diff --git a/commands/cluster_command.go b/commands/cluster_command.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 05f78fb..0000000
--- a/commands/cluster_command.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,35 +0,0 @@
-/*
- (c) Copyright [2023] Open Text.
- Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- You may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- You may obtain a copy of the License at
-
- http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-
- Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- limitations under the License.
-*/
-
-package commands
-
-import (
-	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops"
-	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/vlog"
-)
-
-type ClusterCommand interface {
-	CommandType() string
-	Parse(argv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error
-
-	/* TODO: Analyze information about the state of
-	 * the cluster. The information could be
-	 * cached in a config file or constructed through
-	 * cluster discovery.
-	 */
-	Analyze(logger vlog.Printer) error
-	Run(vcc vclusterops.ClusterCommands) error
-	PrintUsage(string)
-}
diff --git a/commands/cluster_command_launcher.go b/commands/cluster_command_launcher.go
index 4403337..a506baf 100644
--- a/commands/cluster_command_launcher.go
+++ b/commands/cluster_command_launcher.go
@@ -28,41 +28,13 @@ import (
 	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/vlog"
 )
 
-/* ClusterCommandLauncher
- * A class that encapsulates the data and steps
- * of a CLI program for run cluster operations. Similar
- * to commandLineCtrl.py from Admintools.
- *
- * Main programs instaniate ClusterCommandLauncher with
- * makeClusterCommandLauncher. The main program calls the Run() method
- * with command line arguments. Run() returns errors.
- *
- */
-type ClusterCommandLauncher struct {
-	argv     []string
-	commands map[string]ClusterCommand
-}
-
-/* minArgs - the minimum number of arguments
- * that the program expects.
- *
- * The command lines that we expect to parse
- * look like:
- * vcluster <subcommand> [options] [args]
- *
- * Examples:
- * vcluster help
- * vcluster create_db --db-name db1
- *
- *
- */
-const minArgs = 2
-const helpString = "help"
 const defaultLogPath = "/opt/vertica/log/vcluster.log"
 const defaultExecutablePath = "/opt/vertica/bin/vcluster"
 
 const CLIVersion = "1.2.0"
 const vclusterLogPathEnv = "VCLUSTER_LOG_PATH"
+const vclusterKeyPathEnv = "VCLUSTER_KEY_PATH"
+const vclusterCertPathEnv = "VCLUSTER_CERT_PATH"
 
 // *Flag is for the flag name, *Key is for viper key name
 // They are bound together
@@ -83,8 +55,14 @@ const (
 	ipv6Key                     = "ipv6"
 	eonModeFlag                 = "eon-mode"
 	eonModeKey                  = "eonMode"
+	configParamFlag             = "config-param"
+	configParamKey              = "configParam"
 	logPathFlag                 = "log-path"
 	logPathKey                  = "logPath"
+	keyPathFlag                 = "key-path"
+	keyPathKey                  = "keyPath"
+	certPathFlag                = "cert-path"
+	certPathKey                 = "certPath"
 	passwordFlag                = "password"
 	passwordKey                 = "password"
 	passwordFileFlag            = "password-file"
@@ -109,7 +87,10 @@ var flagKeyMap = map[string]string{
 	communalStorageLocationFlag: communalStorageLocationKey,
 	ipv6Flag:                    ipv6Key,
 	eonModeFlag:                 eonModeKey,
+	configParamFlag:             configParamKey,
 	logPathFlag:                 logPathKey,
+	keyPathFlag:                 keyPathKey,
+	certPathFlag:                certPathKey,
 	passwordFlag:                passwordKey,
 	passwordFileFlag:            passwordFileKey,
 	readPasswordFromPromptFlag:  readPasswordFromPromptKey,
@@ -119,16 +100,33 @@ var flagKeyMap = map[string]string{
 }
 
 const (
-	createDBSubCmd = "create_db"
-	stopDBSubCmd   = "stop_db"
-	reviveDBSubCmd = "revive_db"
+	createDBSubCmd          = "create_db"
+	stopDBSubCmd            = "stop_db"
+	startDBSubCmd           = "start_db"
+	dropDBSubCmd            = "drop_db"
+	reviveDBSubCmd          = "revive_db"
+	addSCSubCmd             = "db_add_subcluster"
+	removeSCSubCmd          = "db_remove_subcluster"
+	addNodeSubCmd           = "db_add_node"
+	removeNodeSubCmd        = "db_remove_node"
+	restartNodeSubCmd       = "restart_node"
+	reIPSubCmd              = "re_ip"
+	listAllNodesSubCmd      = "list_allnodes"
+	sandboxSubCmd           = "sandbox_subcluster"
+	unsandboxSubCmd         = "unsandbox_subcluster"
+	scrutinizeSubCmd        = "scrutinize"
+	showRestorePointsSubCmd = "show_restore_points"
+	installPkgSubCmd        = "install_packages"
+	configSubCmd            = "config"
 )
 
 // cmdGlobals holds global variables shared by multiple
 // commands
 type cmdGlobals struct {
-	verbose bool
-	file    *os.File
+	verbose  bool
+	file     *os.File
+	keyPath  string
+	certPath string
 }
 
 var (
@@ -216,8 +214,14 @@ func setDBOptionsUsingViper(flag string) error {
 		dbOptions.IPv6 = viper.GetBool(ipv6Key)
 	case eonModeFlag:
 		dbOptions.IsEon = viper.GetBool(eonModeKey)
+	case configParamFlag:
+		dbOptions.ConfigurationParameters = viper.GetStringMapString(configParamKey)
 	case logPathFlag:
 		*dbOptions.LogPath = viper.GetString(logPathKey)
+	case keyPathFlag:
+		globals.keyPath = viper.GetString(keyPathKey)
+	case certPathFlag:
+		globals.certPath = viper.GetString(certPathKey)
 	case verboseFlag:
 		globals.verbose = viper.GetBool(verboseKey)
 	default:
@@ -235,7 +239,10 @@ func configViper(cmd *cobra.Command, flagsInConfig []string) error {
 
 	// log-path is a flag that all the subcommands need
 	flagsInConfig = append(flagsInConfig, logPathFlag)
-
+	// cert-path and key-path are not available for config subcmd
+	if cmd.CalledAs() != configSubCmd {
+		flagsInConfig = append(flagsInConfig, certPathFlag, keyPathFlag)
+	}
 	// bind viper keys to cobra flags
 	for _, flag := range flagsInConfig {
 		if _, ok := flagKeyMap[flag]; !ok {
@@ -252,6 +259,14 @@ func configViper(cmd *cobra.Command, flagsInConfig []string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("fail to bind viper key %q to environment variable %q: %w", logPathKey, vclusterLogPathEnv, err)
 	}
+	err = viper.BindEnv(keyPathKey, vclusterKeyPathEnv)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("fail to bind viper key %q to environment variable %q: %w", keyPathKey, vclusterKeyPathEnv, err)
+	}
+	err = viper.BindEnv(certPathKey, vclusterCertPathEnv)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("fail to bind viper key %q to environment variable %q: %w", certPathKey, vclusterCertPathEnv, err)
+	}
 
 	// load db options from config file to viper
 	// note: config file is not available for create_db and revive_db
@@ -480,148 +495,6 @@ func setLogPathImpl(opsys operatingSystem) string {
 	return filepath.Join(path, "vcluster.log")
 }
 
