diff --git a/easybuild/framework/easyblock.py b/easybuild/framework/easyblock.py
index b2828a6d41..a9a338794e 100644
--- a/easybuild/framework/easyblock.py
+++ b/easybuild/framework/easyblock.py
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
 from easybuild.tools.build_details import get_build_stats
 from easybuild.tools.build_log import EasyBuildError, print_error, print_msg
 from easybuild.tools.config import build_option, build_path, get_log_filename, get_repository, get_repositorypath
-from easybuild.tools.config import install_path, log_path, read_only_installdir, source_paths
+from easybuild.tools.config import install_path, log_path, package_path, source_paths
 from easybuild.tools.environment import restore_env
 from easybuild.tools.filetools import DEFAULT_CHECKSUM
 from easybuild.tools.filetools import adjust_permissions, apply_patch, convert_name, download_file, encode_class_name
@@ -68,9 +68,10 @@
 from easybuild.tools.run import run_cmd
 from easybuild.tools.jenkins import write_to_xml
 from easybuild.tools.module_generator import ModuleGeneratorLua, ModuleGeneratorTcl, module_generator
-from easybuild.tools.module_naming_scheme.utilities import avail_module_naming_schemes, det_full_ec_version
+from easybuild.tools.module_naming_scheme.utilities import det_full_ec_version
 from easybuild.tools.modules import ROOT_ENV_VAR_NAME_PREFIX, VERSION_ENV_VAR_NAME_PREFIX, DEVEL_ENV_VAR_NAME_PREFIX
 from easybuild.tools.modules import get_software_root, modules_tool
+from easybuild.tools.package.utilities import package
 from easybuild.tools.repository.repository import init_repository
 from easybuild.tools.toolchain import DUMMY_TOOLCHAIN_NAME
 from easybuild.tools.systemtools import det_parallelism, use_group
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@
 MODULE_STEP = 'module'
 PACKAGE_STEP = 'package'
 PATCH_STEP = 'patch'
+PERMISSIONS_STEP = 'permissions'
 POSTPROC_STEP = 'postproc'
 PREPARE_STEP = 'prepare'
 READY_STEP = 'ready'
@@ -1490,15 +1492,34 @@ def extensions_step(self, fetch=False):
         self.clean_up_fake_module(fake_mod_data)
 
     def package_step(self):
-        """Package software (e.g. into an RPM)."""
-        pass
+        """Package installed software (e.g., into an RPM), if requested, using selected package tool."""
+
+        if build_option('package'):
+
+            pkgtype = build_option('package_type')
+            pkgdir_dest = os.path.abspath(package_path())
+            opt_force = build_option('force')
+
+            self.log.info("Generating %s package in %s", pkgtype, pkgdir_dest)
+            pkgdir_src = package(self)
+
+            mkdir(pkgdir_dest)
+
+            for src_file in glob.glob(os.path.join(pkgdir_src, "*.%s" % pkgtype)):
+                dest_file = os.path.join(pkgdir_dest, os.path.basename(src_file))
+                if os.path.exists(dest_file) and not opt_force:
+                    raise EasyBuildError("Unable to copy package %s to %s (already exists).", src_file, dest_file)
+                else:
+                    self.log.info("Copied package %s to %s", src_file, pkgdir_dest)
+                    shutil.copy(src_file, pkgdir_dest)
+
+        else:
+            self.log.info("Skipping package step (not enabled)")
 
     def post_install_step(self):
         """
         Do some postprocessing
         - run post install commands if any were specified
-        - set file permissions ....
-        Installing user must be member of the group that it is changed to
         """
         if self.cfg['postinstallcmds'] is not None:
             # make sure we have a list of commands
@@ -1509,27 +1530,6 @@ def post_install_step(self):
                     raise EasyBuildError("Invalid element in 'postinstallcmds', not a string: %s", cmd)
                 run_cmd(cmd, simple=True, log_ok=True, log_all=True)
 
-        if self.group is not None:
-            # remove permissions for others, and set group ID
-            try:
-                perms = stat.S_IROTH | stat.S_IWOTH | stat.S_IXOTH
-                adjust_permissions(self.installdir, perms, add=False, recursive=True, group_id=self.group[1],
-                                   relative=True, ignore_errors=True)
-            except EasyBuildError, err:
-                raise EasyBuildError("Unable to change group permissions of file(s): %s", err)
-            self.log.info("Successfully made software only available for group %s (gid %s)" % self.group)
-
-        if read_only_installdir():
-            # remove write permissions for everyone
-            perms = stat.S_IWUSR | stat.S_IWGRP | stat.S_IWOTH
-            adjust_permissions(self.installdir, perms, add=False, recursive=True, relative=True, ignore_errors=True)
-            self.log.info("Successfully removed write permissions recursively for *EVERYONE* on install dir.")
-        else:
-            # remove write permissions for group and other to protect installation
-            perms = stat.S_IWGRP | stat.S_IWOTH
-            adjust_permissions(self.installdir, perms, add=False, recursive=True, relative=True, ignore_errors=True)
-            self.log.info("Successfully removed write permissions recursively for group/other on install dir.")
-
     def sanity_check_step(self, custom_paths=None, custom_commands=None, extension=False):
         """
         Do a sanity check on the installation
@@ -1715,6 +1715,39 @@ def make_module_step(self, fake=False):
 
