diff --git a/elements/posix/README.rst b/elements/posix/README.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..23e9f6e05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/posix/README.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+posix
+=====
+
+* This element installs packages to ensure that the resulting image has
+ binaries necessary to meet the requirements of POSIX, laid out in the
+ following URL:
+
+ + http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/idx/utilities.html
+
+* This has been tested to work on Ubuntu, Debian, and CentOS, although
+ should work on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
+
+* To add support for other distros please consult the URL for binaries,
+ then add the providing packages to pkg-map.
diff --git a/elements/posix/element-deps b/elements/posix/element-deps
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7076aba94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/posix/element-deps
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+package-installs
diff --git a/elements/posix/package-installs.yaml b/elements/posix/package-installs.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3e1564724
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/posix/package-installs.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+"admin":
+"alias":
+"ar":
+"asa":
+"at":
+"awk":
+"basename":
+"batch":
+"bc":
+"bg":
+"c99":
+"cal":
+"cat":
+"cd":
+"cflow":
+"chgrp":
+"chmod":
+"chown":
+"cksum":
+"cmp":
+"comm":
+"command":
+"compress":
+"cp":
+"crontab":
+"csplit":
+"ctags":
+"cut":
+"cxref":
+"date":
+"dd":
+"delta":
+"df":
+"diff":
+"dirname":
+"du":
+"echo":
+"ed":
+"env":
+"ex":
+"expand":
+"expr":
+"false":
+"fc":
+"fg":
+"file":
+"find":
+"fold":
+"fort77":
+"fuser":
+"gencat":
+"get":
+"getconf":
+"getopts":
+"grep":
+"hash":
+"head":
+"iconv":
+"id":
+"ipcrm":
+"ipcs":
+"jobs":
+"join":
+"kill":
+"lex":
+"link":
+"ln":
+"locale":
+"localedef":
+"logger":
+"logname":
+"lp":
+"ls":
+"m4":
+"mailx":
+"make":
+"man":
+"mesg":
+"mkdir":
+"mkfifo":
+"more":
+"mv":
+"newgrp":
+"nice":
+"nl":
+"nm":
+"nohup":
+"od":
+"paste":
+"patch":
+"pathchk":
+"pax":
+"pr":
+"printf":
+"prs":
+"ps":
+"pwd":
+"qalter":
+"qdel":
+"qhold":
+"qmove":
+"qmsg":
+"qrerun":
+"qrls":
+"qselect":
+"qsig":
+"qstat":
+"qsub":
+"read":
+"renice":
+"rm":
+"rmdel":
+"rmdir":
+"sact":
+"sccs":
+"sed":
+"sh":
+"sleep":
+"sort":
+"split":
+"strings":
+"strip":
+"stty":
+"tabs":
+"tail":
+"talk":
+"tee":
+"test":
+"time":
+"touch":
+"tput":
+"tr":
+"true":
+"tsort":
+"tty":
+"type":
+"ulimit":
+"umask":
+"unalias":
+"uname":
+"uncompress":
+"unexpand":
+"unget":
+"uniq":
+"unlink":
+"uucp":
+"uudecode":
+"uuencode":
+"uustat":
+"uux":
+"val":
+"vi":
+"wait":
+"wc":
+"what":
+"who":
+"write":
+"xargs":
+"yacc":
+"zcat":
diff --git a/elements/posix/pkg-map b/elements/posix/pkg-map
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..07b0862cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/posix/pkg-map
@@ -0,0 +1,328 @@
+{
+ "family":{
+ "debian":{
+ "admin": "",
+ "alias": "",
+ "ar": "binutils",
+ "asa": "",
+ "at": "at",
+ "awk": "gawk",
+ "basename": "coreutils",
+ "batch": "at",
+ "bc": "bc",
