--- plugins/check_by_ssh.c
+++ plugins/check_by_ssh.c
@@ -38,8 +38,11 @@ const char *email = "nagiosplug-devel@li
 #include "netutils.h"
 #include "utils.h"
 #include "runcmd.h"
+#ifndef MAXARGS
+#define MAXARGS 255
+#endif
 
-int process_arguments (int, char **);
+int process_arguments (int, char **, char **);
 int validate_arguments (void);
 void print_help (void);
 void print_usage (void);
@@ -49,7 +52,6 @@ unsigned int services = 0;
 int skip_stdout = 0;
 int skip_stderr = 0;
 char *remotecmd = NULL;
-char *comm = NULL;
 char *hostname = NULL;
 char *outputfile = NULL;
 char *host_shortname = NULL;
@@ -68,9 +70,16 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 	time_t local_time;
 	FILE *fp = NULL;
 	struct output chld_out, chld_err;
+	char **newargv;
+
+
+	if ((newargv = calloc ((MAXARGS + 1), sizeof(char *))) == NULL)
+		printf (_("malloc failed"));
+
+	newargv[MAXARGS] = (char *)1;
 
 	remotecmd = "";
-	comm = strdup (SSH_COMMAND);
+	newargv[0] = strdup (SSH_COMMAND);
 
 	setlocale (LC_ALL, "");
 	bindtextdomain (PACKAGE, LOCALEDIR);
@@ -80,7 +89,7 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 	argv=np_extra_opts (&argc, argv, progname);
 
 	/* process arguments */
-	if (process_arguments (argc, argv) == ERROR)
+	if (process_arguments (argc, argv, newargv) == ERROR)
 		usage_va(_("Could not parse arguments"));
 
 	/* Set signal handling and alarm timeout */
@@ -90,11 +99,28 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 	alarm (timeout_interval);
 
 	/* run the command */
-	if (verbose)
-		printf ("%s\n", comm);
+	if (verbose) {
+		printf ("%s ", newargv[0]);
+		for (i=1; i <= MAXARGS; i++) {
+			if (newargv[i] > (char *)1 ) {
+					printf ("'%s' ", newargv[i]);
+			}
+		}
+		printf ("\n");
+	}
+
+	result = np_runcmdv(newargv[0], newargv, &chld_out, &chld_err, 0);
 
-	result = np_runcmd(comm, &chld_out, &chld_err, 0);
 
+	// free memory to prevent valgrind errors
+	for (i=0; i <= MAXARGS; i++) {
+		if (newargv[i] > (char *)1 ) {
+			free (newargv[i]);
+			newargv[i]=0;
+		}
+	}
+	free (newargv);
+	
 	if (skip_stdout == -1) /* --skip-stdout specified without argument */
 		skip_stdout = chld_out.lines;
 	if (skip_stderr == -1) /* --skip-stderr specified without argument */
@@ -152,10 +178,11 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 
 /* process command-line arguments */
 int
-process_arguments (int argc, char **argv)
+process_arguments (int argc, char **argv, char **newargv)
 {
 	int c;
 	char *p1, *p2;
+	char **opts = newargv + 2;
 
 	int option = 0;
 	static struct option longopts[] = {
@@ -222,7 +249,8 @@ process_arguments (int argc, char **argv
 		case 'p': /* port number */
 			if (!is_integer (optarg))
 				usage_va(_("Port must be a positive integer"));
-			asprintf (&comm,"%s -p %s", comm, optarg);
+			add_argument (&opts, "-p");
+			add_argument (&opts, optarg);
 			break;
 		case 'O':									/* output file */
 			outputfile = optarg;
@@ -246,16 +274,27 @@ process_arguments (int argc, char **argv
 		case 'u':
 			c = 'l';
 		case 'l':									/* login name */
+			add_argument (&opts, "-l");
+			add_argument (&opts, optarg);
+			break;
 		case 'i':									/* identity */
-			asprintf (&comm, "%s -%c %s", comm, c, optarg);
+			add_argument (&opts, "-i");
+			add_argument (&opts, optarg);
 			break;
-
 		case '1':									/* Pass these switches directly to ssh */
+			add_argument (&opts, "-1");
+			break;
 		case '2':									/* 1 to force version 1, 2 to force version 2 */
+			add_argument (&opts, "-2");
+			break;
 		case '4':									/* -4 for IPv4 */
-		case '6': 								/* -6 for IPv6 */
+			add_argument (&opts, "-4");
+			break;
+		case '6': 									/* -6 for IPv6 */
+			add_argument (&opts, "-6");
+			break;
 		case 'f':									/* fork to background */
-			asprintf (&comm, "%s -%c", comm, c);
+			add_argument (&opts, "-f");
 			break;
 		case 'C':									/* Command for remote machine */
 			commands++;
@@ -280,10 +319,11 @@ process_arguments (int argc, char **argv
 				skip_stderr = atoi (optarg);
 			break;
 		case 'o':									/* Extra options for the ssh command */
-			asprintf (&comm, "%s -%c '%s'", comm, c, optarg);
+			add_argument (&opts, "-o");
+			add_argument (&opts, optarg);
 			break;
 		case 'q':									/* Tell the ssh command to be quiet */
-			asprintf (&comm, "%s -%c", comm, c);
+			add_argument (&opts, "-q");
 			break;
 		default:									/* help */
 			usage5();
@@ -313,12 +353,25 @@ process_arguments (int argc, char **argv
 	if (remotecmd == NULL || strlen (remotecmd) <= 1)
 		usage_va(_("No remotecmd"));
 