-// remove this function in VER-92222
-/* ClusterCommandLauncherFactory()
- * Returns a new instance of a ClusterCommandLauncher
- * with some reasonable defaults.
- */
-func MakeClusterCommandLauncher() (ClusterCommandLauncher, vclusterops.VClusterCommands) {
-	// setup logs for command launcher initialization
-	userCommandString := os.Args[1]
-	logger := vlog.Printer{ForCli: true}
-	oldLogPath := parseLogPathArg(os.Args, defaultLogPath)
-	logger.SetupOrDie(oldLogPath)
-	vcc := vclusterops.VClusterCommands{
-		VClusterCommandsLogger: vclusterops.VClusterCommandsLogger{
-			Log: logger.WithName(userCommandString),
-		},
-	}
-	vcc.LogInfo("New vcluster command initialization")
-	newLauncher := ClusterCommandLauncher{}
-	allCommands := constructOldCmds(vcc.GetLog())
-
-	newLauncher.commands = map[string]ClusterCommand{}
-	for _, c := range allCommands {
-		_, existsInMap := newLauncher.commands[c.CommandType()]
-		if existsInMap {
-			// shout loud if there's a programmer error
-			vcc.PrintError("Programmer Error: tried to add command %s to the commands index twice. Check cluster_command_launcher.go",
-				c.CommandType())
-			os.Exit(1)
-		}
-		newLauncher.commands[c.CommandType()] = c
-	}
-
-	return newLauncher, vcc
-}
-
-// remove this function in VER-92222
-// constructCmds returns a list of commands that will be executed
-// by the cluster command launcher.
-func constructOldCmds(_ vlog.Printer) []ClusterCommand {
-	return []ClusterCommand{
-		// db-scope cmds
-		// sc-scope cmds
-		// node-scope cmds
-		// others
-		makeCmdHelp(),
-	}
-}
-
-// remove this function in VER-92222
-/* Run is expected be called by a CLI program
- * Run executes the following algorithm:
- *     + Identifies the appropriate sub-command
- *     + Asks the sub-command to parse the command line
- *     + Loads the configuration file using the vconfig library. (not implemented)
- *     + Asks the sub-command to analyze the command line given the
- *       context from the config file.
- *     + Calls Run() for the sub-command
- *     + Returns any errors to the caller after writing the error to the log
- */
-func (c ClusterCommandLauncher) Run(inputArgv []string, vcc vclusterops.VClusterCommands) error {
-	userCommandString := os.Args[1]
-	c.argv = inputArgv
-	minArgsError := checkMinimumInput(c.argv)
-
-	if minArgsError != nil {
-		vcc.LogError(minArgsError, "fail to check minimum argument")
-		return minArgsError
-	}
-
-	subCommand, idError := identifySubcommand(c.commands, userCommandString, vcc.GetLog())
-
-	if idError != nil {
-		vcc.LogError(idError, "fail to recognize command")
-		return idError
-	}
-
-	parseError := subCommand.Parse(inputArgv[2:], vcc.GetLog())
-	if parseError != nil {
-		vcc.LogError(parseError, "fail to parse command")
-		return parseError
-	}
-
-	/* Special case: help
-	 * If the user asked for help, handle that now
-	 * and then exit. Avoid doing anything else that
-	 * might fail and prevent access to help.
-	 */
-	if subCommand.CommandType() == helpString {
-		subCommand.PrintUsage(subCommand.CommandType())
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	/* TODO: this is where we would read a
-	 * configuration file. Not currently implemented.
-	 */
-	analyzeError := subCommand.Analyze(vcc.GetLog())
-
-	if analyzeError != nil {
-		vcc.LogError(analyzeError, "fail to analyze command")
-		return analyzeError
-	}
-
-	runError := subCommand.Run(vcc)
-	if runError != nil {
-		vcc.LogError(runError, "fail to run command")
-	}
-	return runError
-}
-
-// remove this function in VER-92222
-func identifySubcommand(commands map[string]ClusterCommand, userCommandString string,
-	logger vlog.Printer) (ClusterCommand, error) {
-	command, ok := commands[userCommandString]
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unrecognized command '%s'",
-			userCommandString)
-	}
-
-	logger.Log.Info("Recognized command", "cmd", userCommandString)
-	return command, nil
-}
-
-// remove this function in VER-92222
-func checkMinimumInput(inputArgv []string) error {
-	if len(inputArgv) >= minArgs {
-		return nil
-	}
-	return fmt.Errorf("expected at least %d arguments but found only %d",
-		minArgs,
-		len(inputArgv))
-}
-
-// remove this function in VER-92222
-func parseLogPathArg(argInput []string, defaultPath string) (logPath string) {
-	for idx, arg := range argInput {
-		if arg == "--log-path" {
-			return argInput[idx+1]
-		}
-	}
-	return defaultPath
-}
-
 func closeFile(f *os.File) {
 	if f != nil && f != os.Stdout {
 		if err := f.Close(); err != nil {
diff --git a/commands/cmd_add_node.go b/commands/cmd_add_node.go
index 16fe1db..12da041 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_add_node.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_add_node.go
@@ -32,8 +32,6 @@ import (
  */
 type CmdAddNode struct {
 	addNodeOptions *vclusterops.VAddNodeOptions
-	// Comma-separated list of hosts to add
-	newHostListStr string
 	// Comma-separated list of node names, which exist in the cluster
 	nodeNameListStr string
 
@@ -49,7 +47,7 @@ func makeCmdAddNode() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"db_add_node",
+		addNodeSubCmd,
 		"Add host(s) to an existing database",
 		`This subcommand adds one or more hosts to an existing database.
 
@@ -90,10 +88,10 @@ Examples:
 
 // setLocalFlags will set the local flags the command has
 func (c *CmdAddNode) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(
-		&c.newHostListStr,
+	cmd.Flags().StringSliceVar(
+		&c.addNodeOptions.NewHosts,
 		"add",
-		"",
+		[]string{},
 		"Comma-separated list of host(s) to add to the database",
 	)
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(
@@ -129,10 +127,6 @@ func (c *CmdAddNode) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdAddNode) CommandType() string {
-	return "db_add_node"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdAddNode) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
@@ -147,7 +141,12 @@ func (c *CmdAddNode) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 func (c *CmdAddNode) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
 
-	err := c.parseNewHostList()
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.addNodeOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = c.parseNewHostList()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -164,15 +163,16 @@ func (c *CmdAddNode) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	return c.setDBPassword(&c.addNodeOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 }
 
-// ParseNewHostList converts the string list of hosts, to add, into a slice of strings.
-// The hosts should be separated by comma, and will be converted to lower case.
+// parseNewHostList trims and lowercases the hosts in --add
 func (c *CmdAddNode) parseNewHostList() error {
-	inputHostList, err := util.SplitHosts(c.newHostListStr)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("must specify at least one host to add: %w", err)
+	if len(c.addNodeOptions.NewHosts) > 0 {
+		err := util.ParseHostList(&c.addNodeOptions.NewHosts)
+		if err != nil {
+			// the err from util.ParseHostList will be "must specify a host or host list"
+			// we overwrite the error here to provide more details
+			return fmt.Errorf("must specify at least one host to add")
+		}
 	}
-
-	c.addNodeOptions.NewHosts = inputHostList
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ func (c *CmdAddNode) Run(vcc vclusterops.ClusterCommands) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		vcc.PrintWarning("fail to write config file, details: %s", err)
 	}
-	vcc.PrintInfo("Added nodes %s to database %s", c.newHostListStr, *options.DBName)
+	vcc.PrintInfo("Added nodes %v to database %s", c.addNodeOptions.NewHosts, *options.DBName)
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/commands/cmd_add_subcluster.go b/commands/cmd_add_subcluster.go
index 7a976d1..3b89a8f 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_add_subcluster.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_add_subcluster.go
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func makeCmdAddSubcluster() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"db_add_subcluster",
+		addSCSubCmd,
 		"Add a subcluster",
 		`This subcommand adds a new subcluster to an existing Eon Mode database.
 
