diff --git a/cms/envs/aws.py b/cms/envs/aws.py
index 34312eb25b..b44baacb0b 100644
--- a/cms/envs/aws.py
+++ b/cms/envs/aws.py
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ This is the default template for our main set of AWS servers.
 """
 import json
 
-from .logsettings import get_logger_config
 from .common import *
+from logsettings import get_logger_config
 
 ############################### ALWAYS THE SAME ################################
 DEBUG = False
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ LOG_DIR = ENV_TOKENS['LOG_DIR']
 
 CACHES = ENV_TOKENS['CACHES']
 
+SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN = ENV_TOKENS.get('SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN')
+
 for feature, value in ENV_TOKENS.get('MITX_FEATURES', {}).items():
     MITX_FEATURES[feature] = value
 
@@ -48,3 +50,4 @@ AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID = AUTH_TOKENS["AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID"]
 AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY = AUTH_TOKENS["AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY"]
 DATABASES = AUTH_TOKENS['DATABASES']
 MODULESTORE = AUTH_TOKENS['MODULESTORE']
+CONTENTSTORE = AUTH_TOKENS['CONTENTSTORE']
diff --git a/cms/envs/dev.py b/cms/envs/dev.py
index e5548df2d4..e00c52a13e 100644
--- a/cms/envs/dev.py
+++ b/cms/envs/dev.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 This config file runs the simplest dev environment"""
 
 from .common import *
-from .logsettings import get_logger_config
+from logsettings import get_logger_config
 
 import logging
 import sys
diff --git a/cms/envs/logsettings.py b/cms/envs/logsettings.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 3683314d02..0000000000
--- a/cms/envs/logsettings.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,96 +0,0 @@
-import os
-import os.path
-import platform
-import sys
-
-def get_logger_config(log_dir,
-                      logging_env="no_env",
-                      tracking_filename=None,
-                      syslog_addr=None,
-                      debug=False):
-    """Return the appropriate logging config dictionary. You should assign the
-    result of this to the LOGGING var in your settings. The reason it's done
-    this way instead of registering directly is because I didn't want to worry
-    about resetting the logging state if this is called multiple times when
-    settings are extended."""
-
-    # If we're given an explicit place to put tracking logs, we do that (say for
-    # debugging). However, logging is not safe for multiple processes hitting
-    # the same file. So if it's left blank, we dynamically create the filename
-    # based on the PID of this worker process.
-    if tracking_filename:
-        tracking_file_loc = os.path.join(log_dir, tracking_filename)
-    else:
-        pid = os.getpid() # So we can log which process is creating the log
-        tracking_file_loc = os.path.join(log_dir, "tracking_{0}.log".format(pid))
-
-    hostname = platform.node().split(".")[0]
-    syslog_format = ("[%(name)s][env:{logging_env}] %(levelname)s [{hostname} " +
-                     " %(process)d] [%(filename)s:%(lineno)d] - %(message)s").format(
-                        logging_env=logging_env, hostname=hostname)
-
-    handlers = ['console'] if debug else ['console', 'syslogger', 'newrelic']
-
-    return {
-        'version': 1,
-        'disable_existing_loggers': False,
-        'formatters' : {
-            'standard' : {
-                'format' : '%(asctime)s %(levelname)s %(process)d [%(name)s] %(filename)s:%(lineno)d - %(message)s',
-            },
-            'syslog_format' : { 'format' : syslog_format },
-            'raw' : { 'format' : '%(message)s' },
-        },
-        'handlers' : {
-            'console' : {
-                'level' : 'DEBUG' if debug else 'INFO',
-                'class' : 'logging.StreamHandler',
-                'formatter' : 'standard',
-                'stream' : sys.stdout,
-            },
-            'syslogger' : {
-                'level' : 'INFO',
-                'class' : 'logging.handlers.SysLogHandler',
-                'address' : syslog_addr,
-                'formatter' : 'syslog_format',
-            },
-            'tracking' : {
-                'level' : 'DEBUG',
-                'class' : 'logging.handlers.WatchedFileHandler',
-                'filename' : tracking_file_loc,
-                'formatter' : 'raw',
-            },
-            'newrelic' : {
-                'level': 'ERROR',
-                'class': 'newrelic_logging.NewRelicHandler',
-                'formatter': 'raw',
-            }
-        },
-        'loggers' : {
-            'django' : {
-                'handlers' : handlers,
-                'propagate' : True,
-                'level' : 'INFO'
-            },
-            'tracking' : {
-                'handlers' : ['tracking'],
-                'level' : 'DEBUG',
-                'propagate' : False,
-            },
-            '' : {
-                'handlers' : handlers,
-                'level' : 'DEBUG',
-                'propagate' : False
-            },
-            'mitx' : {
-                'handlers' : handlers,
-                'level' : 'DEBUG',
-                'propagate' : False
-            },
-            'keyedcache' : {
-                'handlers' : handlers,
-                'level' : 'DEBUG',
-                'propagate' : False
-            },
-        }
-    }
diff --git a/cms/urls.py b/cms/urls.py
index 811d47657f..47db1c024b 100644
--- a/cms/urls.py
+++ b/cms/urls.py
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ urlpatterns = ('',
 
