diff --git a/bin/dump_ConfigDb.sh b/bin/dump_ConfigDb.sh
index bbd97a2208381c2fcf39710b9f908814313bdd7b..7745c18482000fe2e7a726e27b6fa5eeae57e88e 100755
--- a/bin/dump_ConfigDb.sh
+++ b/bin/dump_ConfigDb.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-if [ ${#} -ne 1 ]; then
-    echo "You must provide a file name for the TANGO_HOST DB dump!"
-    exit -1
-fi
+#!/bin/bash
 
-docker exec -it dsconfig python -m dsconfig.dump > ${1}
+# writes the JSON dump to stdout
+docker exec -it dsconfig python -m dsconfig.dump
diff --git a/bin/update_submodules.sh b/bin/update_submodules.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9dcb9745849c01bbf61b9ffae92c5c7cc21a5a8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/update_submodules.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+git submodule update --init
diff --git a/bootstrap/etc/lofar20rc.sh b/bootstrap/etc/lofar20rc.sh
index e3bc4ac1e71c43a92a5b7f2ee8f05339b92edeaf..9a9dd658b56f5d30bb1ff8c5de692bd8fe2164de 100755
--- a/bootstrap/etc/lofar20rc.sh
+++ b/bootstrap/etc/lofar20rc.sh
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@
 ABSOLUTE_PATH=$(realpath $(dirname ${BASH_SOURCE}))
 export LOFAR20_DIR=${1:-$(realpath ${ABSOLUTE_PATH}/../..)}
 
+if [ ! -f "${LOFAR20_DIR}/.git/hooks/post-checkout" ]; then
+  alias git="cp ${LOFAR20_DIR}/bin/update_submodules.sh ${LOFAR20_DIR}/.git/hooks/post-checkout; cp ${LOFAR20_DIR}/bin/update_submodules.sh ${LOFAR20_DIR}/.git/hooks/post-merge; unalias git; git"
+fi
+
 # This needs to be modified for a development environment.
 # In case you run multiple Docker networks on the same host in parallel, you need to specify a unique
 # network name for each of them.
diff --git a/devices/devices/docker_device.py b/devices/devices/docker_device.py
index 81abc26ee8ba4021b8e52bcefcf420a20cbdf28a..2acf7aeecf04755b71337d42f6a64946ef7cd54a 100644
--- a/devices/devices/docker_device.py
+++ b/devices/devices/docker_device.py
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ from clients.docker_client import DockerClient
 from clients.attribute_wrapper import attribute_wrapper
 from devices.hardware_device import hardware_device
 from common.lofar_logging import device_logging_to_python, log_exceptions
-from common.lofar_git import get_version
 
 __all__ = ["Docker", "main"]
 
@@ -50,7 +49,6 @@ class Docker(hardware_device):
     # ----------
     # Attributes
     # ----------
-    version_R = attribute(dtype=str, access=AttrWriteType.READ, fget=lambda self: get_version())
     archiver_maria_db_R = attribute_wrapper(comms_annotation={"container": "archiver-maria-db"}, datatype=numpy.bool_)
     archiver_maria_db_RW = attribute_wrapper(comms_annotation={"container": "archiver-maria-db"}, datatype=numpy.bool_, access=AttrWriteType.READ_WRITE)
     databaseds_R = attribute_wrapper(comms_annotation={"container": "databaseds"}, datatype=numpy.bool_)
diff --git a/devices/devices/hardware_device.py b/devices/devices/hardware_device.py
index 6b28fd7ab5acd8bbf4a3742824fde597d5b23d69..a25b863ebc8255fa05c02a5f420f23f309ebf0fb 100644
--- a/devices/devices/hardware_device.py
+++ b/devices/devices/hardware_device.py
@@ -15,11 +15,12 @@ from abc import ABCMeta, abstractmethod
 