@@ -120,10 +120,6 @@ func (c *CmdAddSubcluster) setHiddenFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	hideLocalFlags(cmd, []string{"sc-hosts", "like"})
 }
 
-func (c *CmdAddSubcluster) CommandType() string {
-	return "db_add_subcluster"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdAddSubcluster) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
@@ -133,7 +129,12 @@ func (c *CmdAddSubcluster) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error
 // all validations of the arguments should go in here
 func (c *CmdAddSubcluster) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
-	err := c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.addSubclusterOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.addSubclusterOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.addSubclusterOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/commands/cmd_base.go b/commands/cmd_base.go
index e11f25d..d455664 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_base.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_base.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 package commands
 
 import (
-	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
@@ -37,11 +36,9 @@ const (
  * Basic/common fields of vcluster commands
  */
 type CmdBase struct {
-	argv      []string
-	parser    *pflag.FlagSet
-	oldParser *flag.FlagSet // remove this variable in VER-92222
+	argv   []string
+	parser *pflag.FlagSet
 
-	hostListStr *string // raw string from user input, need further processing
 	// remove below two fields in VER-92369
 	isEon *bool // need further processing to see if the user inputted this flag or not
 	ipv6  *bool // need further processing to see if the user inputted this flag or not
@@ -53,47 +50,6 @@ type CmdBase struct {
 	readPasswordFromPrompt bool
 }
 
-// print usage of a command
-func (c *CmdBase) PrintUsage(commandType string) {
-	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr,
-		"Please refer the usage of \"vcluster %s\" using \"vcluster %s --help\"\n",
-		commandType, commandType)
-}
-
-// parse argv
-func (c *CmdBase) ParseArgv() error {
-	parserError := c.oldParser.Parse(c.argv)
-	if parserError != nil {
-		return parserError
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// validate and parse argv
-func (c *CmdBase) ValidateParseArgv(commandType string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
-	logger.LogArgParse(&c.argv)
-	return c.ValidateParseArgvHelper(commandType)
-}
-
-// validate and parse masked argv
-// Some database actions, such as createDB and reviveDB, need to mask sensitive parameters in the log
-func (c *CmdBase) ValidateParseMaskedArgv(commandType string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
-	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
-	return c.ValidateParseArgvHelper(commandType)
-}
-
-func (c *CmdBase) ValidateParseArgvHelper(commandType string) error {
-	if c.oldParser == nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("unexpected nil - the parser was nil")
-	}
-	if len(c.argv) == 0 {
-		c.PrintUsage(commandType)
-		return fmt.Errorf("zero args found, at least one argument expected")
-	}
-	return c.ParseArgv()
-}
-
 // ValidateParseBaseOptions will validate and parse the required base options in each command
 func (c *CmdBase) ValidateParseBaseOptions(opt *vclusterops.DatabaseOptions) error {
 	// parse raw hosts
@@ -123,7 +79,7 @@ func (c *CmdBase) SetParser(parser *pflag.FlagSet) {
 func (c *CmdBase) SetIPv6(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(
 		c.ipv6,
-		"ipv6",
+		ipv6Flag,
 		false,
 		"Whether the hosts are using IPv6 addresses",
 	)
@@ -152,6 +108,25 @@ func (c *CmdBase) setCommonFlags(cmd *cobra.Command, flags []string) {
 		false,
 		"Show the details of VCluster run in the console",
 	)
+	// keyPath and certPath are flags that all subcommands require, except for the config subcommand
+	if cmd.Name() != configSubCmd {
+		cmd.Flags().StringVar(
+			&globals.keyPath,
+			keyPathFlag,
+			"",
+			"Path to the key file",
+		)
+		markFlagsFileName(cmd, map[string][]string{keyPathFlag: {"key"}})
+
+		cmd.Flags().StringVar(
+			&globals.certPath,
+			certPathFlag,
+			"",
+			"Path to the cert file",
+		)
+		markFlagsFileName(cmd, map[string][]string{certPathFlag: {"pem", "crt"}})
+		cmd.MarkFlagsRequiredTogether(keyPathFlag, certPathFlag)
+	}
 	if util.StringInArray(outputFileFlag, flags) {
 		cmd.Flags().StringVarP(
 			&c.output,
@@ -236,6 +211,13 @@ func setConfigFlags(cmd *cobra.Command, flags []string) {
 			util.GetEonFlagMsg("indicate if the database is an Eon db."+
 				" Use it when you do not trust "+vclusterops.ConfigFileName))
 	}
+	if util.StringInArray(configParamFlag, flags) {
+		cmd.Flags().StringToStringVar(
+			&dbOptions.ConfigurationParameters,
+			configParamFlag,
+			map[string]string{},
+			"Comma-separated list of NAME=VALUE pairs of existing configuration parameters")
+	}
 }
 
 // setPasswordFlags sets all the password flags
@@ -267,7 +249,7 @@ func (c *CmdBase) setPasswordFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 // ResetUserInputOptions reset password option to nil in each command
 // if it is not provided in cli
 func (c *CmdBase) ResetUserInputOptions(opt *vclusterops.DatabaseOptions) {
-	if !c.parser.Changed("password") {
+	if !c.parser.Changed(passwordFlag) {
 		opt.Password = nil
 	}
 }
@@ -276,7 +258,7 @@ func (c *CmdBase) ResetUserInputOptions(opt *vclusterops.DatabaseOptions) {
 // OldResetUserInputOptions reset password and ipv6 options to nil in each command
 // if they are not provided in cli
 func (c *CmdBase) OldResetUserInputOptions() {
-	if !c.parser.Changed("ipv6") {
+	if !c.parser.Changed(ipv6Flag) {
 		c.ipv6 = nil
 	}
 }
@@ -330,38 +312,6 @@ func (c *CmdBase) setDBPassword(opt *vclusterops.DatabaseOptions) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// remove this function in VER-92222
-// ValidateParseBaseOptions will validate and parse the required base options in each command
-func (c *CmdBase) OldValidateParseBaseOptions(opt *vclusterops.DatabaseOptions) error {
-	// parse raw host str input into a []string
-	err := c.parseHostList(opt)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	// parse IsEon
-	opt.OldIsEon.FromBoolPointer(c.isEon)
-	// parse Ipv6
-	opt.OldIpv6.FromBoolPointer(c.ipv6)
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// remove this function in VER-92222
-// convert a host string into a list of hosts,
-// save the list into options.RawHosts;
-// the hosts should be separated by comma, and will be converted to lower case
-func (c *CmdBase) parseHostList(options *vclusterops.DatabaseOptions) error {
-	if *c.hostListStr != "" {
-		inputHostList, err := util.SplitHosts(*c.hostListStr)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		options.RawHosts = inputHostList
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
 // usePassword returns true if at least one of the password
 // flags is passed in the cli
 func (c *CmdBase) usePassword() bool {
@@ -394,3 +344,22 @@ func (c *CmdBase) initCmdOutputFile() (*os.File, error) {
 	}
 	return os.OpenFile(c.output, os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE|os.O_TRUNC, outputFilePerm)
 }
+
+// getCertFilesFromPaths will update cert and key file from cert path options
+func (c *CmdBase) getCertFilesFromCertPaths(opt *vclusterops.DatabaseOptions) error {
+	if globals.certPath != "" {
+		certData, err := os.ReadFile(globals.certPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read certificate file, details %w", err)
+		}
+		opt.Cert = string(certData)
+	}
+	if globals.keyPath != "" {
+		keyData, err := os.ReadFile(globals.keyPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read private key file, details %w", err)
+		}
+		opt.Key = string(keyData)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/commands/cmd_config.go b/commands/cmd_config.go
index 4040345..9c36841 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_config.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_config.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func makeCmdConfig() *cobra.Command {
 	newCmd := &CmdConfig{}
 	cmd := makeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"config",
+		configSubCmd,
 		"Show the content of the config file",
 		`This subcommand is used to print the content of the config file.
 
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ Examples:
   # show the contents of the config file at /tmp/vertica_cluster.yaml
   vcluster config --show --config /tmp/vertica_cluster.yaml
 `,
-		[]string{"config"},
+		[]string{configFlag},
 	)
 
 	// local flags
@@ -73,10 +73,6 @@ func (c *CmdConfig) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdConfig) CommandType() string {
-	return "config"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdConfig) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogArgParse(&c.argv)
diff --git a/commands/cmd_create_db.go b/commands/cmd_create_db.go
index c22649a..a7e6ccc 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_create_db.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_create_db.go
@@ -31,15 +31,12 @@ import (
  */
 
 type CmdCreateDB struct {
-	createDBOptions    *vclusterops.VCreateDatabaseOptions
-	configParamListStr *string // raw input from user, need further processing
-
+	createDBOptions *vclusterops.VCreateDatabaseOptions
 	CmdBase
 }
 
 func makeCmdCreateDB() *cobra.Command {
 	newCmd := &CmdCreateDB{}
-	newCmd.configParamListStr = new(string)
 	opt := vclusterops.VCreateDatabaseOptionsFactory()
 	newCmd.createDBOptions = &opt
 
@@ -68,7 +65,7 @@ Examples:
   --data-path <data-path> --config-pram <key1=value1,key2=value2,key3=value3> --config <config_file>
 `,
 		[]string{dbNameFlag, hostsFlag, catalogPathFlag, dataPathFlag, depotPathFlag,
-			communalStorageLocationFlag, passwordFlag, configFlag, ipv6Flag},
+			communalStorageLocationFlag, passwordFlag, configFlag, ipv6Flag, configParamFlag},
 	)
 