     # temporary landing page for edge
     url(r'^edge$', 'contentstore.views.edge', name='edge'),
+
+    url(r'^heartbeat$', include('heartbeat.urls')),
 )
 
 # User creation and updating views
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/__init__.py b/common/djangoapps/heartbeat/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/__init__.py
rename to common/djangoapps/heartbeat/__init__.py
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/urls.py b/common/djangoapps/heartbeat/urls.py
similarity index 100%
rename from lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/urls.py
rename to common/djangoapps/heartbeat/urls.py
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/views.py b/common/djangoapps/heartbeat/views.py
similarity index 100%
rename from lms/djangoapps/heartbeat/views.py
rename to common/djangoapps/heartbeat/views.py
diff --git a/lms/envs/logsettings.py b/common/lib/logsettings.py
similarity index 100%
rename from lms/envs/logsettings.py
rename to common/lib/logsettings.py
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/contentstore/mongo.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/contentstore/mongo.py
index b5235e6745..9a99006e61 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/contentstore/mongo.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/contentstore/mongo.py
@@ -14,9 +14,13 @@ from xmodule.exceptions import NotFoundError
 
 
 class MongoContentStore(ContentStore):
-    def __init__(self, host, db, port=27017):
+    def __init__(self, host, db, port=27017, user=None, password=None, **kwargs):
         logging.debug( 'Using MongoDB for static content serving at host={0} db={1}'.format(host,db))
-        _db = Connection(host=host, port=port)[db]
+        _db = Connection(host=host, port=port, **kwargs)[db]
+
+        if self.user is not None and self.password is not None:
+            _db.authenticate(user, password)
+
         self.fs = gridfs.GridFS(_db)
         self.fs_files = _db["fs.files"] # the underlying collection GridFS uses
 
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/mongo.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/mongo.py
index 30ae5c7539..164bfd3590 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/mongo.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/mongo.py
@@ -97,15 +97,21 @@ class MongoModuleStore(ModuleStoreBase):
     # TODO (cpennington): Enable non-filesystem filestores
     def __init__(self, host, db, collection, fs_root, render_template,
                  port=27017, default_class=None,
-                 error_tracker=null_error_tracker):
+                 error_tracker=null_error_tracker,
+                 user=None, password=None, **kwargs):
 
         ModuleStoreBase.__init__(self)
 
         self.collection = pymongo.connection.Connection(
             host=host,
-            port=port
+            port=port,
+            **kwargs
         )[db][collection]
 
+        if user is not None and password is not None:
+            self.collection.database.authenticate(user, password)
+
+
         # Force mongo to report errors, at the expense of performance
         self.collection.safe = True
 
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/x_module.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/x_module.py
index e5405c7f4a..3309f6270c 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/x_module.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/x_module.py
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ class XModuleDescriptor(Plugin, HTMLSnippet, ResourceTemplates):
 
     # cdodge: this is a list of metadata names which are 'system' metadata
     # and should not be edited by an end-user
-    system_metadata_fields = ['data_dir', 'published_date', 'published_by']
+    system_metadata_fields = ['data_dir', 'published_date', 'published_by', 'is_draft']
     
     # A list of descriptor attributes that must be equal for the descriptors to
     # be equal
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/tabs.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/tabs.py
index e97622a5ef..5abdc93604 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/tabs.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/tabs.py
@@ -220,9 +220,6 @@ def get_default_tabs(user, course, active_page):
         link = reverse('django_comment_client.forum.views.forum_form_discussion',
                               args=[course.id])
         tabs.append(CourseTab('Discussion', link, active_page == 'discussion'))
-    elif settings.MITX_FEATURES.get('ENABLE_DISCUSSION'):
-        ## This is Askbot, which we should be retiring soon...
-        tabs.append(CourseTab('Discussion', reverse('questions'), active_page == 'discussion'))
 
     tabs.extend(_wiki({'name': 'Wiki', 'type': 'wiki'}, user, course, active_page))
 
