diff --git a/hooks/charmhelpers/contrib/network/ip.py b/hooks/charmhelpers/contrib/network/ip.py
index 7edbcc48..b859a097 100644
--- a/hooks/charmhelpers/contrib/network/ip.py
+++ b/hooks/charmhelpers/contrib/network/ip.py
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
+import glob
 import sys
 
 from functools import partial
 
 from charmhelpers.fetch import apt_install
 from charmhelpers.core.hookenv import (
-    ERROR, log, config,
+    ERROR, log,
 )
 
 try:
@@ -156,19 +157,102 @@ get_iface_for_address = partial(_get_for_address, key='iface')
 get_netmask_for_address = partial(_get_for_address, key='netmask')
 
 
-def get_ipv6_addr(iface="eth0"):
+def format_ipv6_addr(address):
+    """
+    IPv6 needs to be wrapped with [] in url link to parse correctly.
+    """
+    if is_ipv6(address):
+        address = "[%s]" % address
+    else:
+        log("Not an valid ipv6 address: %s" % address,
+            level=ERROR)
+        address = None
+    return address
+
+
+def get_iface_addr(iface='eth0', inet_type='AF_INET', inc_aliases=False, fatal=True, exc_list=None):
+    """
+    Return the assigned IP address for a given interface, if any, or [].
+    """
+    # Extract nic if passed /dev/ethX
+    if '/' in iface:
+        iface = iface.split('/')[-1]
+    if not exc_list:
+        exc_list = []
     try:
-        iface_addrs = netifaces.ifaddresses(iface)
-        if netifaces.AF_INET6 not in iface_addrs:
-            raise Exception("Interface '%s' doesn't have an ipv6 address." % iface)
+        inet_num = getattr(netifaces, inet_type)
+    except AttributeError:
+        raise Exception('Unknown inet type ' + str(inet_type))
 
-        addresses = netifaces.ifaddresses(iface)[netifaces.AF_INET6]
-        ipv6_addr = [a['addr'] for a in addresses if not a['addr'].startswith('fe80')
-                     and config('vip') != a['addr']]
-        if not ipv6_addr:
-            raise Exception("Interface '%s' doesn't have global ipv6 address." % iface)
+    interfaces = netifaces.interfaces()
+    if inc_aliases:
+        ifaces = []
+        for _iface in interfaces:
+            if iface == _iface or _iface.split(':')[0] == iface:
+                ifaces.append(_iface)
+        if fatal and not ifaces:
+            raise Exception("Invalid interface '%s'" % iface)
+        ifaces.sort()
+    else:
+        if iface not in interfaces:
+            if fatal:
+                raise Exception("%s not found " % (iface))
+            else:
+                return []
+        else:
+            ifaces = [iface]
 
-        return ipv6_addr[0]
+    addresses = []
+    for netiface in ifaces:
+        net_info = netifaces.ifaddresses(netiface)
+        if inet_num in net_info:
+            for entry in net_info[inet_num]:
+                if 'addr' in entry and entry['addr'] not in exc_list:
+                    addresses.append(entry['addr'])
+    if fatal and not addresses:
+        raise Exception("Interface '%s' doesn't have any %s addresses." % (iface, inet_type))
+    return addresses
 
