diff --git a/bin/scitas-motd-update b/bin/scitas-motd-update
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 2926dd7..bf14494
--- a/bin/scitas-motd-update
+++ b/bin/scitas-motd-update
@@ -1,78 +1,150 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+### Global variables
+APPNAME="$(basename ${0})"
+PID="${$}"
+
+### Functions
+# Logging template
+log() { echo "$(date) $(hostname -s) ${APPNAME}[${PID}]: ${1}" > /dev/${2:-stdout}; }
+
+### locking wizardry taken from https://gist.github.com/przemoc/571091
+
+## Copyright (C) 2009  Przemyslaw Pawelczyk <przemoc@gmail.com>
+## License: GNU General Public License v2, v3
+#
+# Lockable script boilerplate
+
+### HEADER ###
+
+if [ -w /var/lock ]
+then
+    LOCKFILE="/var/lock/`basename $0`"
+else
+    LOCKFILE="/tmp/`basename $0`.lock"
+fi
+LOCKFD=99
+
+# PRIVATE
+_lock()             { flock -$1 $LOCKFD; }
+_no_more_locking()  { _lock u; _lock xn && rm -f $LOCKFILE; }
+_prepare_locking()  { eval "exec $LOCKFD>\"$LOCKFILE\""; trap _no_more_locking EXIT; }
+
+# ON START
+_prepare_locking
+
+# PUBLIC
+exlock_now()        { _lock xn; }  # obtain an exclusive lock immediately or fail
+exlock()            { _lock x; }   # obtain an exclusive lock
+shlock()            { _lock s; }   # obtain a shared lock
+unlock()            { _lock u; }   # drop a lock
+
+### BEGIN OF SCRIPT ###
+
+# Simplest example is avoiding running multiple instances of script.
+if ! exlock_now
+then
+   log "failed to aquire lock. Exiting!"
+   exit 1
+fi
+
+# Remember! Lock file is removed when one of the scripts exits and it is
+#           the only script holding the lock or lock is not acquired at all.
+
+### End of locking wizardry
+
 # Location of the configuration file
-SMOTD_CONFIG="../etc/scitas-motd.conf"
+SMOTD_CONFIG=${SMOTD_CONFIG:-/etc/scitas-motd.conf}
 
-# Read configuration values
+# Read configuration options
 if [ -r ${SMOTD_CONFIG} ]
 then
   . ${SMOTD_CONFIG}
 fi
 
-# Check that all the required values are set
-REQUIRED_OPTIONS="SMOTD_GITREPO"
+# Check that all the required configuration options are set
+REQUIRED_OPTIONS="SMOTD_URL"
 MISSING_OPTION=false
 for option in ${REQUIRED_OPTIONS}
 do
     if [ ! -v ${option} ]
     then
-        echo "[ERROR] Missing configuration value: '${option}'" > /dev/stderr
+        log "[ERROR] Missing configuration value: '${option}'" stderr
         MISSING_OPTION=true
     fi
 done
 if ${MISSING_OPTION}
 then
-    echo "[ERROR] Missing configuration options, update ${SMOTD_CONFIG}" > /dev/stderr
+    log "[ERROR] Missing configuration options, update ${SMOTD_CONFIG}" stderr
     exit 1
 fi
 
-# Check if git is available
-SMOTD_GIT=${SMOTD_GIT:-git}
-${SMOTD_GIT} --version 1&>2 /dev/null
+# Set every other option to the defaults
+SMOTD=${SMOTD:-/etc/motd.scitas}
+SMOTD_CURL=${SMOTD_CURL:-curl}
+SMOTD_CURL_OPT=${SMOTD_CURL_OPT:-"--location --fail --silent --max-time 30"}
+SMOTD_CURL_SUFFIX=${SMOTD_CURL_SUFFIX}
+SMOTD_WORKDIR=${SMOTD_WORKDIR:-/var/run/scitas-motd}
+
+# Check if curl is available
+${SMOTD_CURL} --version 2>&1 > /dev/null
 if [ ! $? ]
 then
-    echo "[ERROR] git (${SMOTD_GIT}) not available!" > /dev/stderr
+    log "[ERROR] curl (${SMOTD_CURL}) not available!" stderr
     exit 1
 fi
 
-#
-# Checkout the repository and/or update it
-#
-SMOTD_GITDIR=${SMOTD_GITDIR:-/var/lib/scitas-motd}
-if [ -v ${SMOTD_GITBRANCH} ]
+# Getting the list of basenames for the fragments
+rm -f "${SMOTD_WORKDIR}/fragments"
+mkdir -p ${SMOTD_WORKDIR}
+${SMOTD_CURL} ${SMOTD_CURL_OPT} \
+    "${SMOTD_URL}/fragments${SMOTD_CURL_SUFFIX}" \
+    --output "${SMOTD_WORKDIR}/fragments" 2>&1 > /dev/null
+if [ ! $? ]
 then
-    GIT_BRANCH_OPT="--branch ${SMOTD_GITBRANCH}"
-else
-    GIT_BRANCH_OPT=""
+    log "[ERROR] Failed to get the fragments list from: ${SMOTD_URL}" stderr
+    exit 1
 fi
 
