diff --git a/servers/puppet/manifests/site.pp b/servers/puppet/manifests/site.pp
deleted file mode 100644
index ff931015cd..0000000000
--- a/servers/puppet/manifests/site.pp
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-
-## START LIBRARY FUNCTIONS
-
-# Usage: Variant on common:append_if_no_such_line that initializes the
-# File object for you.
-define common::append ($file, $line) {
-  file { $file:
-    ensure => file,
-  }
-  exec { "/bin/echo '$line' >> '$file'":
-    unless => "/bin/grep -Fxqe '$line' '$file'",
-    path => "/bin",
-    subscribe => File[$file],
-  }
-}
diff --git a/servers/puppet/modules/humbug/manifests/base.pp b/servers/puppet/modules/humbug/manifests/base.pp
index 19d7c27f87..d59dbd7277 100644
--- a/servers/puppet/modules/humbug/manifests/base.pp
+++ b/servers/puppet/modules/humbug/manifests/base.pp
@@ -94,10 +94,15 @@ class humbug::base {
     source     => '/root/humbug/servers/puppet/files/apt/apt.conf.d/02periodic',
   }
 
-  common::append { '/etc/ssh/sshd_config':
+  file { '/etc/ssh/sshd_config':
     require    => Package['openssh-server'],
+    ensure     => file,
+  }
+
+  common::line { 'no_password_auth':
     file       => '/etc/ssh/sshd_config',
     line       => 'PasswordAuthentication no',
+    require    => Package['openssh-server'],
   }
 
   service { 'ssh':
diff --git a/servers/puppet/modules/humbug/manifests/postgres.pp b/servers/puppet/modules/humbug/manifests/postgres.pp
index 9b776c9644..dad5455dfc 100644
--- a/servers/puppet/modules/humbug/manifests/postgres.pp
+++ b/servers/puppet/modules/humbug/manifests/postgres.pp
@@ -29,21 +29,24 @@ class humbug::postgres {
     source => "/root/humbug/servers/puppet/files/postgresql/pg_hba.conf",
   }
 
-  common::append_if_no_such_line { 'shmmax':
-    require    => Package['postgresql-9.1'],
+  common::line { 'shmmax':
+    require    => [ Package['postgresql-9.1'],
+                    File["/etc/sysctl.d/30-postgresql-shm.conf"] ],
     file       => '/etc/sysctl.d/30-postgresql-shm.conf',
-    line       => 'kernel.shmmax = 6979321856'
+    line       => 'kernel.shmmax = 6979321856',
   }
-  common::append_if_no_such_line { 'shmall':
-    require    => Package['postgresql-9.1'],
+
+  common::line { 'shmall':
+    require    => [ Package['postgresql-9.1'],
+                    File["/etc/sysctl.d/30-postgresql-shm.conf"] ],
     file       => '/etc/sysctl.d/30-postgresql-shm.conf',
-    line       => 'kernel.shmall = 1703936'
+    line       => 'kernel.shmall = 1703936',
   }
 
   exec { "sysctl_p":
     command  => "/sbin/sysctl -p /etc/sysctl.d/30-postgresql-shm.conf",
-    require  => [ Common::Append_if_no_such_line['shmmax'],
-                  Common::Append_if_no_such_line['shmall'],
+    require  => [ Common::Line['shmmax'],
+                  Common::Line['shmall'],
                 ],
   }