+ "bg": "",
+ "c99": "gcc",
+ "cal": "bsdmainutils",
+ "cat": "coreutils",
+ "cd": "",
+ "cflow": "cflow",
+ "chgrp": "coreutils",
+ "chmod": "coreutils",
+ "chown": "coreutils",
+ "cksum": "coreutils",
+ "cmp": "diffutils",
+ "comm": "coreutils",
+ "command": "",
+ "compress": "ncompress",
+ "cp": "coreutils",
+ "crontab": "cron",
+ "csplit": "coreutils",
+ "ctags": "exuberant-ctags",
+ "cut": "coreutils",
+ "cxref": "cxref",
+ "date": "coreutils",
+ "dd": "coreutils",
+ "delta": "",
+ "df": "coreutils",
+ "diff": "diffutils",
+ "dirname": "coreutils",
+ "du": "coreutils",
+ "echo": "coreutils",
+ "ed": "ed",
+ "env": "coreutils",
+ "ex": "vim",
+ "expand": "coreutils",
+ "expr": "coreutils",
+ "false": "coreutils",
+ "fc": "",
+ "fg": "",
+ "file": "file",
+ "find": "findutils",
+ "fold": "coreutils",
+ "fort77": "fort77",
+ "fuser": "psmisc",
+ "gencat": "libc-dev-bin",
+ "get": "",
+ "getconf": "libc-bin",
+ "getopts": "",
+ "grep": "grep",
+ "hash": "",
+ "head": "coreutils",
+ "iconv": "libc-bin",
+ "id": "coreutils",
+ "ipcrm": "util-linux",
+ "ipcs": "util-linux",
+ "jobs": "",
+ "join": "coreutils",
+ "kill": "procps",
+ "lex": "flex",
+ "link": "coreutils",
+ "ln": "coreutils",
+ "locale": "libc-bin",
+ "localedef": "libc-bin",
+ "logger": "bsdutils",
+ "logname": "coreutils",
+ "lp": "cups-client",
+ "ls": "coreutils",
+ "m4": "m4",
+ "mailx": "mailutils",
+ "make": "make",
+ "man": "man-db",
+ "mesg": "sysvinit-utils",
+ "mkdir": "coreutils",
+ "mkfifo": "coreutils",
+ "more": "util-linux",
+ "mv": "coreutils",
+ "newgrp": "login",
+ "nice": "coreutils",
+ "nl": "coreutils",
+ "nm": "binutils",
+ "nohup": "coreutils",
+ "od": "coreutils",
+ "paste": "coreutils",
+ "patch": "patch",
+ "pathchk": "coreutils",
+ "pax": "pax",
+ "pr": "coreutils",
+ "printf": "coreutils",
+ "prs": "",
+ "ps": "procps",
+ "pwd": "coreutils",
+ "qalter": "",
+ "qdel": "",
+ "qhold": "",
+ "qmove": "",
+ "qmsg": "",
+ "qrerun": "",
+ "qrls": "",
+ "qselect": "",
+ "qsig": "",
+ "qstat": "",
+ "qsub": "",
+ "read": "",
+ "renice": "bsdutils",
+ "rm": "coreutils",
+ "rmdel": "cssc",
+ "rmdir": "coreutils",
+ "sact": "cssc",
+ "sccs": "cssc",
+ "sed": "sed",
+ "sh": "dash",
+ "sleep": "coreutils",
+ "sort": "coreutils",
+ "split": "coreutils",
+ "strings": "binutils",
+ "strip": "binutils",
+ "stty": "coreutils",
+ "tabs": "ncurses-bin",
+ "tail": "coreutils",
+ "talk": "talk",
+ "tee": "coreutils",
+ "test": "coreutils",
+ "time": "",
+ "touch": "coreutils",
+ "tput": "ncurses-bin",
+ "tr": "coreutils",
+ "true": "coreutils",
+ "tsort": "coreutils",
+ "tty": "coreutils",
+ "type": "",
+ "ulimit": "",
+ "umask": "",
+ "unalias": "",
+ "uname": "coreutils",
+ "uncompress": "gzip",
+ "unexpand": "coreutils",
+ "unget": "",
+ "uniq": "coreutils",
+ "unlink": "coreutils",
+ "uucp": "uucp",
+ "uudecode": "sharutils",
+ "uuencode": "sharutils",
+ "uustat": "uucp",
+ "uux": "uucp",
+ "val": "",
+ "vi": "vim",
+ "wait": "",
+ "wc": "coreutils",
+ "what": "",
+ "who": "coreutils",
+ "write": "bsdmainutils",
+ "xargs": "findutils",
+ "yacc": "bison",
+ "zcat": "gzip"
+ },
+ "redhat":{
+ "admin": "",
+ "alias": "bash",
+ "ar": "binutils",
+ "asa": "",
+ "at": "at",
