diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 76a3b296..eae75de7 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,3 +1,15 @@
+livecd-rootfs (2.296) vivid; urgency=low
+
+  * ubuntu-core:
+    - update passwd/group etc for new syslog user
+    - remove live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/15-pycompile-snappy.chroot
+    - merged lp:~snappy-dev/livecd-rootfs/core_update
+      to generate device tar conform hardware.yaml
+    - add compability handling for current u-d-f/grub when extracting
+      the device tarball
+
+ -- Michael Vogt <michael.vogt@ubuntu.com>  Mon, 30 Mar 2015 20:40:25 +0200
+
 livecd-rootfs (2.295) vivid; urgency=medium
 
   * forcefully add ubuntu-system-settings-online-accounts to ubuntu-touch
diff --git a/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/00-uid-gid-fix.chroot_early b/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/00-uid-gid-fix.chroot_early
index f799bd82..00ff4e3f 100755
--- a/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/00-uid-gid-fix.chroot_early
+++ b/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/00-uid-gid-fix.chroot_early
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ systemd-network:x:104:109:systemd Network Management,,,:/run/systemd/netif:/bin/
 systemd-resolve:x:105:110:systemd Resolver,,,:/run/systemd/resolve:/bin/false
 systemd-bus-proxy:x:106:111:systemd Bus Proxy,,,:/run/systemd:/bin/false
 docker:x:107:113::/nonexistent:/bin/false
+syslog:x:108:114::/home/syslog:/bin/false
 EOF
 else
     echo "/etc/passwd post-debootstrap hash doesn't match record" >&2
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ systemd-network:*:16413:0:99999:7:::
 systemd-resolve:*:16413:0:99999:7:::
 systemd-bus-proxy:*:16413:0:99999:7:::
 docker:*:16413:0:99999:7:::
+syslog:*:16521:0:99999:7:::
 EOF
 else
     echo "/etc/shadow post-debootstrap hash doesn't match record" >&2
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ voice:x:22:
 cdrom:x:24:
 floppy:x:25:
 tape:x:26:
-sudo:x:27:
+sudo:x:27:ubuntu
 audio:x:1005:
 dip:x:30:
 www-data:x:33:
@@ -144,7 +146,8 @@ systemd-network:x:109:
 systemd-resolve:x:110:
 systemd-bus-proxy:x:111:
 input:x:112:
-docker:x:113:
+docker:x:113:ubuntu
+syslog:x:114:
 EOF
 else
     echo "/etc/group post-debootstrap hash doesn't match record" >&2
@@ -177,7 +180,7 @@ voice:*::
 cdrom:*::
 floppy:*::
 tape:*::
-sudo:*::
+sudo:*::ubuntu
 audio:*::pulse
 dip:*::
 www-data:*::
@@ -208,7 +211,8 @@ systemd-network:!::
 systemd-resolve:!::
 systemd-bus-proxy:!::
 input:!::
-docker:!::
+docker:!::ubuntu
+syslog:!::
 EOF
 else
     echo "/etc/gshadow post-debootstrap hash doesn't match record" >&2
diff --git a/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/15-pycompile-snappy.chroot b/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/15-pycompile-snappy.chroot
deleted file mode 100644
index 1b8b391c..00000000
--- a/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/15-pycompile-snappy.chroot
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-set -e
-
-# ensure python create the byte .pyc files for snappy
-snappy -v
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/500-move-kernel-to-device-tar.binary b/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/500-move-kernel-to-device-tar.binary
index a12fde07..e30441b4 100644
--- a/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/500-move-kernel-to-device-tar.binary
+++ b/live-build/ubuntu-core/hooks/500-move-kernel-to-device-tar.binary
@@ -2,23 +2,65 @@
 #
 # move the kernel out into a new device tarfile with system/boot 
 
-set -e
+set -ex
 
 echo "I: Moving kernel into device tarball"
 
 HERE="$(pwd)"
 TMPDIR="$(mktemp -d)"
+ARCH=$(dpkg --print-architecture)
 mkdir -p $TMPDIR/system/
+mkdir -p $TMPDIR/assets/
 
 # cp files, we can't simply use tar --transform as it changes the symlink target
 (
  cd binary/boot/filesystem.dir 
+
+ # for compatibility with current grub/u-d-f
  cp -ar --parent boot/vmlinu?-* boot/initrd.img-* boot/abi-* boot/System.map-* $TMPDIR/system/
- cp -ar --parent lib/modules/ $TMPDIR/system/
  if [ -e vmlinu? ] && [ -e initrd.img ]; then
      cp -ar --parent vmlinu? initrd.img $TMPDIR/system
  fi
+ cp -ar --parent lib/modules/ $TMPDIR/system/
+ cp -ar --parent lib/firmware/ $TMPDIR/system/
+
+ # new assets handling
+ cp -ar boot/vmlinu?-* $TMPDIR/assets/vmlinuz
+ cp -ar boot/initrd.img-* $TMPDIR/assets/initrd.img
+ cp -ar boot/vmlinu?-* boot/initrd.img-* boot/abi-* boot/System.map-* $TMPDIR/assets/
+
+ dtbs=$(find lib/firmware -type d -name 'device-tree' -print0)
+ [ -n "$dtbs" ] && mv "$dtbs" $TMPDIR/assets/dtbs
+
+ if [ -e vmlinu? ] && [ -e initrd.img ]; then
+     cp -ar --parent vmlinu? initrd.img $TMPDIR/assets
+     cp -ar --parent vmlinu? initrd.img $TMPDIR/assets
+ fi
+)
+# create hardware.yaml for u-boot
+# this assumes armh == u-boot
+# and all others grub
+(
+# common bits
+ cat > $TMPDIR/hardware.yaml << EOF
+kernel: assets/vmlinuz
+initrd: assets/initrd.img
+partiton-layout: system-AB
+EOF
+
+# arch specific ones
+if [ "$ARCH" = "armhf" ]; then
+ cat >> $TMPDIR/hardware.yaml << EOF
+dtbs: assets/dtbs
+bootloader: u-boot
+EOF
+else
+ cat >> $TMPDIR/hardware.yaml << EOF
+bootloader: grub
+EOF
+fi
 )
+
 # and tar it up
 (
  cd $TMPDIR
@@ -58,6 +100,7 @@ rm -rf $TMPDIR
  rm -f initrd.img
  rm -f vmlinu?
  rm -rf lib/modules
+ rm -rf lib/firmware
  # remove walinuxagent
  if [ -e var/lib/dpkg/info/walinuxagent.list ]; then
      chroot . dpkg --purge walinuxagent || true