diff --git a/base/deprecated.jl b/base/deprecated.jl
index 79a55fdefadcf..620bf3abd71e4 100644
--- a/base/deprecated.jl
+++ b/base/deprecated.jl
@@ -274,3 +274,13 @@ function amap(f::Function, A::AbstractArray, axis::Integer)
 
     return R
 end
+
+function addprocs_scyld(np::Integer)
+    error("Base.addprocs_scyld is deprecated - add package ClusterManagers and then use ClusterManagers.addprocs_scyld instead.")
+end
+export addprocs_scyld
+
+function addprocs_sge(np::Integer)
+    error("Base.addprocs_sge is deprecated - add package ClusterManagers and then use ClusterManagers.addprocs_sge instead.")
+end
+export addprocs_sge
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/base/exports.jl b/base/exports.jl
index da14d06898ac8..d7106131484db 100644
--- a/base/exports.jl
+++ b/base/exports.jl
@@ -1092,8 +1092,6 @@ export
 
 # multiprocessing
     addprocs,
-    addprocs_scyld,
-    addprocs_sge,
     fetch,
     isready,
     yield,
@@ -1110,6 +1108,7 @@ export
     remotecall_wait,
     take,
     wait,
+    ClusterManager,
 
 # distributed arrays
     distribute,
diff --git a/base/multi.jl b/base/multi.jl
index 25f2e4d86d0c5..6de0280eefb52 100644
--- a/base/multi.jl
+++ b/base/multi.jl
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 ## julia starts with one process, and processors can be added using:
 ##   addprocs(n)                         using exec
 ##   addprocs({"host1","host2",...})     using remote execution
-##   addprocs_scyld(n)                   using Scyld ClusterWare
-##   addprocs_sge(n)                     using Sun Grid Engine batch queue
 ##
 ## remotecall(w, func, args...) -
 ##     tell a worker to call a function on the given arguments.
@@ -210,7 +208,7 @@ function add_workers(pg::ProcessGroup, w::Array{Any,1})
     for i=1:length(w)
         send_msg_now(w[i], :join_pgrp, w[i].id, all_locs)
     end
-    :ok
+    [w[i].id for i in 1:length(w)]
 end
 
 myid() = LPROC.id
@@ -860,7 +858,7 @@ function create_message_handler_loop(sock::AsyncStream) #returns immediately
     end)
 end
 
-function disable_parallel_libs()
+function disable_threaded_libs()
     blas_set_num_threads(1)
 end
 
@@ -879,7 +877,7 @@ function start_worker(out::IO)
     # close STDIN; workers will not use it
     #close(STDIN)
 
-    disable_parallel_libs()
+    disable_threaded_libs()
 
     ccall(:jl_install_sigint_handler, Void, ())
 
@@ -896,42 +894,86 @@ function start_worker(out::IO)
     exit(0)
 end
 
-
-function start_remote_workers(machines, cmds, tunnel=false, sshflags=``)
-    n = length(cmds)
-    outs = cell(n)
+function start_cluster_workers(n, config)
     w = cell(n)
-    for i=1:n
-        outs[i],_ = readsfrom(cmds[i])
-        outs[i].line_buffered = true
+    cman = config[:cman]
+    
+    # Get the cluster manager to launch the instance
+    (insttype, instances) = cman.launch_cb(n, config)
+
+    
+    if insttype == :io_only
+        read_cb_response(inst) = 
+        begin
+            (host, port) = read_worker_host_port(inst)
+            inst, host, port
+        end
+    elseif  insttype == :io_host
+        read_cb_response(inst) = 
+        begin
+            io = inst[1]
+            (_, port) = read_worker_host_port(io)
+            io, inst[2], port
+        end
+    elseif insttype == :io_host_port
+        read_cb_response(inst) = (inst[1], inst[2], inst[3])
+    elseif insttype == :host_port
+        read_cb_response(inst) = (nothing, inst[1], inst[2])
+    elseif insttype == :cmd
+        read_cb_response(inst) = 
+        begin
+            io,_ = readsfrom(detach(inst))
+            io.line_buffered = true
+            (host, port) = read_worker_host_port(io)
+            io, host, port
+        end
+    else
+        error("Unsupported format from Cluster Manager callback")
     end
+    
     for i=1:n
-        local hostname::String, port::Int16
-        stream = outs[i]
-        stream.line_buffered = true
-        while true
-            conninfo = readline(stream)
-            private_hostname, port = parse_connection_info(conninfo)
-            if private_hostname != ""
-                break
-            end
+        (io, host, port) = read_cb_response(instances[i])
+        w[i] = create_worker(host, port, io, config)
+    end
+    w
+end
+
+function read_worker_host_port (io::IO)
+    io.line_buffered = true
+    while true
+        conninfo = readline(io)
+        private_hostname, port = parse_connection_info(conninfo)
+        if private_hostname != ""
+            return private_hostname, port
         end
-        
-        s = split(machines[i],'@')
-        if length(s) > 1
-            user = s[1]
-            hostname = s[2]
-        else
+    end
+end
+
+function create_worker(hostname, port, stream, config)
+    tunnel = config[:tunnel]
+    
+    s = split(hostname,'@')
+    if length(s) > 1
+        user = s[1]
+        hostname = s[2]
+    else
+        if haskey(ENV, "USER")
             user = ENV["USER"]
-            hostname = s[1]
-        end
-        
-        if tunnel
-            w[i] = Worker(hostname, port, user, sshflags)
-        else
-            w[i] = Worker(hostname, port)
+        elseif tunnel
+            error("USER must be specified either in the environment or as part of the hostname when tunnel option is used.")
         end
-        let wrker = w[i]
+        hostname = s[1]
+    end
+    
+    if tunnel
+        sshflags = config[:sshflags]
+        w = Worker(hostname, port, user, sshflags)
+    else
+        w = Worker(hostname, port)
+    end
+    
+    if isa(stream, AsyncStream)
+        let wrker = w
             # redirect console output from workers to the client's stdout:
             start_reading(stream,function(stream::AsyncStream,nread::Int)
                 if nread>0
@@ -950,6 +992,7 @@ function start_remote_workers(machines, cmds, tunnel=false, sshflags=``)
     w
 end
 