         return modpath
 
+    def permissions_step(self):
+        """
+        Finalize installation procedure: adjust permissions as configured, change group ownership (if requested).
+        Installing user must be member of the group that it is changed to.
+        """
+        if self.group is not None:
+            # remove permissions for others, and set group ID
+            try:
+                perms = stat.S_IROTH | stat.S_IWOTH | stat.S_IXOTH
+                adjust_permissions(self.installdir, perms, add=False, recursive=True, group_id=self.group[1],
+                                   relative=True, ignore_errors=True)
+            except EasyBuildError, err:
+                raise EasyBuildError("Unable to change group permissions of file(s): %s", err)
+            self.log.info("Successfully made software only available for group %s (gid %s)" % self.group)
+
+        if build_option('read_only_installdir'):
+            # remove write permissions for everyone
+            perms = stat.S_IWUSR | stat.S_IWGRP | stat.S_IWOTH
+            adjust_permissions(self.installdir, perms, add=False, recursive=True, relative=True, ignore_errors=True)
+            self.log.info("Successfully removed write permissions recursively for *EVERYONE* on install dir.")
+
+        elif build_option('group_writable_installdir'):
+            # enable write permissions for group
+            perms = stat.S_IWGRP
+            adjust_permissions(self.installdir, perms, add=True, recursive=True, relative=True, ignore_errors=True)
+            self.log.info("Successfully enabled write permissions recursively for group on install dir.")
+
+        else:
+            # remove write permissions for group and other
+            perms = stat.S_IWGRP | stat.S_IWOTH
+            adjust_permissions(self.installdir, perms, add=False, recursive=True, relative=True, ignore_errors=True)
+            self.log.info("Successfully removed write permissions recursively for group/other on install dir.")
+
     def test_cases_step(self):
         """
         Run provided test cases.
@@ -1863,11 +1896,12 @@ def prepare_step_spec(initial):
         # part 3: post-iteration part
         steps_part3 = [
             (EXTENSIONS_STEP, 'taking care of extensions', [lambda x: x.extensions_step()], False),
-            (PACKAGE_STEP, 'packaging', [lambda x: x.package_step()], True),
             (POSTPROC_STEP, 'postprocessing', [lambda x: x.post_install_step()], True),
             (SANITYCHECK_STEP, 'sanity checking', [lambda x: x.sanity_check_step()], False),
             (CLEANUP_STEP, 'cleaning up', [lambda x: x.cleanup_step()], False),
             (MODULE_STEP, 'creating module', [lambda x: x.make_module_step()], False),
+            (PERMISSIONS_STEP, 'permissions', [lambda x: x.permissions_step()], False),
+            (PACKAGE_STEP, 'packaging', [lambda x: x.package_step()], False),
         ]
 
         # full list of steps, included iterated steps
@@ -1981,6 +2015,9 @@ def build_and_install_one(ecdict, init_env):
                 new_log_dir = os.path.dirname(app.logfile)
         else:
             new_log_dir = os.path.join(app.installdir, config.log_path())
+            if build_option('read_only_installdir'):
+                # temporarily re-enable write permissions for copying log/easyconfig to install dir
+                adjust_permissions(new_log_dir, stat.S_IWUSR, add=True, recursive=False)
 
             # collect build stats
             _log.info("Collecting build stats...")
@@ -2022,6 +2059,10 @@ def build_and_install_one(ecdict, init_env):
         except (IOError, OSError), err:
             print_error("Failed to copy easyconfig %s to %s: %s" % (spec, newspec, err))
 
+        if build_option('read_only_installdir'):
+            # take away user write permissions (again)
+            adjust_permissions(new_log_dir, stat.S_IWUSR, add=False, recursive=False)
+
     # build failed
     else:
         success = False
diff --git a/easybuild/framework/easyconfig/easyconfig.py b/easybuild/framework/easyconfig/easyconfig.py
index b96ac2c5a6..d34412a9b5 100644
--- a/easybuild/framework/easyconfig/easyconfig.py
+++ b/easybuild/framework/easyconfig/easyconfig.py
@@ -422,9 +422,9 @@ def dependencies(self):
 
         # if filter-deps option is provided we "clean" the list of dependencies for
         # each processed easyconfig to remove the unwanted dependencies
+        self.log.debug("Dependencies BEFORE filtering: %s" % deps)
         filter_deps = build_option('filter_deps')
         if filter_deps:
-            self.log.debug("Dependencies BEFORE filtering: %s" % deps)
             filtered_deps = []
             for dep in deps:
                 if dep['name'] not in filter_deps:
diff --git a/easybuild/main.py b/easybuild/main.py
index c0f90b4b65..bfa223975c 100755
--- a/easybuild/main.py
+++ b/easybuild/main.py
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 """
 import copy
 import os
+import stat
 import sys
 import tempfile
 import traceback
@@ -53,9 +54,10 @@
 from easybuild.framework.easyconfig.tools import get_paths_for, parse_easyconfigs, skip_available
 from easybuild.framework.easyconfig.tweak import obtain_ec_for, tweak
 from easybuild.tools.config import get_repository, get_repositorypath
-from easybuild.tools.filetools import cleanup, write_file
+from easybuild.tools.filetools import adjust_permissions, cleanup, write_file
 from easybuild.tools.options import process_software_build_specs
 from easybuild.tools.robot import det_robot_path, dry_run, resolve_dependencies, search_easyconfigs
+from easybuild.tools.package.utilities import check_pkg_support
 from easybuild.tools.parallelbuild import submit_jobs
 from easybuild.tools.repository.repository import init_repository
 from easybuild.tools.testing import create_test_report, overall_test_report, regtest, session_module_list, session_state
@@ -129,7 +131,14 @@ def build_and_install_software(ecs, init_session_state, exit_on_failure=True):
         test_report_txt = create_test_report(test_msg, [(ec, ec_res)], init_session_state)
         if 'log_file' in ec_res:
             test_report_fp = "%s_test_report.md" % '.'.join(ec_res['log_file'].split('.')[:-1])
-            write_file(test_report_fp, test_report_txt)
+            parent_dir = os.path.dirname(test_report_fp)
+            # parent dir for test report may not be writable at this time, e.g. when --read-only-installdir is used
+            if os.stat(parent_dir).st_mode & 0200:
+                write_file(test_report_fp, test_report_txt)
+            else:
+                adjust_permissions(parent_dir, stat.S_IWUSR, add=True, recursive=False)
+                write_file(test_report_fp, test_report_txt)
+                adjust_permissions(parent_dir, stat.S_IWUSR, add=False, recursive=False)
 
         if not ec_res['success'] and exit_on_failure:
             if 'traceback' in ec_res:
@@ -210,6 +219,12 @@ def main(testing_data=(None, None, None)):
     config.init(options, config_options_dict)
     config.init_build_options(build_options=build_options, cmdline_options=options)
 