+ "awk": "gawk",
+ "basename": "coreutils",
+ "batch": "at",
+ "bc": "bc",
+ "bg": "",
+ "c99": "gcc",
+ "cal": "util-linux",
+ "cat": "coreutils",
+ "cd": "bash",
+ "cflow": "",
+ "chgrp": "coreutils",
+ "chmod": "coreutils",
+ "chown": "coreutils",
+ "cksum": "coreutils",
+ "cmp": "diffutils",
+ "comm": "coreutils",
+ "command": "bash",
+ "compress": "ncompress",
+ "cp": "coreutils",
+ "crontab": "cronie",
+ "csplit": "coreutils",
+ "ctags": "ctags",
+ "cut": "coreutils",
+ "cxref": "",
+ "date": "coreutils",
+ "dd": "coreutils",
+ "delta": "",
+ "df": "coreutils",
+ "diff": "diffutils",
+ "dirname": "coreutils",
+ "du": "coreutils",
+ "echo": "coreutils",
+ "ed": "ed",
+ "env": "coreutils",
+ "ex": "vim-minimal",
+ "expand": "coreutils",
+ "expr": "coreutils",
+ "false": "coreutils",
+ "fc": "",
+ "fg": "",
+ "file": "file",
+ "find": "findutils",
+ "fold": "coreutils",
+ "fort77": "",
+ "fuser": "psmisc",
+ "gencat": "glibc-common",
+ "get": "",
+ "getconf": "glibc-common",
+ "getopts": "bash",
+ "grep": "grep",
+ "hash": "",
+ "head": "coreutils",
+ "iconv": "glibc-common",
+ "id": "coreutils",
+ "ipcrm": "util-linux",
+ "ipcs": "util-linux",
+ "jobs": "bash",
+ "join": "coreutils",
+ "kill": "util-linux",
+ "lex": "flex",
+ "link": "coreutils",
+ "ln": "coreutils",
+ "locale": "glibc-common",
+ "localedef": "",
+ "logger": "util-linux",
+ "logname": "coreutils",
+ "lp": "cups-client",
+ "ls": "coreutils",
+ "m4": "m4",
+ "mailx": "mailx",
+ "make": "make",
+ "man": "man-db",
+ "mesg": "sysvinit-utils",
+ "mkdir": "coreutils",
+ "mkfifo": "coreutils",
+ "more": "util-linux",
+ "mv": "coreutils",
+ "newgrp": "shadow-utils",
+ "nice": "coreutils",
+ "nl": "coreutils",
+ "nm": "binutils",
+ "nohup": "coreutils",
+ "od": "coreutils",
+ "paste": "coreutils",
+ "patch": "patch",
+ "pathchk": "coreutils",
+ "pax": "pax",
+ "pr": "coreutils",
+ "printf": "coreutils",
+ "prs": "",
+ "ps": "procps-ng",
+ "pwd": "coreutils",
+ "qalter": "",
+ "qdel": "",
+ "qhold": "",
+ "qmove": "",
+ "qmsg": "",
+ "qrerun": "",
+ "qrls": "",
+ "qselect": "",
+ "qsig": "",
+ "qstat": "",
+ "qsub": "",
+ "read": "bash",
+ "renice": "util-linux",
+ "rm": "coreutils",
+ "rmdel": "",
+ "rmdir": "coreutils",
+ "sact": "",
+ "sccs": "",
+ "sed": "sed",
+ "sh": "bash",
+ "sleep": "coreutils",
+ "sort": "coreutils",
+ "split": "coreutils",
+ "strings": "binutils",
+ "strip": "binutils",
+ "stty": "coreutils",
+ "tabs": "ncurses-bin",
+ "tail": "coreutils",
+ "talk": "talk",
+ "tee": "coreutils",
+ "test": "coreutils",
+ "time": "",
+ "touch": "coreutils",
+ "tput": "ncurses",
+ "tr": "coreutils",
+ "true": "coreutils",
+ "tsort": "coreutils",
+ "tty": "coreutils",
+ "type": "",
+ "ulimit": "",
+ "umask": "bash",
+ "unalias": "bash",
+ "uname": "coreutils",
+ "uncompress": "ncompress",
+ "unexpand": "coreutils",
+ "unget": "",
+ "uniq": "coreutils",
+ "unlink": "coreutils",
+ "uucp": "",
+ "uudecode": "sharutils",
+ "uuencode": "sharutils",
+ "uustat": "",
+ "uux": "",
+ "val": "",
+ "vi": "vim-minimal",
+ "wait": "bash",
+ "wc": "coreutils",
+ "what": "",
+ "who": "coreutils",
+ "write": "util-linux",
+ "xargs": "findutils",
+ "yacc": "byacc",
+ "zcat": "gzip"
+ }
+ }
+}