+
 function parse_connection_info(str)
     m = match(r"^julia_worker:(\d+)#(.*)", str)
     if m != nothing
@@ -977,135 +1020,69 @@ function ssh_tunnel(user, host, port, sshflags)
     localp
 end
 
-#function worker_ssh_cmd(host, key)
-#    `ssh -i $key -n $host "sh -l -c \"cd $JULIA_HOME && ./julia-release-basic --worker\""`
-#end
 
-# start and connect to processes via SSH.
-# optionally through an SSH tunnel.
-# the tunnel is only used from the head (process 1); the nodes are assumed
-# to be mutually reachable without a tunnel, as is often the case in a cluster.
-function addprocs(machines::AbstractVector;
-                  tunnel=false, dir=JULIA_HOME, exename="./julia-release-basic", sshflags::Cmd=``)
-    add_workers(PGRP,
-        start_remote_workers(machines,
-            map(m->detach(`ssh -n $sshflags $m "sh -l -c \"cd $dir && $exename --worker\""`),
-                machines),
-            tunnel, sshflags))
-end
-
-#function addprocs_ssh(machines, keys)
-#    if !(isa(keys, Array)) && isa(machines,Array)
-#        key = keys
-#        keys = [ key for x = 1:length(machines)]
-#        cmdargs = { {machines[x],keys[x]} for x = 1:length(machines)}
-#    else
-#        cmdargs = {{machines,keys}}
-#    end #if/else
-#    add_workers(PGRP, start_remote_workers(machines, map(x->worker_ssh_cmd(x[1],x[2]), cmdargs)))
-#end
+abstract ClusterManager
 