-    except ValueError:
-        raise ValueError("Invalid interface '%s'" % iface)
+get_ipv4_addr = partial(get_iface_addr, inet_type='AF_INET')
+
+
+def get_ipv6_addr(iface='eth0', inc_aliases=False, fatal=True, exc_list=None):
+    """
+    Return the assigned IPv6 address for a given interface, if any, or [].
+    """
+    addresses = get_iface_addr(iface=iface, inet_type='AF_INET6',
+                               inc_aliases=inc_aliases, fatal=fatal,
+                               exc_list=exc_list)
+    remotly_addressable = []
+    for address in addresses:
+        if not address.startswith('fe80'):
+            remotly_addressable.append(address)
+    if fatal and not remotly_addressable:
+        raise Exception("Interface '%s' doesn't have global ipv6 address." % iface)
+    return remotly_addressable
+
+
+def get_bridges(vnic_dir='/sys/devices/virtual/net'):
+    """
+    Return a list of bridges on the system or []
+    """
+    b_rgex = vnic_dir + '/*/bridge'
+    return [x.replace(vnic_dir, '').split('/')[1] for x in glob.glob(b_rgex)]
+
+
+def get_bridge_nics(bridge, vnic_dir='/sys/devices/virtual/net'):
+    """
+    Return a list of nics comprising a given bridge on the system or []
+    """
+    brif_rgex = "%s/%s/brif/*" % (vnic_dir, bridge)
+    return [x.split('/')[-1] for x in glob.glob(brif_rgex)]
+
+
+def is_bridge_member(nic):
+    """
+    Check if a given nic is a member of a bridge
+    """
+    for bridge in get_bridges():
+        if nic in get_bridge_nics(bridge):
+            return True
+    return False
diff --git a/hooks/charmhelpers/core/hookenv.py b/hooks/charmhelpers/core/hookenv.py
index eb4aa092..af8fe2db 100644
--- a/hooks/charmhelpers/core/hookenv.py
+++ b/hooks/charmhelpers/core/hookenv.py
@@ -156,12 +156,15 @@ def hook_name():
 
 
 class Config(dict):
-    """A Juju charm config dictionary that can write itself to
-    disk (as json) and track which values have changed since
-    the previous hook invocation.
+    """A dictionary representation of the charm's config.yaml, with some
+    extra features:
 
-    Do not instantiate this object directly - instead call
-    ``hookenv.config()``
+    - See which values in the dictionary have changed since the previous hook.
+    - For values that have changed, see what the previous value was.
+    - Store arbitrary data for use in a later hook.
+
+    NOTE: Do not instantiate this object directly - instead call
+    ``hookenv.config()``, which will return an instance of :class:`Config`.
 
     Example usage::
 
@@ -170,8 +173,8 @@ class Config(dict):
         >>> config = hookenv.config()
         >>> config['foo']
         'bar'
+        >>> # store a new key/value for later use
         >>> config['mykey'] = 'myval'
-        >>> config.save()
 
 
         >>> # user runs `juju set mycharm foo=baz`
@@ -188,22 +191,34 @@ class Config(dict):
         >>> # keys/values that we add are preserved across hooks
         >>> config['mykey']
         'myval'
-        >>> # don't forget to save at the end of hook!
-        >>> config.save()
 
     """
     CONFIG_FILE_NAME = '.juju-persistent-config'
 
     def __init__(self, *args, **kw):
         super(Config, self).__init__(*args, **kw)
+        self.implicit_save = True
         self._prev_dict = None
         self.path = os.path.join(charm_dir(), Config.CONFIG_FILE_NAME)
         if os.path.exists(self.path):
             self.load_previous()
 
+    def __getitem__(self, key):
+        """For regular dict lookups, check the current juju config first,
+        then the previous (saved) copy. This ensures that user-saved values
+        will be returned by a dict lookup.
+
+        """
+        try:
+            return dict.__getitem__(self, key)
+        except KeyError:
+            return (self._prev_dict or {})[key]
+
     def load_previous(self, path=None):
-        """Load previous copy of config from disk so that current values
-        can be compared to previous values.
+        """Load previous copy of config from disk.
+
+        In normal usage you don't need to call this method directly - it
+        is called automatically at object initialization.
 
         :param path:
 
@@ -218,8 +233,8 @@ class Config(dict):
             self._prev_dict = json.load(f)
 
     def changed(self, key):
-        """Return true if the value for this key has changed since
-        the last save.
+        """Return True if the current value for this key is different from
+        the previous value.
 
         """
         if self._prev_dict is None:
@@ -228,7 +243,7 @@ class Config(dict):
 
     def previous(self, key):
         """Return previous value for this key, or None if there
-        is no "previous" value.
+        is no previous value.
 
         """
         if self._prev_dict:
@@ -238,7 +253,13 @@ class Config(dict):
     def save(self):
         """Save this config to disk.
 
-        Preserves items in _prev_dict that do not exist in self.
+        If the charm is using the :mod:`Services Framework <services.base>`
+        or :meth:'@hook <Hooks.hook>' decorator, this
+        is called automatically at the end of successful hook execution.
+        Otherwise, it should be called directly by user code.
+
+        To disable automatic saves, set ``implicit_save=False`` on this
+        instance.
 
