diff --git a/contrib/rootfs/offline_repo_packages.manualurls b/contrib/rootfs/offline_repo_packages.manualurls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c84524c95a039db9f71a38e022099639d4be31ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/rootfs/offline_repo_packages.manualurls
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#singular
+ftp://jim.mathematik.uni-kl.de/repo/ubuntu14/pool/main/s/singular/singular_4.0.2-1_amd64.deb
+ftp://jim.mathematik.uni-kl.de/repo/ubuntu14/pool/main/s/singular/singular-common_4.0.2-1_all.deb
+ftp://jim.mathematik.uni-kl.de/repo/ubuntu14/pool/main/s/singular/singular-bin_4.0.2-1_amd64.deb
+
+#mainline kernel
+http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.0-rc2-vivid/linux-image-4.0.0-040000rc2-generic_4.0.0-040000rc2.201503031836_amd64.deb
+
diff --git a/scripts/repo_packages.sh b/scripts/repo_packages.sh
index fc99461413a0d50035985dad4f979ce8365e5b3a..9a7319aca31d3e57046dc024c7532ce8aed8280a 100755
--- a/scripts/repo_packages.sh
+++ b/scripts/repo_packages.sh
@@ -56,8 +56,12 @@ echo "Updating package lists..."
 apt-get update
 echo "ok."
 
+echo "hey apt - which packages do we need (and where do we get them)?"
+PKG_URLS=$(apt-get install --reinstall --print-uris -qq $PKG_LIST | cut -d"'" -f2)
+PKG_URLS=$PKG_URLS $(get_packages_from_file "$CONTRIB_DIR/offline_repo_packages.manualurls")
+
 echo "downloading archives. this may take some time..."
-wget -nc -P $PKG_DESTINATION $(apt-get install --reinstall --print-uris -qq $PKG_LIST | cut -d"'" -f2)
+wget -nc -P $PKG_DESTINATION $PKG_URLS
 #wget -nc -P $PKG_DESTINATION $(apt-get -o APT::Architecture=$ARCHITECTURE install --reinstall --allow-unauthenticated --print-uris -qq $PKG_LIST | cut -d"'" -f2)
 
 revert_initctl