 	// local flags
@@ -123,12 +120,6 @@ func (c *CmdCreateDB) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 		false,
 		util.GetEonFlagMsg("Read AWS credentials from environment variables"),
 	)
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(
-		c.configParamListStr,
-		"config-param",
-		"",
-		"Comma-separated list of NAME=VALUE pairs for setting database configuration parameters",
-	)
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(
 		c.createDBOptions.P2p,
 		"point-to-point",
@@ -224,14 +215,11 @@ func (c *CmdCreateDB) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// check the format of config param string, and parse it into configParams
-	configParams, err := util.ParseConfigParams(*c.configParamListStr)
+	err = c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.createDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if configParams != nil {
-		c.createDBOptions.ConfigurationParameters = configParams
-	}
+
 	return c.setDBPassword(&c.createDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 }
 
diff --git a/commands/cmd_drop_db.go b/commands/cmd_drop_db.go
index 46aa2d6..1175eea 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_drop_db.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_drop_db.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func makeCmdDropDB() *cobra.Command {
 	// VER-92345 update the long description about the hosts option
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"drop_db",
+		dropDBSubCmd,
 		"Drop a database",
 		`This subcommand drops a stopped database.
 
@@ -78,10 +78,6 @@ func (c *CmdDropDB) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdDropDB) CommandType() string {
-	return "drop_db"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdDropDB) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogArgParse(&c.argv)
@@ -89,7 +85,7 @@ func (c *CmdDropDB) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	// for some options, we do not want to use their default values,
 	// if they are not provided in cli,
 	// reset the value of those options to nil
-	if !c.parser.Changed("ipv6") {
+	if !c.parser.Changed(ipv6Flag) {
 		c.CmdBase.ipv6 = nil
 	}
 
@@ -98,6 +94,10 @@ func (c *CmdDropDB) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 
 func (c *CmdDropDB) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.dropDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	return c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.dropDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 }
 
diff --git a/commands/cmd_help.go b/commands/cmd_help.go
deleted file mode 100644
index a7b1675..0000000
--- a/commands/cmd_help.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,78 +0,0 @@
-/*
- (c) Copyright [2023] Open Text.
- Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- You may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- You may obtain a copy of the License at
-
- http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-
- Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- limitations under the License.
-*/
-
-package commands
-
-import (
-	"flag"
-	"fmt"
-
-	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops"
-	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/vlog"
-)
-
-/* CmdHelp
- *
- * A command providing top-level help on
- * various topics. PrintUsage() will print
- * the requested help.
- *
- * Implements ClusterCommand interface
- */
-type CmdHelp struct {
-	topic *string
-
-	CmdBase
-}
-
-func makeCmdHelp() *CmdHelp {
-	newCmd := &CmdHelp{}
-	newCmd.oldParser = flag.NewFlagSet("help", flag.ExitOnError)
-	newCmd.topic = newCmd.oldParser.String("topic", "", "The topic for more help")
-	return newCmd
-}
-
-func (c *CmdHelp) CommandType() string {
-	return "help"
-}
-
-func (c *CmdHelp) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
-	logger.LogArgParse(&inputArgv)
-
-	if c.oldParser == nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("unexpected nil - the parser was nil")
-	}
-
-	c.argv = inputArgv
-	err := c.ParseArgv()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	return c.validateParse(logger)
-}
-
-func (c *CmdHelp) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
-	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (c *CmdHelp) Analyze(_ vlog.Printer) error {
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (c *CmdHelp) Run(_ vclusterops.ClusterCommands) error {
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/commands/cmd_install_packages.go b/commands/cmd_install_packages.go
index ee4e757..3c9a94e 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_install_packages.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_install_packages.go
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ func makeCmdInstallPackages() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"install_packages",
+		installPkgSubCmd,
 		"Install default package(s) in database",
 		`This subcommand installs default packages in the database.
 
@@ -81,10 +81,6 @@ func (c *CmdInstallPackages) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdInstallPackages) CommandType() string {
-	return "install_packages"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdInstallPackages) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
@@ -99,7 +95,12 @@ func (c *CmdInstallPackages) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) erro
 
 // all validations of the arguments should go in here
 func (c *CmdInstallPackages) validateParse() error {
-	err := c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.installPkgOpts.DatabaseOptions)
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.installPkgOpts.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.installPkgOpts.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/commands/cmd_list_all_nodes.go b/commands/cmd_list_all_nodes.go
index a71ff52..6d176bb 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_list_all_nodes.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_list_all_nodes.go
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ func makeListAllNodes() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"list_allnodes",
+		listAllNodesSubCmd,
 		"List all nodes in the database",
 		`This subcommand queries the status of the nodes in the consensus and prints
 whether they are currently up or down.
@@ -64,10 +64,6 @@ Examples:
 	return cmd
 }
 
-func (c *CmdListAllNodes) CommandType() string {
-	return "list_allnodes"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdListAllNodes) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogArgParse(&c.argv)
@@ -81,8 +77,13 @@ func (c *CmdListAllNodes) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 }
 
 func (c *CmdListAllNodes) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
-	logger.Info("Called validateParse()", "command", c.CommandType())
-	err := c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.fetchNodeStateOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	logger.Info("Called validateParse()", "command", listAllNodesSubCmd)
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.fetchNodeStateOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.fetchNodeStateOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/commands/cmd_re_ip.go b/commands/cmd_re_ip.go
index 8bff8d1..2bdc387 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_re_ip.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_re_ip.go
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func makeCmdReIP() *cobra.Command {
 	// as we need a better example with config file
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"re_ip",
+		reIPSubCmd,
 		"Re-ip database nodes",
 		`This command alters the IP addresses of database nodes in the catalog. 
 However, the database must be offline when running this command. If an IP change 
@@ -85,10 +85,6 @@ func (c *CmdReIP) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdReIP) CommandType() string {
-	return "re_ip"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdReIP) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogArgParse(&c.argv)
@@ -104,6 +100,10 @@ func (c *CmdReIP) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	err = c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.reIPOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	return c.reIPOptions.ReadReIPFile(c.reIPFilePath)
 }
 
diff --git a/commands/cmd_remove_node.go b/commands/cmd_remove_node.go
index 7de95d3..2542bf6 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_remove_node.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_remove_node.go
@@ -16,8 +16,11 @@
 package commands
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops"
+	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/util"
 	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/vlog"
 )
 
@@ -27,8 +30,6 @@ import (
  */
 type CmdRemoveNode struct {
 	removeNodeOptions *vclusterops.VRemoveNodeOptions
-	// Comma-separated list of hosts to remove
-	hostToRemoveListStr string
 
 	CmdBase
 }
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ func makeCmdRemoveNode() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"db_remove_node",
+		removeNodeSubCmd,
 		"Remove host(s) from an existing database",
 		`This subcommand removes one or more nodes from an existing database.
 
