diff --git a/pkgs/distro-build/drive-clients.rkt b/pkgs/distro-build/drive-clients.rkt
index 6bbbc98..ae6b1fc 100644
--- a/pkgs/distro-build/drive-clients.rkt
+++ b/pkgs/distro-build/drive-clients.rkt
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@
          (only-in "farm.rkt"
                   current-mode
                   farm-config?
-                  farm-config-tag farm-config-options farm-config-content))
+                  farm-config-tag farm-config-options farm-config-content)
+         "url-options.rkt")
 
 ;; See "farm.rkt" for an overview.
 
@@ -194,8 +195,7 @@
                  (if l
                      (apply ~a #:separator " " l)
                      default-pkgs)))
-  (define doc-search (get-opt c '#:doc-search 
-                              default-doc-search))
+  (define doc-search (choose-doc-search c default-doc-search))
   (define dist-name (or (get-opt c '#:dist-name)
                         default-dist-name))
   (define dist-base (or (get-opt c '#:dist-base)
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@
   (define dist-dir (or (get-opt c '#:dist-dir)
                        default-dist-dir))
   (define dist-suffix (get-opt c '#:dist-suffix ""))
-  (define dist-catalogs (get-opt c '#:dist-catalogs '("")))
+  (define dist-catalogs (choose-catalogs c '("")))
   (define pull? (get-opt c '#:pull? #t))
   (~a " SERVER=" server
       " PKGS=" (q pkgs)
@@ -220,7 +220,9 @@
   (define dir (or (get-opt c '#:dir)
                   "build/plt"))
   (define (sh . args) 
-    (list "/bin/sh" "-c" (~a "'" (apply ~a args) "'")))
+    (list "/bin/sh" "-c" (~a "'" 
+                             (regexp-replace* #rx"'" (apply ~a args) "'\"'\"'")
+                             "'")))
   (define j (or (get-opt c '#:j) 1))
   (ssh-script
    host port user
diff --git a/pkgs/distro-build/farm.rkt b/pkgs/distro-build/farm.rkt
index 058509e..dbd40ca 100644
--- a/pkgs/distro-build/farm.rkt
+++ b/pkgs/distro-build/farm.rkt
@@ -4,11 +4,17 @@
 ;; repository's top-level makefile. That target, in turn, uses the
 ;; `distro-build/drive-clients' module.
 ;;
-;; Each client is built by running commands via `ssh', where the
-;; client's host (and optional port and/or user) indicate the ssh
-;; target. Each client machine must be set up with a public-key
-;; authenticaion, because a direct `ssh' is expected to work without a
-;; password prompt.
+;; The server machine first prepares packages for installation on
+;; clients.  The farm configuration's top-level entry is consulted for
+;; a `#:pkgs' and/or `#:doc-search' option, which overrides any `PKGS'
+;; and/or `DOC_SEARCH' configuration from the makefile.
+;;
+;; The farm configuration file otherwise describes and configures
+;; client machines.  Each client is built by running commands via
+;; `ssh', where the client's host (and optional port and/or user)
+;; indicate the ssh target. Each client machine must be set up with a
+;; public-key authenticaion, because a direct `ssh' is expected to
+;; work without a password prompt.
 ;;
 ;; On the client machine, all work is performed with a git clone at a
 ;; specified directory. The directory defaults to "build/plt" (Unix,
@@ -54,13 +60,14 @@
 ;; individual machines, and groups them with `parallel' or
 ;; `sequential' to indicate whether the machine's builds should run
 ;; sequentially or in parallel.  Options specified at `parallel' or
-;; `sequential' are propagated to eachmachine in the group.
+;; `sequential' are propagated to each machine in the group.
 ;;
 ;; For example, a configuration module might look like this:
 ;;
 ;;     #lang distro-build/farm
 ;;    
 ;;     (sequential
+;;      #:pkgs '("drracket")
 ;;      #:server "192.168.56.1"
 ;;      (machine
 ;;       #:desc "Linux (32-bit, Precise Pangolin)"
@@ -90,33 +97,47 @@
 ;;   #:repo <string> --- the git repository for Racket; defaults to
 ;;                       "http://<server>:9440/.git"
 ;;   #:pkgs '(<string*> ...) --- packages to install; defaults to
-;;                              `PKGS' in the makfile (or, more genereally,
+;;                              `PKGS' in the makefile (or, particularly,
 ;;                              the `pkgs' command-line argument to
 ;;                              `distro-build/drive-clients')
+;;   #:dist-base-url <string> --- a URL that is used to construct
+;;                                a default for #:doc-search and
+;;                                #:dist-catalogs, where the
+;;                                constructed values are consistent
+;;                                with converting a build server's
+;;                                content into a download site; since
