diff --git a/xCAT-server-2.0/share/xcat/scripts/setup-local-client.sh b/xCAT-server-2.0/share/xcat/scripts/setup-local-client.sh
index 67b351682..01b8235b2 100755
--- a/xCAT-server-2.0/share/xcat/scripts/setup-local-client.sh
+++ b/xCAT-server-2.0/share/xcat/scripts/setup-local-client.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,6 @@
 
 # IBM(c) 2007 EPL license http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
-# not sure about this logic 
-#	- it seems most(or all) of the time when using a socket
-#	     the gettab call will fail since the certificates are
-#	     not ready or have changed?
-#	- how would the user specify some other XCATDIR?
 
-#XCATDIR=`gettab key=xcatconfdir site.value`
 
 if [ -z "$XCATDIR" ]; then
   XCATDIR=/etc/xcat
@@ -15,7 +9,22 @@ if [ -z "$1" ]; then
   set `whoami`
 fi
 CNA="$*"
-USERHOME=`getent passwd $1|awk -F: '{print $6}'`
+
+#  getent doesn't exist on AIX
+if [ -x getent ];then
+ USERHOME=`getent passwd $1|awk -F: '{print $6}'`
+else
+ USERHOME=`grep ^$1 /etc/passwd | cut -d: -f6`
+fi
+
+# the home dir for root is "/" on AIX 
+#  - need to avoid "//.xcat" below
+#  -  should probably redo the logic below at some point
+if test $USERHOME = /
+then
+  USERHOME=
+fi
+
 XCATCADIR=$XCATDIR/ca
 
 if [ -e $USERHOME/.xcat ]; then
@@ -47,7 +56,7 @@ fi
 
 cp root.cert $USERHOME/.xcat/client-cert.pem
 cp ca-cert.pem $USERHOME/.xcat/ca.pem
-chown $1 -R $USERHOME/.xcat
+chown -R $1 $USERHOME/.xcat
 find $USERHOME/.xcat -type f -exec chmod 600 {} \;
 find $USERHOME/.xcat -type d -exec chmod 700 {} \;
 cd -