@@ -77,10 +78,10 @@ Examples:
 
 // setLocalFlags will set the local flags the command has
 func (c *CmdRemoveNode) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(
-		&c.hostToRemoveListStr,
+	cmd.Flags().StringSliceVar(
+		&c.removeNodeOptions.HostsToRemove,
 		"remove",
-		"",
+		[]string{},
 		"Comma-separated list of host(s) to remove from the database",
 	)
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(
@@ -91,10 +92,6 @@ func (c *CmdRemoveNode) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdRemoveNode) CommandType() string {
-	return "db_remove_node"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdRemoveNode) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
@@ -109,10 +106,16 @@ func (c *CmdRemoveNode) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 func (c *CmdRemoveNode) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
 
-	err := c.removeNodeOptions.ParseHostToRemoveList(c.hostToRemoveListStr)
+	err := c.parseHostToRemoveList()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.removeNodeOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
 	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.removeNodeOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -120,6 +123,19 @@ func (c *CmdRemoveNode) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	return c.setDBPassword(&c.removeNodeOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 }
 
+// parseHostToRemoveList trims and lowercases the hosts in --remove
+func (c *CmdRemoveNode) parseHostToRemoveList() error {
+	if len(c.removeNodeOptions.HostsToRemove) > 0 {
+		err := util.ParseHostList(&c.removeNodeOptions.HostsToRemove)
+		if err != nil {
+			// the err from util.ParseHostList will be "must specify a host or host list"
+			// we overwrite the error here to provide more details
+			return fmt.Errorf("must specify at least one host to remove")
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (c *CmdRemoveNode) Run(vcc vclusterops.ClusterCommands) error {
 	vcc.LogInfo("Called method Run()")
 
@@ -136,7 +152,7 @@ func (c *CmdRemoveNode) Run(vcc vclusterops.ClusterCommands) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	vcc.PrintInfo("Successfully removed nodes %s from database %s", c.hostToRemoveListStr, *options.DBName)
+	vcc.PrintInfo("Successfully removed nodes %v from database %s", c.removeNodeOptions.HostsToRemove, *options.DBName)
 
 	// write cluster information to the YAML config file.
 	err = vdb.WriteClusterConfig(options.ConfigPath, vcc.GetLog())
diff --git a/commands/cmd_remove_subcluster.go b/commands/cmd_remove_subcluster.go
index 66f4966..e2b1e45 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_remove_subcluster.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_remove_subcluster.go
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ func makeCmdRemoveSubcluster() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"db_remove_subcluster",
+		removeSCSubCmd,
 		"Remove a subcluster",
 		`This subcommand removes a subcluster from an existing Eon Mode database.
 
@@ -89,10 +89,6 @@ func (c *CmdRemoveSubcluster) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdRemoveSubcluster) CommandType() string {
-	return "db_remove_subcluster"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdRemoveSubcluster) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
@@ -101,8 +97,12 @@ func (c *CmdRemoveSubcluster) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) err
 
 func (c *CmdRemoveSubcluster) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.removeScOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 
-	err := c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.removeScOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.removeScOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil
 	}
diff --git a/commands/cmd_restart_node.go b/commands/cmd_restart_node.go
index cde345e..206fc44 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_restart_node.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_restart_node.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ type CmdRestartNodes struct {
 	restartNodesOptions *vclusterops.VStartNodesOptions
 
 	// Comma-separated list of vnode=host
-	vnodeListStr *string
+	vnodeListStr map[string]string
 }
 
 func makeCmdRestartNodes() *cobra.Command {
@@ -40,11 +40,10 @@ func makeCmdRestartNodes() *cobra.Command {
 	newCmd.ipv6 = new(bool)
 	opt := vclusterops.VStartNodesOptionsFactory()
 	newCmd.restartNodesOptions = &opt
-	newCmd.vnodeListStr = new(string)
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"restart_node",
+		restartNodeSubCmd,
 		"Restart nodes in the database",
 		`This subcommand starts individual nodes in a running cluster. This differs from
 start_db, which starts Vertica after cluster quorum is lost.
@@ -83,10 +82,10 @@ Examples:
 
 // setLocalFlags will set the local flags the command has
 func (c *CmdRestartNodes) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(
-		c.vnodeListStr,
+	cmd.Flags().StringToStringVar(
+		&c.vnodeListStr,
 		"restart",
-		"",
+		map[string]string{},
 		"Comma-separated list of <node_name=re_ip_host> pairs part of the database nodes that need to be restarted",
 	)
 	cmd.Flags().IntVar(
@@ -97,10 +96,6 @@ func (c *CmdRestartNodes) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdRestartNodes) CommandType() string {
-	return "restart_node"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdRestartNodes) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogArgParse(&c.argv)
@@ -115,10 +110,16 @@ func (c *CmdRestartNodes) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 
 func (c *CmdRestartNodes) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
-	err := c.restartNodesOptions.ParseNodesList(*c.vnodeListStr)
+	err := c.restartNodesOptions.ParseNodesList(c.vnodeListStr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
+	err = c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.restartNodesOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.restartNodesOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/commands/cmd_revive_db.go b/commands/cmd_revive_db.go
index 56c0776..9baf3c5 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_revive_db.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_revive_db.go
@@ -30,8 +30,7 @@ import (
  */
 type CmdReviveDB struct {
 	CmdBase
-	reviveDBOptions     *vclusterops.VReviveDatabaseOptions
-	configurationParams *string // raw input from user, need further processing
+	reviveDBOptions *vclusterops.VReviveDatabaseOptions
 }
 
 func makeCmdReviveDB() *cobra.Command {
@@ -41,7 +40,6 @@ func makeCmdReviveDB() *cobra.Command {
 	opt := vclusterops.VReviveDBOptionsFactory()
 	newCmd.reviveDBOptions = &opt
 	newCmd.reviveDBOptions.CommunalStorageLocation = new(string)
-	newCmd.configurationParams = new(string)
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
@@ -64,13 +62,13 @@ Examples:
 
 	// common db flags
 	newCmd.setCommonFlags(cmd, []string{dbNameFlag, hostsFlag, communalStorageLocationFlag,
-		configFlag, outputFileFlag})
+		configFlag, outputFileFlag, configParamFlag})
 
 	// local flags
 	newCmd.setLocalFlags(cmd)
 
 	// require db-name
-	markFlagsRequired(cmd, []string{"db-name", "communal-storage-location"})
+	markFlagsRequired(cmd, []string{dbNameFlag, communalStorageLocationFlag})
 
 	return cmd
 }
@@ -122,12 +120,6 @@ func (c *CmdReviveDB) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 		"",
 		"The identifier of the restore point in the restore archive to restore from",
 	)
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(
-		c.configurationParams,
-		"config-param",
-		"",
-		"Comma-separated list of NAME=VALUE pairs for configuration parameters",
-	)
 	// only one of restore-point-index or restore-point-id" will be required
 	cmd.MarkFlagsMutuallyExclusive("restore-point-index", "restore-point-id")
 }
@@ -139,7 +131,7 @@ func (c *CmdReviveDB) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	// for some options, we do not want to use their default values,
 	// if they are not provided in cli,
 	// reset the value of those options to nil
-	if !c.parser.Changed("ipv6") {
+	if !c.parser.Changed(ipv6Flag) {
 		c.ipv6 = nil
 	}
 
@@ -149,14 +141,10 @@ func (c *CmdReviveDB) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 func (c *CmdReviveDB) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
 
-	// check the format of configuration params string, and parse it into configParams
-	configurationParams, err := util.ParseConfigParams(*c.configurationParams)
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.reviveDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if configurationParams != nil {
-		c.reviveDBOptions.ConfigurationParameters = configurationParams
-	}
 
 	// when --display-only is provided, we do not need to parse some base options like hostListStr
 	if c.reviveDBOptions.DisplayOnly {
diff --git a/commands/cmd_sandbox.go b/commands/cmd_sandbox.go
index c89ffd1..00f5998 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_sandbox.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_sandbox.go
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ func makeCmdSandboxSubcluster() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"sandbox_subcluster",
+		sandboxSubCmd,
 		"Sandbox a subcluster",
 		`This subcommand sandboxes a subcluster in an existing Eon Mode database.
 
@@ -100,10 +100,6 @@ func (c *CmdSandboxSubcluster) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdSandboxSubcluster) CommandType() string {
-	return "sandbox_subcluster"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdSandboxSubcluster) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
@@ -114,7 +110,12 @@ func (c *CmdSandboxSubcluster) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) er
 func (c *CmdSandboxSubcluster) parseInternal(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called parseInternal()")
 
-	err := c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.sbOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.sbOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.sbOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -128,7 +129,7 @@ func (c *CmdSandboxSubcluster) Analyze(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 
 func (c *CmdSandboxSubcluster) Run(vcc vclusterops.ClusterCommands) error {
 	vcc.PrintInfo("Running sandbox subcluster")
-	vcc.LogInfo("Calling method Run() for command " + c.CommandType())
+	vcc.LogInfo("Calling method Run() for command " + sandboxSubCmd)
 
 	options := c.sbOptions
 	// get config from vertica_cluster.yaml
@@ -138,7 +139,7 @@ func (c *CmdSandboxSubcluster) Run(vcc vclusterops.ClusterCommands) error {
 	}
 	options.Config = config
 	err = vcc.VSandbox(&options)
-	vcc.PrintInfo("Completed method Run() for command " + c.CommandType())
+	vcc.PrintInfo("Completed method Run() for command " + sandboxSubCmd)
 	return err
 }
 
diff --git a/commands/cmd_scrutinize.go b/commands/cmd_scrutinize.go
index def1cb6..95bf00a 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_scrutinize.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_scrutinize.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops"
 	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/vlog"
+	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/vstruct"
 	"github.com/vertica/vertica-kubernetes/pkg/secrets"
 )
 
@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@ func makeCmdScrutinize() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"scrutinize",
+		scrutinizeSubCmd,
 		"Scrutinize a database",
 		`This scrutinizes a database on a given set of hosts.
 		
