diff --git a/src/common/remoteio.c b/src/common/remoteio.c
--- a/src/common/remoteio.c
+++ b/src/common/remoteio.c
@@ -27,12 +27,32 @@
 #include <string.h>
 
 /* local */
+
+int _remoteio_ssh_open(struct remoteio *rem, struct remoteio_server *server);
+int _remoteio_ssh_read(struct remoteio *rem, void *buf, size_t len, size_t *bytesread);
+int _remoteio_ssh_write(struct remoteio *rem, void *buf, size_t len, size_t *bytesread);
+int _remoteio_ssh_close(struct remoteio *rem);
+
+/**
+  lookup table for different methods of remoteio:
+  the enum remoteio_method is the index of the entry to use for that method. 
+  Regardless, a NULL terminator is required because the configuration function
+  searches through this table for the method specified in the config file.
+*/
+struct remoteio_method_funcmap funcmap[] = 
+  {
+    /* [REMOTEIO_METHOD_SSH] */
+    {&_remoteio_ssh_open, &_remoteio_ssh_read, &_remoteio_ssh_write, &_remoteio_ssh_close, "ssh"},
+    {NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL}
+  };
+
 struct remoteio_server *remoteio_getserver(const struct remoteio_opts *opts, const char *servername);
 
 int remoteio_config(cfg_t *cfg, struct remoteio_opts *opts)
 {
   size_t numservers;
   size_t counter;
+  static int haslisted_methods = 0;
   
   struct remoteio_server *aserver;
 
@@ -49,6 +69,7 @@ int remoteio_config(cfg_t *cfg, struct r
   for(counter = 0; counter < numservers; counter ++)
     {
       cfg_t *cfg_aserver;
+      char *method;
       
       cfg_aserver = cfg_getnsec(cfg, "server", counter);
       
@@ -58,10 +79,25 @@ int remoteio_config(cfg_t *cfg, struct r
       aserver->name = strdup(cfg_title(cfg_aserver));
       aserver->hostname = strdup(cfg_getstr(cfg_aserver, "hostname"));
       aserver->username = strdup(cfg_getstr(cfg_aserver, "username"));
-      if(strcmp(cfg_getstr(cfg_aserver, "method"), "ssh") == 0)
-	aserver->method = REMOTEIO_METHOD_SSH;
-      else
-	abort();
+
+      aserver->method = REMOTEIO_METHOD_MAX;
+      method = cfg_getstr(cfg_aserver, "method");
+      for(counter = 0; funcmap[counter].name; counter ++)
+	if(strcmp(method, funcmap[counter].name) == 0)
+	  aserver->method = REMOTEIO_METHOD_SSH;
+      if(aserver->method == REMOTEIO_METHOD_MAX)
+	{
+	  fprintf(stderr, "No such method as %s\n", method);
+	  if(!haslisted_methods)
+	    {
+	      fprintf(stderr, "Available methods:\n");
+	      for(counter = 0; funcmap[counter].name; counter ++)
+		fprintf(stderr, "\t%s\n", funcmap[counter].name);
+	      
+	      haslisted_methods ++;
+	    }
+	  abort();
+	}
       
       if(counter < numservers - 1)
 	{
@@ -76,14 +112,18 @@ int remoteio_config(cfg_t *cfg, struct r
 
 
 
-int remoteio_open(struct remoteio **rem, struct remoteio_opts *opts, const char *servername)
+int remoteio_open(struct remoteio **remoteio, struct remoteio_opts *opts, const char *servername)
 {
-  char *userhost;
-  char *sshargs[] = {opts->ssh_command, NULL /* userhost */, "distrend", "-d", (char *)NULL};
-  
-  int rtn;
-  
   struct remoteio_server *theserver;
+  struct remoteio *rem;
+
+  int tmp;
+
+  if(!opts)
+    {
+      fprintf(stderr, "%s:%d: no null opts!\n\tThis is a bug, please report it (after making sure it isn't already reported)\n", __FILE__, __LINE__);
+      return 1;
+    }
 
   theserver = remoteio_getserver(opts, servername);
   if(!theserver)
@@ -92,28 +132,31 @@ int remoteio_open(struct remoteio **rem,
       return 1;
     }
 
-  if(theserver->method != REMOTEIO_METHOD_SSH)
+  if(theserver->method >= REMOTEIO_METHOD_MAX
+     || theserver->method < 0)
     {
-      fprintf(stderr, "%s:%d: Unsupported remoteio method %d\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, theserver->method);
+      fprintf(stderr, "%s:%d: Unsupported remoteio method %d\n\tThis is a bug, probably indicating memory corruption. This is, of course, probably my fault (not your hardware's) ;-)\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, theserver->method);
       return 1;
     }
-
-  if(theserver->username)
-    _distren_asprintf(&userhost, "%s@%s", theserver->username, theserver->hostname);
-  else
-    userhost = strdup(theserver->hostname);
-  sshargs[1] = userhost;
+  rem = malloc(sizeof(struct remoteio));
+  if(!rem)
+    {
+      fprintf(stderr, "OOM\n");
+      return 2;
+    }
+  *remoteio = rem;
 
-  *rem = malloc(sizeof(struct remoteio));
-  rtn = execio_open( &(*rem)->execio, "ssh", sshargs);
-  if(rtn)
+  rem->method = theserver->method;
+  rem->opts = opts;
+
+  tmp = funcmap[theserver->method].open_func(rem, theserver);
+  if(tmp)
     {
-      fprintf(stderr, "error opening remoteio channel to server ``%s''" , servername);
-      free(*rem);
-      free(userhost);
-      return 1;
+      fprintf(stderr, "Error using method %s for server ``%s''", funcmap[theserver->method].name, servername);
+      free(rem);
+      *remoteio = NULL;
+      return tmp;
     }
-  free(userhost);
   
   return 0;
 }
@@ -153,3 +196,43 @@ struct remoteio_server *remoteio_getserv
 
   return (struct remoteio_server *)NULL;
 }
+
+
+
+
+/**
+   different remoteio methods' implementations:
+ */
+
+/*
+  SSH, via execio
+*/
+
+int _remoteio_ssh_open(struct remoteio *rem, struct remoteio_server *server)
+{
+  char *userhost;
+  char *sshargs[] = {rem->opts->ssh_command, NULL /* userhost */, "distrend", "-d", (char *)NULL};
+
+  int rtn;
+
+  if(server->username)
+    _distren_asprintf(&userhost, "%s@%s", server->username, server->hostname);
+  else
+    userhost = strdup(server->hostname);
+  sshargs[1] = userhost;
+
+  rtn = execio_open( &rem->execio, "ssh", sshargs);
+  if(rtn)
+    {
+      fprintf(stderr, "error opening remoteio channel to ssh userhost ``%s''\n" , userhost);
+      free(userhost);
+      return 1;
+    }
+  free(userhost);
+  
+  return 0;
+}
+
+int _remoteio_ssh_read(struct remoteio *rem, void *buf, size_t len, size_t *bytesread);
+int _remoteio_ssh_write(struct remoteio *rem, void *buf, size_t len, size_t *bytesread);
+int _remoteio_ssh_close(struct remoteio *rem);