+;;                                URLs are constructed via relative
+;;                                paths, this URL normally should end
+;;                                with a slash
 ;;   #:doc-search <string> --- URL to install as the configuration
 ;;                             for remote documentation searches in
 ;;                             generated installers; "" is replaced
-;;                             with the PLT default; defaults to the
-;;                             `DOC_SEARCH' makefile variable or the
-;;                             `doc-search' argument
+;;                             with the PLT default; defaults to
+;;                             #:dist-base-url (if present) extended
+;;                             with "doc/search.html", or the
+;;                             `DOC_SEARCH' makefile variable (or the
+;;                             `doc-search' argument)
 ;;   #:dist-name <string> --- the distribution name; defaults to the
-;;                            `DIST_NAME' makefile variable or `dist-name'
-;;                            command-line argument
+;;                            `DIST_NAME' makefile variable (or the
+;;                            `dist-name' command-line argument)
 ;;   #:dist-base <string*> --- the distribution's installater name prefix;
 ;;                             defaults to the `DIST_BASE' makefile variable
-;;                             or the `dist-base' command-line argument
+;;                             (or the `dist-base' command-line argument)
 ;;   #:dist-dir <string*> --- the distribution's installation directory;
 ;;                            defaults to the `DIST_DIR' makefile variable
-;;                            or the `dist-dir' command-line argument
+;;                            (or the `dist-dir' command-line argument)
 ;;   #:dist-suffix <string*> --- a suffix for the installer's name, usually
 ;;                               used for an OS variant; defaults to the
-;;                               `DIST_SUFFIX' makefile variable or the
-;;                               `dist-suffix' command-line argument
+;;                               `DIST_SUFFIX' makefile variable (or the
+;;                               `dist-suffix' command-line argument)
 ;;   #:dist-catalogs '(<string> ...) --- catalog URLs to install as the
-;;                                       initial catalog configuration in
-;;                                       generated installed, where ""
-;;                                       is replaced with the PLT default
-;;                                       catalogs
+;;                                       initial catalog configuration
+;;                                       in generated installed, where
+;;                                       "" is replaced with the PLT
+;;                                       default catalogs; defaults to
+;;                                       #:dist-base-url (if present)
+;;                                       extended with "catalogs" in a
+;;                                       list followed by ""
 ;;   #:max-vm <real> --- max number of VMs allowed to run with this
 ;;                       machine, counting the machine; defaults to 1
 ;;   #:vbox <string> --- Virtual Box machine name; if provided the
@@ -134,13 +155,14 @@
 ;;                          machine starts by removing <dir>; set this
 ;;                          to #f for a shared repo checkout; the default
 ;;                          is determined by the `CLEAN_MODE' makefile
-;;                          variable or `--clean' command-line flag
+;;                          variable (or `--clean' command-line flag)
 ;;   #:pull? <boolean> --- if true, then the build process on the client
 ;;                         machine starts by a `git pull' in <dir>; set
 ;;                         to #f, for example, for a repo checkout that is
 ;;                         shared with server; the default is #t
 ;;
 ;; Machine-only keywords:
+;;
 ;;   #:name <string> --- defaults to host; this string is recorded as
 ;;                       a description of the installer (for use in a
 ;;                       generated table of installer links, for example)
@@ -185,8 +207,10 @@
 ;;  (current-mode s) -> void?
 ;;     s : string?
 ;;   A parameter whose value is the user's requested mode for this
-;;   configuration. The default mode is "default". The interpretation
-;;   of modes is completely up to the farm-configuration file.
+;;   configuration, normally as provided via the makefile's
+;;   `CONFIG_MODE' variable. The default mode is "default". The
+;;   interpretation of modes is completely up to the
+;;   farm configuration file.
 
