diff --git a/cmd/cmd_controller.js b/cmd/cmd_controller.js
index 28288801..18a28c47 100644
--- a/cmd/cmd_controller.js
+++ b/cmd/cmd_controller.js
@@ -79,7 +79,8 @@ class EmbarkController {
       context: self.context,
       useDashboard: options.useDashboard,
       webServerConfig: webServerConfig,
-      webpackConfigName: options.webpackConfigName
+      webpackConfigName: options.webpackConfigName,
+      ipcRole: 'server'
     });
 
     async.waterfall([
@@ -269,28 +270,24 @@ class EmbarkController {
           engine.logger.info(__("loaded plugins") + ": " + pluginList.join(", "));
         }
 
-        engine.ipc.connect((err) => {
-          if (err) {
-            engine.startService("processManager");
-            engine.startService("serviceMonitor");
-            engine.startService("libraryManager");
-            engine.startService("codeRunner");
-            engine.startService("web3");
-            engine.startService("pipeline");
-            engine.startService("deployment");
-            engine.startService("storage");
-            engine.startService("codeGenerator");
-            engine.startService("webServer");
-            engine.startService("namingSystem");
-            engine.startService("console");
-            engine.startService("pluginCommand");
-            return callback();
-          }
-
+        if (engine.ipc.connected) {
           engine.startService("codeRunner");
           engine.startService("console");
-          callback();
-        });
+          return callback();
+        }
+        engine.startService("processManager");
+        engine.startService("serviceMonitor");
+        engine.startService("libraryManager");
+        engine.startService("codeRunner");
+        engine.startService("web3");
+        engine.startService("pipeline");
+        engine.startService("deployment");
+        engine.startService("storage");
+        engine.startService("codeGenerator");
+        engine.startService("namingSystem");
+        engine.startService("console");
+        engine.startService("pluginCommand");
+        callback();
       },
       function web3IPC(callback) {
         // Do specific work in case we are connected to a socket:
diff --git a/lib/core/engine.js b/lib/core/engine.js
index 23af30e4..249b0afc 100644
--- a/lib/core/engine.js
+++ b/lib/core/engine.js
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ class Engine {
     this.useDashboard = options.useDashboard;
     this.webServerConfig = options.webServerConfig;
     this.webpackConfigName = options.webpackConfigName;
+    this.ipcRole = options.ipcRole || 'client';
   }
 
   init(_options, callback) {
@@ -38,14 +39,16 @@ class Engine {
       utils.interceptLogs(console, this.logger);
     }
 
-    this.ipc = new IPC({logger: this.logger, ipcRole: 'client'});
-    this.ipc.connect((err) => {
-      if(err) {
-        this.ipc = new IPC({logger: this.logger, ipcRole: 'server'});
-        this.ipc.serve();
-      }
-      callback();
-    });
+    this.ipc = new IPC({logger: this.logger, ipcRole: this.ipcRole});
+    if (this.ipc.isClient()) {
+      return this.ipc.connect((_err) => {
+        callback();
+      });
+    } else if (this.ipc.isServer()) {
+      this.ipc.serve();
+      return callback();
+    }
+     callback();
   }
 
   registerModule(moduleName, options) {