         """
         if self._prev_dict:
@@ -465,9 +486,10 @@ class Hooks(object):
             hooks.execute(sys.argv)
     """
 
-    def __init__(self):
+    def __init__(self, config_save=True):
         super(Hooks, self).__init__()
         self._hooks = {}
+        self._config_save = config_save
 
     def register(self, name, function):
         """Register a hook"""
@@ -478,6 +500,10 @@ class Hooks(object):
         hook_name = os.path.basename(args[0])
         if hook_name in self._hooks:
             self._hooks[hook_name]()
+            if self._config_save:
+                cfg = config()
+                if cfg.implicit_save:
+                    cfg.save()
         else:
             raise UnregisteredHookError(hook_name)
 
diff --git a/hooks/charmhelpers/core/host.py b/hooks/charmhelpers/core/host.py
index ca7780df..d7ce1e4c 100644
--- a/hooks/charmhelpers/core/host.py
+++ b/hooks/charmhelpers/core/host.py
@@ -68,8 +68,8 @@ def service_available(service_name):
     """Determine whether a system service is available"""
     try:
         subprocess.check_output(['service', service_name, 'status'], stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)
-    except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
-        return False
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
+        return 'unrecognized service' not in e.output
     else:
         return True
 
@@ -209,10 +209,15 @@ def mounts():
     return system_mounts
 
 
-def file_hash(path):
-    """Generate a md5 hash of the contents of 'path' or None if not found """
+def file_hash(path, hash_type='md5'):
+    """
+    Generate a hash checksum of the contents of 'path' or None if not found.
+
+    :param str hash_type: Any hash alrgorithm supported by :mod:`hashlib`,
+                          such as md5, sha1, sha256, sha512, etc.
+    """
     if os.path.exists(path):
-        h = hashlib.md5()
+        h = getattr(hashlib, hash_type)()
         with open(path, 'r') as source:
             h.update(source.read())  # IGNORE:E1101 - it does have update
         return h.hexdigest()
@@ -220,6 +225,26 @@ def file_hash(path):
         return None
 
 
+def check_hash(path, checksum, hash_type='md5'):
+    """
+    Validate a file using a cryptographic checksum.
+
+    :param str checksum: Value of the checksum used to validate the file.
+    :param str hash_type: Hash algorithm used to generate `checksum`.
+        Can be any hash alrgorithm supported by :mod:`hashlib`,
+        such as md5, sha1, sha256, sha512, etc.
+    :raises ChecksumError: If the file fails the checksum
+
+    """
+    actual_checksum = file_hash(path, hash_type)
+    if checksum != actual_checksum:
+        raise ChecksumError("'%s' != '%s'" % (checksum, actual_checksum))
+
+
+class ChecksumError(ValueError):
+    pass
+
+
 def restart_on_change(restart_map, stopstart=False):
     """Restart services based on configuration files changing
 
@@ -332,13 +357,9 @@ def cmp_pkgrevno(package, revno, pkgcache=None):
 
     '''
     import apt_pkg
+    from charmhelpers.fetch import apt_cache
     if not pkgcache:
-        apt_pkg.init()
-        # Force Apt to build its cache in memory. That way we avoid race
-        # conditions with other applications building the cache in the same
-        # place.
-        apt_pkg.config.set("Dir::Cache::pkgcache", "")
-        pkgcache = apt_pkg.Cache()
+        pkgcache = apt_cache()
     pkg = pkgcache[package]
     return apt_pkg.version_compare(pkg.current_ver.ver_str, revno)
 
diff --git a/hooks/charmhelpers/core/services/base.py b/hooks/charmhelpers/core/services/base.py
index 6b5a1b9f..87ecb130 100644
--- a/hooks/charmhelpers/core/services/base.py
+++ b/hooks/charmhelpers/core/services/base.py
@@ -118,6 +118,9 @@ class ServiceManager(object):
         else:
             self.provide_data()
             self.reconfigure_services()
+        cfg = hookenv.config()
+        if cfg.implicit_save:
+            cfg.save()
 
     def provide_data(self):
         """
diff --git a/hooks/charmhelpers/core/services/helpers.py b/hooks/charmhelpers/core/services/helpers.py
index 4b90589b..7067b94b 100644
--- a/hooks/charmhelpers/core/services/helpers.py
+++ b/hooks/charmhelpers/core/services/helpers.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import os
+import yaml
 from charmhelpers.core import hookenv
 from charmhelpers.core import templating
 
@@ -19,15 +21,21 @@ class RelationContext(dict):
     the `name` attribute that are complete will used to populate the dictionary
     values (see `get_data`, below).
 