+    # check whether packaging is supported when it's being used
+    if options.package:
+        check_pkg_support()
+    else:
+        _log.debug("Packaging not enabled, so not checking for packaging support.")
+
     # update session state
     eb_config = eb_go.generate_cmd_line(add_default=True)
     modlist = session_module_list(testing=testing)  # build options must be initialized first before 'module list' works
diff --git a/easybuild/tools/config.py b/easybuild/tools/config.py
index a68d56a908..ad30ff312c 100644
--- a/easybuild/tools/config.py
+++ b/easybuild/tools/config.py
@@ -52,6 +52,10 @@
 _log = fancylogger.getLogger('config', fname=False)
 
 
+PKG_TOOL_FPM = 'fpm'
+PKG_TYPE_RPM = 'rpm'
+
+
 DEFAULT_JOB_BACKEND = 'PbsPython'
 DEFAULT_LOGFILE_FORMAT = ("easybuild", "easybuild-%(name)s-%(version)s-%(date)s.%(time)s.log")
 DEFAULT_MNS = 'EasyBuildMNS'
@@ -60,16 +64,20 @@
 DEFAULT_PATH_SUBDIRS = {
     'buildpath': 'build',
     'installpath': '',
+    'packagepath': 'packages',
     'repositorypath': 'ebfiles_repo',
     'sourcepath': 'sources',
     'subdir_modules': 'modules',
     'subdir_software': 'software',
 }
+DEFAULT_PKG_RELEASE = '1'
+DEFAULT_PKG_TOOL = PKG_TOOL_FPM
+DEFAULT_PKG_TYPE = PKG_TYPE_RPM
+DEFAULT_PNS = 'EasyBuildPNS'
 DEFAULT_PREFIX = os.path.join(os.path.expanduser('~'), ".local", "easybuild")
 DEFAULT_REPOSITORY = 'FileRepository'
 DEFAULT_STRICT = run.WARN
 
-
 # utility function for obtaining default paths
 def mk_full_default_path(name, prefix=DEFAULT_PREFIX):
     """Create full path, avoid '/' at the end."""
@@ -115,8 +123,11 @@ def mk_full_default_path(name, prefix=DEFAULT_PREFIX):
         'debug',
         'experimental',
         'force',
+        'group_writable_installdir',
         'hidden',
         'module_only',
+        'package',
+        'read_only_installdir',
         'robot',
         'sequential',
         'set_gid_bit',
@@ -131,6 +142,15 @@ def mk_full_default_path(name, prefix=DEFAULT_PREFIX):
     DEFAULT_STRICT: [
         'strict',
     ],
+    DEFAULT_PKG_RELEASE: [
+        'package_release',
+    ],
+    DEFAULT_PKG_TOOL: [
+        'package_tool',
+    ],
+    DEFAULT_PKG_TYPE: [
+        'package_type',
+    ],
 }
 # build option that do not have a perfectly matching command line option
 BUILD_OPTIONS_OTHER = {
@@ -203,6 +223,8 @@ class ConfigurationVariables(FrozenDictKnownKeys):
         'module_naming_scheme',
         'module_syntax',
         'modules_tool',
+        'packagepath',
+        'package_naming_scheme',
         'prefix',
         'repository',
         'repositorypath',
@@ -371,6 +393,20 @@ def get_repositorypath():
     return ConfigurationVariables()['repositorypath']
 
 
+def get_package_naming_scheme():
+    """
+    Return the package naming scheme
+    """
+    return ConfigurationVariables()['package_naming_scheme']
+
+
+def package_path():
+    """
+    Return the path where built packages are copied to
+    """
+    return ConfigurationVariables()['packagepath']
+
+
 def get_modules_tool():
     """
     Return modules tool (EnvironmentModulesC, Lmod, ...)
@@ -464,16 +500,6 @@ def get_log_filename(name, version, add_salt=False):
     return filepath
 
 
-def read_only_installdir():
-    """
-    Return whether installation dir should be fully read-only after installation.
-    """
-    # FIXME (see issue #123): add a config option to set this, should be True by default (?)
-    # this also needs to be checked when --force is used;
-    # install dir will have to (temporarily) be made writeable again for owner in that case
-    return False
-
-
 def module_classes():
     """
     Return list of module classes specified in config file.
diff --git a/easybuild/tools/options.py b/easybuild/tools/options.py
index 5745cd6cbe..832ef5eca7 100644
--- a/easybuild/tools/options.py
+++ b/easybuild/tools/options.py
@@ -52,7 +52,8 @@
 from easybuild.tools import build_log, run  # build_log should always stay there, to ensure EasyBuildLog
 from easybuild.tools.build_log import EasyBuildError, raise_easybuilderror
 from easybuild.tools.config import DEFAULT_JOB_BACKEND, DEFAULT_LOGFILE_FORMAT, DEFAULT_MNS, DEFAULT_MODULE_SYNTAX
-from easybuild.tools.config import DEFAULT_MODULES_TOOL, DEFAULT_MODULECLASSES, DEFAULT_PATH_SUBDIRS, DEFAULT_PREFIX
+from easybuild.tools.config import DEFAULT_MODULES_TOOL, DEFAULT_MODULECLASSES, DEFAULT_PATH_SUBDIRS
+from easybuild.tools.config import DEFAULT_PKG_RELEASE, DEFAULT_PKG_TOOL, DEFAULT_PKG_TYPE, DEFAULT_PNS, DEFAULT_PREFIX
 from easybuild.tools.config import DEFAULT_REPOSITORY, DEFAULT_STRICT
 from easybuild.tools.config import get_pretend_installpath, mk_full_default_path, set_tmpdir
 from easybuild.tools.configobj import ConfigObj, ConfigObjError
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@
 from easybuild.tools.module_naming_scheme.utilities import avail_module_naming_schemes
 from easybuild.tools.modules import Lmod
 from easybuild.tools.ordereddict import OrderedDict
+from easybuild.tools.package.utilities import avail_package_naming_schemes
 from easybuild.tools.toolchain.utilities import search_toolchain
 from easybuild.tools.repository.repository import avail_repositories
 from easybuild.tools.version import this_is_easybuild
@@ -203,6 +205,8 @@ def override_options(self):
             'experimental': ("Allow experimental code (with behaviour that can be changed/removed at any given time).",
                              None, 'store_true', False),
             'group': ("Group to be used for software installations (only verified, not set)", None, 'store', None),
+            'group-writable-installdir': ("Enable group write permissions on installation directory after installation",
+                                          None, 'store_true', False),
             'hidden': ("Install 'hidden' module file(s) by prefixing their name with '.'", None, 'store_true', False),
             'ignore-osdeps': ("Ignore any listed OS dependencies", None, 'store_true', False),
             'filter-deps': ("Comma separated list of dependencies that you DON'T want to install with EasyBuild, "
@@ -216,6 +220,8 @@ def override_options(self):
                         None, 'store', None),
             'pretend': (("Does the build/installation in a test directory located in $HOME/easybuildinstall"),
                         None, 'store_true', False, 'p'),
+            'read-only-installdir': ("Set read-only permissions on installation directory after installation",
+                                     None, 'store_true', False),
             'set-gid-bit': ("Set group ID bit on newly created directories", None, 'store_true', False),
             'sticky-bit': ("Set sticky bit on newly created directories", None, 'store_true', False),
             'skip-test-cases': ("Skip running test cases", None, 'store_true', False, 't'),
@@ -271,6 +277,10 @@ def config_options(self):
                                None, 'store_or_None', None, {'metavar': "PATH"}),
             'modules-tool': ("Modules tool to use",
                              'choice', 'store', DEFAULT_MODULES_TOOL, sorted(avail_modules_tools().keys())),
+            'packagepath': ("The destination path for the packages built by package-tool",
+                             None, 'store', mk_full_default_path('packagepath')),
+            'package-naming-scheme': ("Packaging naming scheme choice", 
+                                      'choice', 'store', DEFAULT_PNS, sorted(avail_package_naming_schemes().keys())),
             'prefix': (("Change prefix for buildpath, installpath, sourcepath and repositorypath "
                         "(used prefix for defaults %s)" % DEFAULT_PREFIX),
                        None, 'store', None),
@@ -357,6 +367,20 @@ def regtest_options(self):
         self.log.debug("regtest_options: descr %s opts %s" % (descr, opts))
         self.add_group_parser(opts, descr)
 
