diff --git a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Client.pm b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Client.pm
index bc090c890..888c9242a 100644
--- a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Client.pm
+++ b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Client.pm
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@ sub submit_request {
 
         # Load plugins from either specified or default dir
         require xCAT::Table;
+        populate_site_hash();
         my %cmd_handlers;
         my @plugins_dirs = split('\:', $ENV{XCATBYPASS});
         if (-d $plugins_dirs[0]) {
@@ -192,8 +193,6 @@ sub submit_request {
             scan_plugins();
         }
 
-        populate_site_hash();
-
         #  don't do XML transformation -- assume request is well-formed
         #  my $xmlreq=XMLout($request,RootName=>xcatrequest,NoAttr=>1,KeyAttr=>[]);
         #  $request = XMLin($xmlreq,SuppressEmpty=>undef,ForceArray=>1) ;
diff --git a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Table.pm b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Table.pm
index 99bf2210c..103f8a09a 100644
--- a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Table.pm
+++ b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Table.pm
@@ -2312,10 +2312,6 @@ sub setNodesAttribs {
 #--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 sub getNodesAttribs {
     my $self = shift;
-    if ($dbworkerpid > 0) {
-        return dbc_call($self, 'getNodesAttribs', @_);
-    }
-    $self->trace_db(START_TYPE);
     my $nodelist = shift;
     unless ($nodelist) { $nodelist = []; } #common to be invoked with undef seemingly
     my %options = ();
@@ -2326,6 +2322,21 @@ sub getNodesAttribs {
     } else {
         @attribs = @_;
     }
+
+    if (!exists($options{hierarchy_attrs})) {
+        my @hierarchy_attrs = ();
+        my $hierarchy_field = xCAT::TableUtils->get_site_attribute("hierarchicalattrs");
+        if ($hierarchy_field) {
+            @hierarchy_attrs = split(/,/, $hierarchy_field);
+        }
+        $options{hierarchy_attrs} = \@hierarchy_attrs;
+    }
+
+    if ($dbworkerpid > 0) {
+        return dbc_call($self, 'getNodesAttribs', $nodelist, \@attribs, %options);
+    }
+
+    $self->trace_db(START_TYPE);
     my @realattribs = @attribs; #store off the requester attribute list, the cached columns may end up being a superset and we shouldn't return more than asked
       #it should also be the case that cache will be used if it already is in play even if below cache threshold.  This would be desired behavior
     if (scalar(@$nodelist) > $cachethreshold) {
@@ -2348,12 +2359,12 @@ sub getNodesAttribs {
         $self->{nodelist}->{_use_cache} = 1;
     }
     my $rethash;
-    my @hierarchy_attrs = ();
-    my $hierarchy_field = xCAT::TableUtils->get_site_attribute("hierarchicalattrs");
-    if ($hierarchy_field) {
-        @hierarchy_attrs = split(/,/, $hierarchy_field);
-    }
-    $options{hierarchy_attrs} = \@hierarchy_attrs;
+    #my @hierarchy_attrs = ();
+    #my $hierarchy_field = xCAT::TableUtils->get_site_attribute("hierarchicalattrs");
+    #if ($hierarchy_field) {
+    #    @hierarchy_attrs = split(/,/, $hierarchy_field);
+    #}
+    #$options{hierarchy_attrs} = \@hierarchy_attrs;
     foreach (@$nodelist) {
         my @nodeentries = $self->getNodeAttribs($_, \@realattribs, %options);
         $rethash->{$_} = \@nodeentries;    #$self->getNodeAttribs($_,\@attribs);
@@ -2732,20 +2743,10 @@ sub transRegexAttrs
 sub getNodeAttribs
 {
     my $self = shift;
-    if ($dbworkerpid > 0) { #TODO: should this be moved outside of the DB worker entirely?  I'm thinking so, but I don't dare do so right now...
-         #the benefit would be the potentially computationally intensive substitution logic would be moved out and less time inside limited
-         #db worker scope
-        return dbc_call($self, 'getNodeAttribs', @_);
-    }
-    $self->trace_db(START_TYPE);
-
-    if (!defined($self->{dbh})) {
-        xCAT::MsgUtils->message("S", "xcatd: DBI is missing, Please check the db access process.");
-        return undef;
-    }
     my $node = shift;
-    my @attribs;
+
     my %options = ();
+    my @attribs;
     if (ref $_[0]) {
         @attribs = @{ shift() };
         %options = @_;
@@ -2761,6 +2762,17 @@ sub getNodeAttribs
         }
         $options{hierarchy_attrs} = \@hierarchy_attrs;
     }
+    if ($dbworkerpid > 0) { #TODO: should this be moved outside of the DB worker entirely?  I'm thinking so, but I don't dare do so right now...
+         #the benefit would be the potentially computationally intensive substitution logic would be moved out and less time inside limited
+         #db worker scope
+        return dbc_call($self, 'getNodeAttribs', $node, \@attribs, %options);
+    }
+    $self->trace_db(START_TYPE);
+
+    if (!defined($self->{dbh})) {
+        xCAT::MsgUtils->message("S", "xcatd: DBI is missing, Please check the db access process.");
+        return undef;
+    }
 
     my $datum;
     my $oldusecache;
diff --git a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/TableUtils.pm b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/TableUtils.pm
index 8fde01aa3..472a2aedc 100755
--- a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/TableUtils.pm
+++ b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/TableUtils.pm
@@ -1261,27 +1261,28 @@ sub getAppStatus
   get_site_attribute
 
 	Arguments:
-
+                $attribute -- the attribute you want to get
+                $dvalue    -- Optional, the default string value if the attribute does not exist
 	Returns:
 	    The value of the attribute requested from the site table
-	Globals:
-		none
-	Error:
-		undef
-	Example:
-	   @attr=xCAT::TableUtils->get_site_attribute($attribute);
-	Comments:
-		none
+        Globals:
+                %::XCATSITEVALS
+        Error:
+                undef
+        Example:
+           @attr=xCAT::TableUtils->get_site_attribute($attribute);
+        Comments:
+                none
 
 =cut
 
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------
 sub get_site_attribute
 {
-    my ($class, $attr) = @_;
+    my ($class, $attr, $dvalue) = @_;
 
     my $values;
-    if (defined($::XCATSITEVALS{$attr})) {
+    if (%::XCATSITEVALS) {
         $values = ($::XCATSITEVALS{$attr});
     } else {
         my $sitetab = xCAT::Table->new('site');
@@ -1300,7 +1301,8 @@ sub get_site_attribute
 
         }
     }
-    return $values;
+    return $values if ( defined $values);
+    return $dvalue;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/xCAT-server/sbin/xcatd b/xCAT-server/sbin/xcatd
index 7a037e2e1..b9729d12c 100755
--- a/xCAT-server/sbin/xcatd
+++ b/xCAT-server/sbin/xcatd
@@ -970,6 +970,10 @@ if (defined $pid_init) {
         %cmd_handlers = %{ fd_retrieve($readpipe) };
     } else {
         $$progname = "xcatd: plugin initialization";
+        if (xCAT::Utils->isServiceNode()) {
+            # Cache the site hash to accelerate the speed of init_plugins on SN
+            populate_site_hash();
+        }
         scan_plugins($writepipe);
         exit(0);
     }