-    The generated context will be namespaced under the interface type, to prevent
-    potential naming conflicts.
+    The generated context will be namespaced under the relation :attr:`name`,
+    to prevent potential naming conflicts.
+
+    :param str name: Override the relation :attr:`name`, since it can vary from charm to charm
+    :param list additional_required_keys: Extend the list of :attr:`required_keys`
     """
     name = None
     interface = None
     required_keys = []
 
-    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
-        super(RelationContext, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)
+    def __init__(self, name=None, additional_required_keys=None):
+        if name is not None:
+            self.name = name
+        if additional_required_keys is not None:
+            self.required_keys.extend(additional_required_keys)
         self.get_data()
 
     def __bool__(self):
@@ -101,9 +109,115 @@ class RelationContext(dict):
         return {}
 
 
+class MysqlRelation(RelationContext):
+    """
+    Relation context for the `mysql` interface.
+
+    :param str name: Override the relation :attr:`name`, since it can vary from charm to charm
+    :param list additional_required_keys: Extend the list of :attr:`required_keys`
+    """
+    name = 'db'
+    interface = 'mysql'
+    required_keys = ['host', 'user', 'password', 'database']
+
+
+class HttpRelation(RelationContext):
+    """
+    Relation context for the `http` interface.
+
+    :param str name: Override the relation :attr:`name`, since it can vary from charm to charm
+    :param list additional_required_keys: Extend the list of :attr:`required_keys`
+    """
+    name = 'website'
+    interface = 'http'
+    required_keys = ['host', 'port']
+
+    def provide_data(self):
+        return {
+            'host': hookenv.unit_get('private-address'),
+            'port': 80,
+        }
+
+
+class RequiredConfig(dict):
+    """
+    Data context that loads config options with one or more mandatory options.
+
+    Once the required options have been changed from their default values, all
+    config options will be available, namespaced under `config` to prevent
+    potential naming conflicts (for example, between a config option and a
+    relation property).
+
+    :param list *args: List of options that must be changed from their default values.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, *args):
+        self.required_options = args
+        self['config'] = hookenv.config()
+        with open(os.path.join(hookenv.charm_dir(), 'config.yaml')) as fp:
+            self.config = yaml.load(fp).get('options', {})
+
+    def __bool__(self):
+        for option in self.required_options:
+            if option not in self['config']:
+                return False
+            current_value = self['config'][option]
+            default_value = self.config[option].get('default')
+            if current_value == default_value:
+                return False
+            if current_value in (None, '') and default_value in (None, ''):
+                return False
+        return True
+
+    def __nonzero__(self):
+        return self.__bool__()
+
+
+class StoredContext(dict):
+    """
+    A data context that always returns the data that it was first created with.
+
+    This is useful to do a one-time generation of things like passwords, that
+    will thereafter use the same value that was originally generated, instead
+    of generating a new value each time it is run.
+    """
+    def __init__(self, file_name, config_data):
+        """
+        If the file exists, populate `self` with the data from the file.
+        Otherwise, populate with the given data and persist it to the file.
+        """
+        if os.path.exists(file_name):
+            self.update(self.read_context(file_name))
+        else:
+            self.store_context(file_name, config_data)
+            self.update(config_data)
+
+    def store_context(self, file_name, config_data):
+        if not os.path.isabs(file_name):
+            file_name = os.path.join(hookenv.charm_dir(), file_name)
+        with open(file_name, 'w') as file_stream:
+            os.fchmod(file_stream.fileno(), 0600)
+            yaml.dump(config_data, file_stream)
+
+    def read_context(self, file_name):
+        if not os.path.isabs(file_name):
+            file_name = os.path.join(hookenv.charm_dir(), file_name)
+        with open(file_name, 'r') as file_stream:
+            data = yaml.load(file_stream)
+            if not data:
+                raise OSError("%s is empty" % file_name)
+            return data
+
+
 class TemplateCallback(ManagerCallback):
     """
-    Callback class that will render a template, for use as a ready action.
+    Callback class that will render a Jinja2 template, for use as a ready action.
+
+    :param str source: The template source file, relative to `$CHARM_DIR/templates`
+    :param str target: The target to write the rendered template to
+    :param str owner: The owner of the rendered file
+    :param str group: The group of the rendered file
+    :param int perms: The permissions of the rendered file
     """
     def __init__(self, source, target, owner='root', group='root', perms=0444):
         self.source = source
diff --git a/hooks/charmhelpers/fetch/__init__.py b/hooks/charmhelpers/fetch/__init__.py
index 61633d8c..32a673d6 100644
--- a/hooks/charmhelpers/fetch/__init__.py
+++ b/hooks/charmhelpers/fetch/__init__.py
@@ -117,15 +117,7 @@ class BaseFetchHandler(object):
 
