diff --git a/rakefile b/rakefile
new file mode 100644
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/rakefile
@@ -0,0 +1,229 @@
+require 'rake/clean'
+require 'tempfile'
+
+# Build Constants
+REPO_ROOT = File.dirname(__FILE__)
+BUILD_DIR = File.join(REPO_ROOT, "build")
+REPORT_DIR = File.join(REPO_ROOT, "reports")
+LMS_REPORT_DIR = File.join(REPORT_DIR, "lms")
+
+# Packaging constants
+DEPLOY_DIR = "/opt/wwc"
+PACKAGE_NAME = "mitx"
+LINK_PATH = "/opt/wwc/mitx"
+PKG_VERSION = "0.1"
+COMMIT = (ENV["GIT_COMMIT"] || `git rev-parse HEAD`).chomp()[0, 10]
+BRANCH = (ENV["GIT_BRANCH"] || `git symbolic-ref -q HEAD`).chomp().gsub('refs/heads/', '').gsub('origin/', '')
+BUILD_NUMBER = (ENV["BUILD_NUMBER"] || "dev").chomp()
+
+if BRANCH == "master"
+    DEPLOY_NAME = "#{PACKAGE_NAME}-#{BUILD_NUMBER}-#{COMMIT}"
+else
+    DEPLOY_NAME = "#{PACKAGE_NAME}-#{BRANCH}-#{BUILD_NUMBER}-#{COMMIT}"
+end
+PACKAGE_REPO = "packages@gp.mitx.mit.edu:/opt/pkgrepo.incoming"
+
+NORMALIZED_DEPLOY_NAME = DEPLOY_NAME.downcase().gsub(/[_\/]/, '-')
+INSTALL_DIR_PATH = File.join(DEPLOY_DIR, NORMALIZED_DEPLOY_NAME)
+# Set up the clean and clobber tasks
+CLOBBER.include(BUILD_DIR, REPORT_DIR, 'cover*', '.coverage', 'test_root/*_repo', 'test_root/staticfiles')
+CLEAN.include("#{BUILD_DIR}/*.deb", "#{BUILD_DIR}/util")
+
+def select_executable(*cmds)
+    cmds.find_all{ |cmd| system("which #{cmd} > /dev/null 2>&1") }[0] || fail("No executables found from #{cmds.join(', ')}")
+end
+
+def django_admin(system, env, command, *args)
+    django_admin = ENV['DJANGO_ADMIN_PATH'] || select_executable('django-admin.py', 'django-admin')
+    return "#{django_admin} #{command} --settings=#{system}.envs.#{env} --pythonpath=. #{args.join(' ')}"
+end
+
+task :default => [:test, :pep8, :pylint]
+
+directory REPORT_DIR
+
+default_options = {
+    :lms => '8000',
+    :cms => '8001',
+}
+
+task :predjango do
+    sh("find . -type f -name *.pyc -delete")
+    sh('pip install -e common/lib/xmodule')
+    sh('git submodule update --init')
+end
+
+task :clean_test_files do
+    sh("git clean -fdx test_root")
+end
+
+[:lms, :cms, :common].each do |system|
+    report_dir = File.join(REPORT_DIR, system.to_s)
+    directory report_dir
+
+    desc "Run pep8 on all #{system} code"
+    task "pep8_#{system}" => report_dir do
+        sh("pep8 --ignore=E501 #{system}/djangoapps #{system}/lib | tee #{report_dir}/pep8.report")
+    end
+    task :pep8 => "pep8_#{system}"
+
+    desc "Run pylint on all #{system} code"
+    task "pylint_#{system}" => report_dir do
+        Dir["#{system}/djangoapps/*", "#{system}/lib/*"].each do |app|
+            if File.exists? "#{app}/setup.py"
+                pythonpath_prefix = "PYTHONPATH=#{app}"
+            else
+                pythonpath_prefix = "PYTHONPATH=#{File.dirname(app)}"
+            end
+            app = File.basename(app)
+            sh("#{pythonpath_prefix} pylint --rcfile=.pylintrc -f parseable #{app} | tee #{report_dir}/#{app}.pylint.report")
+        end
+    end
+    task :pylint => "pylint_#{system}"
+end
+
+$failed_tests = 0
+
+def run_tests(system, report_dir, stop_on_failure=true)
+    ENV['NOSE_XUNIT_FILE'] = File.join(report_dir, "nosetests.xml")
+    ENV['NOSE_COVER_HTML_DIR'] = File.join(report_dir, "cover")
+    dirs = Dir["common/djangoapps/*"] + Dir["#{system}/djangoapps/*"]
+    sh(django_admin(system, :test, 'test', *dirs.each)) do |ok, res|
+        if !ok and stop_on_failure
+            abort "Test failed!"
+        end
+        $failed_tests += 1 unless ok
+    end
+end
+
+TEST_TASKS = []
+
+[:lms, :cms].each do |system|
+    report_dir = File.join(REPORT_DIR, system.to_s)
+    directory report_dir
+
+    # Per System tasks
+    desc "Run all django tests on our djangoapps for the #{system}"
+    task "test_#{system}", [:stop_on_failure] => ["clean_test_files", "#{system}:collectstatic:test", "fasttest_#{system}"]
+
+    # Have a way to run the tests without running collectstatic -- useful when debugging without
+    # messing with static files.