+    def package_options(self):
+        # package-related options
+        descr = ("Package options", "Control packaging performed by EasyBuild.")
+
+        opts = OrderedDict({
+            'package': ("Enabling packaging", None, 'store_true', False),
+            'package-tool': ("Packaging tool to use", None, 'store', DEFAULT_PKG_TOOL),
+            'package-type': ("Type of package to generate", None, 'store', DEFAULT_PKG_TYPE),
+            'package-release': ("Package release iteration number", None, 'store', DEFAULT_PKG_RELEASE),
+        })
+
+        self.log.debug("package_options: descr %s opts %s" % (descr, opts))
+        self.add_group_parser(opts, descr)
+
     def easyconfig_options(self):
         # easyconfig options (to be passed to easyconfig instance)
         descr = ("Options for Easyconfigs", "Options to be passed to all Easyconfig.")
@@ -535,7 +559,7 @@ def _postprocess_config(self):
         if self.options.prefix is not None:
             # prefix applies to all paths, and repository has to be reinitialised to take new repositorypath in account
             # in the legacy-style configuration, repository is initialised in configuration file itself
-            for dest in ['installpath', 'buildpath', 'sourcepath', 'repository', 'repositorypath']:
+            for dest in ['installpath', 'buildpath', 'sourcepath', 'repository', 'repositorypath', 'packagepath']:
                 if not self.options._action_taken.get(dest, False):
                     if dest == 'repository':
                         setattr(self.options, dest, DEFAULT_REPOSITORY)
diff --git a/easybuild/tools/package/__init__.py b/easybuild/tools/package/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..51a62d3f44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/easybuild/tools/package/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+##
+# Copyright 2009-2015 Ghent University
+#
+# This file is part of EasyBuild,
+# originally created by the HPC team of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc/en),
+# with support of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc),
+# the Flemish Supercomputer Centre (VSC) (https://vscentrum.be/nl/en),
+# the Hercules foundation (http://www.herculesstichting.be/in_English)
+# and the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) (http://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en).
+#
+# http://github.com/hpcugent/easybuild
+#
+# EasyBuild is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation v2.
+#
+# EasyBuild is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with EasyBuild.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+##
+"""
+This declares the namespace for the tools.package submodule of EasyBuild,
+which contains support for packaging and package naming schemes that can be overriden to cover site customizations.
+
+@author: Stijn De Weirdt (Ghent University)
+@author: Dries Verdegem (Ghent University)
+@author: Kenneth Hoste (Ghent University)
+@author: Pieter De Baets (Ghent University)
+@author: Jens Timmerman (Ghent University)
+"""
+from pkgutil import extend_path
+
+# we're not the only ones in this namespace
+__path__ = extend_path(__path__, __name__)  #@ReservedAssignment
diff --git a/easybuild/tools/package/package_naming_scheme/__init__.py b/easybuild/tools/package/package_naming_scheme/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6af2449881
--- /dev/null
+++ b/easybuild/tools/package/package_naming_scheme/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+##
+# Copyright 2009-2015 Ghent University
+#
+# This file is part of EasyBuild,
+# originally created by the HPC team of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc/en),
+# with support of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc),
+# the Flemish Supercomputer Centre (VSC) (https://vscentrum.be/nl/en),
+# the Hercules foundation (http://www.herculesstichting.be/in_English)
+# and the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) (http://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en).
+#
+# http://github.com/hpcugent/easybuild
+#
+# EasyBuild is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation v2.
+#
+# EasyBuild is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with EasyBuild.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+##
+"""
+This declares the namespace for the tools.package.package_naming_scheme submodule of EasyBuild.
+
+@author: Stijn De Weirdt (Ghent University)
+@author: Dries Verdegem (Ghent University)
+@author: Kenneth Hoste (Ghent University)
+@author: Pieter De Baets (Ghent University)
+@author: Jens Timmerman (Ghent University)
+"""
+from pkgutil import extend_path
+
+# we're not the only ones in this namespace
+__path__ = extend_path(__path__, __name__)  #@ReservedAssignment
diff --git a/easybuild/tools/package/package_naming_scheme/easybuild_pns.py b/easybuild/tools/package/package_naming_scheme/easybuild_pns.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d6698b551e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/easybuild/tools/package/package_naming_scheme/easybuild_pns.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+##
+# Copyright 2015-2015 Ghent University
+#
+# This file is part of EasyBuild,
+# originally created by the HPC team of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc/en),
+# with support of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc),
+# the Flemish Supercomputer Centre (VSC) (https://vscentrum.be/nl/en),
+# the Hercules foundation (http://www.herculesstichting.be/in_English)
+# and the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) (http://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en).
+#
+# http://github.com/hpcugent/easybuild
+#