diff --git a/lms/envs/askbotsettings.py b/lms/envs/askbotsettings.py
deleted file mode 100644
index eb4840a157..0000000000
--- a/lms/envs/askbotsettings.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,293 +0,0 @@
-"""
-There are other askbot settings in common.py that covers things like where the
-templates are located, etc. This file is purely for askbot forum *behavior*.
-This means things like karma limits, the ability to post questions as wikis, 
-anonymous questions, etc.
-"""
-
-LIVESETTINGS_OPTIONS = {
-    1: {
-        'DB' : False,
-        'SETTINGS' : {
-            'ACCESS_CONTROL' : {
-                'ASKBOT_CLOSED_FORUM_MODE' : True,
-            },
-            'BADGES' : {
-                'DISCIPLINED_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 3,
-                'PEER_PRESSURE_BADGE_MIN_DOWNVOTES' : 3,
-                'TEACHER_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 1,
-                'NICE_ANSWER_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 2,
-                'GOOD_ANSWER_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 3,
-                'GREAT_ANSWER_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 5,
-                'NICE_QUESTION_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 2,
-                'GOOD_QUESTION_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 3,
-                'GREAT_QUESTION_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 5,
-                'POPULAR_QUESTION_BADGE_MIN_VIEWS' : 150,
-                'NOTABLE_QUESTION_BADGE_MIN_VIEWS' : 250,
-                'FAMOUS_QUESTION_BADGE_MIN_VIEWS' : 500,
-                'SELF_LEARNER_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 1,
-                'CIVIC_DUTY_BADGE_MIN_VOTES' : 100,
-                'ENLIGHTENED_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 3,
-                'ASSOCIATE_EDITOR_BADGE_MIN_EDITS' : 20,
-                'COMMENTATOR_BADGE_MIN_COMMENTS' : 10,
-                'ENTHUSIAST_BADGE_MIN_DAYS' : 30,
-                'FAVORITE_QUESTION_BADGE_MIN_STARS' : 3,
-                'GURU_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 5,
-                'NECROMANCER_BADGE_MIN_DELAY' : 30,
-                'NECROMANCER_BADGE_MIN_UPVOTES' : 1,
-                'STELLAR_QUESTION_BADGE_MIN_STARS' : 5,
-                'TAXONOMIST_BADGE_MIN_USE_COUNT' : 10,
-            },
-            'EMAIL' : {
-                'EMAIL_SUBJECT_PREFIX' : u'[Django] ',
-                'EMAIL_UNIQUE' : True,
-                'EMAIL_VALIDATION' : False,
-                'DEFAULT_NOTIFICATION_DELIVERY_SCHEDULE_M_AND_C' : u'w',
-                'DEFAULT_NOTIFICATION_DELIVERY_SCHEDULE_Q_ALL' : u'w',
-                'DEFAULT_NOTIFICATION_DELIVERY_SCHEDULE_Q_ANS' : u'w',
-                'DEFAULT_NOTIFICATION_DELIVERY_SCHEDULE_Q_ASK' : u'w',
-                'DEFAULT_NOTIFICATION_DELIVERY_SCHEDULE_Q_SEL' : u'w',
-                'ENABLE_UNANSWERED_REMINDERS' : False,
-                'DAYS_BEFORE_SENDING_UNANSWERED_REMINDER' : 1,
-                'UNANSWERED_REMINDER_FREQUENCY' : 1,
-                'MAX_UNANSWERED_REMINDERS' : 5,
-                'ENABLE_ACCEPT_ANSWER_REMINDERS' : False,
-                'DAYS_BEFORE_SENDING_ACCEPT_ANSWER_REMINDER' : 3,
-                'ACCEPT_ANSWER_REMINDER_FREQUENCY' : 3,
-                'MAX_ACCEPT_ANSWER_REMINDERS' : 5,
-                'ANONYMOUS_USER_EMAIL' : u'anonymous@askbot.org',
-                'ALLOW_ASKING_BY_EMAIL' : False,
-                'REPLACE_SPACE_WITH_DASH_IN_EMAILED_TAGS' : True,                
-                'MAX_ALERTS_PER_EMAIL' : 7,
-            },
-            'EMBEDDABLE_WIDGETS' : {
-                'QUESTIONS_WIDGET_CSS' : u"\nbody {\n    overflow: hidden;\n}\n#container {\n    width: 200px;\n    height: 350px;\n}\nul {\n    list-style: none;\n    padding: 5px;\n    margin: 5px;\n}\nli {\n    border-bottom: #CCC 1px solid;\n    padding-bottom: 5px;\n    padding-top: 5px;\n}\nli:last-child {\n    border: none;\n}\na {\n    text-decoration: none;\n    color: #464646;\n    font-family: 'Yanone Kaffeesatz', sans-serif;\n    font-size: 15px;\n}\n",
-                'QUESTIONS_WIDGET_FOOTER' : u"\n<link \n    href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Yanone+Kaffeesatz:300,400,700'\n    rel='stylesheet'\n    type='text/css'\n>\n",
-                'QUESTIONS_WIDGET_HEADER' : u'',
-                'QUESTIONS_WIDGET_MAX_QUESTIONS' : 7,                
-            },
-            'EXTERNAL_KEYS' : {
-                'RECAPTCHA_KEY' : u'',
-                'RECAPTCHA_SECRET' : u'',
-                'FACEBOOK_KEY' : u'',
-                'FACEBOOK_SECRET' : u'',
-                'HOW_TO_CHANGE_LDAP_PASSWORD' : u'',
-                'IDENTICA_KEY' : u'',
-                'IDENTICA_SECRET' : u'',
-                'GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_KEY' : u'',
-                'GOOGLE_SITEMAP_CODE' : u'',
-                'LDAP_PROVIDER_NAME' : u'',
-                'LDAP_URL' : u'',
-                'LINKEDIN_KEY' : u'',
-                'LINKEDIN_SECRET' : u'',
-                'TWITTER_KEY' : u'',
-                'TWITTER_SECRET' : u'',
-                'USE_LDAP_FOR_PASSWORD_LOGIN' : False,