+    task "fasttest_#{system}", [:stop_on_failure] => [report_dir, :predjango] do |t, args|
+        args.with_defaults(:stop_on_failure => 'true')
+        run_tests(system, report_dir, args.stop_on_failure)
+    end
+
+    TEST_TASKS << "test_#{system}"
+
+    desc <<-desc
+        Start the #{system} locally with the specified environment (defaults to dev).
+        Other useful environments are devplus (for dev testing with a real local database)
+        desc
+    task system, [:env, :options] => [:predjango] do |t, args|
+        args.with_defaults(:env => 'dev', :options => default_options[system])
+        sh(django_admin(system, args.env, 'runserver', args.options))
+    end
+
+    # Per environment tasks
+    Dir["#{system}/envs/*.py"].each do |env_file|
+        env = File.basename(env_file).gsub(/\.py/, '')
+        desc "Attempt to import the settings file #{system}.envs.#{env} and report any errors"
+        task "#{system}:check_settings:#{env}" => :predjango do
+            sh("echo 'import #{system}.envs.#{env}' | #{django_admin(system, env, 'shell')}")
+        end
+
+        desc "Run collectstatic in the specified environment"
+        task "#{system}:collectstatic:#{env}" => :predjango do
+            sh("#{django_admin(system, env, 'collectstatic', '--noinput')}")
+        end
+    end
+end
+
+Dir["common/lib/*"].each do |lib|
+    task_name = "test_#{lib}"
+
+    report_dir = File.join(REPORT_DIR, task_name.gsub('/', '_'))
+    directory report_dir
+
+    desc "Run tests for common lib #{lib}"
+    task task_name => report_dir do
+        ENV['NOSE_XUNIT_FILE'] = File.join(report_dir, "nosetests.xml")
+        sh("nosetests #{lib} --cover-erase --with-xunit --with-xcoverage --cover-html --cover-inclusive --cover-package #{File.basename(lib)} --cover-html-dir #{File.join(report_dir, "cover")}")
+    end
+    TEST_TASKS << task_name
+end
+
+task :test do
+    TEST_TASKS.each do |task|
+        Rake::Task[task].invoke(false)
+    end
+
+    if $failed_tests > 0
+        abort "Tests failed!"
+    end
+end
+
+task :runserver => :lms
+
+desc "Run django-admin <action> against the specified system and environment"
+task "django-admin", [:action, :system, :env, :options] => [:predjango] do |t, args|
+    args.with_defaults(:env => 'dev', :system => 'lms', :options => '')
+    sh(django_admin(args.system, args.env, args.action, args.options))
+end
+
+task :package do
+    FileUtils.mkdir_p(BUILD_DIR)
+
+    Dir.chdir(BUILD_DIR) do
+        afterremove = Tempfile.new('afterremove')
+        afterremove.write <<-AFTERREMOVE.gsub(/^\s*/, '')
+        #! /bin/bash
+        set -e
+        set -x
+
+        # to be a little safer this rm is executed
+        # as the makeitso user
+
+        if [[ -d "#{INSTALL_DIR_PATH}" ]]; then
+            sudo rm -rf "#{INSTALL_DIR_PATH}"
+        fi
+
+        AFTERREMOVE
+        afterremove.close()
+        FileUtils.chmod(0755, afterremove.path)
+
+        args = ["fakeroot", "fpm", "-s", "dir", "-t", "deb",
+            "--after-remove=#{afterremove.path}",
+            "--prefix=#{INSTALL_DIR_PATH}",
+            "--exclude=**/build/**",
+            "--exclude=**/rakefile",
+            "--exclude=**/.git/**",
+            "--exclude=**/*.pyc",
+            "--exclude=**/reports/**",
+            "--exclude=**/test_root/**",
+            "--exclude=**/.coverage/**",
+            "-C", "#{REPO_ROOT}",
+            "--provides=#{PACKAGE_NAME}",
+            "--name=#{NORMALIZED_DEPLOY_NAME}",
+            "--version=#{PKG_VERSION}",
+            "-a", "all",
+            "."]
+        system(*args) || raise("fpm failed to build the .deb")
+    end
+end
+
+task :publish => :package do
+    sh("scp #{BUILD_DIR}/#{NORMALIZED_DEPLOY_NAME}_#{PKG_VERSION}*.deb #{PACKAGE_REPO}")
+end
+
+namespace :cms do
+  desc "Import course data within the given DATA_DIR variable"
+  task :import do
+    if ENV['DATA_DIR']
+      sh(django_admin(:cms, :dev, :import, ENV['DATA_DIR']))
+    else
+      raise "Please specify a DATA_DIR variable that point to your data directory.\n" +
+        "Example: \`rake cms:import DATA_DIR=../data\`"
+    end
+  end
+end