diff --git a/elements/posix/README.rst b/elements/posix/README.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..23e9f6e0
--- /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 00000000..7076aba9
--- /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 00000000..3e156472
--- /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 00000000..07b0862c
--- /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"
+    }
+  }
+}