+# EasyBuild is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation v2.
+#
+# EasyBuild is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with EasyBuild.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+##
+"""
+Implementation of the EasyBuild packaging naming scheme
+
+@author: Robert Schmidt (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute)
+@author: Kenneth Hoste (Ghent University)
+"""
+from easybuild.tools.module_naming_scheme.utilities import det_full_ec_version
+from easybuild.tools.package.package_naming_scheme.pns import PackageNamingScheme
+from easybuild.tools.version import VERSION as EASYBUILD_VERSION
+
+
+class EasyBuildPNS(PackageNamingScheme):
+    """Class implmenting the default EasyBuild packaging naming scheme."""
+
+    def name(self, ec):
+        """Determine package name"""
+        self.log.debug("Easyconfig dict passed to name() looks like: %s ", ec)
+        return '%s-%s' % (ec['name'], det_full_ec_version(ec))
+
+    def version(self, ec):
+        """Determine package version: EasyBuild version used to build & install."""
+        ebver = str(EASYBUILD_VERSION)
+        if ebver.endswith('dev'):
+            # try and make sure that 'dev' EasyBuild version is not considered newer just because it's longer
+            # (e.g., 2.2.0 vs 2.2.0dev)
+            # cfr. http://rpm.org/ticket/56,
+            # https://debian-handbook.info/browse/stable/sect.manipulating-packages-with-dpkg.html (see box in 5.4.3)
+            ebver.replace('dev', '~dev')
+        return 'eb-%s' % ebver
diff --git a/easybuild/tools/package/package_naming_scheme/pns.py b/easybuild/tools/package/package_naming_scheme/pns.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d66bce2262
--- /dev/null
+++ b/easybuild/tools/package/package_naming_scheme/pns.py
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+##
+# Copyright 2015-2015 Ghent University
+#
+# This file is part of EasyBuild,
+# originally created by the HPC team of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc/en),
+# with support of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc),
+# the Flemish Supercomputer Centre (VSC) (https://vscentrum.be/nl/en),
+# the Hercules foundation (http://www.herculesstichting.be/in_English)
+# and the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) (http://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en).
+#
+# http://github.com/hpcugent/easybuild
+#
+# EasyBuild is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation v2.
+#
+# EasyBuild is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with EasyBuild.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+##
+
+"""
+Abstract implementation of a package naming scheme.
+
+@author: Robert Schmidt (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute)
+@author: Kenneth Hoste (Ghent University)
+"""
+from abc import ABCMeta, abstractmethod
+from vsc.utils import fancylogger
+
+from easybuild.tools.config import build_option
+
+
+class PackageNamingScheme(object):
+    """Abstract class for package naming schemes"""
+    __metaclass__ = ABCMeta
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        """initialize logger."""
+        self.log = fancylogger.getLogger(self.__class__.__name__, fname=False)
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def name(self, ec):
+        """Determine package name"""
+        pass
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def version(self, ec):
+        """Determine package version."""
+        pass
+
+    def release(self, ec=None):
+        """Determine package release"""
+        return build_option('package_release')
diff --git a/easybuild/tools/package/utilities.py b/easybuild/tools/package/utilities.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a3d559bcc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/easybuild/tools/package/utilities.py
@@ -0,0 +1,193 @@
+##
+# Copyright 2015-2015 Ghent University
+#
+# This file is part of EasyBuild,
+# originally created by the HPC team of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc/en),
+# with support of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc),
+# the Flemish Supercomputer Centre (VSC) (https://vscentrum.be/nl/en),
+# the Hercules foundation (http://www.herculesstichting.be/in_English)
+# and the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) (http://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en).
+#
+# http://github.com/hpcugent/easybuild
+#
+# EasyBuild is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation v2.
+#
+# EasyBuild is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with EasyBuild.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+##
+
+"""
+Various utilities related to packaging support.
+
+@author: Marc Litherland (Novartis)
+@author: Gianluca Santarossa (Novartis)
+@author: Robert Schmidt (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute)
+@author: Fotis Georgatos (Uni.Lu, NTUA)
+@author: Kenneth Hoste (Ghent University)
+"""
+import os
+import tempfile
+import pprint
+
+from vsc.utils import fancylogger
+from vsc.utils.missing import get_subclasses
+from vsc.utils.patterns import Singleton
+
+from easybuild.tools.config import PKG_TOOL_FPM, PKG_TYPE_RPM, build_option, get_package_naming_scheme
+from easybuild.tools.build_log import EasyBuildError
+from easybuild.tools.filetools import which
+from easybuild.tools.package.package_naming_scheme.pns import PackageNamingScheme
+from easybuild.tools.run import run_cmd
+from easybuild.tools.toolchain import DUMMY_TOOLCHAIN_NAME
+from easybuild.tools.utilities import import_available_modules
+
+
+_log = fancylogger.getLogger('tools.package')
+
+
+def avail_package_naming_schemes():
+    """
+    Returns the list of valed naming schemes that are in the easybuild.package.package_naming_scheme namespace
