diff --git a/share/spack/docker/Dockerfile b/share/spack/docker/Dockerfile
index 3f644db3023..3417f9ab16d 100644
--- a/share/spack/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/share/spack/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ RUN yum update -y
 
   MASK PUSH
   MASK [[ $DISTRO =~ rhel.* ]]
-  RUN yum install -y yum-conf-repos.noarch \
+  RUN (  yum install -y yum-conf-repos.noarch                         \
+   ||    yum install -y yum-conf-epel.noarch yum-conf-elrepo.noarch ) \
    && yum update -y
   MASK POP
 
@@ -110,7 +111,7 @@ RUN apt-get -yqq update                                   \
         openssh-server  python          python-pip tcl
 
   MASK PUSH
-  MASK [[ $DISTRO_VERSION == bionic ]]
+  MASK [[ $DISTRO_VERSION == 18.04 ]]
   # [WORKAROUND]
   # https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lua-posix/+bug/1752082
   RUN ln -s posix_c.so /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/lua/5.2/posix.so
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/centos-6.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/centos-6.bash
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fd80f071430
--- /dev/null
+++ b/share/spack/docker/config/centos-6.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Copyright 2013-2019 Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC and other
+# Spack Project Developers. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: (Apache-2.0 OR MIT)
+
+unset DISTRO
+unset DISTRO_VERSION
+unset BASE_IMAGE
+unset BASE_NAME
+unset BASE_TAG
+unset TAG
+unset EXTRA_TAGS
+
+export BASE_IMAGE=centos
+export BASE_TAG="6"
+export EXTRA_TAGS="centos6"
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/centos.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/centos-7.bash
similarity index 90%
rename from share/spack/docker/config/centos.bash
rename to share/spack/docker/config/centos-7.bash
index aacffaa81d0..dd5d10c9b91 100644
--- a/share/spack/docker/config/centos.bash
+++ b/share/spack/docker/config/centos-7.bash
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@ unset EXTRA_TAGS
 
 export BASE_IMAGE=centos
 export BASE_TAG="7"
-export EXTRA_TAGS="latest"
+export EXTRA_TAGS="centos7 latest"
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/fedora-24.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/fedora-24.bash
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d104056c76a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/share/spack/docker/config/fedora-24.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Copyright 2013-2019 Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC and other
+# Spack Project Developers. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: (Apache-2.0 OR MIT)
+
+unset DISTRO
+unset DISTRO_VERSION
+unset BASE_IMAGE
+unset BASE_NAME
+unset BASE_TAG
+unset TAG
+unset EXTRA_TAGS
+
+export BASE_IMAGE=fedora
+export BASE_TAG="24"
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/fedora.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/fedora-29.bash
similarity index 94%
rename from share/spack/docker/config/fedora.bash
rename to share/spack/docker/config/fedora-29.bash
index 3364e2fd535..8dd3a017965 100644
--- a/share/spack/docker/config/fedora.bash
+++ b/share/spack/docker/config/fedora-29.bash
@@ -12,5 +12,5 @@ unset TAG
 unset EXTRA_TAGS
 