-                'USE_RECAPTCHA' : False,
-            },
-            'FLATPAGES' : {
-                'FORUM_ABOUT' : u'',
-                'FORUM_FAQ' : u'',
-                'FORUM_PRIVACY' : u'',
-            },
-            'FORUM_DATA_RULES' : {
-                'MIN_TITLE_LENGTH' : 1,
-                'MIN_QUESTION_BODY_LENGTH' : 1,
-                'MIN_ANSWER_BODY_LENGTH' : 1,
-                'WIKI_ON' : False,
-                'ALLOW_ASK_ANONYMOUSLY' : True,
-                'ALLOW_POSTING_BEFORE_LOGGING_IN' : False,
-                'ALLOW_SWAPPING_QUESTION_WITH_ANSWER' : False,
-                'MAX_TAG_LENGTH' : 20,
-                'MIN_TITLE_LENGTH' : 1,
-                'MIN_QUESTION_BODY_LENGTH' : 1,
-                'MIN_ANSWER_BODY_LENGTH' : 1,
-                'MANDATORY_TAGS' : u'',
-                'FORCE_LOWERCASE_TAGS' : False,
-                'TAG_LIST_FORMAT' : u'list',
-                'USE_WILDCARD_TAGS' : False,
-                'MAX_COMMENTS_TO_SHOW' : 5,
-                'MAX_COMMENT_LENGTH' : 300,
-                'USE_TIME_LIMIT_TO_EDIT_COMMENT' : True,
-                'MINUTES_TO_EDIT_COMMENT' : 10,
-                'SAVE_COMMENT_ON_ENTER' : True,
-                'MIN_SEARCH_WORD_LENGTH' : 4,
-                'DECOUPLE_TEXT_QUERY_FROM_SEARCH_STATE' : False,
-                'MAX_TAGS_PER_POST' : 5,
-                'DEFAULT_QUESTIONS_PAGE_SIZE' : u'30',
-                'UNANSWERED_QUESTION_MEANING' : u'NO_ACCEPTED_ANSWERS',
-
-                # Enabling video requires forked version of markdown
-                # pip uninstall markdown2
-                # pip install -e git+git://github.com/andryuha/python-markdown2.git#egg=markdown2
-                'ENABLE_VIDEO_EMBEDDING' : False,
-            },
-            'GENERAL_SKIN_SETTINGS' : {
-                'CUSTOM_CSS' : u'',
-                'CUSTOM_FOOTER' : u'',
-                'CUSTOM_HEADER' : u'',
-                'CUSTOM_HTML_HEAD' : u'',
-                'CUSTOM_JS' : u'',
-                'SITE_FAVICON' : u'/images/favicon.gif',
-                'SITE_LOGO_URL' : u'/images/logo.gif',
-                'SHOW_LOGO' : False,
-                'LOCAL_LOGIN_ICON' : u'/images/pw-login.gif',
-                'ALWAYS_SHOW_ALL_UI_FUNCTIONS' : False,
-                'ASKBOT_DEFAULT_SKIN' : u'mitx',
-                'USE_CUSTOM_HTML_HEAD' : False,
-                'FOOTER_MODE' : u'default',
-                'USE_CUSTOM_CSS' : False,
-                'USE_CUSTOM_JS' : False,
-            },
-            'LEADING_SIDEBAR' : {
-                'ENABLE_LEADING_SIDEBAR' : False,
-                'LEADING_SIDEBAR' : u'',
-            },
-            'LOGIN_PROVIDERS' : {
-                'PASSWORD_REGISTER_SHOW_PROVIDER_BUTTONS' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_ALWAYS_SHOW_LOCAL_LOGIN' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_AOL_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_BLOGGER_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_CLAIMID_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_FACEBOOK_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_FLICKR_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_GOOGLE_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_IDENTI.CA_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_LINKEDIN_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_LIVEJOURNAL_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_LOCAL_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_OPENID_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_TECHNORATI_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_TWITTER_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_VERISIGN_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_VIDOOP_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_WORDPRESS_ENABLED' : True,
-                'SIGNIN_WORDPRESS_SITE_ENABLED' : False,
-                'SIGNIN_YAHOO_ENABLED' : True,
-                'WORDPRESS_SITE_ICON' : u'/images/logo.gif',
-                'WORDPRESS_SITE_URL' : '',                   
-            },
-            'LICENSE_SETTINGS' : {
-                'LICENSE_ACRONYM' : u'cc-by-sa',
-                'LICENSE_LOGO_URL' : u'/images/cc-by-sa.png',
-                'LICENSE_TITLE' : u'Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0',
-                'LICENSE_URL' : 'http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode',
-                'LICENSE_USE_LOGO' : True,
-                'LICENSE_USE_URL' : True,
-                'USE_LICENSE' : True,
-            },
-            'MARKUP' : {
-                'MARKUP_CODE_FRIENDLY' : False,
-                'ENABLE_MATHJAX' : True,
-                'MATHJAX_BASE_URL' : u'/static/js/vendor/mathjax-MathJax-c9db6ac/',
-                'ENABLE_AUTO_LINKING' : False,
-                'AUTO_LINK_PATTERNS' : u'',
-                'AUTO_LINK_URLS' : u'',
-            },
-            'MIN_REP' : {