+    """
+    import_available_modules('easybuild.tools.package.package_naming_scheme')
+    class_dict = dict([(x.__name__, x) for x in get_subclasses(PackageNamingScheme)])
+    return class_dict
+
+
+def package(easyblock):
+    """
+    Package installed software, according to active packaging configuration settings."""
+    pkgtool = build_option('package_tool')
+
+    if pkgtool == PKG_TOOL_FPM:
+        pkgdir = package_with_fpm(easyblock)
+    else:
+        raise EasyBuildError("Unknown packaging tool specified: %s", pkgtool)
+
+    return pkgdir
+
+
+def package_with_fpm(easyblock):
+    """
+    This function will build a package using fpm and return the directory where the packages are
+    """
+    workdir = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix='eb-pkgs-')
+    pkgtype = build_option('package_type')
+    _log.info("Will be creating %s package(s) in %s", pkgtype, workdir)
+
+    try:
+        origdir = os.getcwd()
+        os.chdir(workdir)
+    except OSError, err:
+        raise EasyBuildError("Failed to chdir into workdir %s: %s", workdir, err)
+
+    package_naming_scheme = ActivePNS()
+
+    pkgname = package_naming_scheme.name(easyblock.cfg)
+    pkgver = package_naming_scheme.version(easyblock.cfg)
+    pkgrel = package_naming_scheme.release(easyblock.cfg)
+
+    _log.debug("Got the PNS values for (name, version, release): (%s, %s, %s)", pkgname, pkgver, pkgrel)
+    deps = []
+    if easyblock.toolchain.name != DUMMY_TOOLCHAIN_NAME:
+        toolchain_dict = easyblock.toolchain.as_dict()
+        deps.extend([toolchain_dict])
+
+    deps.extend(easyblock.cfg.dependencies())
+
+    _log.debug("The dependencies to be added to the package are: %s",
+               pprint.pformat([easyblock.toolchain.as_dict()] + easyblock.cfg.dependencies()))
+    depstring = ''
+    for dep in deps:
+        _log.debug("The dep added looks like %s ", dep)
+        dep_pkgname = package_naming_scheme.name(dep)
+        depstring += " --depends '%s'" % dep_pkgname
+
+    cmdlist = [
+        PKG_TOOL_FPM,
+        '--workdir', workdir,
+        '--name', pkgname,
+        '--provides', pkgname,
+        '-t', pkgtype,  # target
+        '-s', 'dir',  # source
+        '--version', pkgver,
+        '--iteration', pkgrel,
+        depstring,
+        easyblock.installdir,
+        easyblock.module_generator.filename,
+    ]
+    cmd = ' '.join(cmdlist)
+    _log.debug("The flattened cmdlist looks like: %s", cmd)
+    run_cmd(cmd, log_all=True, simple=True)
+
+    _log.info("Created %s package(s) in %s", pkgtype, workdir)
+
+    try:
+        os.chdir(origdir)
+    except OSError, err:
+        raise EasyBuildError("Failed to chdir back to %s: %s", origdir, err)
+
+    return workdir
+
+
+def check_pkg_support():
+    """Check whether packaging is supported, i.e. whether the required dependencies are available."""
+    # packaging support is considered experimental for now (requires using --experimental)
+    _log.experimental("Support for packaging installed software.")
+
+    pkgtool = build_option('package_tool')
+    pkgtool_path = which(pkgtool)
+    if pkgtool_path:
+        _log.info("Selected packaging tool '%s' found at %s", pkgtool, pkgtool_path)
+
+        # rpmbuild is required for generating RPMs with FPM
+        if pkgtool == PKG_TOOL_FPM and build_option('package_type') == PKG_TYPE_RPM:
+            rpmbuild_path = which('rpmbuild')
+            if rpmbuild_path:
+                _log.info("Required tool 'rpmbuild' found at %s", rpmbuild_path)
+            else:
+                raise EasyBuildError("rpmbuild is required when generating RPM packages with FPM, but was not found")
+
+    else:
+        raise EasyBuildError("Selected packaging tool '%s' not found", pkgtool)
+
+
+class ActivePNS(object):
+    """
+    The wrapper class for Package Naming Schemes.
+    """
+    __metaclass__ = Singleton
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        """Initialize logger and find available PNSes to load"""
+        self.log = fancylogger.getLogger(self.__class__.__name__, fname=False)
+
+        avail_pns = avail_package_naming_schemes()
+        sel_pns = get_package_naming_scheme()
+        if sel_pns in avail_pns:
+            self.pns = avail_pns[sel_pns]()
+        else:
+            raise EasyBuildError("Selected package naming scheme %s could not be found in %s",
+                                 sel_pns, avail_pns.keys())
+
+    def name(self, ec):
+        """Determine package name"""
+        name = self.pns.name(ec)
+        return name
+
+    def version(self, ec):
+        """Determine package version"""
+        version = self.pns.version(ec)
+        return version
+
+    def release(self, ec):
+        """Determine package release"""
+        release = self.pns.release()
+        return release
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index edf1ff7655..cb9af5cc78 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -73,8 +73,9 @@ def find_rel_test():
     "easybuild", "easybuild.framework", "easybuild.framework.easyconfig", "easybuild.framework.easyconfig.format",
     "easybuild.toolchains", "easybuild.toolchains.compiler", "easybuild.toolchains.mpi",
     "easybuild.toolchains.fft", "easybuild.toolchains.linalg", "easybuild.tools", "easybuild.tools.deprecated",
-    "easybuild.tools.job", "easybuild.tools.toolchain", "easybuild.tools.module_naming_scheme", "easybuild.tools.repository",
-    "test.framework", "test",
+    "easybuild.tools.job", "easybuild.tools.toolchain", "easybuild.tools.module_naming_scheme",
+    "easybuild.tools.package", "easybuild.tools.package.package_naming_scheme",
+    "easybuild.tools.repository", "test.framework", "test",
 ]
 
