diff --git a/BUILD.md b/BUILD.md
index bbf1be1..f102add 100644
--- a/BUILD.md
+++ b/BUILD.md
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 ### Prerequisites
 
 * Git client
-* Working installation of Vagrant  -- see [https://www.vagrantup.com/downloads.html](https://www.vagrantup.com/downloads.html)
+* Working installation of Vagrant 1.9.1 or later -- see [https://www.vagrantup.com/downloads.html](https://www.vagrantup.com/downloads.html)
 * jq -- a useful command line too to work with JSON data. On the MAC, you can install jq with ```brew install jq```; on Ubuntu you can do it with ```sudo apt-get install jq```. You will not regret it.
 
 
diff --git a/Vagrantfile b/Vagrantfile
index a9b414a..342262d 100644
--- a/Vagrantfile
+++ b/Vagrantfile
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
   config.vm.define "voltha" do |d|
     d.ssh.forward_agent = true
-    d.vm.box = "ubuntu/trusty64"
+    d.vm.box = "ubuntu/xenial64"
     d.vm.hostname = "voltha"
     d.vm.network "private_network", ip: "10.100.198.220"
     d.vm.provision :shell, path: "ansible/scripts/bootstrap_ansible.sh"
diff --git a/ansible/group_vars/all b/ansible/group_vars/all
index 6baada9..c93d464 100644
--- a/ansible/group_vars/all
+++ b/ansible/group_vars/all
@@ -4,6 +4,6 @@
 proxy_url2: http://{{ facter_ipaddress_eth1 }}
 registry_url: 10.100.198.220:5000/
 jenkins_ip: 10.100.198.220
-debian_version: trusty
+debian_version: xenial
 docker_cfg: docker.cfg
 docker_cfg_dest: /etc/default/docker
diff --git a/ansible/java/tasks/main.yml b/ansible/java/tasks/main.yml
index beb4211..cbeb786 100644
--- a/ansible/java/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/ansible/java/tasks/main.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 - name: Package is present
   apt:
-    name=openjdk-7-jdk
+    name=openjdk-8-jdk
     state=present
   tags: [java]
diff --git a/ansible/roles/common/defaults/main.yml b/ansible/roles/common/defaults/main.yml
index c97c39d..82f5092 100644
--- a/ansible/roles/common/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/ansible/roles/common/defaults/main.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
   - debian-keyring
   - debian-archive-keyring
   - python-dev
+  - kafkacat
   - libssl-dev
   - libffi-dev
   - libpcap-dev
diff --git a/vagrant-base/Vagrantfile_base b/vagrant-base/Vagrantfile_base
index c2a0c43..ff8f384 100644
--- a/vagrant-base/Vagrantfile_base
+++ b/vagrant-base/Vagrantfile_base
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
   config.vm.define "voltha" do |d|
     d.ssh.forward_agent = true
-    d.vm.box = "ubuntu/trusty64"
+    d.vm.box = "ubuntu/xenial"
     d.vm.hostname = "voltha"
     d.vm.network "private_network", ip: "10.100.198.220"
     #d.vm.network "public_network"