 def filter_installed_packages(packages):
     """Returns a list of packages that require installation"""
-    import apt_pkg
-    apt_pkg.init()
-
-    # Tell apt to build an in-memory cache to prevent race conditions (if
-    # another process is already building the cache).
-    apt_pkg.config.set("Dir::Cache::pkgcache", "")
-    apt_pkg.config.set("Dir::Cache::srcpkgcache", "")
-
-    cache = apt_pkg.Cache()
+    cache = apt_cache()
     _pkgs = []
     for package in packages:
         try:
@@ -138,6 +130,16 @@ def filter_installed_packages(packages):
     return _pkgs
 
 
+def apt_cache(in_memory=True):
+    """Build and return an apt cache"""
+    import apt_pkg
+    apt_pkg.init()
+    if in_memory:
+        apt_pkg.config.set("Dir::Cache::pkgcache", "")
+        apt_pkg.config.set("Dir::Cache::srcpkgcache", "")
+    return apt_pkg.Cache()
+
+
 def apt_install(packages, options=None, fatal=False):
     """Install one or more packages"""
     if options is None:
@@ -206,7 +208,8 @@ def add_source(source, key=None):
     """Add a package source to this system.
 
     @param source: a URL or sources.list entry, as supported by
-    add-apt-repository(1). Examples:
+    add-apt-repository(1). Examples::
+
         ppa:charmers/example
         deb https://stub:key@private.example.com/ubuntu trusty main
 
@@ -309,22 +312,35 @@ def configure_sources(update=False,
         apt_update(fatal=True)
 
 
-def install_remote(source):
+def install_remote(source, *args, **kwargs):
     """
     Install a file tree from a remote source
 
     The specified source should be a url of the form:
         scheme://[host]/path[#[option=value][&...]]
 
-    Schemes supported are based on this modules submodules
-    Options supported are submodule-specific"""
+    Schemes supported are based on this modules submodules.
+    Options supported are submodule-specific.
+    Additional arguments are passed through to the submodule.
+
+    For example::
+
+        dest = install_remote('http://example.com/archive.tgz',
+                              checksum='deadbeef',
+                              hash_type='sha1')
+
+    This will download `archive.tgz`, validate it using SHA1 and, if
+    the file is ok, extract it and return the directory in which it
+    was extracted.  If the checksum fails, it will raise
+    :class:`charmhelpers.core.host.ChecksumError`.
+    """
     # We ONLY check for True here because can_handle may return a string
     # explaining why it can't handle a given source.
     handlers = [h for h in plugins() if h.can_handle(source) is True]
     installed_to = None
     for handler in handlers:
         try:
-            installed_to = handler.install(source)
+            installed_to = handler.install(source, *args, **kwargs)
         except UnhandledSource:
             pass
     if not installed_to:
diff --git a/hooks/charmhelpers/fetch/archiveurl.py b/hooks/charmhelpers/fetch/archiveurl.py
index 87e7071a..8c045650 100644
--- a/hooks/charmhelpers/fetch/archiveurl.py
+++ b/hooks/charmhelpers/fetch/archiveurl.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import os
 import urllib2
+from urllib import urlretrieve
 import urlparse
+import hashlib
 
