diff --git a/builds/any/installer/installer.sh.in b/builds/any/installer/installer.sh.in
index 6711709d..c66ccbe4 100644
--- a/builds/any/installer/installer.sh.in
+++ b/builds/any/installer/installer.sh.in
@@ -149,6 +149,11 @@ if test "$onie_platform"; then
 else
   onie_platform=$(onie-sysinfo -p 2>/dev/null) || :
 fi
+if test "$onie_arch"; then
+  :
+else
+  onie_arch=$(onie-sysinfo -c 2>/dev/null) || :
+fi
 if test "$onie_platform"; then
   :
 elif test -r /etc/machine.conf; then
@@ -479,6 +484,11 @@ mkdir -p "${rootdir}/etc/onl"
 cp /dev/null "${rootdir}/etc/onl/installer.conf"
 echo "onl_version=\"$onl_version\"" >> "${rootdir}/etc/onl/installer.conf"
 
+# pass in the platform identifier, otherwise encoded in
+# machine-XXX.conf and onie-sysinfo
+echo "onie_platform=$onie_platform" >> "${rootdir}/etc/onl/installer.conf"
+echo "onie_arch=$onie_arch" >> "${rootdir}/etc/onl/installer.conf"
+
 # Generate the MD5 signature for ourselves for future reference.
 installer_md5=$(md5sum "$0" | awk '{print $1}')
 echo "installer_md5=\"$installer_md5\"" >> "${rootdir}/etc/onl/installer.conf"
diff --git a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/lib/install/lib.sh b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/lib/install/lib.sh
index 3835580f..d684cf15 100644
--- a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/lib/install/lib.sh
+++ b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/lib/install/lib.sh
@@ -123,9 +123,7 @@ installer_mkchroot() {
   fi
 
   # export ONIE defines to the installer, if they exist
-  if test -r /etc/machine.conf; then
-    cp /etc/machine.conf "${rootdir}/etc/machine.conf"
-  fi
+  cp /etc/machine*.conf "${rootdir}/etc/."
 
   # export ONL defines to the installer
   mkdir -p "${rootdir}/etc/onl"
diff --git a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/App.py b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/App.py
index 13465b90..8d149bcc 100644
--- a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/App.py
+++ b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/App.py
@@ -250,21 +250,38 @@ class App(SubprocessMixin, object):
     def findPlatform(self):
 
         plat = arch = None
-        if self.machineConf is not None:
+
+        def _p2a(plat):
+            if plat.startswith('x86-64'):
+                return 'x86_64'
+            else:
+                return plat.partition('-')[0]
+
+        # recover platform specifier from installer configuration
+        if plat is None:
+            plat = getattr(self.installerConf, 'onie_platform', None)
+            if plat:
+                self.log.info("ONL installer running chrooted.")
+                plat = plat.replace('_', '-').replace('.', '-')
+            arch = getattr(self.installerConf, 'onie_arch', None)
+
+        # recover platform specifier from legacy ONIE machine.conf
+        if plat is None and self.machineConf is not None:
             plat = getattr(self.machineConf, 'onie_platform', None)
             arch = getattr(self.machineConf, 'onie_arch', None)
-            if plat and arch:
+            if plat:
                 self.log.info("ONL installer running under ONIE.")
                 plat = plat.replace('_', '-').replace('.', '-')
-        elif os.path.exists("/etc/onl/platform"):
+
+        # recover platform specifier from ONL runtime
+        if plat is None and os.path.exists("/etc/onl/platform"):
             with open("/etc/onl/platform") as fd:
                 plat = fd.read().strip()
-            if plat.startswith('x86-64'):
-                arch = 'x86_64'
-            else:
-                arch = plat.partition('-')[0]
             self.log.info("ONL installer running under ONL or ONL loader.")
 
+        if plat is not None and arch is None:
+            arch = _p2a(plat)
+
         if plat and arch:
             self.installerConf.installer_platform = plat
             self.installerConf.installer_arch = arch
diff --git a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/ConfUtils.py b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/ConfUtils.py
index 3e63541b..5b3e1f51 100755
--- a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/ConfUtils.py
+++ b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/ConfUtils.py
@@ -63,18 +63,30 @@ class ConfFileBase(ConfBase):
     PATH = None
     # Override me
 
-    def __init__(self, path=None):
+    SHELL = False
+    # override me
+
+    def __init__(self, path=None, shell=False):
         self.__dict__['path'] = path or self.PATH
+        self.__dict__['shell'] = shell or self.SHELL
         ConfBase.__init__(self)
 
     def _parse(self):
         self.__dict__['_data'] = {}
-        with open(self.path) as fd:
-            for line in fd.xreadlines():
+        if self.SHELL:
+            cmd = "IFS=; set -e; . '%s'; set +e; set | egrep ^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_]*=" % self.path
+            buf = subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
+            for line in buf.splitlines(False):
                 self._feedLine(line)
+        else:
+            with open(self.path) as fd:
+                for line in fd.xreadlines():
+                    self._feedLine(line)
 
 class MachineConf(ConfFileBase):
+    """XXX roth -- deprecated, machine.conf is executable shell now."""
     PATH = "/etc/machine.conf"
+    SHELL = True
 
 class InstallerConf(ConfFileBase):
     PATH = "/etc/onl/installer.conf"
diff --git a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/SystemInstall.py b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/SystemInstall.py
index 09348f52..56e520da 100644
--- a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/SystemInstall.py
+++ b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/install/SystemInstall.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import shutil
 import argparse
 import fnmatch
 import subprocess
+import glob
 
 from onl.install.InstallUtils import InitrdContext
 from onl.install.InstallUtils import ProcMountsParser
@@ -58,9 +59,9 @@ class App(SubprocessMixin):
                 self.log.info("onie directory is %s", octx.onieDir)
                 self.log.info("initrd directory is %s", octx.initrdDir)
 
