diff --git a/hivesterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/common/config/ConfUtil.java b/hivesterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/common/config/ConfUtil.java
index 666d361..648deb6 100644
--- a/hivesterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/common/config/ConfUtil.java
+++ b/hivesterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/common/config/ConfUtil.java
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package edu.uci.ics.hivesterix.common.config;
 
 import java.io.BufferedReader;
-import java.io.DataInputStream;
 import java.io.FileInputStream;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.InputStreamReader;
@@ -28,6 +27,7 @@
 @SuppressWarnings({ "rawtypes", "deprecation" })
 public class ConfUtil {
     private static final String clusterPropertiesPath = "conf/cluster.properties";
+    private static final String masterFilePath = "conf/master";
 
     private static JobConf job;
     private static HiveConf hconf;
@@ -134,15 +134,27 @@
                 clusterProps.load(confIn);
                 confIn.close();
             }
-            Process process = Runtime.getRuntime().exec("src/main/resources/scripts/getip.sh");
-            BufferedReader ipReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(new DataInputStream(
-                    process.getInputStream())));
-            String ipAddress = ipReader.readLine();
-            ipReader.close();
-            int port = Integer.parseInt(clusterProps.getProperty("CC_CLIENTPORT"));
-            int mpl = Integer.parseInt(hconf.get("hive.hyracks.parrallelism"));
 
-            hcc = new HyracksConnection(ipAddress, port);
+            if (hcc == null) {
+                BufferedReader ipReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(masterFilePath)));
+                String masterNode = ipReader.readLine();
+                ipReader.close();
+
+                InetAddress[] ips = InetAddress.getAllByName(masterNode);
+                int port = Integer.parseInt(clusterProps.getProperty("CC_CLIENTPORT"));
+                for (InetAddress ip : ips) {
+                    if (ip.getAddress().length <= 4) {
+                        try {
+                            hcc = new HyracksConnection(ip.getHostAddress(), port);
+                            break;
+                        } catch (Exception e) {
+                            continue;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            int mpl = Integer.parseInt(hconf.get("hive.hyracks.parrallelism"));
             topology = hcc.getClusterTopology();
             ncNameToNcInfos = hcc.getNodeControllerInfos();
             NCs = new String[ncNameToNcInfos.size() * mpl];
diff --git a/hivesterix-dist/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/runtime/exec/HyracksExecutionEngine.java b/hivesterix-dist/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/runtime/exec/HyracksExecutionEngine.java
index e6f47cf..379737f 100644
--- a/hivesterix-dist/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/runtime/exec/HyracksExecutionEngine.java
+++ b/hivesterix-dist/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/runtime/exec/HyracksExecutionEngine.java
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 package edu.uci.ics.hivesterix.runtime.exec;
 
 import java.io.BufferedReader;
-import java.io.DataInputStream;
 import java.io.FileInputStream;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.InputStreamReader;
 import java.io.PrintWriter;
 import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.net.InetAddress;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Iterator;
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@
 
     private static final Log LOG = LogFactory.getLog(HyracksExecutionEngine.class.getName());
     private static final String clusterPropertiesPath = "conf/cluster.properties";
+    private static final String masterFilePath = "conf/master";
 
     private static List<Pair<AbstractRuleController, List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>>> DEFAULT_LOGICAL_REWRITES = new ArrayList<Pair<AbstractRuleController, List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>>>();
     private static List<Pair<AbstractRuleController, List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>>> DEFAULT_PHYSICAL_REWRITES = new ArrayList<Pair<AbstractRuleController, List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>>>();
@@ -151,6 +152,11 @@
      */
     private Properties clusterProps;
 
+    /**
+     * the Hyracks client connection
+     */
+    private IHyracksClientConnection hcc;
+
     public HyracksExecutionEngine(HiveConf conf) {
         this.conf = conf;
         init(conf);
@@ -533,15 +539,26 @@
             confIn.close();
         }
 
-        Process process = Runtime.getRuntime().exec("src/main/resources/scripts/getip.sh");
-        BufferedReader ipReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(
-                new DataInputStream(process.getInputStream())));
-        String ipAddress = ipReader.readLine();
-        ipReader.close();
-        int port = Integer.parseInt(clusterProps.getProperty("CC_CLIENTPORT"));
-        String applicationName = "hivesterix";
+        if (hcc == null) {
+            BufferedReader ipReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(masterFilePath)));
+            String masterNode = ipReader.readLine();
+            ipReader.close();
 
-        IHyracksClientConnection hcc = new HyracksConnection(ipAddress, port);
+            InetAddress[] ips = InetAddress.getAllByName(masterNode);
+            int port = Integer.parseInt(clusterProps.getProperty("CC_CLIENTPORT"));
+            for (InetAddress ip : ips) {
+                if (ip.getAddress().length <= 4) {
+                    try {
+                        hcc = new HyracksConnection(ip.getHostAddress(), port);
+                        break;
+                    } catch (Exception e) {
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        String applicationName = "hivesterix";
         long start = System.currentTimeMillis();
         JobId jobId = hcc.startJob(applicationName, job);
         hcc.waitForCompletion(jobId);
diff --git a/hivesterix-dist/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/test/base/AbstractTestSuiteClass.java b/hivesterix-dist/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/test/base/AbstractTestSuiteClass.java
index e455527..802777c 100644
--- a/hivesterix-dist/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/test/base/AbstractTestSuiteClass.java
+++ b/hivesterix-dist/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/hivesterix/test/base/AbstractTestSuiteClass.java
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package edu.uci.ics.hivesterix.test.base;
 
 import java.io.BufferedReader;
-import java.io.DataInputStream;
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileInputStream;
 import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
@@ -9,6 +8,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.InputStreamReader;
+import java.net.InetAddress;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Iterator;
@@ -45,8 +45,9 @@
     private static final String PATH_TO_DATA = "src/test/resources/runtimefunctionts/data/";
 
     private static final String clusterPropertiesPath = "conf/cluster.properties";
-    private Properties clusterProps;
+    private static final String masterFilePath = "conf/master";
 
+    private Properties clusterProps;
     private MiniDFSCluster dfsCluster;
     private MiniMRCluster mrCluster;
 
@@ -109,11 +110,16 @@
             clusterProps.load(confIn);
             confIn.close();
         }
-        Process process = Runtime.getRuntime().exec("src/main/resources/scripts/getip.sh");
-        BufferedReader ipReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(
-                new DataInputStream(process.getInputStream())));
-        String ipAddress = ipReader.readLine();
+        BufferedReader ipReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(masterFilePath)));
+        String masterNode = ipReader.readLine();
         ipReader.close();
+        InetAddress[] ips = InetAddress.getAllByName(masterNode);
+        String ipAddress = null;
+        for (InetAddress ip : ips) {
+            if (ip.getAddress().length <= 4) {
+                ipAddress = ip.getHostAddress();
+            }
+        }
         int clientPort = Integer.parseInt(clusterProps.getProperty("CC_CLIENTPORT"));
         int netPort = Integer.parseInt(clusterProps.getProperty("CC_CLUSTERPORT"));
         String applicationName = "hivesterix";