 export BASE_IMAGE=fedora
-export BASE_TAG="24"
+export BASE_TAG="29"
 export EXTRA_TAGS="latest"
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/opensuse-leap.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/opensuse-leap.bash
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..932d2f0d46b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/share/spack/docker/config/opensuse-leap.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Copyright 2013-2019 Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC and other
+# Spack Project Developers. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: (Apache-2.0 OR MIT)
+
+unset DISTRO
+unset DISTRO_VERSION
+unset BASE_IMAGE
+unset BASE_NAME
+unset BASE_TAG
+unset TAG
+unset EXTRA_TAGS
+
+export BASE_IMAGE=opensuse
+export BASE_TAG="leap"
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/opensuse.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/opensuse-tumbleweed.bash
similarity index 100%
rename from share/spack/docker/config/opensuse.bash
rename to share/spack/docker/config/opensuse-tumbleweed.bash
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/scilinux-6.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/scilinux-6.bash
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..aa705b65c1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/share/spack/docker/config/scilinux-6.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Copyright 2013-2019 Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC and other
+# Spack Project Developers. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: (Apache-2.0 OR MIT)
+
+unset DISTRO
+unset BASE_IMAGE
+unset BASE_NAME
+unset BASE_TAG
+unset TAG
+unset EXTRA_TAGS
+
+export BASE_IMAGE=sl
+export BASE_TAG="6"
+export BASE_NAME=scilinux
+export DISTRO=rhel6
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/scilinux.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/scilinux-7.bash
similarity index 100%
rename from share/spack/docker/config/scilinux.bash
rename to share/spack/docker/config/scilinux-7.bash
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/ubuntu.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/ubuntu-1604.bash
similarity index 85%
rename from share/spack/docker/config/ubuntu.bash
rename to share/spack/docker/config/ubuntu-1604.bash
index f66c6fb16f4..bbcbd870e5c 100644
--- a/share/spack/docker/config/ubuntu.bash
+++ b/share/spack/docker/config/ubuntu-1604.bash
@@ -11,5 +11,5 @@ unset TAG
 unset EXTRA_TAGS
 
 export BASE_IMAGE=ubuntu
-export BASE_TAG="bionic"
-export EXTRA_TAGS="latest"
+export BASE_TAG="16.04"
+export EXTRA_TAGS="xenial"
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/config/ubuntu-1804.bash b/share/spack/docker/config/ubuntu-1804.bash
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..51d2899092f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/share/spack/docker/config/ubuntu-1804.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Copyright 2013-2019 Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC and other
+# Spack Project Developers. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: (Apache-2.0 OR MIT)
+
+unset DISTRO
+unset BASE_IMAGE
+unset BASE_NAME
+unset BASE_TAG
+unset TAG
+unset EXTRA_TAGS
+
+export BASE_IMAGE=ubuntu
+export BASE_TAG="18.04"
+export EXTRA_TAGS="bionic latest"
diff --git a/share/spack/docker/handle-ssh.sh b/share/spack/docker/handle-ssh.sh
index e14c2b43313..a4587a1f9f0 100644
--- a/share/spack/docker/handle-ssh.sh
+++ b/share/spack/docker/handle-ssh.sh
@@ -7,7 +7,12 @@ if [ "$CURRENTLY_BUILDING_DOCKER_IMAGE" '!=' '1' ] ; then
 
 uid="`id -u`"
 if [ "$uid" '=' '0' ] ; then
-    for key_type in dsa ecdsa ed25519 rsa ; do
+    key_types="dsa ecdsa rsa"
+    if [ "$DOCKERFILE_BASE" '!=' 'centos:6' ] ; then
+        key_types="${key_types} ed25519"
+    fi
+
+    for key_type in $key_types ; do
         private_key_file="/etc/ssh/ssh_host_${key_type}_key"
         public_key_file="$private_key_file.pub"
 
diff --git a/share/spack/qa/run-docker-tests b/share/spack/qa/run-docker-tests
index f561e2f34b5..8613c7e728e 100755
--- a/share/spack/qa/run-docker-tests
+++ b/share/spack/qa/run-docker-tests
@@ -21,23 +21,9 @@ ensure_docker_login() {
         return $__login_success
     fi
 
-    if [ "$CI" '=' 'true' -a "$TRAVIS" '=' 'true' ] ; then
-        # NOTE: work around an issue with docker/docker hub
-        # https://github.com/docker/hub-feedback/issues/1222
-        # https://github.com/docker/cli/issues/1180
-        rm -f $HOME/.docker/config.json
-    fi
-
     echo "$DOCKER_PASSWORD" | \
         docker login -u "$DOCKER_USERNAME" --password-stdin
 
-    if [ "$CI" '=' 'true' -a \
-         "$TRAVIS" '=' 'true' -a \
-         '!' -f "$HOME/.docker/config.json" ]
-    then
-        echo "Warning: config file $HOME/.docker/config.json not created" >&2
-    fi
-
     if [ $? '=' '0' ] ; then
           __login_success=0
     fi