@@ -189,10 +190,6 @@ func (c *CmdScrutinize) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdScrutinize) CommandType() string {
-	return vclusterops.VScrutinizeTypeName
-}
-
 func (c *CmdScrutinize) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.PrintInfo("Parsing scrutinize command input")
 	c.argv = inputArgv
@@ -201,9 +198,11 @@ func (c *CmdScrutinize) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	// if they are not provided in cli,
 	// reset the value of those options to nil
 	c.OldResetUserInputOptions()
+
+	// remove eomModeFlag check in VER-92369
 	// just so generic parsing works - not relevant for functionality
-	if !c.parser.Changed("eon-mode") {
-		c.ipv6 = nil
+	if !c.parser.Changed(eonModeFlag) {
+		c.sOptions.OldIsEon = vstruct.NotSet
 	}
 
 	// if the tarballName was provided in the cli, we check
@@ -223,8 +222,13 @@ func (c *CmdScrutinize) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 // all validations of the arguments should go in here
 func (c *CmdScrutinize) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.sOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	// parses host list and ipv6 - eon is irrelevant but handled
-	err := c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.sOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.sOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/commands/cmd_show_restore_points.go b/commands/cmd_show_restore_points.go
index 4de7d37..c8a6d8c 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_show_restore_points.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_show_restore_points.go
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ package commands
 import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops"
-	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/util"
 	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/vlog"
 )
 
@@ -29,8 +28,6 @@ import (
 type CmdShowRestorePoints struct {
 	CmdBase
 	showRestorePointsOptions *vclusterops.VShowRestorePointsOptions
-	configurationParams      string // raw input from user, need further processing
-
 }
 
 func makeCmdShowRestorePoints() *cobra.Command {
@@ -42,7 +39,7 @@ func makeCmdShowRestorePoints() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"show_restore_points",
+		showRestorePointsSubCmd,
 		"Query and list restore point(s) in archive(s)",
 		`This subcommand queries and lists restore point(s) in archive(s).
 
@@ -73,8 +70,8 @@ Examples:
 	)
 
 	// common db flags
-	newCmd.setCommonFlags(cmd, []string{dbNameFlag, configFlag, hostsFlag, passwordFlag,
-		communalStorageLocationFlag})
+	newCmd.setCommonFlags(cmd, []string{dbNameFlag, configFlag, passwordFlag, hostsFlag,
+		communalStorageLocationFlag, configParamFlag})
 
 	// local flags
 	newCmd.setLocalFlags(cmd)
@@ -84,12 +81,6 @@ Examples:
 
 // setLocalFlags will set the local flags the command has
 func (c *CmdShowRestorePoints) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(
-		&c.configurationParams,
-		"config-param",
-		"",
-		"Comma-separated list of NAME=VALUE pairs for configuration parameters",
-	)
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(
 		c.showRestorePointsOptions.FilterOptions.ArchiveName,
 		"restore-point-archive",
@@ -122,10 +113,6 @@ func (c *CmdShowRestorePoints) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdShowRestorePoints) CommandType() string {
-	return "show_restore_points"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdShowRestorePoints) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
@@ -141,14 +128,10 @@ func (c *CmdShowRestorePoints) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) er
 func (c *CmdShowRestorePoints) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
 
-	// check the format of configuration params string, and parse it into configParams
-	configurationParams, err := util.ParseConfigParams(c.configurationParams)
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.showRestorePointsOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if configurationParams != nil {
-		c.showRestorePointsOptions.ConfigurationParameters = configurationParams
-	}
 
 	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.showRestorePointsOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/commands/cmd_start_db.go b/commands/cmd_start_db.go
index b316cc4..f1a7ae3 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_start_db.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_start_db.go
@@ -30,12 +30,11 @@ type CmdStartDB struct {
 	CmdBase
 	startDBOptions *vclusterops.VStartDatabaseOptions
 
-	Force               bool   // force cleanup to start the database
-	AllowFallbackKeygen bool   // Generate spread encryption key from Vertica. Use under support guidance only
-	IgnoreClusterLease  bool   // ignore the cluster lease in communal storage
-	Unsafe              bool   // Start database unsafely, skipping recovery.
-	Fast                bool   // Attempt fast startup database
-	configurationParams string // raw input from user, need further processing
+	Force               bool // force cleanup to start the database
+	AllowFallbackKeygen bool // Generate spread encryption key from Vertica. Use under support guidance only
+	IgnoreClusterLease  bool // ignore the cluster lease in communal storage
+	Unsafe              bool // Start database unsafely, skipping recovery.
+	Fast                bool // Attempt fast startup database
 }
 
 func makeCmdStartDB() *cobra.Command {
@@ -49,7 +48,7 @@ func makeCmdStartDB() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"start_db",
+		startDBSubCmd,
 		"Start a database",
 		`This subcommand starts a database on a set of hosts.
 
@@ -68,7 +67,8 @@ Examples:
 	)
 
 	// common db flags
-	newCmd.setCommonFlags(cmd, []string{dbNameFlag, hostsFlag, communalStorageLocationFlag, configFlag, catalogPathFlag, passwordFlag})
+	newCmd.setCommonFlags(cmd, []string{dbNameFlag, hostsFlag, communalStorageLocationFlag,
+		configFlag, catalogPathFlag, passwordFlag, eonModeFlag, configParamFlag})
 
 	// local flags
 	newCmd.setLocalFlags(cmd)
@@ -82,19 +82,6 @@ Examples:
 
 // setLocalFlags will set the local flags the command has
 func (c *CmdStartDB) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
-	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(
-		c.isEon,
-		"eon-mode",
-		false,
-		util.GetEonFlagMsg("indicate if the database is an Eon database."+
-			" Use it when you do not trust "+vclusterops.ConfigFileName),
-	)
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(
-		&c.configurationParams,
-		"config-param",
-		"",
-		"Comma-separated list of NAME=VALUE pairs of existing configuration parameters",
-	)
 	cmd.Flags().IntVar(
 		c.startDBOptions.StatePollingTimeout,
 		"timeout",
@@ -145,35 +132,30 @@ func (c *CmdStartDB) setHiddenFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	hideLocalFlags(cmd, []string{"unsafe", "force", "allow_fallback_keygen", "ignore_cluster_lease", "fast", "trim-hosts"})
 }
 
-func (c *CmdStartDB) CommandType() string {
-	return "start_db"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdStartDB) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
 
+	// remove eonModeFlag check in VER-92369
 	// for some options, we do not want to use their default values,
 	// if they are not provided in cli,
 	// reset the value of those options to nil
-	if !c.parser.Changed("eon-mode") {
+	if !c.parser.Changed(eonModeFlag) {
 		c.CmdBase.isEon = nil
+	} else {
+		*c.CmdBase.isEon = true
 	}
 	c.OldResetUserInputOptions()
 	return c.validateParse(logger)
 }
 
 func (c *CmdStartDB) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
-	logger.Info("Called validateParse()", "command", c.CommandType())
+	logger.Info("Called validateParse()", "command", startDBSubCmd)
 
-	// check the format of configuration params string, and parse it into configParams
-	configurationParams, err := util.ParseConfigParams(c.configurationParams)
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.startDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if configurationParams != nil {
-		c.startDBOptions.ConfigurationParameters = configurationParams
-	}
 
 	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.startDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/commands/cmd_stop_db.go b/commands/cmd_stop_db.go
index 858f791..d8d769b 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_stop_db.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_stop_db.go
@@ -126,7 +126,12 @@ func (c *CmdStopDB) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 // all validations of the arguments should go in here
 func (c *CmdStopDB) validateParse(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called validateParse()")
-	err := c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.stopDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.stopDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.stopDBOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/commands/cmd_unsandbox.go b/commands/cmd_unsandbox.go
index 803ad19..dd33cc2 100644
--- a/commands/cmd_unsandbox.go
+++ b/commands/cmd_unsandbox.go
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func makeCmdUnsandboxSubcluster() *cobra.Command {
 
 	cmd := OldMakeBasicCobraCmd(
 		newCmd,
-		"unsandbox_subcluster",
+		unsandboxSubCmd,
 		"Unsandbox a subcluster",
 		`This subcommand unsandboxes a subcluster in an existing Eon Mode database.
 