 setup(
diff --git a/test/framework/easyconfigs/toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12.eb b/test/framework/easyconfigs/toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12-test.eb
similarity index 97%
rename from test/framework/easyconfigs/toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12.eb
rename to test/framework/easyconfigs/toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12-test.eb
index 632c832da3..b866a7ee1c 100644
--- a/test/framework/easyconfigs/toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12.eb
+++ b/test/framework/easyconfigs/toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12-test.eb
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 name = 'toy'
 version = '0.0'
+versionsuffix = '-test'
 
 homepage = 'http://hpcugent.github.com/easybuild'
 description = "Toy C program."
diff --git a/test/framework/package.py b/test/framework/package.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..53feaf504f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/framework/package.py
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+# #
+# Copyright 2015-2015 Ghent University
+#
+# This file is part of EasyBuild,
+# originally created by the HPC team of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc/en),
+# with support of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc),
+# the Flemish Supercomputer Centre (VSC) (https://vscentrum.be/nl/en),
+# the Hercules foundation (http://www.herculesstichting.be/in_English)
+# and the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) (http://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en).
+#
+# http://github.com/hpcugent/easybuild
+#
+# EasyBuild is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation v2.
+#
+# EasyBuild is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with EasyBuild.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+# #
+"""
+Unit tests for packaging support.
+
+@author: Kenneth Hoste (Ghent University)
+"""
+import os
+import stat
+
+from test.framework.utilities import EnhancedTestCase, init_config
+from unittest import TestLoader
+from unittest import main as unittestmain
+
+import easybuild.tools.build_log
+from easybuild.framework.easyconfig.easyconfig import EasyConfig
+from easybuild.tools.build_log import EasyBuildError
+from easybuild.tools.filetools import adjust_permissions, write_file
+from easybuild.tools.package.utilities import ActivePNS, avail_package_naming_schemes, check_pkg_support, package
+from easybuild.tools.version import VERSION as EASYBUILD_VERSION
+
+
+MOCKED_FPM = """#!/bin/bash
+# only parse what we need to spit out the expected package file, ignore the rest
+workdir=`echo $@ | sed 's/--workdir \([^ ]*\).*/\\1/g'`
+name=`echo $@ | sed 's/.* --name \([^ ]*\).*/\\1/g'`
+version=`echo $@ | sed 's/.*--version \([^ ]*\).*/\\1/g'`
+iteration=`echo $@ | sed 's/.*--iteration \([^ ]*\).*/\\1/g'`
+target=`echo $@ | sed 's/.*-t \([^ ]*\).*/\\1/g'`
+
+echo "thisisan$target" > ${workdir}/${name}-${version}.${iteration}.${target}
+"""
+
+
+def mock_fpm(tmpdir):
+    """Put mocked version of fpm command in place in specified tmpdir."""
+    # put mocked 'fpm' command in place, just for testing purposes
+    fpm = os.path.join(tmpdir, 'fpm')
+    write_file(fpm, MOCKED_FPM)
+    adjust_permissions(fpm, stat.S_IXUSR, add=True)
+
+    # also put mocked rpmbuild in place
+    rpmbuild = os.path.join(tmpdir, 'rpmbuild')
+    write_file(rpmbuild, '#!/bin/bash')  # only needs to be there, doesn't need to actually do something...
+    adjust_permissions(rpmbuild, stat.S_IXUSR, add=True)
+
+    os.environ['PATH'] = '%s:%s' % (tmpdir, os.environ['PATH'])
+
+
+class PackageTest(EnhancedTestCase):
+    """Tests for packaging support."""
+
+    def test_avail_package_naming_schemes(self):
+        """Test avail_package_naming_schemes()"""
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(avail_package_naming_schemes().keys()), ['EasyBuildPNS'])
+
+    def test_check_pkg_support(self):
+        """Test check_pkg_support()."""
+        # hard enable experimental
+        orig_experimental = easybuild.tools.build_log.EXPERIMENTAL
+        easybuild.tools.build_log.EXPERIMENTAL = True
+
+        # clear $PATH to make sure fpm/rpmbuild can not be found
+        os.environ['PATH'] = ''
+
+        self.assertErrorRegex(EasyBuildError, "Selected packaging tool 'fpm' not found", check_pkg_support)
+
+        for binary in ['fpm', 'rpmbuild']:
+            binpath = os.path.join(self.test_prefix, binary)
+            write_file(binpath, '#!/bin/bash')
+            adjust_permissions(binpath, stat.S_IXUSR, add=True)
+        os.environ['PATH'] = self.test_prefix
+
+        # no errors => support check passes
+        check_pkg_support()
+
+        # restore
+        easybuild.tools.build_log.EXPERIMENTAL = orig_experimental
+
+    def test_active_pns(self):
+        """Test use of ActivePNS."""
+        test_easyconfigs = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)), 'easyconfigs')
+        ec = EasyConfig(os.path.join(test_easyconfigs, 'OpenMPI-1.6.4-GCC-4.6.4.eb'), validate=False)
+
+        pns = ActivePNS()
+
+        # default: EasyBuild package naming scheme, pkg release 1
+        self.assertEqual(pns.name(ec), 'OpenMPI-1.6.4-GCC-4.6.4')
+        self.assertEqual(pns.version(ec), 'eb-%s' % EASYBUILD_VERSION)
+        self.assertEqual(pns.release(ec), '1')
+
+    def test_package(self):
+        """Test package function."""
+        init_config(build_options={'silent': True})
+
+        test_easyconfigs = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)), 'easyconfigs')
+        ec = EasyConfig(os.path.join(test_easyconfigs, 'toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12-test.eb'), validate=False)
+
+        mock_fpm(self.test_prefix)
+
+        # import needs to be done here, since test easyblocks are only included later
+        from easybuild.easyblocks.toy import EB_toy
+        easyblock = EB_toy(ec)
+
+        # build & install first
+        easyblock.run_all_steps(False)
+
+        # package using default packaging configuration (FPM to build RPM packages)
+        pkgdir = package(easyblock)
+
+        pkgfile = os.path.join(pkgdir, 'toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12-test-eb-%s.1.rpm' % EASYBUILD_VERSION)
+        self.assertTrue(os.path.isfile(pkgfile), "Found %s" % pkgfile)
+
+
+def suite():
+    """ returns all the testcases in this module """
+    return TestLoader().loadTestsFromTestCase(PackageTest)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittestmain()
diff --git a/test/framework/suite.py b/test/framework/suite.py
index 9e96ec2dee..34caa3ec8f 100755
--- a/test/framework/suite.py
+++ b/test/framework/suite.py
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@
 import test.framework.modulestool as mt
 import test.framework.options as o
 import test.framework.parallelbuild as p
+import test.framework.package as pkg
 import test.framework.repository as r
 import test.framework.robot as robot
 import test.framework.run as run
@@ -102,7 +103,8 @@
 
