diff --git a/platform/backup.provision.inc b/platform/backup.provision.inc
index 5ce72ab55ad10a19f3870a20d6acab145e0745c3..bd1cbfaebc5ec2578c9e2984a159f750e4de6087 100644
--- a/platform/backup.provision.inc
+++ b/platform/backup.provision.inc
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ function drush_provision_drupal_provision_backup($url) {
   $backup_file = drush_get_option('backup_file');
   // Adds the site directory into the backup file
   drush_log(dt("Adding sites directory to !backup_file", array('!backup_file' => $backup_file)), 'backup');
-  $result = provision_shell_exec("tar -C %s -r -f %s .", drush_get_option('sites_path') . "/$url",  $backup_file);
+  $result = provision_shell_exec("tar -C %s -p -r -f %s .", drush_get_option('sites_path') . "/$url",  $backup_file);
 
   if (!$result && !drush_get_option('force', false)) {
     drush_set_error('PROVISION_BACKUP_FAILED', dt("Could not back up sites directory for drupal"));
diff --git a/platform/provision_drupal.drush.inc b/platform/provision_drupal.drush.inc
index b9243b0f4af64240161248ea1a32c1ad7243369e..4a598b65fe1f58042e918897f0d3f1bb926493e9 100644
--- a/platform/provision_drupal.drush.inc
+++ b/platform/provision_drupal.drush.inc
@@ -240,17 +240,17 @@ function _provision_drupal_create_directories($url, $profile = NULL) {
         'DRUSH_PERM_ERROR');
     }
 
-    provision_path("chmod", $path, $perm, 
+    provision_path("chmod_recursive", $path, $perm, 
       dt("Changed permissions of <code>@path</code> to @confirm"),
       dt("Could not change permissions <code>@path</code> to @confirm"),
       'DRUSH_PERM_ERROR');
   }
   foreach ($grps as $path) {
-      provision_path("chown", $path, drush_get_option('script_user'), 
+      provision_path("chown_recursive", $path, drush_get_option('script_user'), 
       dt("Changed ownership of <code>@path</code>"),
       dt("Could not change ownership <code>@path</code>"),
      'DRUSH_PERM_ERROR' );
-    provision_path("chgrp", $path, drush_get_option('web_group'),
+    provision_path("chgrp_recursive", $path, drush_get_option('web_group'),
       dt("Changed group ownership of <code>@path</code>"),
       dt("Could not change group ownership <code>@path</code>"));
   }
diff --git a/provision.path.inc b/provision.path.inc
index 4b3afc0f0ff56d20c8851280d0cd271e8bea5142..e6bbafe22b3b44e0d6ff1fffe044691eb01ace0c 100644
--- a/provision.path.inc
+++ b/provision.path.inc
@@ -161,19 +161,23 @@ function provision_path_unlink($path) {
  * This is where the more complex file operations start
  */
 
-function provision_path_chmod($path, &$perms, &$reason) {
-  if (!@chmod($path, $perms)) {
+function provision_path_chmod($path, &$perms, &$reason, $recursive = FALSE) {
+  $func = ($recursive) ? '_provision_chmod_recursive' : 'chmod';
+
+  if (!@$func($path, $perms)) {
     $reason = dt('chmod to @perm failed on @path', array('@perm' => sprintf('%o', $perms), '@path' => $path));
     return false;
   }
   clearstatcache(); // this needs to be called, otherwise we get the old info 
   $value = substr(sprintf('%o', fileperms($path)), -4);
+  $perms = sprintf('%o', $perms);
   return $value;
 }
 
-function provision_path_chown($path, &$owner, &$reason) {
+function provision_path_chown($path, &$owner, &$reason, $recursive = FALSE) {
+  $func = ($recursive) ? '_provision_chown_recursive' : 'chown';
   if ($owner = provision_posix_username($owner)) {
-    if (!chown($path, $owner)) {
+    if (!$func($path, $owner)) {
       $reason = dt("chown to @owner failed on @path", array('@owner' => $owner, '@path' => $path)) ; 
     }
   }
@@ -185,10 +189,11 @@ function provision_path_chown($path, &$owner, &$reason) {
   return provision_posix_username(fileowner($path));
 }
 