 from charmhelpers.fetch import (
     BaseFetchHandler,
@@ -10,11 +12,19 @@ from charmhelpers.payload.archive import (
     get_archive_handler,
     extract,
 )
-from charmhelpers.core.host import mkdir
+from charmhelpers.core.host import mkdir, check_hash
 
 
 class ArchiveUrlFetchHandler(BaseFetchHandler):
-    """Handler for archives via generic URLs"""
+    """
+    Handler to download archive files from arbitrary URLs.
+
+    Can fetch from http, https, ftp, and file URLs.
+
+    Can install either tarballs (.tar, .tgz, .tbz2, etc) or zip files.
+
+    Installs the contents of the archive in $CHARM_DIR/fetched/.
+    """
     def can_handle(self, source):
         url_parts = self.parse_url(source)
         if url_parts.scheme not in ('http', 'https', 'ftp', 'file'):
@@ -24,6 +34,12 @@ class ArchiveUrlFetchHandler(BaseFetchHandler):
         return False
 
     def download(self, source, dest):
+        """
+        Download an archive file.
+
+        :param str source: URL pointing to an archive file.
+        :param str dest: Local path location to download archive file to.
+        """
         # propogate all exceptions
         # URLError, OSError, etc
         proto, netloc, path, params, query, fragment = urlparse.urlparse(source)
@@ -48,7 +64,30 @@ class ArchiveUrlFetchHandler(BaseFetchHandler):
                 os.unlink(dest)
             raise e
 
-    def install(self, source):
+    # Mandatory file validation via Sha1 or MD5 hashing.
+    def download_and_validate(self, url, hashsum, validate="sha1"):
+        tempfile, headers = urlretrieve(url)
+        check_hash(tempfile, hashsum, validate)
+        return tempfile
+
+    def install(self, source, dest=None, checksum=None, hash_type='sha1'):
+        """
+        Download and install an archive file, with optional checksum validation.
+
+        The checksum can also be given on the `source` URL's fragment.
+        For example::
+
+            handler.install('http://example.com/file.tgz#sha1=deadbeef')
+
+        :param str source: URL pointing to an archive file.
+        :param str dest: Local destination path to install to. If not given,
+            installs to `$CHARM_DIR/archives/archive_file_name`.
+        :param str checksum: If given, validate the archive file after download.
+        :param str hash_type: Algorithm used to generate `checksum`.
+            Can be any hash alrgorithm supported by :mod:`hashlib`,
+            such as md5, sha1, sha256, sha512, etc.
+
+        """
         url_parts = self.parse_url(source)
         dest_dir = os.path.join(os.environ.get('CHARM_DIR'), 'fetched')
         if not os.path.exists(dest_dir):
@@ -60,4 +99,10 @@ class ArchiveUrlFetchHandler(BaseFetchHandler):
             raise UnhandledSource(e.reason)
         except OSError as e:
             raise UnhandledSource(e.strerror)
-        return extract(dld_file)
+        options = urlparse.parse_qs(url_parts.fragment)
+        for key, value in options.items():
+            if key in hashlib.algorithms:
+                check_hash(dld_file, value, key)
+        if checksum:
+            check_hash(dld_file, checksum, hash_type)
+        return extract(dld_file, dest)
diff --git a/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/amulet/deployment.py b/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/amulet/deployment.py
index 8c0af487..e0e850dd 100644
--- a/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/amulet/deployment.py
+++ b/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/amulet/deployment.py
@@ -24,10 +24,10 @@ class AmuletDeployment(object):
         """Add services.
 
