diff --git a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Utils.pm b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Utils.pm
index 6b7c4de26..fa1d06c26 100644
--- a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Utils.pm
+++ b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Utils.pm
@@ -2799,13 +2799,115 @@ sub getNodeIPaddress
         }
     }
 
+    #modified by yinle, need to make sure that user would not define 
+    #cec and frame in hosts table
+    my @children;
+    my $c1;
+    my $ips;
+    unless ( $nodeip ) {
+        my $nttab  = xCAT::Table->new('nodetype');    
+        if ( $nttab ) {
+            my $type = 	$nttab->getNodeAttribs($nodetocheck, ['nodetype']);
+            if ($type) {
+                if ($type->{nodetype} eq "frame" or $type->{nodetype} eq "cec")  {
+                	$c1 = getchildren($nodetocheck);
+                	if ( $c1 ) {
+                		$ips = join ",", @$c1;
+                        return \$ips;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+        	
+    	    
     if ( $nodeip ) {
         return $nodeip;
     } else {
         return undef;
     }
 }
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+=head3   getchildren
+    returns fsp(or bpa) of the specified cec(or frame),
+    only support the condition that definition of fsp/bpa is IP address.
+    Arguments:
+        none
+    Returns:
+        refrence of fsp/bpa hostnames (IPs)
+    Globals:
+        %PARENT_CHILDREN
+    Error:
+        none
+    Example:
+         $c1 = getchildren($nodetocheck);
+    Comments:
+        none
+=cut
+
+#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+sub getchildren
+{
+	my $parent = shift;
+	my @children = ();
+    if (!%::PARENT_CHILDREN) {
+    	my $ppctab  = xCAT::Table->new( 'ppc' );
+    	my @ps = $ppctab->getAllNodeAttribs(['node','parent']);
+    	for my $entry ( @ps ) {
+    		my $p = $entry->{parent};
+    	    my $c = $entry->{node};
+    	    #just return fsp or bpa, need to make sure
+    	    #we won't allow user to define fsp/bpa
+    	    if ( $p and ($c =~ /\d+\.\d+\.\d+\.\d+/)) {   
+    		    push @{$::PARENT_CHILDREN{$p}}, $c;
+    		}
+    	}
+    	foreach (@{$::PARENT_CHILDREN{$parent}}) {
+    		push @children, $_;
+    	}
+    } else {
+    	if (exists($::PARENT_CHILDREN{$parent})) {
+    	    foreach (@{$::PARENT_CHILDREN{$parent}}) {
+    		    push @children, $_;
+    	    }
+    	}
+    }
+    return \@children;
+}
+    	
+##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+#
+#=head3   getparent
+# still need to deside if needed
+#=cut
+#
+##-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+#
+#sub getparent
+#{
+#	my $child = shift;
+#	my $parent;
+#    if (!%::CHILDREN_PARENT) {
+#    	my $ppctab  = xCAT::Table->new( 'ppc' );
+#    	my @ps = $ppctab->getAllNodeAttribs(['node','parent']);
+#    	for my $entry ( @ps ) {
+#    		my $c = $entry->{node};
+#    		my $p = $entry->{parent};
+#    		if ( $p ) ) {
+#    		    $::CHILDREN_PARENT{$c} = $p;
+#    		}
+#    	}
+#    } else {
+#    	if (exists($::CHILDREN_PARENT{$child})) {
+#    	    $parent = $::CHILDREN_PARENT{$child};
+#    	}
+#    } 
+#    return \$parent;   
+#}	
+	
+	
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 =head3   thishostisnot