diff --git a/containers/README.md b/containers/README.md
index fb53887..46f970e 100644
--- a/containers/README.md
+++ b/containers/README.md
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 To build and run the database container:
 
 ```
-$ cd postgres; make build && make run
+$ cd postgresql; make build && make run
 ```
 
 #### XOS Container
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 ```
 
 You should now be able to access the login page by visiting
-`http://localhost:80` and log in using the default `paadmin@vicci.org` account
+`http://localhost:8000` and log in using the default `padmin@vicci.org` account
 with password `letmein`. It may be helpful to bootstrap xos with some sample
 data; deployment, controllers, sites, slices, etc. You can get started by
 loading tosca configuration for the opencloud demo dataset:
diff --git a/xos/configurations/cord/Makefile b/xos/configurations/cord/Makefile
index c95d9dd..41bb37f 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/cord/Makefile
+++ b/xos/configurations/cord/Makefile
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@
 	sudo MYIP=$(MYIP) docker-compose run xos python /opt/xos/tosca/run.py padmin@vicci.org /opt/xos/configurations/cord/cord.yaml
 	sudo MYIP=$(MYIP) docker-compose run xos python /opt/xos/tosca/run.py padmin@vicci.org /opt/xos/configurations/cord/ceilometer.yaml
 
+containers:
+	cd ../../../containers/xos; make devel
+	cd ../../../containers/synchronizer; make
+
 common_cloudlab:
 	make -C ../common -f Makefile.cloudlab
 
diff --git a/xos/configurations/cord/docker-compose.yml b/xos/configurations/cord/docker-compose.yml
index 83af3f9..2b14f40 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/cord/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/xos/configurations/cord/docker-compose.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
         - "5432"
 
 xos_synchronizer_openstack:
-    command: bash -c "sleep 120 ; python /opt/xos/synchronizers/openstack/xos-synchronizer.py"
+    command: python /opt/xos/synchronizers/openstack/xos-synchronizer.py
     image: xosproject/xos-synchronizer-openstack
     labels:
         org.xosproject.kind: synchronizer
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
 xos_synchronizer_onos:
     image: xosproject/xos-synchronizer-openstack
-    command: bash -c "sleep 120 ; python /opt/xos/synchronizers/onos/onos-synchronizer.py -C /opt/xos/synchronizers/onos/onos_synchronizer_config"
+    command: python /opt/xos/synchronizers/onos/onos-synchronizer.py -C /opt/xos/synchronizers/onos/onos_synchronizer_config
     labels:
         org.xosproject.kind: synchronizer
         org.xosproject.target: onos
@@ -33,8 +33,7 @@
 
 xos_synchronizer_vcpe:
     image: xosproject/xos-synchronizer-openstack
-    #command: /usr/bin/supervisord -c /opt/xos/observers/vcpe/supervisor/vcpe-observer.conf
-    command: bash -c "sleep 120 ; python /opt/xos/synchronizers/vcpe/vcpe-synchronizer.py -C /opt/xos/synchronizers/vcpe/vcpe_synchronizer_config"
+    command: python /opt/xos/synchronizers/vcpe/vcpe-synchronizer.py -C /opt/xos/synchronizers/vcpe/vcpe_synchronizer_config
     labels:
         org.xosproject.kind: synchronizer
         org.xosproject.target: vcpe
@@ -45,10 +44,10 @@
     volumes:
         - ../setup/id_rsa:/opt/xos/observers/vcpe/vcpe_private_key:ro  # private key
         - ../setup:/root/setup:ro
-        
+
 xos_synchronizer_vbng:
     image: xosproject/xos-synchronizer-openstack
-    command: bash -c "sleep 120 ; python /opt/xos/synchronizers/vbng/vbng-synchronizer.py -C /opt/xos/synchronizers/vbng/vbng_synchronizer_config"
+    command: python /opt/xos/synchronizers/vbng/vbng-synchronizer.py -C /opt/xos/synchronizers/vbng/vbng_synchronizer_config
     labels:
         org.xosproject.kind: synchronizer
         org.xosproject.target: vbng
@@ -59,8 +58,7 @@
 
 xos_synchronizer_monitoring_channel:
     image: xosproject/xos-synchronizer-openstack
-    #command: /usr/bin/supervisord -c /opt/xos/observers/monitoring_channel/supervisor/monitoring_channel_observer.conf
-    command: bash -c "sleep 120 ; python /opt/xos/synchronizers/monitoring_channel/monitoring_channel_synchronizer.py -C /opt/xos/synchronizers/monitoring_channel/monitoring_channel_synchronizer_config"
+    command: python /opt/xos/synchronizers/monitoring_channel/monitoring_channel_synchronizer.py -C /opt/xos/synchronizers/monitoring_channel/monitoring_channel_synchronizer_config
     labels:
         org.xosproject.kind: synchronizer
         org.xosproject.target: monitoring_channel
diff --git a/xos/configurations/devel/Makefile b/xos/configurations/devel/Makefile
index b4f3fcf..1e650f3 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/devel/Makefile
+++ b/xos/configurations/devel/Makefile
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@
 	sudo MYIP=$(MYIP) docker-compose run xos python /opt/xos/tosca/run.py padmin@vicci.org /opt/xos/configurations/common/base.yaml
 	sudo MYIP=$(MYIP) docker-compose run xos python /opt/xos/tosca/run.py padmin@vicci.org /root/setup/nodes.yaml
 