-                'MIN_REP_TO_ACCEPT_OWN_ANSWER' : 1,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_ANSWER_OWN_QUESTION' : 1,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_CLOSE_OTHERS_QUESTIONS' : 1200,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_CLOSE_OWN_QUESTIONS' : 1,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_DELETE_OTHERS_COMMENTS' : 5000,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_DELETE_OTHERS_POSTS' : 10000,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_EDIT_OTHERS_POSTS' : 5000,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_EDIT_WIKI' : 200,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_FLAG_OFFENSIVE' : 1,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_HAVE_STRONG_URL' : 250,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_LEAVE_COMMENTS' : 1,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_LOCK_POSTS' : 10000,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_REOPEN_OWN_QUESTIONS' : 1,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_RETAG_OTHERS_QUESTIONS' : 100,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_UPLOAD_FILES' : 1,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_VIEW_OFFENSIVE_FLAGS' : 2000,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_VOTE_DOWN' : 15,
-                'MIN_REP_TO_VOTE_UP' : 1,
-            },
-            'QA_SITE_SETTINGS' : {
-                'APP_COPYRIGHT' : u'Copyright Askbot, 2010-2011.',
-                'APP_DESCRIPTION' : u'Open source question and answer forum written in Python and Django',
-                'APP_KEYWORDS' : u'Askbot,CNPROG,forum,community',
-                'APP_SHORT_NAME' : u'Askbot',
-                'APP_TITLE' : u'Askbot: Open Source Q&A Forum',
-                'APP_URL' : u'http://askbot.org',
-                'FEEDBACK_SITE_URL' : u'',
-                'ENABLE_GREETING_FOR_ANON_USER' : True,
-                'GREETING_FOR_ANONYMOUS_USER' : u'First time here? Check out the FAQ!',
-            },
-            'REP_CHANGES' : {
-                'MAX_REP_GAIN_PER_USER_PER_DAY' : 200,
-                'REP_GAIN_FOR_ACCEPTING_ANSWER' : 2,
-                'REP_GAIN_FOR_CANCELING_DOWNVOTE' : 1,
-                'REP_GAIN_FOR_RECEIVING_ANSWER_ACCEPTANCE' : 15,
-                'REP_GAIN_FOR_RECEIVING_DOWNVOTE_CANCELATION' : 2,
-                'REP_GAIN_FOR_RECEIVING_UPVOTE' : 10,
-                'REP_LOSS_FOR_CANCELING_ANSWER_ACCEPTANCE' : -2,
-                'REP_LOSS_FOR_DOWNVOTING' : -2,
-                'REP_LOSS_FOR_RECEIVING_CANCELATION_OF_ANSWER_ACCEPTANCE' : -5,
-                'REP_LOSS_FOR_RECEIVING_DOWNVOTE' : -1,
-                'REP_LOSS_FOR_RECEIVING_FIVE_FLAGS_PER_REVISION' : -100,
-                'REP_LOSS_FOR_RECEIVING_FLAG' : -2,
-                'REP_LOSS_FOR_RECEIVING_THREE_FLAGS_PER_REVISION' : -30,
-                'REP_LOSS_FOR_RECEIVING_UPVOTE_CANCELATION' : -10,
-            },
-            'SOCIAL_SHARING' : {
-                'ENABLE_SHARING_TWITTER' : False,
-                'ENABLE_SHARING_FACEBOOK' : False,
-                'ENABLE_SHARING_LINKEDIN' : False,
-                'ENABLE_SHARING_IDENTICA' : False,
-                'ENABLE_SHARING_GOOGLE' : False,
-            },
-            'SIDEBAR_MAIN' : {
-                'SIDEBAR_MAIN_AVATAR_LIMIT' : 16,
-                'SIDEBAR_MAIN_FOOTER' : u'',
-                'SIDEBAR_MAIN_HEADER' : u'',
-                'SIDEBAR_MAIN_SHOW_AVATARS' : True,
-                'SIDEBAR_MAIN_SHOW_TAGS' : True,
-                'SIDEBAR_MAIN_SHOW_TAG_SELECTOR' : True,                
-            },
-            'SIDEBAR_PROFILE' : {
-                'SIDEBAR_PROFILE_FOOTER' : u'',
-                'SIDEBAR_PROFILE_HEADER' : u'',
-            },
-            'SIDEBAR_QUESTION' : {
-                'SIDEBAR_QUESTION_FOOTER' : u'',
-                'SIDEBAR_QUESTION_HEADER' : u'',
-                'SIDEBAR_QUESTION_SHOW_META' : True,
-                'SIDEBAR_QUESTION_SHOW_RELATED' : True,
-                'SIDEBAR_QUESTION_SHOW_TAGS' : True,
-            },
-            'SITE_MODES' : {
-                'ACTIVATE_BOOTSTRAP_MODE' : False,
-            },
-            'SKIN_COUNTER_SETTINGS' : {
-                
-            },
-            'SPAM_AND_MODERATION' : {
-                'AKISMET_API_KEY' : u'',
-                'USE_AKISMET' : False,
-            },
-            'USER_SETTINGS' : {
-                'EDITABLE_SCREEN_NAME' : False,
-                'EDITABLE_EMAIL' : False,
-                'ALLOW_ADD_REMOVE_LOGIN_METHODS' : False,
-                'ENABLE_GRAVATAR' : False,
-                'GRAVATAR_TYPE' : u'identicon',
-                'NAME_OF_ANONYMOUS_USER' : u'',
-                'DEFAULT_AVATAR_URL' : u'/images/nophoto.png',
-                'MIN_USERNAME_LENGTH' : 1,
-                'ALLOW_ACCOUNT_RECOVERY_BY_EMAIL' : True,
-            },
-            'VOTE_RULES' : {
-                'MAX_VOTES_PER_USER_PER_DAY' : 30,
-                'MAX_FLAGS_PER_USER_PER_DAY' : 5,
-                'MIN_DAYS_FOR_STAFF_TO_ACCEPT_ANSWER' : 0,
-                'MIN_DAYS_TO_ANSWER_OWN_QUESTION' : 0,
-                'MIN_FLAGS_TO_DELETE_POST' : 5,
-                'MIN_FLAGS_TO_HIDE_POST' : 3,
-                'MAX_DAYS_TO_CANCEL_VOTE' : 1,
-                'VOTES_LEFT_WARNING_THRESHOLD' : 5,
-            },
-        },
-    },
-}
diff --git a/lms/envs/aws.py b/lms/envs/aws.py
index 08150c9acd..8794cb0581 100644
--- a/lms/envs/aws.py
+++ b/lms/envs/aws.py
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ Common traits:
 """
 import json
 
