diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df7b3ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+*~
+*.tmp
diff --git a/create_setup_scripts.sh b/create_setup_scripts.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..96e4543
--- /dev/null
+++ b/create_setup_scripts.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+function create_script {
+    gt=`echo $gluex_top | sed -e 's./.\\\\/.g'`
+    sed -e "s/<gluex-top>/${gt}/" < $gi_path/$name.template > $1
+}
+
+gi_path=$1
+gluex_top=$2
+for name in gluex_env_boot.sh gluex_env_boot.csh gluex_env_local.sh gluex_env_local.csh; do
+    echo creating script $name
+    create_script $name
+done
+    
diff --git a/gluex_env_boot.csh.template b/gluex_env_boot.csh.template
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..17b80ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gluex_env_boot.csh.template
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+setenv BUILD_SCRIPTS <gluex-top>/build_scripts
+set build_scripts_this=$BUILD_SCRIPTS
+alias gxenv "source $build_scripts_this/gluex_env_clean.csh; setenv BUILD_SCRIPTS $build_scripts_this; source <gluex-top>/gluex_env_local.csh \!*"
+alias gxclean "source $build_scripts_this/gluex_env_clean.csh"
+echo $PATH | grep $build_scripts_this > /dev/null
+if ($status) setenv PATH ${build_scripts_this}:$PATH
diff --git a/gluex_env_boot.sh.template b/gluex_env_boot.sh.template
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c86e67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gluex_env_boot.sh.template
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+export BUILD_SCRIPTS=<gluex-top>/build_scripts
+build_scripts_this=$BUILD_SCRIPTS
+function gxenv() { source $build_scripts_this/gluex_env_clean.sh; \
+    export BUILD_SCRIPTS=$build_scripts_this; \
+    source <gluex-top>/gluex_env_local.sh $1; \
+    }
+function gxclean() { source $build_scripts_this/gluex_env_clean.sh; }
+if [ `echo $PATH | grep -c $build_scripts_this` -eq 0 ]
+    then export PATH=$build_scripts_this:$PATH
+fi
diff --git a/gluex_env_local.csh.template b/gluex_env_local.csh.template
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b71413a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gluex_env_local.csh.template
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+setenv GLUEX_TOP <gluex-top>
+if (! $?BUILD_SCRIPTS) setenv BUILD_SCRIPTS $GLUEX_TOP/build_scripts
+setenv HALLD_VERSIONS $GLUEX_TOP/halld_versions
+source $BUILD_SCRIPTS/gluex_env_version.csh $HALLD_VERSIONS/version_jlab.xml
+setenv CCDB_CONNECTION mysql://ccdb_user@hallddb.jlab.org/ccdb
+setenv JANA_CALIB_URL $CCDB_CONNECTION
+setenv JANA_RESOURCE_DIR $GLUEX_TOP/resources
diff --git a/gluex_env_local.sh.template b/gluex_env_local.sh.template
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c583480
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gluex_env_local.sh.template
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+export GLUEX_TOP=<gluex-top>
+if [ -z "$BUILD_SCRIPTS" ]
+    then export BUILD_SCRIPTS=$GLUEX_TOP/build_scripts
+fi
+export HALLD_VERSIONS=$GLUEX_TOP/halld_versions
+source $BUILD_SCRIPTS/gluex_env_version.sh $HALLD_VERSIONS/version_jlab.xml
+export CCDB_CONNECTION=mysql://ccdb_user@hallddb.jlab.org/ccdb
+export JANA_CALIB_URL=$CCDB_CONNECTION
+export JANA_RESOURCE_DIR=$GLUEX_TOP/resources
diff --git a/gluex_install.sh b/gluex_install.sh
index 84e86be..b82cd2b 100755
--- a/gluex_install.sh
+++ b/gluex_install.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,18 @@
 #!/bin/bash
+# GI_PATH is the fully qualified directory that contains this script
+gi_script="${BASH_SOURCE[0]}";
+if([ -h "${gi_script}" ]) then
+  while([ -h "${gi_script}" ]) do gi_script=`readlink "${gi_script}"`; done
+fi
+pushd . > /dev/null
+cd `dirname ${gi_script}` > /dev/null
+GI_PATH=`pwd`
+popd  > /dev/null
+#
 mkdir -p gluex_top
 pushd gluex_top
 pwd_string=`pwd`
+mkdir -p resources
 if [ -e build_scripts ]
     then
     echo build_scripts already here, skip installation
@@ -12,26 +23,23 @@ else
     git checkout latest
     popd
 fi
-export GLUEX_TOP=$pwd_string
-export BUILD_SCRIPTS=$GLUEX_TOP/build_scripts
-rm -fv setup.sh
-echo export GLUEX_TOP=$pwd_string > setup.sh
-echo export BUILD_SCRIPTS=\$GLUEX_TOP/build_scripts >> setup.sh
-echo source \$BUILD_SCRIPTS/gluex_env_version.sh $pwd_string/version_jlab.xml >> setup.sh
-rm -fv setup.csh
-echo setenv GLUEX_TOP $pwd_string > setup.csh
-echo setenv BUILD_SCRIPTS \$GLUEX_TOP/build_scripts >> setup.csh
-echo source \$BUILD_SCRIPTS/gluex_env_version.csh $pwd_string/version_jlab.xml >> setup.csh
-if [ -f version_jlab.xml ]
+if [ -e halld_versions ]
     then
-    echo version_jlab.xml exists, skip download
+    echo halld_versions already here, skip installation
 else
-    echo getting version_jlab.xml from halldweb.jlab.org
-    wget --no-check-certificate https://halldweb.jlab.org/dist/version_jlab.xml
+    echo cloning halld_versions repository
+    git clone https://github.com/jeffersonlab/halld_versions
 fi
-source setup.sh
+$GI_PATH/create_setup_scripts.sh $GI_PATH $pwd_string
+source gluex_env_local.sh
 make -f $BUILD_SCRIPTS/Makefile_all gluex_pass1
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]
+then
+    echo pass 1 failed, exiting
+    popd
+    exit 1
+fi
 source $BUILD_SCRIPTS/gluex_env_clean.sh
-source setup.sh
+source gluex_env_local.sh
 make -f $BUILD_SCRIPTS/Makefile_all gluex_pass2
 popd