diff --git a/src/common/remoteio.c b/src/common/remoteio.c
--- a/src/common/remoteio.c
+++ b/src/common/remoteio.c
@@ -20,11 +20,15 @@
 
 #include "libremoteio.h"
 #include "execio.h"
+#include "asprintf.h"
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
+/* local */
+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;
@@ -70,10 +74,35 @@ int remoteio_config(cfg_t *cfg, struct r
   return 0;
 }
 
-int remoteio_open(struct remoteio **rem, struct remoteio_opts *opts, char *servername)
+
+
+int remoteio_open(struct remoteio **rem, struct remoteio_opts *opts, const char *servername)
 {
-  char *sshargs[] = {opts->ssh_command, servername, "distrend", "-d", (char *)NULL};
+  char *userhost;
+  char *sshargs[] = {opts->ssh_command, NULL /* userhost */, "distrend", "-d", (char *)NULL};
+  
   int rtn;
+  
+  struct remoteio_server *theserver;
+
+  theserver = remoteio_getserver(opts, servername);
+  if(!theserver)
+    {
+      fprintf(stderr, "%s:%d: Could not find server named ``%s''\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, servername);
+      return 1;
+    }
+
+  if(theserver->method != REMOTEIO_METHOD_SSH)
+    {
+      fprintf(stderr, "%s:%d: Unsupported remoteio method %d\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, theserver->method);
+      return 1;
+    }
+
+  if(theserver->username)
+    _distren_asprintf(&userhost, "%s@%s", aserver->username, aserver->hostname);
+  else
+    userhost = strdup(aserver->hostname);
+  sshargs[1] = userhost;
 
   *rem = malloc(sizeof(struct remoteio));
   rtn = execio_open( &(*rem)->execio, "ssh", sshargs);
@@ -81,8 +110,10 @@ int remoteio_open(struct remoteio **rem,
     {
       fprintf(stderr, "error opening remoteio channel to server ``%s''" , servername);
       free(*rem);
+      free(userhost);
       return 1;
     }
+  free(userhost);
   
   return 0;
 }
@@ -107,3 +138,18 @@ int remoteio_close(struct remoteio *rem)
   
   return 0 + rtn;
 }
+
+
+
+struct remoteio_server *remoteio_getserver(const struct remoteio_opts *opts, const char *servername)
+{
+  struct remoteio_server *aserver;
+  
+  for(aserver = opts->servers;
+      aserver;
+      aserver = aserver->next)
+    if(!strcmp(servername, aserver->name))
+      return aserver;
+
+  return (struct remoteio_server *)NULL;
+}