diff --git a/libIRDB/test/fill_in_cfg.cpp b/libIRDB/test/fill_in_cfg.cpp
index 43352e4c093ce58a4fab0b8c125a994c6a028b10..5902eb56f1b4d2a051e48c84a13616d77e007ddf 100644
--- a/libIRDB/test/fill_in_cfg.cpp
+++ b/libIRDB/test/fill_in_cfg.cpp
@@ -659,7 +659,7 @@ int PopulateCFG::ExecuteStep(IRDBObjects_t *irdb_objects)
 
 
 extern "C"
-Transform_SDK::TransformStep_t* TransformStepFactory(void)
+Transform_SDK::TransformStep_t* GetTransformStep(void)
 {
 	return new PopulateCFG();
 }
diff --git a/libIRDB/test/fill_in_cfg.hpp b/libIRDB/test/fill_in_cfg.hpp
index ac75298bd8640cc60bcb1d7e3479d4712fc9fcc8..e4e3fa5587838ccbeeb515fe21740b4089afaf0b 100644
--- a/libIRDB/test/fill_in_cfg.hpp
+++ b/libIRDB/test/fill_in_cfg.hpp
@@ -27,13 +27,19 @@ class PopulateCFG : public Transform_SDK::TransformStep_t
        
             elfiop = NULL;
         }
+
+	~PopulateCFG(void) override
+	{
+		// do nothing (this class uses shared IRDB objects that
+		// are not managed by this class).
+	}
 	
-	std::string GetStepName(void)
+	std::string GetStepName(void) override
 	{
 		return std::string("fill_in_cfg");
 	}
-        int ParseArgs(int argc, char* argv[]);
-	int ExecuteStep(libIRDB::IRDBObjects_t*);
+        int ParseArgs(int argc, char* argv[]) override;
+	int ExecuteStep(libIRDB::IRDBObjects_t*) override;
     
     private: // methods
         
diff --git a/libtransform/include/transform_step.h b/libtransform/include/transform_step.h
index 0b64a4b22b1487d8ad21caaa4fbbce1622833978..445a4d1f64782c4777abc4008d3fa432705b9811 100644
--- a/libtransform/include/transform_step.h
+++ b/libtransform/include/transform_step.h
@@ -22,11 +22,16 @@ namespace Transform_SDK
 			virtual int ExecuteStep(libIRDB::IRDBObjects_t *irdb_objects)
 			{
 				return 0; // success
+			}
+			
+			virtual ~TransformStep_t(void)
+			{
+				// do nothing 
 			}		
 	};
 }
 
 extern "C"
-Transform_SDK::TransformStep_t* TransformStepFactory(void);    
+Transform_SDK::TransformStep_t* GetTransformStep(void);    
 
 #endif
diff --git a/tools/thanos/thanos.cpp b/tools/thanos/thanos.cpp
index 9427d3e0133d5b8fb734cec0e7c221f2f84d4257..ed9b8fbfb0ddae0bc2908deb8d1cd0e20edec5fd 100644
--- a/tools/thanos/thanos.cpp
+++ b/tools/thanos/thanos.cpp
@@ -38,6 +38,14 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     char buf[MAX_BUF];
     buf[0] = '\0';
 
+    const char* base_path = getenv("SECURITY_TRANSFORMS_HOME");
+    if(base_path == NULL)
+    {
+	cerr << "Environment variables not set." << endl;
+	return -1;
+    }
+    string plugin_path (string(base_path).append("/plugins_install/"));
+
     fd = open(input_pipe, O_RDONLY);
     if (fd == -1) {
         cerr << "Not a valid pipe name." << endl;
@@ -96,31 +104,36 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
                         *end = '\0';
                         string command (buf+22);
                         
-                        size_t step_path_end = command.find_first_of(" ");
-                        char* step_path;
-                        if(step_path_end == string::npos)
+                        size_t step_name_end = command.find_first_of(" ");
+                        char* step_name;
+                        if(step_name_end == string::npos)
                         {
-                            step_path = (buf+22);
+                            step_name = (buf+22);
                         }
                         else
                         {
-                            step_path = (char*) (command.substr(0, step_path_end)).c_str();
+                            step_name = (char*) (command.substr(0, step_name_end)).c_str();
                         }
-                        void* dlhdl = dlopen(step_path, RTLD_LAZY);
+
+                        void* dlhdl = dlopen((plugin_path.append(step_name)).c_str(), RTLD_NOW);
                         if(dlhdl == NULL)
                         {
                             res = write(outfd, (void*) "STEP_UNSUPPORTED\n", 17);
                         }
                         else
-                        {
-			    TransformStep_t* (*func)(void);
-                            func = (TransformStep_t* (*)(void)) dlsym(dlhdl, "TransformStepFactory");
-                            if(func == NULL)
+                  	{
+                            void* sym = dlsym(dlhdl, "GetTransformStep"); 
+                            if(sym == NULL)
                             {
 			        res = write(outfd, (void*) "STEP_UNSUPPORTED\n", 17);
                             }
                             else
                             {
+				TransformStep_t* (*func)(void);
+				func = (TransformStep_t* (*)(void)) sym;
+				TransformStep_t* the_step = (*func)();
+				assert(the_step != NULL);
+
 	                        int argc = (int) count(command.begin(), command.end(), ' ')+1;
                                 char** argv = (char**) malloc(argc);
                                 argv[0] = buf+22;
@@ -139,13 +152,14 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
                                 {
                                     step_optional = false;
                                 }
-				cout << "GOT HERE 3" << endl;
                                 int step_retval = 0;
+
 				if(exec_mode == Mode::DEFAULT)
-				    step_retval = execute_step(argc, argv, step_optional, shared_objects, (*func)());
-                                free(argv);
+				    step_retval = execute_step(argc, argv, step_optional, shared_objects, the_step);
+                                delete the_step;
+				free(argv);
                                 dlclose(dlhdl);
-                                res = write(outfd, (void*) "STEP_RETVAL\n", 14);
+                                res = write(outfd, (void*) "STEP_RETVAL\n", 12);
                                 assert(sizeof(step_retval) == 4);
                             }
                         }