diff --git a/graphios.py b/graphios.py
index 1ee2600..6d90e88 100755
--- a/graphios.py
+++ b/graphios.py
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 from optparse import OptionParser
 import copy
 import graphios_backends as backends
+import imp
 import logging
 import logging.handlers
 import os
@@ -216,7 +217,8 @@ def verify_config(config_dict):
     global spool_directory
     ensure_list = ['replacement_character', 'log_file', 'log_max_size',
                    'log_level', 'sleep_time', 'sleep_max', 'test_mode',
-                   'reverse_hostname', 'replace_hostname']
+                   'reverse_hostname', 'replace_hostname', 'plugin_path',
+                   'override_with_plugin']
     missing_values = []
     for ensure in ensure_list:
         if ensure not in config_dict:
@@ -228,6 +230,18 @@ def verify_config(config_dict):
         sys.exit(1)
     if "spool_directory" in config_dict:
         spool_directory = config_dict['spool_directory']
+    if config_dict['override_with_plugin']:
+        plugin = try_load(config_dict['plugin_path'])
+        try:
+            plugin.get_metrics
+        except Exception as e:
+            print "Exception occured while loading plugin path %s:" \
+                % (config_dict['plugin_path'])
+            print "    %s" % e
+            print "Plugin must implement 'get_metrics' see  \
+                plugins/plugin_example.py"
+            print "Exiting."
+            exit(1)
 
 
 def print_debug(msg):
@@ -348,6 +362,20 @@ def process_log(file_name):
         if mobj:
             # break out the metric object into one object per perfdata metric
             # log.debug('perfdata:%s' % mobj.PERFDATA)
+            # SERVICEPERFDATA::time=0.001402s;;;0.000000 size=11783B;;;0
+
+            if cfg['override_with_plugin']:
+                module = try_load(cfg['plugin_path'])
+                carbon_metrics = module.get_metrics(mobj.PERFDATA, mobj)
+
+                for pair in carbon_metrics:
+                    nobj = copy.copy(mobj)
+                    nobj.PATH = pair[0]
+                    nobj.VALUE = pair[1]
+                    processed_objects.append(nobj)
+
+                continue
+
             for metric in mobj.PERFDATA.split():
                 try:
                     nobj = copy.copy(mobj)
@@ -364,6 +392,29 @@ def process_log(file_name):
     return processed_objects
 
 
+def try_load(path):
+    """
+        return the module given by path, load if not loaded
+    """
+    base, name = os.path.split(path)
+    name, ext = os.path.splitext(name)
+
+    # Return module if already loaded
+    try:
+        return sys.modules[name]
+    except KeyError:
+        pass
+
+    try:
+        return imp.load_source(name, path)
+    except (IOError, OSError, Exception) as e:
+        print "Exception occured while loading plugin path %s:" % path
+        print "    %s" % e
+        print "Check the path, or file permissions."
+        print "Exiting."
+        exit(1)
+
+
 def get_mobj(nag_array):
     """
         takes a split array of nagios variables and returns a mobj if it's
@@ -378,14 +429,18 @@ def get_mobj(nag_array):
             log.warn("could not split value %s, dropping metric" % var)
             return False
 
-        value = re.sub("/", cfg["replacement_character"], value)
+        replaced = re.sub("/", cfg["replacement_character"], value)
+
         if re.search("PERFDATA", var_name):
-            mobj.PERFDATA = value
-        elif re.search("^\$_", value):
+            mobj.PERFDATA = replaced
+        elif re.search("^\$_", replaced):
             continue
-        else:
-            value = re.sub("\s", "", value)
+        elif cfg['override_with_plugin']:
             setattr(mobj, var_name, value)
+        else:
+            replaced = re.sub("\s", "", replaced)
+            setattr(mobj, var_name, replaced)
+
     mobj.validate()
     if mobj.VALID is True:
         return mobj
diff --git a/graphios_backends.py b/graphios_backends.py
index 81e976a..83da6ea 100644
--- a/graphios_backends.py
+++ b/graphios_backends.py
@@ -274,6 +274,13 @@ def __init__(self, cfg):
         except:
             self.carbon_plaintext = False
 