@@ -98,10 +98,6 @@ func (c *CmdUnsandboxSubcluster) setLocalFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	)
 }
 
-func (c *CmdUnsandboxSubcluster) CommandType() string {
-	return "unsandbox_subcluster"
-}
-
 func (c *CmdUnsandboxSubcluster) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	c.argv = inputArgv
 	logger.LogMaskedArgParse(c.argv)
@@ -112,7 +108,13 @@ func (c *CmdUnsandboxSubcluster) Parse(inputArgv []string, logger vlog.Printer)
 // ParseInternal parses internal commands for unsandboxed subclusters.
 func (c *CmdUnsandboxSubcluster) parseInternal(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 	logger.Info("Called parseInternal()")
-	err := c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.usOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+
+	err := c.getCertFilesFromCertPaths(&c.usOptions.DatabaseOptions)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = c.ValidateParseBaseOptions(&c.usOptions.DatabaseOptions)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -127,7 +129,7 @@ func (c *CmdUnsandboxSubcluster) Analyze(logger vlog.Printer) error {
 
 func (c *CmdUnsandboxSubcluster) Run(vcc vclusterops.ClusterCommands) error {
 	vcc.PrintInfo("Running unsandbox subcluster")
-	vcc.LogInfo("Calling method Run() for command " + c.CommandType())
+	vcc.LogInfo("Calling method Run() for command " + unsandboxSubCmd)
 
 	options := c.usOptions
 
@@ -138,7 +140,7 @@ func (c *CmdUnsandboxSubcluster) Run(vcc vclusterops.ClusterCommands) error {
 	}
 	options.Config = config
 	err = vcc.VUnsandbox(&options)
-	vcc.PrintInfo("Completed method Run() for command " + c.CommandType())
+	vcc.PrintInfo("Completed method Run() for command " + unsandboxSubCmd)
 	return err
 }
 
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index e783dba..dcc13b3 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -16,46 +16,9 @@
 package main
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
-	"os"
-
 	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/commands"
-	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/util"
 )
 
 func main() {
-	// only keep commands.Execute() in main() in VER-92222
-	var cobraSupportedCmdAndFlags = []string{
-		"-h", "--help",
-		"completion",
-		"create_db",
-		"stop_db",
-		"start_db",
-		"list_allnodes",
-		"restart_node",
-		"drop_db",
-		"revive_db",
-		"re_ip",
-		"scrutinize",
-		"config",
-		"db_add_node",
-		"db_remove_node",
-		"install_packages",
-		"show_restore_points",
-		"db_add_subcluster",
-		"db_remove_subcluster",
-		"sandbox_subcluster",
-		"unsandbox_subcluster",
-	}
-
-	if len(os.Args) == 1 || util.StringInArray(os.Args[1], cobraSupportedCmdAndFlags) {
-		commands.Execute()
-	} else {
-		launcher, vcc := commands.MakeClusterCommandLauncher()
-		runError := launcher.Run(os.Args, vcc)
-		if runError != nil {
-			fmt.Printf("Error during execution: %s\n", runError)
-			os.Exit(1)
-		}
-	}
+	commands.Execute()
 }
diff --git a/vclusterops/cluster_op_engine.go b/vclusterops/cluster_op_engine.go
index b6144bb..8c2b75a 100644
--- a/vclusterops/cluster_op_engine.go
+++ b/vclusterops/cluster_op_engine.go
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func makeClusterOpEngine(instructions []clusterOp, certs *httpsCerts) VClusterOp
 }
 
 func (opEngine *VClusterOpEngine) shouldGetCertsFromOptions() bool {
-	return (opEngine.certs.key != "" && opEngine.certs.cert != "" && opEngine.certs.caCert != "")
+	return (opEngine.certs.key != "" && opEngine.certs.cert != "")
 }
 
 func (opEngine *VClusterOpEngine) run(logger vlog.Printer) error {
diff --git a/vclusterops/http_adapter.go b/vclusterops/http_adapter.go
index edae605..2352efb 100644
--- a/vclusterops/http_adapter.go
+++ b/vclusterops/http_adapter.go
@@ -312,9 +312,11 @@ func (adapter *httpAdapter) buildCertsFromMemory(key, cert, caCert string) (tls.
 	}
 
 	caCertPool := x509.NewCertPool()
-	ok := caCertPool.AppendCertsFromPEM([]byte(caCert))
-	if !ok {
-		return certificate, nil, fmt.Errorf("fail to load HTTPS CA certificates")
+	if caCert != "" {
+		ok := caCertPool.AppendCertsFromPEM([]byte(caCert))
+		if !ok {
+			return certificate, nil, fmt.Errorf("fail to load HTTPS CA certificates")
+		}
 	}
 
 	return certificate, caCertPool, nil
diff --git a/vclusterops/https_get_up_nodes_op.go b/vclusterops/https_get_up_nodes_op.go
index 56586eb..1cbbaed 100644
--- a/vclusterops/https_get_up_nodes_op.go
+++ b/vclusterops/https_get_up_nodes_op.go
@@ -180,6 +180,14 @@ func (op *httpsGetUpNodesOp) processResult(execContext *opEngineExecContext) err
 			continue
 		}
 
+		if op.cmdType == StopDBCmd {
+			err = op.validateHosts(nodesStates)
+			if err != nil {
+				allErrs = errors.Join(allErrs, err)
+				break
+			}
+		}
+
 		// collect all the up hosts
 		err = op.collectUpHosts(nodesStates, host, upHosts, upScInfo, sandboxInfo, upScNodes)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -260,6 +268,34 @@ func (op *httpsGetUpNodesOp) processHostLists(upHosts mapset.Set[string], upScIn
 	return op.noUpHostsOk
 }
 
+// validateHosts can validate if hosts in user input matches the ones in GET /nodes response
+func (op *httpsGetUpNodesOp) validateHosts(nodesStates nodesStateInfo) error {
+	var dbHosts []string
+	dbUnexpected := false
+	unexpectedDBName := ""
+	for _, node := range nodesStates.NodeList {
+		if node.Database != op.DBName {
+			unexpectedDBName = node.Database
+			dbUnexpected = true
+		}
+		dbHosts = append(dbHosts, node.Address)
+	}
+	// when db name does not match, we throw an error
+	if dbUnexpected {
+		unexpectedHosts := util.SliceCommon(op.hosts, dbHosts)
+		return fmt.Errorf(`[%s] unexpected database %q is running on hosts %v. Please ensure the provided hosts or database name are correct`,
+			op.name, unexpectedDBName, unexpectedHosts)
+	}
+	// when hosts from user input do not match the ones from running db, we throw an error
+	unexpectedHosts := util.SliceDiff(op.hosts, dbHosts)
+	if len(unexpectedHosts) > 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf(`[%s] database %q does not contain any nodes on the hosts %v. Please ensure the hosts are correct`,
+			op.name, op.DBName, unexpectedHosts)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (op *httpsGetUpNodesOp) collectUpHosts(nodesStates nodesStateInfo, host string,
 	upHosts mapset.Set[string], upScInfo, sandboxInfo map[string]string, upScNodes mapset.Set[NodeInfo]) (err error) {
 	upMainNodeFound := false
diff --git a/vclusterops/remove_node.go b/vclusterops/remove_node.go
index 6459e97..5a3c711 100644
--- a/vclusterops/remove_node.go
+++ b/vclusterops/remove_node.go
@@ -47,21 +47,6 @@ func (o *VRemoveNodeOptions) setDefaultValues() {
 	*o.ForceDelete = true
 }
 