-function provision_path_chgrp($path, &$gid, &$reason) {
+function provision_path_chgrp($path, &$gid, &$reason, $recursive = FALSE) {
+  $func = ($recursive) ? '_provision_chgrp_recursive' : 'chgrp';
   if ($group = provision_posix_groupname($gid)) {
     if (provision_user_in_group(drush_get_option('script_user'), $gid)) {
-      if (chgrp($path, $group)) {
+      if ($func($path, $group)) {
         return $group;
       }
       else {
@@ -199,7 +204,7 @@ function provision_path_chgrp($path, &$gid, &$reason) {
       $reason = dt("@user is not in @group group", array("@user" => drush_get_option('script_user'), "@group" => $group));
     }
   }
-  elseif (!@chgrp($path, $gid)) { # try to change the group anyways
+  elseif (!@$func($path, $gid)) { # try to change the group anyways
     $reason = dt("the group does not exist");
   }
 
@@ -207,6 +212,20 @@ function provision_path_chgrp($path, &$gid, &$reason) {
   return provision_posix_groupname(filegroup($path));
 }
 
+
+function provision_path_chmod_recursive($path, &$perms, &$reason) {
+  return provision_path_chmod($path, $perms, $reason, TRUE);
+}
+
+function provision_path_chown_recursive($path, &$owner, &$reason) {
+  return provision_path_chown($path, $owner, $reason, TRUE);
+}
+
+function provision_path_chgrp_recursive($path, &$gid, &$reason) {
+  return provision_path_chgrp($path, $gid, $reason, TRUE);
+}
+
+
 function provision_path_switch_paths($path1, &$path2, &$reason) {
   //TODO : Add error reasons.
   $temp = $path1 .'.tmp';
@@ -234,8 +253,8 @@ function provision_path_extract($path, &$target, &$reason) {
   if (file_exists($path) && is_readable($path)) {
     if (is_writeable(dirname($target)) && !file_exists($target) && !is_dir($target)) {
       mkdir($target);
-      provision_shell_exec("tar -zxf %s -C %s", $path, $target);
-      drush_log(sprintf("Running: tar -zxf %s -C %s", $path, $target));
+      provision_shell_exec("tar -zpxf %s -C %s", $path, $target);
+      drush_log(sprintf("Running: tar -zpxf %s -C %s", $path, $target));
       if (is_writeable(dirname($target)) && is_readable(dirname($target)) && is_dir($target)) {
         $target = TRUE;
         return TRUE;
@@ -333,3 +352,49 @@ function _provision_mkdir_recursive($path, $mode) {
   is_dir(dirname($path)) || _provision_mkdir_recursive(dirname($path), $mode);
   return is_dir($path) || mkdir($path, $mode);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Chmod a directory recursively
+ */
+function _provision_chmod_recursive($path, $filemode) {
+ if ( !is_dir($path) ) {
+  return chmod($path, $filemode);
+ }
+ else {
+   $output = 0;
+   $cmd = sprintf("chmod -R %o %s", $filemode, $path);
+   system($cmd, $output);
+   return !$output; 
+ }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Chown a directory recursively
+ */
+function _provision_chown_recursive($path, $owner) {
+ if ( !is_dir($path) ) {
+  return chown($path, $owner);
+ }
+ else {
+   $output = 0;
+   $cmd = sprintf("chown -R %s %s", $owner, $path);
+   system($cmd, $output);
+   return !$output; 
+ }
+}
+
+
+/**
+ * Chgrp a directory recursively
+ */
+function _provision_chgrp_recursive($path, $owner) {
+ if ( !is_dir($path) ) {
+  return chgrp($path, $owner);
+ }
+ else {
+   $output = 0;
+   $cmd = sprintf("chgrp -R %s %s", $owner, $path);
+   system($cmd, $output);
+   return !$output; 
+ }
+}