTDOWN_TIMER_MS);
+        }
         return shutdownSuccess;
     }
 
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-nc-service/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/nc/service/NCService.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-nc-service/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/nc/service/NCService.java
index 5b032d9..848bdd2 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-nc-service/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/nc/service/NCService.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-nc-service/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/control/nc/service/NCService.java
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@
 
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.SystemUtils;
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.common.controllers.IniUtils;
+import org.apache.hyracks.control.common.controllers.ServiceConstants;
+import org.apache.hyracks.control.common.controllers.ServiceConstants.ServiceCommand;
 import org.ini4j.Ini;
 import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineParser;
 
@@ -70,10 +72,8 @@
      */
     private static Process proc = null;
 
-    private static final String MAGIC_COOKIE = "hyncmagic";
-
     private static List<String> buildCommand() throws IOException {
-        List<String> cList = new ArrayList<String>();
+        List<String> cList = new ArrayList<>();
 
         // Find the command to run. For now, we allow overriding the name, but
         // still assume it's located in the bin/ directory of the deployment.
@@ -92,10 +92,15 @@
 
         cList.add("-config-file");
         // Store the Ini file from the CC locally so NCConfig can read it.
-        // QQQ should arrange to delete this when done
         File tempIni = File.createTempFile("ncconf", ".conf");
+        tempIni.deleteOnExit();
+
         ini.store(tempIni);
         cList.add(tempIni.getCanonicalPath());
+
+        // pass in the PID of the NCService
+        cList.add("-ncservice-pid");
+        cList.add(System.getProperty("app.pid", "0"));
         return cList;
     }
 
@@ -161,14 +166,10 @@
                 } catch (InterruptedException ignored) {
                 }
             }
-            if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.INFO)) {
-                LOGGER.info("NCDriver exited with return value " + retval);
-            }
+            LOGGER.info("NCDriver exited with return value " + retval);
             if (retval == 99) {
-                if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.INFO)) {
-                    LOGGER.info("Terminating NCService based on return value from NCDriver");
-                }
-                System.exit(0);
+                LOGGER.info("Terminating NCService based on return value from NCDriver");
+                exit(0);
             }
             return retval == 0;
         } catch (Exception e) {
@@ -180,32 +181,44 @@
     }
 
     private static boolean acceptConnection(InputStream is) {
-        // Simple on-wire protocol: magic cookie (string), CC address (string),
-        // port (string), as encoded on CC by ObjectOutputStream. If we see
-        // anything else or have any error, crap out and await a different
-        // connection.
-        // QQQ This should probably be changed to directly accept the full
-        // config file from the CC, rather than calling back to the CC's
-        // "config" webservice to retrieve it. Revisit when the CC is fully
-        // parsing and validating the master config file.
+        // Simple on-wire protocol:
+        // magic cookie (string)
+        // either:
+        //   START_NC, ini file
+        // or:
+        //   TERMINATE
+        // If we see anything else or have any error, crap out and await a different connection.
         try {
             ObjectInputStream ois = new ObjectInputStream(is);
             String magic = ois.readUTF();
-            if (! MAGIC_COOKIE.equals(magic)) {
+            if (! ServiceConstants.NC_SERVICE_MAGIC_COOKIE.equals(magic)) {
                 LOGGER.severe("Connection used incorrect magic cookie");
                 return false;
             }
-            String iniString = ois.readUTF();
-            ini = new Ini(new StringReader(iniString));
-            ncId = IniUtils.getString(ini, "localnc", "id", "");
-            nodeSection = "nc/" + ncId;
-            return launchNCProcess();
+            switch (ServiceCommand.valueOf(ois.readUTF())) {
+                case START_NC:
+                    String iniString = ois.readUTF();
+                    ini = new Ini(new StringReader(iniString));
+                    ncId = IniUtils.getString(ini, "localnc", "id", "");
+                    nodeSection = "nc/" + ncId;
+                    return launchNCProcess();
+                case TERMINATE:
+                    LOGGER.info("Terminating NCService based on command from CC");
+                    exit(0);
+                    break;
+            }
         } catch (Exception e) {
             LOGGER.log(Level.SEVERE, "Error decoding connection from server", e);
         }
         return false;
     }
 
+    @SuppressWarnings("squid:S1147") // call to System.exit()
+    private static void exit(int exitCode) {
+        LOGGER.info("JVM Exiting.. Bye!");
+        System.exit(exitCode);
+    }
+
     public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
         // Register a shutdown hook which will kill the NC if the NC Service is killed.
         Runtime.getRuntime().addShutdownHook(new Thread() {
@@ -239,25 +252,17 @@
         // Loop forever - the NCService will always return to "waiting for CC" state
         // when the child NC terminates for any reason.
         while (true) {
-            ServerSocket listener = new ServerSocket(port, 5, addr);
-            try {
+            try (ServerSocket listener = new ServerSocket(port, 5, addr)) {
                 boolean launched = false;
                 while (!launched) {
-                    if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.INFO)) {
-                        LOGGER.info("Waiting for connection from CC on " + addr + ":" + port);
-                    }
-                    Socket socket = listener.accept();
-                    try {
+                    LOGGER.info("Waiting for connection from CC on " + addr + ":" + port);
+                    try (Socket socket = listener.accept()) {
                         // QQQ Because acceptConnection() doesn't return if the
                         // service is started appropriately, the socket remains
                         // open but non-responsive.
                         launched = acceptConnection(socket.getInputStream());
-                    } finally {
-                        socket.close();
                     }
                 }
-            } finally {
-                listener.close();
             }
         }
     }