-from .logsettings import get_logger_config
 from .common import *
+from logsettings import get_logger_config
 
 ############################### ALWAYS THE SAME ################################
 DEBUG = False
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ SESSION_ENGINE = 'django.contrib.sessions.backends.cache'
 DEFAULT_FILE_STORAGE = 'storages.backends.s3boto.S3BotoStorage'
 
 # Disable askbot, enable Berkeley forums
-MITX_FEATURES['ENABLE_DISCUSSION'] = False
 MITX_FEATURES['ENABLE_DISCUSSION_SERVICE'] = True
 
 # IMPORTANT: With this enabled, the server must always be behind a proxy that 
@@ -37,6 +36,7 @@ with open(ENV_ROOT / "env.json") as env_file:
     ENV_TOKENS = json.load(env_file)
 
 SITE_NAME = ENV_TOKENS['SITE_NAME']
+SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN = ENV_TOKENS.get('SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN')
 
 BOOK_URL = ENV_TOKENS['BOOK_URL']
 MEDIA_URL = ENV_TOKENS['MEDIA_URL']
@@ -76,6 +76,11 @@ DATABASES = AUTH_TOKENS['DATABASES']
 
 XQUEUE_INTERFACE = AUTH_TOKENS['XQUEUE_INTERFACE']
 
+# Get the MODULESTORE from auth.json, but if it doesn't exist,
+# use the one from common.py
+MODULESTORE = AUTH_TOKENS.get('MODULESTORE', MODULESTORE)
+CONTENTSTORE = AUTH_TOKENS.get('CONTENTSTORE', CONTENTSTORE)
+
 if 'COURSE_ID' in ENV_TOKENS:
     ASKBOT_URL = "courses/{0}/discussions/".format(ENV_TOKENS['COURSE_ID'])
 
diff --git a/lms/envs/cms/aws.py b/lms/envs/cms/aws.py
index b807a0f545..a0e2f25d83 100644
--- a/lms/envs/cms/aws.py
+++ b/lms/envs/cms/aws.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 Settings for the LMS that runs alongside the CMS on AWS
 """
 
-from .aws import *
+from ..aws import *
 
 with open(ENV_ROOT / "cms.auth.json") as auth_file:
     CMS_AUTH_TOKENS = json.load(auth_file)
diff --git a/lms/envs/cms/dev.py b/lms/envs/cms/dev.py
index f436c8e8cc..ded3471ea2 100644
--- a/lms/envs/cms/dev.py
+++ b/lms/envs/cms/dev.py
@@ -19,3 +19,11 @@ MODULESTORE = {
         'OPTIONS': modulestore_options
     },
 }
+
+CONTENTSTORE = {
+    'ENGINE': 'xmodule.contentstore.mongo.MongoContentStore',
+    'OPTIONS': {
+        'host': 'localhost',
+        'db' : 'xcontent',
+    }
+}
diff --git a/lms/envs/common.py b/lms/envs/common.py
index 3bcf0931d4..8555da5058 100644
--- a/lms/envs/common.py
+++ b/lms/envs/common.py
@@ -26,12 +26,10 @@ from xmodule.static_content import write_module_styles, write_module_js
 import djcelery
 from path import path
 
-from .askbotsettings import * # this is where LIVESETTINGS_OPTIONS comes from
 from .discussionsettings import *
 
 ################################### FEATURES ###################################
 COURSEWARE_ENABLED = True
-ASKBOT_ENABLED = False
 GENERATE_RANDOM_USER_CREDENTIALS = False
 PERFSTATS = False
 
@@ -65,7 +63,6 @@ MITX_FEATURES = {
                                         # set to None to do no university selection
 
     'ENABLE_TEXTBOOK' : True,
-    'ENABLE_DISCUSSION' : False,
     'ENABLE_DISCUSSION_SERVICE': True,
 
     'ENABLE_PSYCHOMETRICS': False,	# real-time psychometrics (eg item response theory analysis in instructor dashboard)
@@ -97,15 +94,12 @@ PROJECT_ROOT = path(__file__).abspath().dirname().dirname()  # /mitx/lms
 REPO_ROOT = PROJECT_ROOT.dirname()
 COMMON_ROOT = REPO_ROOT / "common"
 ENV_ROOT = REPO_ROOT.dirname()  # virtualenv dir /mitx is in
-ASKBOT_ROOT = REPO_ROOT / "askbot"
 COURSES_ROOT = ENV_ROOT / "data"
 