 # call suite() for each module and then run them all
 # note: make sure the options unit tests run first, to avoid running some of them with a readily initialized config
-tests = [gen, bl, o, r, ef, ev, ebco, ep, e, mg, m, mt, f, run, a, robot, b, v, g, tcv, tc, t, c, s, l, f_c, sc, tw, p, i, d]
+tests = [gen, bl, o, r, ef, ev, ebco, ep, e, mg, m, mt, f, run, a, robot, b, v, g, tcv, tc, t, c, s, l, f_c, sc, tw,
+         p, i, pkg, d]
 
 SUITE = unittest.TestSuite([x.suite() for x in tests])
 
diff --git a/test/framework/toy_build.py b/test/framework/toy_build.py
index 46797db2d1..2aa8469112 100644
--- a/test/framework/toy_build.py
+++ b/test/framework/toy_build.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 import sys
 import tempfile
 from test.framework.utilities import EnhancedTestCase
+from test.framework.package import mock_fpm
 from unittest import TestLoader
 from unittest import main as unittestmain
 from vsc.utils.fancylogger import setLogLevelDebug, logToScreen
@@ -44,8 +45,9 @@
 from easybuild.framework.easyconfig.easyconfig import EasyConfig
 from easybuild.tools.build_log import EasyBuildError
 from easybuild.tools.config import get_module_syntax
-from easybuild.tools.filetools import mkdir, read_file, which, write_file
+from easybuild.tools.filetools import adjust_permissions, mkdir, read_file, which, write_file
 from easybuild.tools.modules import modules_tool
+from easybuild.tools.version import VERSION as EASYBUILD_VERSION
 
 
 class ToyBuildTest(EnhancedTestCase):
@@ -480,6 +482,31 @@ def test_toy_permissions(self):
         # restore original umask
         os.umask(orig_umask)
 
+    def test_toy_permissions_installdir(self):
+        """Test --read-only-installdir and --group-write-installdir."""
+        # set umask hard to verify default reliably
+        orig_umask = os.umask(0022)
+
+        self.test_toy_build()
+        installdir_perms = os.stat(os.path.join(self.test_installpath, 'software', 'toy', '0.0')).st_mode & 0777
+        self.assertEqual(installdir_perms, 0755, "%s has default permissions" % self.test_installpath)
+        shutil.rmtree(self.test_installpath)
+
+        self.test_toy_build(extra_args=['--read-only-installdir'])
+        installdir_perms = os.stat(os.path.join(self.test_installpath, 'software', 'toy', '0.0')).st_mode & 0777
+        self.assertEqual(installdir_perms, 0555, "%s has read-only permissions" % self.test_installpath)
+        installdir_perms = os.stat(os.path.join(self.test_installpath, 'software', 'toy')).st_mode & 0777
+        self.assertEqual(installdir_perms, 0755, "%s has default permissions" % self.test_installpath)
+        adjust_permissions(os.path.join(self.test_installpath, 'software', 'toy', '0.0'), stat.S_IWUSR, add=True)
+        shutil.rmtree(self.test_installpath)
+
+        self.test_toy_build(extra_args=['--group-writable-installdir'])
+        installdir_perms = os.stat(os.path.join(self.test_installpath, 'software', 'toy', '0.0')).st_mode & 0777
+        self.assertEqual(installdir_perms, 0775, "%s has group write permissions" % self.test_installpath)
+
+        # restore original umask
+        os.umask(orig_umask)
+
     def test_toy_gid_sticky_bits(self):
         """Test setting gid and sticky bits."""
         subdirs = [
@@ -693,8 +720,8 @@ def test_toy_advanced(self):
         """Test toy build with extensions and non-dummy toolchain."""
         test_dir = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__))
         os.environ['MODULEPATH'] = os.path.join(test_dir, 'modules')
-        test_ec = os.path.join(test_dir, 'easyconfigs', 'toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12.eb')
-        self.test_toy_build(ec_file=test_ec, versionsuffix='-gompi-1.3.12')
+        test_ec = os.path.join(test_dir, 'easyconfigs', 'toy-0.0-gompi-1.3.12-test.eb')
+        self.test_toy_build(ec_file=test_ec, versionsuffix='-gompi-1.3.12-test')
 
     def test_toy_hidden(self):
         """Test installing a hidden module."""
@@ -970,6 +997,39 @@ def test_module_only(self):
             modtxt = read_file(toy_mod + '.lua')
             self.assertTrue(re.search('load.*ictce/4.1.13', modtxt), "load statement for ictce/4.1.13 found in module")
 
+    def test_package(self):
+        """Test use of --package and accompanying package configuration settings."""
+        mock_fpm(self.test_prefix)
+        pkgpath = os.path.join(self.test_prefix, 'pkgs')
+
+        extra_args = [
+            '--experimental',
+            '--package',
+            '--package-release=321',
+            '--package-tool=fpm',
+            '--package-type=foo',
+            '--packagepath=%s' % pkgpath,
+        ]
+
+        self.test_toy_build(extra_args=extra_args)
+
+        toypkg = os.path.join(pkgpath, 'toy-0.0-eb-%s.321.foo' % EASYBUILD_VERSION)
+        self.assertTrue(os.path.exists(toypkg), "%s is there" % toypkg)
+
+    def test_package_skip(self):
+        """Test use of --package with --skip."""
+        mock_fpm(self.test_prefix)
+        pkgpath = os.path.join(self.test_prefix, 'packages')  # default path
+
+        self.test_toy_build(['--packagepath=%s' % pkgpath])
+        self.assertFalse(os.path.exists(pkgpath), "%s is not created without use of --package" % pkgpath)
+
+        self.test_toy_build(extra_args=['--experimental', '--package', '--skip'], verify=False)
+
+        toypkg = os.path.join(pkgpath, 'toy-0.0-eb-%s.1.rpm' % EASYBUILD_VERSION)
+        self.assertTrue(os.path.exists(toypkg), "%s is there" % toypkg)
+
+
 def suite():
     """ return all the tests in this file """
     return TestLoader().loadTestsFromTestCase(ToyBuildTest)