+containers:
+	cd ../../../containers/xos; make devel
+	cd ../../../containers/synchronizer; make
+
 common_cloudlab:
 	make -C ../common -f Makefile.cloudlab
 
@@ -40,5 +44,5 @@
 rebuild_xos:
 	make -C ../../../containers/xos devel
 
-rebuild_synchronizer: 
+rebuild_synchronizer:
 	make -C ../../../containers/synchronizer
diff --git a/xos/configurations/devel/README.md b/xos/configurations/devel/README.md
index 2361396..84bf6fc 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/devel/README.md
+++ b/xos/configurations/devel/README.md
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@
 
 Delete the containers and relaunch them: `make rm; make [cloudlab|devstack]`
 
+Build the containers from scratch using the local XOS source tree: `make containers`
+
 View logs: `make showlogs`
 
 See what containers are running: `make ps`
diff --git a/xos/configurations/devel/docker-compose.yml b/xos/configurations/devel/docker-compose.yml
index 803e57c..f3342fc 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/devel/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/xos/configurations/devel/docker-compose.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 xos_synchronizer_openstack:
     image: xosproject/xos-synchronizer-openstack
-    command: bash -c "sleep 120; python /opt/xos/synchronizers/openstack/xos-synchronizer.py"
+    command: python /opt/xos/synchronizers/openstack/xos-synchronizer.py
     labels:
         org.xosproject.kind: synchronizer
         org.xosproject.target: openstack
diff --git a/xos/configurations/frontend/Makefile b/xos/configurations/frontend/Makefile
index 4c95f90..130153a 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/frontend/Makefile
+++ b/xos/configurations/frontend/Makefile
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@
 	bash ../common/wait_for_xos.sh
 	sudo docker-compose run xos python /opt/xos/tosca/run.py padmin@vicci.org /opt/xos/configurations/frontend/sample.yaml
 
+containers:
+	cd ../../../containers/xos; make devel
+
 stop:
 	sudo docker-compose stop
 
diff --git a/xos/configurations/frontend/README.md b/xos/configurations/frontend/README.md
index 1cf244d..a0ee72e 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/frontend/README.md
+++ b/xos/configurations/frontend/README.md
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
 
 Delete the containers and relaunch them: `make rm; make`
 
+Build the containers from scratch using the local XOS source tree: `make containers`
+
 View logs: `make showlogs`
 
 See what containers are running: `make ps`
diff --git a/xos/configurations/test/Makefile b/xos/configurations/test/Makefile
index a79e322..adf349a 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/test/Makefile
+++ b/xos/configurations/test/Makefile
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@
 	sudo MYIP=$(MYIP) docker-compose run xos bash -c "cd /opt/xos/tosca/tests; python ./alltests.py"
 	sudo MYIP=$(MYIP) docker-compose run xos bash -c "cd /opt/xos/tosca/tests; python ./allObserverTests.py"
 
+containers:
+	cd ../../../containers/xos; make devel
+	cd ../../../containers/synchronizer; make
+
 common_cloudlab:
 	make -C ../common -f Makefile.cloudlab
 
diff --git a/xos/configurations/vtn/Makefile b/xos/configurations/vtn/Makefile
index 59feb2d..335f83d 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/vtn/Makefile
+++ b/xos/configurations/vtn/Makefile
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@
 	sudo MYIP=$(MYIP) docker-compose run xos python /opt/xos/tosca/run.py padmin@vicci.org /root/setup/nodes.yaml
 	sudo MYIP=$(MYIP) docker-compose run xos python /opt/xos/tosca/run.py padmin@vicci.org /opt/xos/tosca/samples/vtn.yaml
 
+containers:
+	cd ../../../containers/xos; make devel
+	cd ../../../containers/synchronizer; make
+
 common_cloudlab:
 	make -C ../common -f Makefile.cloudlab
 
diff --git a/xos/configurations/vtn/README.md b/xos/configurations/vtn/README.md
index 0fac0a5..f4c8248 100644
--- a/xos/configurations/vtn/README.md
+++ b/xos/configurations/vtn/README.md
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 steps outlined in [the VTN README](../cord/README-VTN.md).  Run:
 ```
 ctl:~/xos/xos/configurations/vtn$ make destroy-networks
-ctl:~/xos/xos/configurations/vtn$ sudo ansible-playbook setup.yml 
+ctl:~/xos/xos/configurations/vtn$ sudo ansible-playbook setup.yml
 ```
 
 
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@
 
 Delete the containers and relaunch them: `make rm; make [cloudlab|devstack]`
 
+Build the containers from scratch using the local XOS source tree: `make containers`
+
 View logs: `make showlogs`
 
 See what containers are running: `make ps`