 # FIXME: To support multiple courses, we should walk the courses dir at startup
 DATA_DIR = COURSES_ROOT
 
 sys.path.append(REPO_ROOT)
-sys.path.append(ASKBOT_ROOT)
-sys.path.append(ASKBOT_ROOT / "askbot" / "deps")
 sys.path.append(PROJECT_ROOT / 'djangoapps')
 sys.path.append(PROJECT_ROOT / 'lib')
 sys.path.append(COMMON_ROOT / 'djangoapps')
@@ -149,10 +143,8 @@ TEMPLATE_DIRS = (
 TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS = (
     'django.core.context_processors.request',
     'django.core.context_processors.static',
-    'askbot.context.application_settings',
     'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
     #'django.core.context_processors.i18n',
-    'askbot.user_messages.context_processors.user_messages',#must be before auth
     'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth', #this is required for admin
     'django.core.context_processors.csrf', #necessary for csrf protection
     
@@ -229,6 +221,7 @@ MODULESTORE = {
         }
     }
 }
+CONTENTSTORE = None
 
 ############################ SIGNAL HANDLERS ################################
 # This is imported to register the exception signal handling that logs exceptions
@@ -263,7 +256,6 @@ STATIC_ROOT = ENV_ROOT / "staticfiles"
 STATICFILES_DIRS = [
     COMMON_ROOT / "static",
     PROJECT_ROOT / "static",
-    PROJECT_ROOT / "askbot" / "skins",
 ]
 if os.path.isdir(DATA_DIR):
     # Add the full course repo if there is no static directory
@@ -309,35 +301,6 @@ ALLOWED_GITRELOAD_IPS = ['207.97.227.253', '50.57.128.197', '108.171.174.178']
 # in the global settings.py
 AWS_QUERYSTRING_EXPIRE = 10 * 365 * 24 * 60 * 60 # 10 years
 
-################################### ASKBOT #####################################
-LIVESETTINGS_OPTIONS['MITX_ROOT_URL'] = MITX_ROOT_URL
-skin_settings = LIVESETTINGS_OPTIONS[1]['SETTINGS']['GENERAL_SKIN_SETTINGS']
-skin_settings['SITE_FAVICON'] = unicode(MITX_ROOT_URL) + skin_settings['SITE_FAVICON']
-skin_settings['SITE_LOGO_URL'] = unicode(MITX_ROOT_URL) +  skin_settings['SITE_LOGO_URL']
-skin_settings['LOCAL_LOGIN_ICON'] = unicode(MITX_ROOT_URL) + skin_settings['LOCAL_LOGIN_ICON']
-LIVESETTINGS_OPTIONS[1]['SETTINGS']['LOGIN_PROVIDERS']['WORDPRESS_SITE_ICON'] = unicode(MITX_ROOT_URL) + LIVESETTINGS_OPTIONS[1]['SETTINGS']['LOGIN_PROVIDERS']['WORDPRESS_SITE_ICON']
-LIVESETTINGS_OPTIONS[1]['SETTINGS']['LICENSE_SETTINGS']['LICENSE_LOGO_URL'] = unicode(MITX_ROOT_URL) + LIVESETTINGS_OPTIONS[1]['SETTINGS']['LICENSE_SETTINGS']['LICENSE_LOGO_URL']
-
-# ASKBOT_EXTRA_SKINS_DIR = ASKBOT_ROOT / "askbot" / "skins"
-ASKBOT_EXTRA_SKINS_DIR =  PROJECT_ROOT / "askbot" / "skins"
-ASKBOT_ALLOWED_UPLOAD_FILE_TYPES = ('.jpg', '.jpeg', '.gif', '.bmp', '.png', '.tiff')
-ASKBOT_MAX_UPLOAD_FILE_SIZE = 1024 * 1024 # result in bytes
-
-CACHE_MIDDLEWARE_ANONYMOUS_ONLY = True
-CACHE_PREFIX = SITE_ID
-ASKBOT_URL = 'discussion/'
-LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL = MITX_ROOT_URL + '/'
-LOGIN_URL = MITX_ROOT_URL + '/'
-
-ALLOW_UNICODE_SLUGS = False
-ASKBOT_USE_STACKEXCHANGE_URLS = False # mimic url scheme of stackexchange
-ASKBOT_CSS_DEVEL = True
-
-# Celery Settings
-BROKER_TRANSPORT = "djkombu.transport.DatabaseTransport"
-CELERY_ALWAYS_EAGER = True
-djcelery.setup_loader()
-
 ################################# SIMPLEWIKI ###################################
 SIMPLE_WIKI_REQUIRE_LOGIN_EDIT = True
 SIMPLE_WIKI_REQUIRE_LOGIN_VIEW = False
@@ -373,11 +336,11 @@ TEMPLATE_LOADERS = (
     # 'django.template.loaders.filesystem.Loader',
     # 'django.template.loaders.app_directories.Loader',
     
-    #'askbot.skins.loaders.filesystem_load_template_source',
     # 'django.template.loaders.eggs.Loader',
 )
 
 MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
+    'contentserver.middleware.StaticContentServer',
     'django_comment_client.middleware.AjaxExceptionMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
     'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
@@ -393,13 +356,7 @@ MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
     