-if [ -d ${SMOTD_GITDIR} && ! -d ${SMOTD_GITDIR}/.git ] || [ ! -a ${SMOTD_GITDIR} ]
-then
-    # Assuming it's either an empty directory, or it does not exist 
-    ${SMOTD_GIT} clone ${GIT_BRANCH_OPT} ${SMOTD_GITREPO} ${SMOTD_GITDIR}
-    RC=$?
-    if ! ${RC}
+# Getting the fragments, all the listed fragments listed are mandatory
+while read frag
+do
+    FOUND=false
+    # from general to more specific, more specific wins
+    for suffix in '' ".${SMOTD_CLUSTER}" ".$(hostname -s)"
+    do
+        ${SMOTD_CURL} ${SMOTD_CURL_OPT} \
+            "${SMOTD_URL}/${frag}${suffix}${SMOTD_CURL_SUFFIX}" \
+            --output "${SMOTD_WORKDIR}/${frag}" 2>&1 > /dev/null \
+            && FOUND=true
+    done
+    # it's ok as long as any one of the fragments is found
+    if ! ${FOUND}
     then
-        echo "[ERROR] Error while cloning repository. Maybe ${SMOTD_GITDIR} is not empty?" > /dev/stderr
+        log "[ERROR] Couldn't get the fragment '${frag}' from ${SMOTD_URL}" stderr
         exit 1
     fi
-elif [ -d ${SMOTD_GITDIR} && -d ${SMOTD_GITDIR}/.git ]
+done < "${SMOTD_WORKDIR}/fragments"
+
+currtime=$(date +%Y%m%d.%H%M%S)
+tmpmotd="${SMOTD_WORKDIR}/motd.scitas.${currtime}"
+
+rm -f "${tmpmotd}"
+mkdir -p $(dirname "${tmpmotd}")
+echo "###########################################################" \
+    >> "${tmpmotd}"
+while read frag
+do
+    cat "${SMOTD_WORKDIR}/${frag}" >> "${tmpmotd}"
+    echo "###########################################################" \
+        >> "${tmpmotd}"
+done < "${SMOTD_WORKDIR}/fragments"
+
+if ! diff --brief --new-file ${SMOTD} ${tmpmotd} > /dev/null
 then
-    # Assuming it already exists and is a git repo
-    GIT_OPTIONS="--git-dir=${SMOTD_GITDIR}/.git --work-tree=${SMOTD_GITDIR}"
-    # For safety let's reset the origin URL
-    # TODO: check return codes
-    ${SMOTD_GIT} ${GIT_OPTIONS} remote origin set-url ${SMOTD_GITREPO}
-    ${SMOTD_GIT} ${GIT_OPTIONS} fetch origin
-
-    # TODO: test corner cases (different states of the repo)
-    GIT_REF=${SMOTD_GIT} ${GIT_OPTIONS} show-ref --hash refs/remotes/origin/${SMOTD_GITBRANCH:-HEAD}
-    ${SMOTD_GIT} ${GIT_OPTIONS} reset --quiet --hard ${GIT_REF}
+    mv "${tmpmotd}" ${SMOTD}
 else
-    # It must already exist and not be a directory
-    echo "[ERROR] ${SMOTD_GITDIR} exists and is not a directory!" > /dev/sdterr
-    exit 1
+    rm -f "${tmpmotd}"
 fi
 
-
 exit 0
diff --git a/etc/scitas-motd.conf b/etc/scitas-motd.conf
index be163b5..cc43320 100644
--- a/etc/scitas-motd.conf
+++ b/etc/scitas-motd.conf
@@ -1,26 +1,32 @@
-# This file contains the configuration for the scitas-motd tools
-# The only mandatory option is the remote Git repository containing the MOTDs
+## This file contains the configuration for the scitas-motd tools
+## The only mandatory option is the remote Git repository containing the MOTDs
 
-# working mode (options: web|git)
-SMOTD_MODE=web
+## (NOT USED) working mode (options: web)
+# SMOTD_MODE=web
 
-# git executable to use
-# SMOTD_GIT=git
+## the remote url repository to use
+SMOTD_URL=https://scitasadm.epfl.ch/scitas-motd/
 
-# the remote git repository to use 
-SMOTD_GITREPO=git@c4science.ch:scitas/scitas-motd
+## Where the downloaded fragments are stored, this is disposable as
+## the fragments are always re-downloaded.
+# SMOTD_WORKDIR=/var/run/scitas-motd
 
-# the branch to checkout
-# SMOTD_GITBRANCH=master
+## the file to be created by merging the different levels of MOTD
+# SMOTD=/etc/motd.scitas
 
-# the path into which to checkout the repository
-# beware git clone will create any missing directories in the path
-# SMOTD_GITWORKDIR=/var/lib/scitas-motd
-SMOTD_GITWORKDIR=/home/rmsilva/tmp/var/run/scitas-motd
+## curl-compatible binary for downloads
+# SMOTD_CURL=curl
 
-# the file to be created by merging the different levels of MOTD
-# SMOTD=/etc/motd.scitas
-SMOTD=/home/rmsilva/tmp/etc/motd.scitas
+## curl options:
+#   --location    # follow redirects
+#   --fail        # try to handle 404 responses at least
+#   --silent      # do not output anything
+#   --max-time 30 # take at most 30 seconds for the command
+# SMOTD_CURL_OPT="--location --fail --silent --max-time 30" 
+
+## the suffix allows us to work through some quirks of c4science for example
+# SMOTD_CURL_SUFFIX="?view=raw" # the c4science suffix which gives a raw file
+# SMOTD_CURL_SUFFIX=""
 
-# the cluster name
+## the cluster name
 # SMOTD_CLUSTER=deneb