diff --git a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster/kickstarter.js b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster/kickstarter.js
index 35393d1558..79cdfb072e 100644
--- a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster/kickstarter.js
+++ b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster/kickstarter.js
@@ -312,6 +312,17 @@ launchActions.startServers = function (dispatchers, cmd, isRelaunch) {
           "pids": pids, "endpoints": endpoints, "roles": roles};
 };
 
+launchActions.createSysColls = function (dispatchers, cmd) {
+  var url = cmd.url + "/_api/collection";
+  var o = { "method": "POST" };
+  var collinfo = { "name": "_aal", "isSystem": true, "numberOfShards": 1 };
+  download(url+/_api/collection, JSON.stringify(collinfo), o);
+  collinfo.name = "...";
+  download(url+/_api/collection, JSON.stringify(collinfo), o);
+  collinfo.name = "...";
+  download(url+/_api/collection, JSON.stringify(collinfo), o);
+}
+
 shutdownActions.startAgent = function (dispatchers, cmd, run) {
   console.info("Shutting down agent %s", run.pid);
   killExternal(run.pid);
diff --git a/kill_cluster.js b/kill_cluster.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7279151f8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kill_cluster.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+var Planner = require("org/arangodb/cluster").Planner;
+var Kickstarter = require("org/arangodb/cluster").Kickstarter;
+var p = new Planner({});
+var k = new Kickstarter(p.getPlan());
+var fs = require("fs");
+k.runInfo = JSON.parse(fs.read("runInfo.json"));
+k.shutdown();
+k.cleanup();
+
diff --git a/launch_cluster.js b/launch_cluster.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ee22b60f13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/launch_cluster.js
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+var Planner = require("org/arangodb/cluster").Planner;
+var Kickstarter = require("org/arangodb/cluster").Kickstarter;
+var p = new Planner({});
+var k = new Kickstarter(p.getPlan());
+var r = k.launch();
+var fs = require("fs");
+fs.write("runInfo.json",JSON.stringify(r));
+