diff --git a/roles/iiab-admin/tasks/admin-user.yml b/roles/iiab-admin/tasks/admin-user.yml
index 8dc95d8ef..9fc481ab4 100644
--- a/roles/iiab-admin/tasks/admin-user.yml
+++ b/roles/iiab-admin/tasks/admin-user.yml
@@ -38,8 +38,6 @@
     mode: 0600
     force: no
 
-#        backup=yes
-
 - name: Edit the sudoers file -- first make it editable
   file:
     path: /etc/sudoers
diff --git a/roles/openvpn/tasks/main.yml b/roles/openvpn/tasks/main.yml
index c09b0a81b..a0a9b868e 100644
--- a/roles/openvpn/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/openvpn/tasks/main.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,43 @@
   tags:
     - download
 
-- name: Create the directory for keys
+- name: Install ssh public keys for remote support (if openvpn_install)
+  lineinfile:
+    line: "{{ item.pubkey }}"
+    regexp: "{{ item.regexp }}"
+    path: /root/.ssh/authorized_keys
+    #backup: yes
+  when: openvpn_install
+  with_items:
+    - regexp: "LvCSAAcfYIdZPR4ePVpVUZ/IbkGjpQSoRMa5HuVjMO3cZNR27ptqjNjq2husJOyhMFCOBTzo4thioGyTpBr4u3s=$" # Tim Moody
+      pubkey: "ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABJQAAAIEAhlQIh8ZPx4awdM0O6QNcPbx3qIZ39FHjF2YJ2SX3z7iLnYiz03Ek6Bux9P4HvaVAqlApiz2I68Vq8TfU2s/+LvCSAAcfYIdZPR4ePVpVUZ/IbkGjpQSoRMa5HuVjMO3cZNR27ptqjNjq2husJOyhMFCOBTzo4thioGyTpBr4u3s="
+    - regexp: "tUM4hl009fbXY4Yy3bAadWL1CquVrZmKfBBWhyhz8zLD6TQ== ghunt@ip-192-168-123-123.ec2.internal$"
+      pubkey: "ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABIwAAAQEAxAmjU7VojyK+0Pjp2p8CCGTNBtE565A/L8IVbAT8MIucRE9LN1g5LjGnOHUShFJpwuTR1JLX2r9EDRMsf9MmyTgUAnuyP005giWVHXLPtjyjTzbsJ1DEtXRytulmF+GlCOaqPWNde6EOmReqPHbmjIQpRZ/Sc8hziS4jVSQuBA9EhaBmZ62CPqK33mPJvnpwMtdd6nHXAcXsZhStd3NhVDm27+B3sHI6mr2w7ExdBXE5DKiZL2po8n2y4hJYZreJopbjcQmv4oWdDWvPu5I92xDgYCsqcE7zSrv1um+tUM4hl009fbXY4Yy3bAadWL1CquVrZmKfBBWhyhz8zLD6TQ== ghunt@ip-192-168-123-123.ec2.internal"
+    - regexp: "heOMXXNU6skxdPh2fcHh0bzQcaCSQ== holt@crank$"
+      pubkey: "ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABIwAAAQEApHPly+EA1M4bispl3AulTLjyYCjcJzh6s779K3epDkqh600a+fHsdIiddWCAfIonRq+9MJyOiaNQ+WYLOuajI1IiFZWFt45xDAiyCUnyuT+ytAX+IA3TgTwgTZPfzDOzI8rDRV9Sgl+LZLfPno7T3qxcGx2l51bRk+koRK+Txpph//M3jGvsFmTKhjvfxgEIUmMH9SkASxEdyqASr0+/+uLR92MnT+8CT1pOYYoJyZp9Lta5eGqJvbEmd3Dn7MXqD3vXE57o4rBJ0bR3q5LK59WVNxNQbulJ9z5V7aTJ4AbBFQWxm0fH0gBx+heOMXXNU6skxdPh2fcHh0bzQcaCSQ== holt@crank"
+
+# CLARIF: plus signs (+) in public keys cause duplicate key additions (above)
+# and failure during removal (below) as "+" has a special meaning as
+# interpreted in Python a regexp, as implemented by Ansible's lineinfile module:
+# https://docs.python.org/2/library/re.html
+
+# WORKAROUND: the tail end of each public key (after the last plus sign) is
+# being used (instead of the full key) as as an abbreviated regexp for now.
+# A backslash in front of each plus sign (+) would also work.
+
+- name: Remove ssh public keys (if openvpn_install is False)
+  lineinfile:
+    regexp: "{{ item }}"
+    path: /root/.ssh/authorized_keys
+    state: absent
+    #backup: yes
+  when: not openvpn_install
+  with_items:
+    - "LvCSAAcfYIdZPR4ePVpVUZ/IbkGjpQSoRMa5HuVjMO3cZNR27ptqjNjq2husJOyhMFCOBTzo4thioGyTpBr4u3s=$"
+    - "tUM4hl009fbXY4Yy3bAadWL1CquVrZmKfBBWhyhz8zLD6TQ== ghunt@ip-192-168-123-123.ec2.internal$"
+    - "heOMXXNU6skxdPh2fcHh0bzQcaCSQ== holt@crank$"
+
+- name: Create the directory for OpenVPN keys
   file:
     dest: /etc/openvpn/keys
     state: directory
diff --git a/scripts/ansible b/scripts/ansible
index 9a46de610..d1eaa70f5 100755
--- a/scripts/ansible
+++ b/scripts/ansible
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 echo -e '\n\nSTRONGLY RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITE: (1) remove all prior versions of Ansible using "apt purge ansible" and/or "pip uninstall ansible" and (2) clear out all lines containing ansible from /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*\n'
 
-echo -e 'WARNING: repeatedly re-run "apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 93C4A3FD7BB9C367" if this part of the script fails due to network/mirrors.\n'
+echo -e 'IF YOU FACE ERROR "signatures couldn'"'"'t be verified because the public key is not available" THEN REPEATEDLY RE-RUN "apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 93C4A3FD7BB9C367"\n'
 
 echo -e 'COMPLETE INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS:\nhttps://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-Installation#do-everything-from-scratch\n'
 
diff --git a/scripts/ansible-2.6.x b/scripts/ansible-2.6.x
index 43e797682..dd3f99125 100755
--- a/scripts/ansible-2.6.x
+++ b/scripts/ansible-2.6.x
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 echo -e '\n\nSTRONGLY RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITE: (1) remove all prior versions of Ansible using "apt purge ansible" and/or "pip uninstall ansible" and (2) clear out all lines containing ansible from /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*\n'
 
-echo -e 'WARNING: repeatedly re-run "apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 93C4A3FD7BB9C367" if this part of the script fails due to network/mirrors.\n'
+echo -e 'IF YOU FACE ERROR "signatures couldn'"'"'t be verified because the public key is not available" THEN REPEATEDLY RE-RUN "apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 93C4A3FD7BB9C367"\n'
 
 echo -e 'COMPLETE INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS:\nhttps://github.com/iiab/iiab/wiki/IIAB-Installation#do-everything-from-scratch\n'