 ;; ----------------------------------------
 
@@ -204,7 +228,8 @@
          farm-config-tag
          farm-config-options
          farm-config-content
-         current-mode)
+         current-mode
+         extract-options)
 
 (module reader syntax/module-reader
   distro-build/farm)
@@ -279,10 +304,16 @@
    tag
    (for/hash ([kw (in-list kws)]
               [val (in-list kw-vals)])
+     (define r (check kw val))
+     (when (eq? r 'bad-keyword)
+       (error tag
+              (~a "unrecognized keyword for option\n"
+                  "  keyword: ~s")
+              kw))
      (unless (check kw val)
        (error tag
               (~a "bad value for keyword\n"
-                  "  keyword: ~s"
+                  "  keyword: ~s\n"
                   "  value: ~e")
               kw
               val))
@@ -301,6 +332,7 @@
     [(#:dist-dir) (simple-string? val)]
     [(#:dist-suffix) (simple-string? val)]
     [(#:dist-catalogs) (and (list? val) (andmap string? val))]
+    [(#:dist-base-url) (string? val)]
     [(#:max-vm) (real? val)]
     [(#:server) (simple-string? val)]
     [(#:host) (simple-string? val)]
@@ -317,7 +349,7 @@
     [(#:repo) (string? val)]
     [(#:clean?) (boolean? val)]
     [(#:pull?) (boolean? val)]
-    [else #f]))
+    [else 'bad-keyword]))
 
 (define (check-machine-keyword kw val)
   (case kw
@@ -331,3 +363,12 @@
        (regexp-match #rx"^[-a-zA-A0-9.]*$" s)))
 
 (define current-mode (make-parameter "default"))
+
+(define (extract-options config-file config-mode)
+  (or
+   (and (file-exists? config-file)
+        (parameterize ([current-mode config-mode])
+          (farm-config-options 
+           (dynamic-require (path->complete-path config-file) 'farm-config))))
+   (hash)))
+
diff --git a/pkgs/distro-build/install-pkgs.rkt b/pkgs/distro-build/install-pkgs.rkt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6446e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/distro-build/install-pkgs.rkt
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#lang racket/base
+(require racket/cmdline
+         racket/string
+         (only-in "farm.rkt" extract-options))
+
+(define-values (config-file config-mode default-pkgs flags)
+  (command-line
+   #:args
+   (config-file config-mode pkgs . flag)
+   (values config-file config-mode pkgs flag)))
+
+(define pkgs (or (hash-ref (extract-options config-file config-mode)
+                           '#:pkgs
+                           #f)
+                 (string-split default-pkgs)))
+
+(parameterize ([current-command-line-arguments
+                (list->vector (append (list "pkg" "install")
+                                      flags
+                                      pkgs))])
+  (dynamic-require 'raco #f))
diff --git a/pkgs/distro-build/set-config.rkt b/pkgs/distro-build/set-config.rkt
index 1e93277..dacf67b 100644
--- a/pkgs/distro-build/set-config.rkt
+++ b/pkgs/distro-build/set-config.rkt
@@ -1,17 +1,25 @@
 #lang racket/base
 (require racket/cmdline
          racket/file
-         racket/path)
+         racket/path
+         (only-in "farm.rkt" extract-options)
+         "url-options.rkt")
 
-(define-values (config-file doc-search catalogs)
+(define-values (dest-config-file config-file config-mode default-doc-search default-catalogs)
   (command-line
    #:args
-   (config-file doc-search . catalog)
-   (values config-file doc-search catalog)))
+   (dest-config-file config-file config-mode doc-search . catalog)
+   (values dest-config-file config-file config-mode doc-search catalog)))
+
+(define config (extract-options config-file config-mode))
+
+(define doc-search (choose-doc-search config default-doc-search))
+
+(define catalogs (choose-catalogs config default-catalogs))
 
 (define orig
-  (if (file-exists? config-file)
-      (call-with-input-file* config-file read)
+  (if (file-exists? dest-config-file)
+      (call-with-input-file* dest-config-file read)
       (hash)))
 
 (let* ([table orig]
@@ -27,8 +35,8 @@
                                   #f
                                   c))))])
   (unless (equal? table orig)
-    (make-directory* (path-only config-file))
-    (call-with-output-file config-file
+    (make-directory* (path-only dest-config-file))
+    (call-with-output-file dest-config-file
       #:exists 'truncate
       (lambda (o)
         (write table o)
diff --git a/pkgs/distro-build/url-options.rkt b/pkgs/distro-build/url-options.rkt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a751541
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/distro-build/url-options.rkt
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#lang racket/base
+(require net/url)
+
+(provide choose-doc-search
+         choose-catalogs)
+
+(define (choose-doc-search config default-doc-search)
+  (or (hash-ref config '#:doc-search #f)
+      (let ([v (hash-ref config '#:dist-base-url #f)])
+        (and v
+             (url->string
+              (combine-url/relative (string->url v) "docs/search.html"))))
+      default-doc-search))
+
+(define (choose-catalogs config default-catalogs)
+  (or (hash-ref config '#:dist-catalogs #f)
+      (let ([v (hash-ref config '#:dist-base-url #f)])
+        (and v
+             (list (url->string
+                    (combine-url/relative (string->url v) "catalog"))
+                   "")))
+      default-catalogs))