-worker_local_cmd() = `$JULIA_HOME/julia-release-basic --bind-to $bind_addr --worker`
-
-function addprocs(np::Integer)
-    disable_parallel_libs()
-    add_workers(PGRP, start_remote_workers({ "localhost" for i=1:np },
-                                           { worker_local_cmd() for i=1:np }))
-end
-
-function start_scyld_workers(np::Integer)
-    home = JULIA_HOME
-    beomap_cmd = `beomap --no-local --np $np`
-    out,beomap_proc = readsfrom(beomap_cmd)
-    wait(beomap_proc)
-    if !success(beomap_proc)
-        error("node availability inaccessible (could not run beomap)")
-    end
-    nodes = split(chomp(readline(out)),':')
-    outs = cell(np)
-    for (i,node) in enumerate(nodes)
-        cmd = detach(`bpsh $node sh -l -c "cd $home && ./julia-release-basic --worker"`)
-        outs[i],_ = readsfrom(cmd)
-        outs[i].line_buffered = true
-    end
-    workers = cell(np)
-    for (i,stream) in enumerate(outs)
-        local hostname::String, port::Int16
-        stream.line_buffered = true
-        while true
-            conninfo = readline(stream)
-            hostname, port = parse_connection_info(conninfo)
-            if hostname != ""
-                break
-            end
-        end
-        workers[i] = Worker(hostname, port)
-        let worker = workers[i]
-            # redirect console output from workers to the client's stdout:
-            start_reading(stream,function(stream::AsyncStream,nread::Int)
-                if(nread>0)
-                    try
-                        line = readbytes(stream.buffer, nread)
-                        print("\tFrom worker $(worker.id):\t",line)
-                    catch err
-                        println(STDERR,"\tError parsing reply from worker $(worker.id):\t",err)
-                        return false
-                    end
-                end
-                true
-            end)
+function launch_procs(n::Integer, config::Dict)
+    dir = config[:dir]
+    exename = config[:exename]
+    exeflags = config[:exeflags]
+    
+    cman = config[:cman]
+    if cman.ssh
+        sshflags = config[:sshflags]
+        outs=cell(n)
+        for i in 1:n
+            m = cman.machines[i]
+            cmd = detach(`ssh -n $sshflags $m "sh -l -c \"cd $dir && $exename $exeflags\""`)
+            io,_ = readsfrom(cmd)
+            io.line_buffered = true
+            local port::Int16
+            (_, port) = read_worker_host_port (io)
+            
+            # We ignore the hostname printed by the worker, since the worker may be behind a NATed interface,
+            # we just use the hostname specified by the caller as part of the machine name
+            outs[i] = (io, m, port)
         end
+        return (:io_host_port, outs)
+    
+    else
+        worker_local_cmd = `$(dir)/$(exename) --bind-to $bind_addr $exeflags`
+        return (:cmd, {worker_local_cmd for i in 1:n})
     end
-    workers
 end
 
-function addprocs_scyld(np::Integer)
-    disable_parallel_libs()
-    add_workers(PGRP, start_scyld_workers(np))
+immutable RegularCluster <: ClusterManager
+    launch_cb::Function
+    ssh::Bool
+    machines
+    
+    RegularCluster(; ssh=false, machines=[]) = new(launch_procs, ssh, machines)
 end
 
-function start_sge_workers(n)
-    home = JULIA_HOME
-    sgedir = joinpath(pwd(),"SGE")
-    run(`mkdir -p $sgedir`)
-    qsub_cmd = `echo $home/julia-release-basic --worker` |> `qsub -N JULIA -terse -cwd -j y -o $sgedir -t 1:$n`
-    out,qsub_proc = readsfrom(qsub_cmd)
-    if !success(qsub_proc)
-        error("batch queue not available (could not run qsub)")
-    end
-    id = chomp(split(readline(out),'.')[1])
-    println("job id is $id")
-    print("waiting for job to start");
-    workers = cell(n)
-    for i=1:n
-        # wait for each output stream file to get created
-        fname = "$sgedir/JULIA.o$(id).$(i)"
-        local fl, hostname, port
-        fexists = false
-        sleep(0.5)
-        while !fexists
-            try
-                fl = open(fname)
-                try
-                    conninfo = readline(fl)
-                    hostname, port = parse_connection_info(conninfo)
-                finally
-                    close(fl)
-                end
-                fexists = (hostname != "")
-            catch
-                print(".");
-                sleep(0.5)
-            end
+# start and connect to processes via SSH.
+# optionally through an SSH tunnel.
+# the tunnel is only used from the head (process 1); the nodes are assumed
+# to be mutually reachable without a tunnel, as is often the case in a cluster.
+function addprocs(instances::Union(AbstractVector, Integer);
+                  tunnel=false, dir=JULIA_HOME, exename="./julia-release-basic", sshflags::Cmd=``, cman=nothing)
+                  
+    config={:dir=>dir, :exename=>exename, :exeflags=>` --worker `, :tunnel=>tunnel, :sshflags=>sshflags}
+    disable_threaded_libs()
+    
+    if isa(instances, AbstractVector) && (cman == nothing)
+        config[:cman] = RegularCluster(ssh=true, machines=instances)
+        return add_workers(PGRP, start_cluster_workers(length(instances), config))
+    else
+        if isa(cman, ClusterManager)
+            config[:cman] = cman
+        else
+            config[:cman] = RegularCluster()
         end
-        #print("hostname=$hostname, port=$port\n")
-        workers[i] = Worker(hostname, port)
+        return add_workers(PGRP, start_cluster_workers(instances, config))
     end
-    print("\n")
-    workers
 end
 
-addprocs_sge(n) = add_workers(PGRP, start_sge_workers(n))
 
 ## higher-level functions: spawn, pmap, pfor, etc. ##