-                src = os.path.join(octx.initrdDir, "etc/machine.conf")
-                dst = os.path.join(ctx.dir, "etc/machine.conf")
-                if os.path.exists(src):
+                srcPat = os.path.join(octx.initrdDir, "etc/machine*.conf")
+                for src in glob.glob(srcPat):
+                    dst = os.path.join(ctx.dir, "etc", os.path.split(src)[1])
                     self.log.debug("+ /bin/cp %s %s", src, dst)
                     shutil.copy2(src, dst)
 
@@ -99,6 +100,13 @@ class App(SubprocessMixin):
                 pass
             installerConf.installer_zip = os.path.split(zipPath)[1]
 
+            import onl.platform.current
+            plat = onl.platform.current.OnlPlatformName
+            if plat.startswith('x86-64'):
+                plat = 'x86_64' + plat[6:]
+            installerConf.onie_platform = plat
+            installerConf.onie_arch = plat.partition('-')[0]
+
             # finalize the local installer.conf
             dst = os.path.join(ctx.dir, "etc/onl/installer.conf")
             with open(dst, "w") as fd:
diff --git a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/platform/base.py b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/platform/base.py
index 170f1eac..b0849cf8 100755
--- a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/platform/base.py
+++ b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/platform/base.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import yaml
 import onl.YamlUtils
 import subprocess
 import platform
+import ast
 
 class OnlInfoObject(object):
     DEFAULT_INDENT="    "
@@ -256,9 +257,11 @@ class OnlPlatformBase(object):
         mc = self.basedir_onl("etc/onie/machine.json")
         if not os.path.exists(mc):
             data = {}
-            mcconf = subprocess.check_output("""onie-shell -c "cat /etc/machine.conf" """, shell=True)
+            mcconf = subprocess.check_output("""onie-shell -c "IFS=; . /etc/machine.conf; set | egrep ^onie_.*=" """, shell=True)
             for entry in mcconf.split():
                 (k,e,v) = entry.partition('=')
+                if v and (v.startswith("'") or v.startswith('"')):
+                    v = ast.literal_eval(v)
                 if e:
                     data[k] = v
 
diff --git a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/platform/current.py b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/platform/current.py
index 36e9e457..57b3fd45 100644
--- a/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/platform/current.py
+++ b/packages/base/all/vendor-config-onl/src/python/onl/platform/current.py
@@ -17,14 +17,27 @@
 import os, sys
 import importlib
 import subprocess
+import ast
 
 def platform_name_get():
     # Determine the current platform name.
     platform = None
-    if os.path.exists("/etc/onl/platform"):
+
+    # running ONL proper
+    if platform is None and os.path.exists("/etc/onl/platform"):
         with open("/etc/onl/platform", 'r') as f:
             platform=f.read().strip()
-    elif os.path.exists("/bin/onie-sysinfo"):
+
+    # in the middle of an ONL install
+    if platform is None and os.path.exists("/etc/onl/installer.conf"):
+        with open("/etc/onl/installer.conf") as f:
+            lines = f.readlines(False)
+            lines = [x for x in lines if x.startswith('onie_platform')]
+            if lines:
+                platform = lines[0].partition('=')[2].strip()
+
+    # running ONIE
+    if platform is None and os.path.exists("/bin/onie-sysinfo"):
         try:
             platform = subprocess.check_output(('/bin/onie-sysinfo', '-p',)).strip()
         except subprocess.CalledProcessError as what:
@@ -32,7 +45,9 @@ def platform_name_get():
                 sys.stderr.write(">>> %s\n" % line)
             sys.stderr.write("onie-sysinfo failed with code %d\n" % what.returncode)
             platform = None
-    elif os.path.exists("/usr/bin/onie-shell"):
+
+    # running ONL loader, with access to ONIE
+    if platform is None and os.path.exists("/usr/bin/onie-shell"):
         try:
             platform = subprocess.check_output(('/usr/bin/onie-shell', '-c', "onie-sysinfo -p",)).strip()
         except subprocess.CalledProcessError as what:
@@ -40,12 +55,16 @@ def platform_name_get():
                 sys.stderr.write(">>> %s\n" % line)
             sys.stderr.write("onie-sysinfo (onie-shell) failed with code %d\n" % what.returncode)
             platform = None
-    elif os.path.exists("/etc/machine.conf"):
-        with open("/etc/machine.conf", 'r') as f:
-            lines = f.readlines(False)
-            lines = [x for x in lines if x.startswith('onie_platform=')]
-            if lines:
-                platform = lines[0].partition('=')[2].strip()
+
+    # legacy ONIE environment (including parsable shell in machine.conf)
+    if platform is None and os.path.exists("/etc/machine.conf"):
+        cmd = "IFS=; . /tmp/machine.conf; set | egrep ^onie_platform="
+        buf = subprocess.check_output(cmd)
+        if buf:
+            platform = buf.partition('=')[2].strip()
+            if platform.startswith('"') or platform.startswith("'"):
+                platform = ast.literal_eval(platform)
+
     if platform is None:
         raise RuntimeError("cannot find a platform declaration")