            Add services to the deployment where this_service is the local charm
-           that we're focused on testing and other_services are the other
-           charms that come from the charm store.
+           that we're testing and other_services are the other services that
+           are being used in the amulet tests.
            """
-        name, units = range(2)
+        name, units, location = range(3)
 
         if this_service[name] != os.path.basename(os.getcwd()):
             s = this_service[name]
@@ -37,12 +37,13 @@ class AmuletDeployment(object):
         self.d.add(this_service[name], units=this_service[units])
 
         for svc in other_services:
-            if self.series:
-                self.d.add(svc[name],
-                           charm='cs:{}/{}'.format(self.series, svc[name]),
-                           units=svc[units])
+            if len(svc) > 2:
+                branch_location = svc[location]
+            elif self.series:
+                branch_location = 'cs:{}/{}'.format(self.series, svc[name]),
             else:
-                self.d.add(svc[name], units=svc[units])
+                branch_location = None
+            self.d.add(svc[name], charm=branch_location, units=svc[units])
 
     def _add_relations(self, relations):
         """Add all of the relations for the services."""
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ class AmuletDeployment(object):
     def _deploy(self):
         """Deploy environment and wait for all hooks to finish executing."""
         try:
-            self.d.setup()
+            self.d.setup(timeout=900)
             self.d.sentry.wait(timeout=900)
         except amulet.helpers.TimeoutError:
             amulet.raise_status(amulet.FAIL, msg="Deployment timed out")
diff --git a/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/openstack/amulet/deployment.py b/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/openstack/amulet/deployment.py
index 9179eeb1..10d3b506 100644
--- a/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/openstack/amulet/deployment.py
+++ b/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/openstack/amulet/deployment.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+from bzrlib.branch import Branch
+import os
+import re
 from charmhelpers.contrib.amulet.deployment import (
     AmuletDeployment
 )
@@ -16,11 +19,41 @@ class OpenStackAmuletDeployment(AmuletDeployment):
         self.openstack = openstack
         self.source = source
 
+    def _is_dev_branch(self):
+        """Determine if branch being tested is a dev (i.e. next) branch."""
+        branch = Branch.open(os.getcwd())
+        parent = branch.get_parent()
+        pattern = re.compile("^.*/next/$")
+        if (pattern.match(parent)):
+            return True
+        else:
+            return False
+
+    def _determine_branch_locations(self, other_services):
+        """Determine the branch locations for the other services.
+
+           If the branch being tested is a dev branch, then determine the
+           development branch locations for the other services. Otherwise,
+           the default charm store branches will be used."""
+        name = 0
+        if self._is_dev_branch():
+            updated_services = []
+            for svc in other_services:
+                if svc[name] in ['mysql', 'mongodb', 'rabbitmq-server']:
+                    location = 'lp:charms/{}'.format(svc[name])
+                else:
+                    temp = 'lp:~openstack-charmers/charms/trusty/{}/next'
+                    location = temp.format(svc[name])
+                updated_services.append(svc + (location,))
+            other_services = updated_services
+        return other_services
+
     def _add_services(self, this_service, other_services):
-        """Add services to the deployment and set openstack-origin."""
+        """Add services to the deployment and set openstack-origin/source."""
+        name = 0
+        other_services = self._determine_branch_locations(other_services)
         super(OpenStackAmuletDeployment, self)._add_services(this_service,
                                                              other_services)
-        name = 0
         services = other_services
         services.append(this_service)
         use_source = ['mysql', 'mongodb', 'rabbitmq-server', 'ceph']
diff --git a/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/openstack/amulet/utils.py b/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/openstack/amulet/utils.py
index bd327bdc..0f312b99 100644
--- a/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/openstack/amulet/utils.py
+++ b/tests/charmhelpers/contrib/openstack/amulet/utils.py
@@ -187,15 +187,16 @@ class OpenStackAmuletUtils(AmuletUtils):
 
         f = opener.open("http://download.cirros-cloud.net/version/released")
         version = f.read().strip()
-        cirros_img = "tests/cirros-{}-x86_64-disk.img".format(version)
+        cirros_img = "cirros-{}-x86_64-disk.img".format(version)
+        local_path = os.path.join('tests', cirros_img)
 
-        if not os.path.exists(cirros_img):
+        if not os.path.exists(local_path):
             cirros_url = "http://{}/{}/{}".format("download.cirros-cloud.net",
                                                   version, cirros_img)
-            opener.retrieve(cirros_url, cirros_img)
+            opener.retrieve(cirros_url, local_path)
         f.close()
 
-        with open(cirros_img) as f:
+        with open(local_path) as f:
             image = glance.images.create(name=image_name, is_public=True,
                                          disk_format='qcow2',
                                          container_format='bare', data=f)