diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index a257dcd02e..6741c7769b 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -27,22 +27,33 @@ INCLUDE(TestBigEndian)
 SET(HZ_VERSION 3.7-SNAPSHOT)
 add_definitions(-DHAZELCAST_VERSION="${HZ_VERSION}")
 
-execute_process(COMMAND git show -s --format="%cd" --date=short OUTPUT_VARIABLE HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE)
-string(STRIP "${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE}" HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE)
-if ("x${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE}" MATCHES "x")
-	SET(HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE "NOT_FOUND")
-endif()
+execute_process(COMMAND git show -s --format="%cd" --date=short OUTPUT_VARIABLE HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE RESULT_VARIABLE GIT_DATE_RESULT)
+if (NOT (${GIT_DATE_RESULT} EQUAL 0))
+	message(WARNING "Could not execute command git show for obtaining the git commit date. Process exit result:${GIT_DATE_RESULT}")
+	set(HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE "NOT_FOUND")
+else()
+	string(STRIP "${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE}" HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE)
+	if ("${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE}" STREQUAL "")
+		message(WARNING "git show command returned empty commit date.")
+		set(HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE "NOT_FOUND")
+	endif()
+endif ()
 message(STATUS "HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE = ${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE}" )
-add_definitions(-DHAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE="${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE}")
-
-execute_process(COMMAND git show -s --format="%h" OUTPUT_VARIABLE HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID)
-string(STRIP "${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID}" HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID)
-if ("x${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID}" MATCHES "x")
-	SET(HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID "NOT_FOUND")
-endif()
+add_definitions(-DHAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE=${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE})
+
+execute_process(COMMAND git show -s --format="%h" OUTPUT_VARIABLE HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID RESULT_VARIABLE GIT_COMMIT_ID_RESULT)
+if (NOT (${GIT_COMMIT_ID_RESULT} EQUAL 0))
+	message(WARNING "Could not execute command git show for obtaining the git commit id. Process exit result:${GIT_DATE_RESULT}")
+	set(HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID "NOT_FOUND")
+else()
+	string(STRIP "${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID}" HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID)
+	if ("${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID}" STREQUAL "")
+		message(WARNING "git show command returned empty commit id.")
+		set(HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID "NOT_FOUND")
+	endif()
+endif ()
 message(STATUS "HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID = ${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID}" )
-add_definitions(-DHAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID="${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID}")
-
+add_definitions(-DHAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID=${HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID})
 
 message(STATUS "Preparing hazelcast client ..... ")
 
diff --git a/hazelcast/include/hazelcast/util/Util.h b/hazelcast/include/hazelcast/util/Util.h
index 8366663d7e..5a1b3b3ac3 100644
--- a/hazelcast/include/hazelcast/util/Util.h
+++ b/hazelcast/include/hazelcast/util/Util.h
@@ -22,9 +22,6 @@
 #include "hazelcast/util/HazelcastDll.h"
 #include <time.h>
 
-#define HAZELCAST_STRINGIZE(X) HZ_STRINGIZE(X)
-#define HZ_STRINGIZE(X) #X
-
 namespace hazelcast {
     namespace util {
 
diff --git a/hazelcast/src/hazelcast/client/spi/LifecycleService.cpp b/hazelcast/src/hazelcast/client/spi/LifecycleService.cpp
index 403f845b11..d4894cc998 100644
--- a/hazelcast/src/hazelcast/client/spi/LifecycleService.cpp
+++ b/hazelcast/src/hazelcast/client/spi/LifecycleService.cpp
@@ -89,10 +89,14 @@ namespace hazelcast {
                 switch (lifecycleEvent.getState()) {
                     case LifecycleEvent::STARTING :
                     {
+                        // convert the date string from 2016-04-20 to 20160420
+                        std::string date(HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE);
+                        if (date != "NOT_FOUND") {
+                            date.erase(4, 1);
+                            date.erase(6, 1);
+                        }
                         char msg[100];
-                        util::snprintf(msg, 100, "(%s:%s) LifecycleService::LifecycleEvent STARTING",
-                                       HAZELCAST_STRINGIZE(HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_DATE),
-                                       HAZELCAST_STRINGIZE(HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID));
+                        util::snprintf(msg, 100, "(%s:%s) LifecycleService::LifecycleEvent STARTING", date.c_str(), HAZELCAST_GIT_COMMIT_ID);
                         logger.info(msg);
                         break;
                     }