diff --git a/BUILD.md b/BUILD.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c38717
--- /dev/null
+++ b/BUILD.md
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+# How to Build and Develop Voltha
+
+There are many ways to build and develop Voltha:
+
+* Use the provided Vagrant environment. This mode is by far the most reliable, and the only one officially supported.
+* Use your native MAC OS or Linux environments. These are not supported, although we provide guidance in a best effort manner and contributions/patches are graciously accepted from the community.
+
+## Build and Develop on the Vagrant Box
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+* Git client
+* Working installation of Vagrant
+
+### Build
+
+```
+git clone git@bitbucket.org:corddesign/voltha.git
+cd voltha
+make vagrant
+vagrant ssh # the rest to be executed inside the vagrant VM
+cd /voltha
+make
+```
+
+The above has generated a new Docker image '''cord/voltha''' inside the VM:
+
+```
+docker images
+```
+
+### Run in stand-alone (solo) mode
+
+The simplest way to run the image (in the foreground):
+
+```
+docker run -ti cord/voltha
+```
+
+## Building natively on MAC OS X
+
+For advanced developers this may provide a more comfortable developer
+environment (e.g., by allowing IDE-assisted debugging), but setting it up
+can be a bit more challenging.
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+* git installed
+* Docker-for-Mac installed
+* Python 2.7
+* virtualenv
+* brew (or macports if you prefer)
+
+### Installing Voltha dependencies
+
+The steps that may work (see list of workarounds in case it does not):
+
+```
+git clone git@bitbucket.org:corddesign/voltha.git
+cd voltha
+make venv
+```
+
+Potential issues and workaround:
+
+1. Missing virtualenv binary. Resolution: install virtualenv.
+
+   ```
+   brew install pyenv-virtualenv
+   ```
+
+1. 'make venv' exits with error 'openssl/opensslv.h': file not found.
+   Resolution: install openssl-dev and add a CFLAGS to make venv:
+
+   ```
+   brew install openssl
+   ```
+
+   Note the version that it installed. For example, '1.0.2h_1'.
+   Rerun ```make venv``` as:
+
+   ```
+   env CFLAGS="-I /usr/local/Cellar/openssl/1.0.2h_1/include" make venv
+   ```
+
+### Building Docker Images and Running Voltha
+
+These steps are not different from the Vagrant path:
+
+```
+make
+```
+
+Then you shall be able to see the created image and run the container:
+
+```
+docker run -ti cord/voltha
+```
+
+
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index eb55b2f..11b2251 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,5 +1,26 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+#
+# Copyright 2016 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
 FROM alpine:3.1
 
+MAINTAINER Zsolt Haraszti <zharaszt@ciena.com>
+MAINTAINER Ali Al-Shabibi <ali.al-shabibi@onlab.us>
+MAINTAINER Nathan Knuth   <nathan.knuth@tibitcom.com>
+
 # Update to have latest images
 RUN apk add --update python py-pip
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7759355
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+#
+# Copyright 2016 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+VENVDIR := venv
+
+.PHONY: venv
+
+default: build
+
+help:
+	@echo "Usage: make [<target>]"
+	@echo "where available targets are:"
+	@echo
+	@echo "build        : Build the Voltha docker image (default target)"
+	@echo "fetch        : Pre-fetch artifacts for subsequent local builds"
+	@echo "help         : Print this help"
+	@echo "venv         : Rebuild local Python virtualenv from scratch"
+	@echo
+
+venv:
+	rm -fr ${VENVDIR}
+	@virtualenv ${VENVDIR}
+	@. ${VENVDIR}/bin/activate && \
+	    if ! pip install -r requirements.txt; \
+	    then \
+	        echo "On MAC OS X, if the installation failed with an error \n'<openssl/opensslv.h>': file not found,"; \
+	        echo "see the BUILD.md file for a workaround"; \
+	    fi
+
+
+
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 720b413..d3f010f 100755
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-requests
 argparse==1.2.1
 colorama>=0.2.5
 decorator>=3.4.0
@@ -10,7 +9,9 @@
 pyflakes>=1.0.0
 pylint>=1.5.2
 pyOpenSSL>=0.13
+python-consul>=0.6.1
 PyYAML>=3.10
+requests
 scapy>=2.3.2
 simplejson>=3.8.1
 six>=1.10.0
diff --git a/voltha/voltha.py b/voltha/voltha.py
index a2edbef..1036efe 100755
--- a/voltha/voltha.py
+++ b/voltha/voltha.py
@@ -1,34 +1,47 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
-#--------------------------------------------------------------------------#
-# Copyright (C) 2016 by Zsolt Haraszti, Nathan Knuth, and Ali Al-Shabibi   #
-# All rights reserved.                                                     #
-#                                                                          #
-#   _    ______  __  ________  _____                                       #
-#  | |  / / __ \/ / /_  __/ / / /   |                                      #
-#  | | / / / / / /   / / / /_/ / /| |                                      #
-#  | |/ / /_/ / /___/ / / __  / ___ |                                      #
-#  |___/\____/_____/_/ /_/ /_/_/  |_|                                      #
-#                                                                          #
-#--------------------------------------------------------------------------#
-# PROPRIETARY NOTICE                                                       #
-# This Software consists of confidential information.                      #
-# Trade secret law and copyright law protect this Software.                #
-# The above notice of copyright on this Software does not indicate         #
-# any actual or intended publication of such Software.                     #
-#--------------------------------------------------------------------------#
+#
+# Copyright 2016 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
 """ virtual OLT Hardware Abstraction """
 
 import argparse
 
 
+def parse_args():
+
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument('-i', '--interface', dest='interface', action='store', default='eth0',
+                        help='ETH interface to send (default: eth0)')
+    parser.add_argument('-v', '--verbose', dest='verbose', action='store_true', default=False,
+                        help='verbose print out')
+
+    return parser.parse_args()
+
+
 def main():
-    if (args.verbose):
+
+    args = parse_args()
+
+    if args.verbose:
         vType = '*verbose*'
         vHint = ''
     else:
         vType = '*regular*'
         vHint = '(hint: try --verbose)'
-        
+
     print 'Hello, I am {} VOLTHA {}'.format(vType, vHint)
     print ' _    ______  __  ________  _____ '
     print '| |  / / __ \/ / /_  __/ / / /   |'
@@ -37,14 +50,6 @@
     print '|___/\____/_____/_/ /_/ /_/_/  |_|'
     print ''
 
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
-    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
-    parser.add_argument('-i', '--interface', dest='interface', action='store', default='eth0',
-                        help='ETH interface to send (default: eth0)')
-    parser.add_argument('-v', '--verbose', dest='verbose', action='store_true', default=False,
-                        help='verbose print out')
-
-    args = parser.parse_args()
-    
     main()
-