diff --git a/docker.mk b/docker.mk
index 7c3a41c..14be040 100644
--- a/docker.mk
+++ b/docker.mk
@@ -94,11 +94,14 @@ DOCKER_TAG:=latest
 
 #docker_%:	$(TMPBIN)/%.iid
 
-docker_%: % $(DOCKER_GLOBAL_DEPS) $(DOCKER_TARGET_DEPS)
+altroot_prep_%: % $(DOCKER_GLOBAL_DEPS) $(DOCKER_TARGET_DEPS)
 	@BUILD=$(BUILD) bash $(DOCKER_GET_REVISION_SCRIPT) $(<) > $(TMPBIN)/$(<).rid $(if $(DOCKER_ALLOW_DIRTY), || true,)
 	echo "revision" `cat $(TMPBIN)/$(<).rid`
 	@echo "Building $(<) for use within docker"
-	+make TMPBIN=$(TMPBIN) LIB=$(TMPBIN)/docker-$(<)/lib BIN=$(TMPBIN)/docker-$(<)/bin ETC=$(TMPBIN)/docker-$(<)/etc $(<)
+	make TMPBIN=$(TMPBIN) LIB=$(TMPBIN)/docker-$(<)/opt/lib BIN=$(TMPBIN)/docker-$(<)/opt/bin ALTROOT=$(TMPBIN)/docker-$(<) $(<)
+
+docker_%: % $(DOCKER_GLOBAL_DEPS) $(DOCKER_TARGET_DEPS)
+	make altroot_prep_$(<)
 	@echo "Creating container"
 	@rm -f $(TMPBIN)/$(<).cid
 	docker run -cidfile $(TMPBIN)/$(<).cid -v `pwd`:/tmp/build $(DOCKER_BASE_IMAGE) sh /tmp/build/$(JML_BUILD)/docker_install_inside_container.sh /tmp/build/$(TMPBIN)/docker-$(<) $(if $(DOCKER_POST_INSTALL_SCRIPT),/tmp/build/$(DOCKER_POST_INSTALL_SCRIPT))
diff --git a/docker_install_inside_container.sh b/docker_install_inside_container.sh
index bd7b866..35a80a5 100644
--- a/docker_install_inside_container.sh
+++ b/docker_install_inside_container.sh
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+set -e
+
 echo "installing from " $1
 
-mkdir -p /opt
-cp -r $1/* /opt
-cp -r $1/etc/* /etc
+cd $1
+cp -av * /
 
 $2
diff --git a/functions.mk b/functions.mk
index c184117..2b2a88b 100644
--- a/functions.mk
+++ b/functions.mk
@@ -312,6 +312,16 @@ libraries: $(LIB)/$$(tmpLIBNAME)$$(so)
 endif
 endef
 
+# add a forward dependency to a library, ie it depends upon a library defined further forwards
+# in the makefile.
+# $(1): name of the library
+# $(2): name of all libraries it has a forward dependency on
+define library_forward_dependency
+ifneq ($(PREMAKE),1)
+$$(if $$(LIB_$(1)_SO),,$$(error unknown library $(1) for forward dep))
+$$(LIB_$(1)_SO): $$(foreach lib,$(2), $(LIB)/lib$$(lib)$$(so))
+endif
+endef
 
 # add a program
 # $(1): name of the program
diff --git a/to_junit.py b/to_junit.py
index e919145..ab0c9ff 100644
--- a/to_junit.py
+++ b/to_junit.py
@@ -1,34 +1,70 @@
-#make test | python junit.py > testresults.xml
+#
+# to_junit.py
+# Nicolas Kructhen, 2013-03-26
+# Mich, 2015-03-05
+# Copyright (c) 2013 Datacratic Inc.  All rights reserved.
+#
+# make test | python junit.py > testresults.xml
 
-import os, fileinput
-from xml.sax.saxutils import escape
+import os
+import fileinput
+from xml.etree import ElementTree
+from StringIO import StringIO
 
 passed = set()
 failed = set()
 
 for l in fileinput.input():
-    pieces = l.strip().replace("\x1b[0m", "").replace("\x1b[32m","").replace("\x1b[31m", "").split()
-    if not len(pieces) == 2: continue
-    if pieces[1] == "passed": passed.add(pieces[0])
-    if pieces[1] == "FAILED": failed.add(pieces[0])
+    pieces = l.strip().replace("\x1b[0m", "").replace("\x1b[32m", "") \
+        .replace("\x1b[31m", "").split()
+    if not len(pieces) == 2:
+        continue
+    if pieces[1] == "passed":
+        passed.add(pieces[0])
+    if pieces[1] == "FAILED":
+        failed.add(pieces[0])
 
 failed.difference_update(passed)
 
-print """<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
-<testsuite errors="0" tests="%d" time="0" failures="%d" name="tests">""" % (len(passed)+len(failed), len(failed))
+builder = ElementTree.TreeBuilder()
+builder.start('testsuite', {
+    'errors'   : '0',
+    'tests'    : str(len(passed) + len(failed)),
+    'time'     : '0',
+    'failures' : str(len(failed)),
+    'name'     : 'tests'
+})
 
 for f in failed:
-
     failContent = ""
 
     if os.path.isfile("build/x86_64/tests/%s.failed" % f):
-	with open("build/x86_64/tests/%s.failed" % f, "r") as failFile:
+        with open("build/x86_64/tests/%s.failed" % f, "r") as failFile:
             failContent = failFile.read()
+    builder.start('testcase', {
+        'time' : '0',
+        'name' : f
+    })
+    builder.start('failure', {
+        'type' : 'failure',
+        'message' : 'Check log'
+    })
+    builder.data(failContent)
+    builder.end('failure')
+    builder.end('testcase')
+
+for p in passed:
+    builder.start('testcase', {
+        'time' : '0',
+        'name' : p
+    })
+    builder.end('testcase')
 
-    print """    <testcase time="0" name="%s">
-        <failure type="failure" message="Check log">%s</failure>
-    </testcase>""" % (f, escape(failContent))
-for p in passed: 
-    print """    <testcase time="0" name="%s"/>""" % p
+builder.end('testsuite')
 
-print "</testsuite>"
+tree = ElementTree.ElementTree()
+element = builder.close()
+tree._setroot(element)
+io = StringIO()
+tree.write(io, encoding='ascii', xml_declaration=True)
+print io.getvalue()