-	asprintf (&comm, "%s %s '%s'", comm, hostname, remotecmd);
+	add_argument (&opts, remotecmd);
+	opts = newargv+1;
+	add_argument (&opts, hostname);
 
 	return validate_arguments ();
 }
 
+int add_argument (char ***argv, const char *str)
+{
+	
+	if (**argv == (char *)1)
+		die (STATE_UNKNOWN, _("%s: Argument limit of %d exceeded\n"), progname, MAXARGS);
 
+	**argv = (char *)malloc((strlen(str) * sizeof(char)) +1);
+
+	strcpy(**argv, str);
+	(*argv)++;
+	return 0;
+}
 
 int
 validate_arguments (void)
--- plugins/runcmd.c
+++ plugins/runcmd.c
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
 #ifdef HAVE_SYS_WAIT_H
 # include <sys/wait.h>
 #endif
+#include <sys/ioctl.h>
 
 /** macros **/
 #ifndef WEXITSTATUS
@@ -87,6 +88,8 @@ static long maxfd = 0;
 static int np_runcmd_open(const char *, int *, int *)
 	__attribute__((__nonnull__(1, 2, 3)));
 
+static int np_runcmd_open_argv(const char *, char **, int *, int *);
+
 static int np_fetch_output(int, output *, int)
 	__attribute__((__nonnull__(2)));
 
@@ -118,24 +121,14 @@ void np_runcmd_init(void)
 static int
 np_runcmd_open(const char *cmdstring, int *pfd, int *pfderr)
 {
-	char *env[2];
 	char *cmd = NULL;
 	char **argv = NULL;
 	char *str;
 	int argc;
 	size_t cmdlen;
-	pid_t pid;
-#ifdef RLIMIT_CORE
-	struct rlimit limit;
-#endif
 
 	int i = 0;
 
-	if(!np_pids) NP_RUNCMD_INIT;
-
-	env[0] = strdup("LC_ALL=C");
-	env[1] = '\0';
-
 	/* if no command was passed, return with no error */
 	if (cmdstring == NULL)
 		return -1;
@@ -191,6 +184,35 @@ np_runcmd_open(const char *cmdstring, in
 		argv[i++] = str;
 	}
 
+
+	return (np_runcmd_open_argv(argv[0], argv, pfd, pfderr));
+}
+
+static int
+np_runcmd_open_argv(const char *cmdstring, char **argv, int *pfd, int *pfderr)
+{
+	char *env[2];
+	pid_t pid;
+#ifdef RLIMIT_CORE
+	struct rlimit limit;
+#endif
+
+	int i = 0;
+	int master,slave;
+
+	if(!np_pids) NP_RUNCMD_INIT;
+
+	env[0] = strdup("LC_ALL=C");
+	env[1] = '\0';
+
+	/* if no command was passed, return with an error */
+	if (cmdstring == NULL)
+		return -1;
+
+	/* make sure that the command name is also argv[0] */
+	if (strcmp(cmdstring, argv[0]) != 0)
+		return -1;
+
 	if (pipe(pfd) < 0 || pipe(pfderr) < 0 || (pid = fork()) < 0)
 		return -1; /* errno set by the failing function */
 
@@ -202,6 +224,11 @@ np_runcmd_open(const char *cmdstring, in
 		limit.rlim_cur = 0;
 		setrlimit (RLIMIT_CORE, &limit);
 #endif
+#ifdef TIOCNOTTY
+		/* disassociate from tty to prevent e.g. ssh asking for passwords */
+		if(isatty(STDOUT_FILENO))
+			ioctl(STDOUT_FILENO, TIOCNOTTY);
+#endif
 		close (pfd[0]);
 		if (pfd[1] != STDOUT_FILENO) {
 			dup2 (pfd[1], STDOUT_FILENO);
@@ -235,7 +262,6 @@ np_runcmd_open(const char *cmdstring, in
 	return pfd[0];
 }
 
-
 static int
 np_runcmd_close(int fd)
 {
@@ -360,3 +386,21 @@ np_runcmd(const char *cmd, output *out, 
 
 	return np_runcmd_close(fd);
 }
+
+int
+np_runcmdv(const char *cmd, char ** argv, output *out, output *err, int flags)
+{
+	int fd, pfd_out[2], pfd_err[2];
+
+	/* initialize the structs */
+	if(out) memset(out, 0, sizeof(output));
+	if(err) memset(err, 0, sizeof(output));
+
+	if((fd = np_runcmd_open_argv(cmd, argv, pfd_out, pfd_err)) == -1)
+		die (STATE_UNKNOWN, _("Could not open pipe: %s\n"), cmd);
+
+	if(out) out->lines = np_fetch_output(pfd_out[0], out, flags);
+	if(err) err->lines = np_fetch_output(pfd_err[0], err, flags);
+
+	return np_runcmd_close(fd);
+}
--- plugins/runcmd.h
+++ plugins/runcmd.h
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ typedef struct output output;
 
 /** prototypes **/
 int np_runcmd(const char *, output *, output *, int);
+int np_runcmdv(const char *, char **, output *, output *, int);
 void popen_timeout_alarm_handler(int)
 	__attribute__((__noreturn__));