diff --git a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/console/obmc-console/dropbear.env b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/console/obmc-console/dropbear.env
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d499b4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/console/obmc-console/dropbear.env
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+DROPBEAR_EXTRA_ARGS=" -B -G hostconsole"
+DROPBEAR_RSAKEY_DIR=/etc/dropbear
diff --git a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/console/obmc-console_git.bb b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/console/obmc-console_git.bb
index 12b1f55..c4f4ee0 100644
--- a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/console/obmc-console_git.bb
+++ b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/console/obmc-console_git.bb
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 SRC_URI = "git://github.com/openbmc/obmc-console;branch=master;protocol=https"
 SRC_URI += "file://${BPN}.conf"
+SRC_URI += "file://dropbear.env"
 
 S = "${WORKDIR}/git"
 SYSTEMD_SERVICE:${PN} += "obmc-console-ssh@.service \
@@ -31,6 +32,9 @@
 do_install:append() {
         # Install the server configuration
         install -m 0755 -d ${D}${sysconfdir}/${BPN}
+
+        install -m 0644 ${WORKDIR}/dropbear.env ${D}${sysconfdir}/${BPN}/
+
         # If the OBMC_CONSOLE_TTYS variable is used without the default OBMC_CONSOLE_HOST_TTY
         # the port specific config file should be provided. If it is just OBMC_CONSOLE_HOST_TTY,
         # use the old style which supports both port specific or obmc-console.conf method.
diff --git a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/interfaces/bmcweb_git.bb b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/interfaces/bmcweb_git.bb
index 897bf27..c89d38b 100644
--- a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/interfaces/bmcweb_git.bb
+++ b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/interfaces/bmcweb_git.bb
@@ -48,5 +48,5 @@
 # add a user called httpd for the server to assume
 USERADD_PARAM:${PN} = "-r -s /sbin/nologin bmcweb"
 
-GROUPADD_PARAM:${PN} = "web; redfish"
+GROUPADD_PARAM:${PN} = "web; redfish; hostconsole"
 FULL_OPTIMIZATION:append = " -Os"
diff --git a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager/upgrade_hostconsole_group.sh b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager/upgrade_hostconsole_group.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd8651f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager/upgrade_hostconsole_group.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Purpose: Upgrade pre-release BMCs with items needed for hostconsole group
+# This can be removed when there is no longer a direct upgrade path for BMCs
+# which were installed with pre-release images.
+
+# Create groups if not already present
+if grep -wq hostconsole /etc/group; then
+    echo "hostconsole group already exists"
+else
+    echo "hostconsole group does not exist, add it"
+    groupadd -f hostconsole
+fi
+
+# Add the root user to the groups
+if id -nG root | grep -wq hostconsole; then
+    echo "root already in hostconsole"
+else
+    echo "root not in group hostconsole, add it"
+    usermod -a -G hostconsole root
+fi
+
+# Add all users in the priv-admin group to the
+# hostconsole group so that it will not break
+# exiting setup for any user.
+for usr in $(grep '^'priv-admin':.*$' /etc/group | cut -d: -f4 | tr ',' ' ')
+do
+    # Add the usr to the hostconsole group
+    if id -nG "$usr" | grep -wq hostconsole; then
+        echo "$usr already in hostconsole"
+    else
+        echo "$usr not in group hostconsole, add it"
+        usermod -a -G hostconsole "$usr"
+    fi
+done
diff --git a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager/xyz.openbmc_project.User.Manager.service b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager/xyz.openbmc_project.User.Manager.service
index 67d8b8b..3852b28 100644
--- a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager/xyz.openbmc_project.User.Manager.service
+++ b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager/xyz.openbmc_project.User.Manager.service
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 Description=Phosphor User Manager
 
 [Service]
+ExecStartPre=-/usr/libexec/upgrade_hostconsole_group.sh
 ExecStart=/usr/bin/env phosphor-user-manager
 SyslogIdentifier=phosphor-user-manager
 Restart=always
diff --git a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager_git.bb b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager_git.bb
index f869c5b..ef09a60 100644
--- a/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager_git.bb
+++ b/meta-phosphor/recipes-phosphor/users/phosphor-user-manager_git.bb
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 PR = "r1"
 
 SRC_URI = "git://github.com/openbmc/phosphor-user-manager;branch=master;protocol=https"
+SRC_URI += "file://upgrade_hostconsole_group.sh"
 
 S = "${WORKDIR}/git"
 
@@ -23,6 +24,11 @@
 
 EXTRA_OEMESON = "-Dtests=disabled"
 
+do_install:append() {
+  install -d ${D}${libexecdir}
+  install -m 0755 ${WORKDIR}/upgrade_hostconsole_group.sh ${D}${libexecdir}/upgrade_hostconsole_group.sh
+}
+
 FILES:phosphor-ldap += " \
         ${bindir}/phosphor-ldap-conf \
 "
@@ -43,3 +49,11 @@
 DBUS_SERVICE:phosphor-ldap = " \
         xyz.openbmc_project.Ldap.Config.service \
 "
+
+EXTRA_USERS_PARAMS += " \
+   groupadd hostconsole; \
+   "
+
+EXTRA_USERS_PARAMS += " \
+  usermod --append --groups hostconsole root; \
+  "