-// ParseHostToRemoveList converts a comma-separated string list of hosts into a slice of host names
-// to remove from the database. During parsing, the hosts are converted to lowercase.
-// It returns any parsing error encountered.
-func (o *VRemoveNodeOptions) ParseHostToRemoveList(hosts string) error {
-	inputHostList, err := util.SplitHosts(hosts)
-	if err != nil {
-		if len(inputHostList) == 0 {
-			return fmt.Errorf("must specify at least one host to remove")
-		}
-	}
-
-	o.HostsToRemove = inputHostList
-	return nil
-}
-
 func (o *VRemoveNodeOptions) validateRequiredOptions(log vlog.Printer) error {
 	err := o.validateBaseOptions("db_remove_node", log)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/vclusterops/start_node.go b/vclusterops/start_node.go
index 1fcce52..fc7e642 100644
--- a/vclusterops/start_node.go
+++ b/vclusterops/start_node.go
@@ -83,15 +83,12 @@ func (options *VStartNodesOptions) analyzeOptions() (err error) {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// ParseNodesList builds and returns a map of nodes from a comma-separated list of nodes.
-// For example, vnodeName1=host1,vnodeName2=host2 is converted to map[string]string{vnodeName1: host1, vnodeName2: host2}
-func (options *VStartNodesOptions) ParseNodesList(nodeListStr string) error {
-	nodes, err := util.ParseKeyValueListStr(nodeListStr, "restart")
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
+// ParseNodesList resolves hostname in a nodeName-hostname map and build a new map.
+// For example, map[string]string{vnodeName1: host1, vnodeName2: host2} is converted to
+// map[string]string{vnodeName1: 192.168.1.101, vnodeName2: 192.168.1.102}
+func (options *VStartNodesOptions) ParseNodesList(rawNodeMap map[string]string) error {
 	options.Nodes = make(map[string]string)
-	for k, v := range nodes {
+	for k, v := range rawNodeMap {
 		ip, err := util.ResolveToOneIP(v, options.OldIpv6.ToBool())
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
diff --git a/vclusterops/util/util.go b/vclusterops/util/util.go
index 41ad03a..86995a9 100644
--- a/vclusterops/util/util.go
+++ b/vclusterops/util/util.go
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import (
 	"golang.org/x/exp/slices"
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 
+	mapset "github.com/deckarep/golang-set/v2"
 	"github.com/vertica/vcluster/vclusterops/vlog"
 )
 
@@ -130,6 +131,16 @@ func SliceDiff[K comparable](m, n []K) []K {
 	return diff
 }
 
+// calculate and sort array commonalities: m ∩ n
+func SliceCommon[K constraints.Ordered](m, n []K) []K {
+	mSet := mapset.NewSet[K](m...)
+	nSet := mapset.NewSet[K](n...)
+	common := mSet.Intersect(nSet).ToSlice()
+	slices.Sort(common)
+
+	return common
+}
+
 // calculate diff of map keys: m-n
 func MapKeyDiff[M ~map[K]V, K comparable, V any](m, n M) []K {
 	var diff []K
@@ -321,18 +332,6 @@ func AbsPathCheck(dirPath string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// remove this function in VER-92222
-func SplitHosts(hosts string) ([]string, error) {
-	if strings.TrimSpace(hosts) == "" {
-		return []string{}, fmt.Errorf("must specify a host or host list")
-	}
-	splitRes := strings.Split(strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(hosts)), ",")
-	for i, host := range splitRes {
-		splitRes[i] = strings.TrimSpace(host)
-	}
-	return splitRes, nil
-}
-
 // ParseHostList will trim spaces and convert all chars to lowercase in the hosts
 func ParseHostList(hosts *[]string) error {
 	var parsedHosts []string
@@ -502,45 +501,6 @@ func ParamNotSetErrorMsg(param string) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf("%s is pointed to nil", param)
 }
 
-// ParseConfigParams builds and returns a map from a comma-separated list of params.
-func ParseConfigParams(configParamListStr string) (map[string]string, error) {
-	return ParseKeyValueListStr(configParamListStr, "config-param")
-}
-
-// ParseKeyValueListStr converts a comma-separated list of key-value pairs into a map.
-// Ex: key1=val1,key2=val2 ---> map[string]string{key1: val1, key2: val2}
-func ParseKeyValueListStr(listStr, opt string) (map[string]string, error) {
-	if listStr == "" {
-		return nil, nil
-	}
-	list := strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(listStr), ",")
-	// passed an empty string to the given flag
-	if len(list) == 0 {
-		return nil, nil
-	}
-
-	listMap := make(map[string]string)
-	for _, param := range list {
-		// expected to see key value pairs of the format key=value
-		keyValue := strings.Split(param, "=")
-		if len(keyValue) != keyValueArrayLen {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("--%s option must take NAME=VALUE as argument: %s is invalid", opt, param)
-		} else if len(keyValue) > 0 && strings.TrimSpace(keyValue[0]) == "" {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("--%s option must take NAME=VALUE as argument with NAME being non-empty: %s is invalid", opt, param)
-		}
-		key := strings.TrimSpace(keyValue[0])
-		// the user is possible to set aws auth key to different strings like "awsauth" and "AWSAuth"
-		// we convert aws auth key to lowercase for easy retrieval in vclusterops
-		if strings.EqualFold(key, AWSAuthKey) {
-			key = strings.ToLower(key)
-		}
-		// we allow empty string value
-		value := strings.TrimSpace(keyValue[1])
-		listMap[key] = value
-	}
-	return listMap, nil
-}
-
 // GenVNodeName generates a vnode and returns it after checking it is not already
 // taken by an existing node.
 func GenVNodeName(vnodes map[string]string, dbName string, hostCount int) (string, bool) {
diff --git a/vclusterops/util/util_test.go b/vclusterops/util/util_test.go
index ed5821e..f9ecfa3 100644
--- a/vclusterops/util/util_test.go
+++ b/vclusterops/util/util_test.go
@@ -141,21 +141,6 @@ func TestGetCleanPath(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, res, "/data")
 }
 
-func TestSplitHosts(t *testing.T) {
-	// positive case
-	hosts := "vnode1, vnode2"
-	res, err := SplitHosts(hosts)
-	expected := []string{"vnode1", "vnode2"}
-	assert.Nil(t, err)
-	assert.Equal(t, res, expected)
-
-	// negative case
-	hosts = " "
-	res, err = SplitHosts(hosts)
-	assert.NotNil(t, err)
-	assert.Equal(t, res, []string{})
-}
-
 func TestParseHostList(t *testing.T) {
 	// positive case
 	hosts := []string{" vnode1 ", " vnode2", "vnode3 ", "  "}
@@ -204,6 +189,14 @@ func TestSliceDiff(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, expected, actual)
 }
 
+func TestSliceCommon(t *testing.T) {
+	a := []string{"3", "5", "4", "1", "2"}
+	b := []string{"5", "6", "7", "4", "3"}
+	expected := []string{"3", "4", "5"}
+	actual := SliceCommon(a, b)
+	assert.Equal(t, expected, actual)
+}
+
 func TestMapKeyDiff(t *testing.T) {
 	a := map[string]bool{"1": true, "2": true}
 	b := map[string]bool{"1": true, "3": true, "4": false}
@@ -282,28 +275,6 @@ func TestSetEonFlagHelpMsg(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, GetEonFlagMsg(msg), finalMsg)
 }
 
-func TestParseConfigParams(t *testing.T) {
-	configParamsListStr := ""
-	configParams, err := ParseConfigParams(configParamsListStr)
-	assert.Nil(t, err)
-	assert.Nil(t, configParams)
-
-	configParamsListStr = "key1=val1,key2"
-	configParams, err = ParseConfigParams(configParamsListStr)
-	assert.NotNil(t, err)
-	assert.Nil(t, configParams)
-
-	configParamsListStr = "key1=val1,=val2"
-	configParams, err = ParseConfigParams(configParamsListStr)
-	assert.NotNil(t, err)
-	assert.Nil(t, configParams)
-
-	configParamsListStr = "key1=val1,key2=val2"
-	configParams, err = ParseConfigParams(configParamsListStr)
-	assert.Nil(t, err)
-	assert.ObjectsAreEqualValues(configParams, map[string]string{"key1": "val1", "key2": "val2"})
-}
-
 func TestGenVNodeName(t *testing.T) {
 	dbName := "test_db"
 	// returns vnode