+        try:
+            if cfg['override_with_plugin']:
+                self.plugin_path = cfg['plugin_path']
+            self.override_with_plugin = cfg['override_with_plugin']
+        except:
+            self.override_with_plugin = False
+
     def convert_messages(self, metrics):
         """
         Converts the metric obj list into graphite messages
@@ -312,17 +319,19 @@ def build_path(self, m):
         """
         Builds a carbon metric
         """
-        if m.GRAPHITEPREFIX != "":
+        if self.override_with_plugin:
+            return m.PATH
+
+        path = ""
+        pre = ""
+        post = ""
+
+        if m.GRAPHITEPREFIX:
             pre = "%s." % m.GRAPHITEPREFIX
-        else:
-            pre = ""
-        if m.GRAPHITEPOSTFIX != "":
+
+        if m.GRAPHITEPOSTFIX:
             post = ".%s" % m.GRAPHITEPOSTFIX
-        else:
-            post = ""
-        # if self.replace_hostname:
-        #     hostname = m.HOSTNAME.replace('.', self.replacement_character)
-        # else:
+
         hostname = m.HOSTNAME
         if self.use_service_desc:
             # we want: (prefix.)hostname.service_desc(.postfix).perfdata
@@ -331,6 +340,7 @@ def build_path(self, m):
                                      m.LABEL)
         else:
             path = "%s%s%s.%s" % (pre, hostname, post, m.LABEL)
+
         path = re.sub(r"\.$", '', path)  # fix paths that end in dot
         path = re.sub(r"\.\.", '.', path)  # fix paths with double dots
         path = self.fix_string(path)
diff --git a/nagios/nagios_perfdata.cfg b/nagios/nagios_perfdata.cfg
index 35c47ae..7325242 100644
--- a/nagios/nagios_perfdata.cfg
+++ b/nagios/nagios_perfdata.cfg
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@
 ###### Auto-generated Graphios configs #######
 process_performance_data=1
 service_perfdata_file=/var/spool/nagios/graphios/service-perfdata
-service_perfdata_file_template=DATATYPE::SERVICEPERFDATA\tTIMET::$TIMET$\tHOSTNAME::$HOSTNAME$\tSERVICEDESC::$SERVICEDESC$\tSERVICEPERFDATA::$SERVICEPERFDATA$\tSERVICECHECKCOMMAND::$SERVICECHECKCOMMAND$\tHOSTSTATE::$HOSTSTATE$\tHOSTSTATETYPE::$HOSTSTATETYPE$\tSERVICESTATE::$SERVICESTATE$\tSERVICESTATETYPE::$SERVICESTATETYPE$\tGRAPHITEPREFIX::$_SERVICEGRAPHITEPREFIX$\tGRAPHITEPOSTFIX::$_SERVICEGRAPHITEPOSTFIX$\tMETRICTYPE::$_SERVICEMETRICTYPE$
+service_perfdata_file_template=DATATYPE::SERVICEPERFDATA\tSERVICEOUTPUT::$SERVICEOUTPUT$\tTIMET::$TIMET$\tHOSTNAME::$HOSTNAME$\tSERVICEDESC::$SERVICEDESC$\tSERVICEPERFDATA::$SERVICEPERFDATA$\tSERVICECHECKCOMMAND::$SERVICECHECKCOMMAND$\tHOSTSTATE::$HOSTSTATE$\tHOSTSTATETYPE::$HOSTSTATETYPE$\tSERVICESTATE::$SERVICESTATE$\tSERVICESTATETYPE::$SERVICESTATETYPE$\tGRAPHITEPREFIX::$_SERVICEGRAPHITEPREFIX$\tGRAPHITEPOSTFIX::$_SERVICEGRAPHITEPOSTFIX$\tMETRICTYPE::$_SERVICEMETRICTYPE$
 service_perfdata_file_mode=a
 service_perfdata_file_processing_interval=15
 service_perfdata_file_processing_command=graphios_perf_service
 host_perfdata_file=/var/spool/nagios/graphios/host-perfdata
-host_perfdata_file_template=DATATYPE::HOSTPERFDATA\tTIMET::$TIMET$\tHOSTNAME::$HOSTNAME$\tHOSTPERFDATA::$HOSTPERFDATA$\tHOSTCHECKCOMMAND::$HOSTCHECKCOMMAND$\tHOSTSTATE::$HOSTSTATE$\tHOSTSTATETYPE::$HOSTSTATETYPE$\tGRAPHITEPREFIX::$_HOSTGRAPHITEPREFIX$\tGRAPHITEPOSTFIX::$_HOSTGRAPHITEPOSTFIX$\tMETRICTYPE::$_HOSTMETRICTYPE$
+host_perfdata_file_template=\tDATATYPE::HOSTPERFDATA\tTIMET::$TIMET$\tHOSTNAME::$HOSTNAME$\tHOSTPERFDATA::$HOSTPERFDATA$\tHOSTCHECKCOMMAND::$HOSTCHECKCOMMAND$\tHOSTSTATE::$HOSTSTATE$\tHOSTSTATETYPE::$HOSTSTATETYPE$\tGRAPHITEPREFIX::$_HOSTGRAPHITEPREFIX$\tGRAPHITEPOSTFIX::$_HOSTGRAPHITEPOSTFIX$\tMETRICTYPE::$_HOSTMETRICTYPE$
 host_perfdata_file_mode=a
 host_perfdata_file_processing_interval=15
 host_perfdata_file_processing_command=graphios_perf_host
diff --git a/plugins/plugin_example.py b/plugins/plugin_example.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1dd8df7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/plugin_example.py
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# This is a sample plugin used for flexible reporting of metrics
+#
+# Graphios makes the call `get_metrics(perfdata, nag)` where
+#
+#    nag: contains all the fields defined in the nagios log
+#    perfdata: is just nag.PERFDATA
+# 
+# It expects the output to be a list of metric paths and values and 
+# Graphios will use the nag.TIMET timestamp to form the correct metric
+#
+# For example: 
+#
+#   get_metrics() -> [ ( "stats.server1.cpu", .10 ) ]
+# 
+# Would result in the following metric:
+#
+#   stats.server1.cpu .10 <nag.TIMET>
+#
+# Graphios will append the timestamp, only the path, and value pair must be
+# returned
+#
+    
+def get_metrics(perfdata, nag):
+    """ 
+        returns a [(<path>, <value>)] where each is the metric to send to carbon
+    """
+
+    results = []
+    for metric in perfdata.split():
+        label = perfdata.split('=')[0]
+        path = "%s.%s.%s" % (nag.GRAPHITEPREFIX, nag.HOSTNAME, label)
+        value = nag.VALUE
+        results.append((path, value))
+
+    return results
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 9b2edb1..aa7aa12 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -91,8 +91,8 @@ def _post_install():
     """
     tries to find the nagios.cfg and insert graphios perf commands/cfg
     """
-    lookin = ['/etc/nagios/', '/opt/nagios/', '/usr/local/nagios',
-              '/usr/nagios']
+    lookin = ['/etc/nagios3/', '/etc/nagios/', '/opt/nagios/',
+              '/usr/local/nagios', '/usr/nagios']
     nag_cfg = find_nagios_cfg(lookin)
     if nag_cfg is None:
         print("sorry I couldn't find the nagios.cfg file")