     'course_wiki.course_nav.Middleware',
 
-    'askbot.middleware.anon_user.ConnectToSessionMessagesMiddleware',
-    'askbot.middleware.forum_mode.ForumModeMiddleware',
-    'askbot.middleware.cancel.CancelActionMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.transaction.TransactionMiddleware',
-    'askbot.middleware.view_log.ViewLogMiddleware',
-    'askbot.middleware.spaceless.SpacelessMiddleware',
-    # 'askbot.middleware.pagesize.QuestionsPageSizeMiddleware',
     # 'debug_toolbar.middleware.DebugToolbarMiddleware',
 
     'django_comment_client.utils.ViewNameMiddleware',
@@ -586,16 +543,4 @@ INSTALLED_APPS = (
 
     # Discussion
     'django_comment_client',
-
-    # For Askbot
-    'django.contrib.sitemaps',
-    'django.contrib.admin',
-    'django_countries',
-    'djcelery',
-    'djkombu',
-    'askbot',
-    'askbot.deps.livesettings',
-    'followit',
-    'keyedcache',
-    'robots'
 )
diff --git a/lms/envs/dev.py b/lms/envs/dev.py
index 9114f099d4..b89b0246f3 100644
--- a/lms/envs/dev.py
+++ b/lms/envs/dev.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ sessions. Assumes structure:
         /log  # Where we're going to write log files
 """
 from .common import *
-from .logsettings import get_logger_config
+from logsettings import get_logger_config
 
 DEBUG = True
 TEMPLATE_DEBUG = True
diff --git a/lms/envs/dev_edx4edx.py b/lms/envs/dev_edx4edx.py
index dda08a000d..0212d8b550 100644
--- a/lms/envs/dev_edx4edx.py
+++ b/lms/envs/dev_edx4edx.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ if 'eecs1' in socket.gethostname():
     MITX_ROOT_URL = '/mitx2'
 
 from .common import *
-from .logsettings import get_logger_config
+from logsettings import get_logger_config
 from .dev import *
 
 if 'eecs1' in socket.gethostname():
diff --git a/lms/envs/dev_ike.py b/lms/envs/dev_ike.py
index 0be9146fd4..7e0e0f001c 100644
--- a/lms/envs/dev_ike.py
+++ b/lms/envs/dev_ike.py
@@ -8,13 +8,12 @@ sessions. Assumes structure:
         /log  # Where we're going to write log files
 """
 from .common import *
-from .logsettings import get_logger_config
+from logsettings import get_logger_config
 from .dev import *
 import socket
 
 WIKI_ENABLED = False
 MITX_FEATURES['ENABLE_TEXTBOOK'] = False
-MITX_FEATURES['ENABLE_DISCUSSION'] = False
 MITX_FEATURES['ACCESS_REQUIRE_STAFF_FOR_COURSE'] = True	  # require that user be in the staff_* group to be able to enroll
 MITX_FEATURES['SUBDOMAIN_COURSE_LISTINGS'] = False
 MITX_FEATURES['SUBDOMAIN_BRANDING'] = False
diff --git a/lms/envs/static.py b/lms/envs/static.py
index 179f9160c5..16a668911b 100644
--- a/lms/envs/static.py
+++ b/lms/envs/static.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ sessions. Assumes structure:
         /log  # Where we're going to write log files
 """
 from .common import *
-from .logsettings import get_logger_config
+from logsettings import get_logger_config
 
 STATIC_GRAB = True
 
diff --git a/lms/envs/test.py b/lms/envs/test.py
index 34108256e9..d1cc10f4d5 100644
--- a/lms/envs/test.py
+++ b/lms/envs/test.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ sessions. Assumes structure:
         /log  # Where we're going to write log files
 """
 from .common import *
-from .logsettings import get_logger_config
+from logsettings import get_logger_config
 import os
 from path import path
 
diff --git a/lms/envs/test_ike.py b/lms/envs/test_ike.py
index 8bdecb3c8f..d0169c5043 100644
--- a/lms/envs/test_ike.py
+++ b/lms/envs/test_ike.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ sessions. Assumes structure:
         /log  # Where we're going to write log files
 """
 from .common import *
-from .logsettings import get_logger_config
+from logsettings import get_logger_config
 import os
 
 DEBUG = True
diff --git a/lms/urls.py b/lms/urls.py
index 662e41235e..a5c06ad979 100644
--- a/lms/urls.py
+++ b/lms/urls.py
@@ -219,14 +219,6 @@ if settings.QUICKEDIT:
     urlpatterns += (url(r'^quickedit/(?P<id>[^/]*)$', 'dogfood.views.quickedit'),)
     urlpatterns += (url(r'^dogfood/(?P<id>[^/]*)$', 'dogfood.views.df_capa_problem'),)
 
-if settings.ASKBOT_ENABLED:
-    urlpatterns += (url(r'^%s' % settings.ASKBOT_URL, include('askbot.urls')), \
-                    url(r'^settings/', include('askbot.deps.livesettings.urls')), \
-                    url(r'^followit/', include('followit.urls')), \
-#                       url(r'^robots.txt$', include('robots.urls')),
-                              )
-
-
 
 if settings.DEBUG:
     ## Jasmine and admin