 # PyTango imports
 from tango.server import Device, command, DeviceMeta, attribute
-from tango import DevState, DebugIt, Attribute, DeviceProxy
+from tango import DevState, DebugIt, Attribute, DeviceProxy, AttrWriteType
 # Additional import
 
 from clients.attribute_wrapper import attribute_wrapper
 from common.lofar_logging import log_exceptions
+from common.lofar_git import get_version
 from devices.abstract_device import AbstractDeviceMetas
 from devices.device_decorators import only_in_states, fault_on_error
 
@@ -56,6 +57,8 @@ class hardware_device(Device, metaclass=AbstractDeviceMetas):
         The user triggers their transitions by the commands reflecting the target state (Initialise(), On(), Fault()).
     """
 
+    version_R = attribute(dtype=str, access=AttrWriteType.READ, fget=lambda self: get_version())
+
     # list of property names too be set first by set_defaults
     first_default_settings = []
 
diff --git a/devices/devices/opcua_device.py b/devices/devices/opcua_device.py
index d95a8426ed0dc260c0f6eb6d85149e3f5f0ec4ba..698df95705b0dce00cb869ed880a29f97d472cb1 100644
--- a/devices/devices/opcua_device.py
+++ b/devices/devices/opcua_device.py
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ from devices.device_decorators import *
 from clients.opcua_client import OPCUAConnection
 from devices.hardware_device import hardware_device
 from common.lofar_logging import device_logging_to_python, log_exceptions
-from common.lofar_git import get_version
 
 __all__ = ["opcua_device", "main"]
 
diff --git a/devices/devices/recv.py b/devices/devices/recv.py
index e28d402099b71cdcf09f9a7410a271b034e5d689..a078f601c7d1962f4a11367e7ca9745ec590d5f2 100644
--- a/devices/devices/recv.py
+++ b/devices/devices/recv.py
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ from device_decorators import *
 from clients.attribute_wrapper import attribute_wrapper
 from devices.opcua_device import opcua_device
 from common.lofar_logging import device_logging_to_python, log_exceptions
-from common.lofar_git import get_version
 
 __all__ = ["RECV", "main"]
 
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@ class RECV(opcua_device):
     # ----------
     # Attributes
     # ----------
-    version_R = attribute(dtype=str, access=AttrWriteType.READ, fget=lambda self: get_version())
     Ant_mask_RW = attribute_wrapper(comms_annotation=["2:PCC", "2:Ant_mask_RW"], datatype=numpy.bool_, dims=(3, 32), access=AttrWriteType.READ_WRITE)
     CLK_Enable_PWR_R = attribute_wrapper(comms_annotation=["2:PCC", "2:CLK_Enable_PWR_R"], datatype=numpy.bool_)
     CLK_I2C_STATUS_R = attribute_wrapper(comms_annotation=["2:PCC", "2:CLK_I2C_STATUS_R"], datatype=numpy.int64)
diff --git a/devices/devices/sdp/sdp.py b/devices/devices/sdp/sdp.py
index 221afb245361d4f330aab42b395532624fb4edde..693fab3a9b912a3e8e3e30d58dc237be6149df56 100644
--- a/devices/devices/sdp/sdp.py
+++ b/devices/devices/sdp/sdp.py
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ from clients.attribute_wrapper import attribute_wrapper
 from devices.opcua_device import opcua_device
 
 from common.lofar_logging import device_logging_to_python, log_exceptions
-from common.lofar_git import get_version
 
 import numpy
 
@@ -78,8 +77,6 @@ class SDP(opcua_device):
     # Attributes
     # ----------
 
-    version_R = attribute(dtype=str, access=AttrWriteType.READ, fget=lambda self: get_version())
-
     FPGA_beamlet_output_enable_R = attribute_wrapper(comms_annotation=["2:FPGA_beamlet_output_enable_R"], datatype=numpy.bool_, dims=(16,))
     FPGA_beamlet_output_enable_RW = attribute_wrapper(comms_annotation=["2:FPGA_beamlet_output_enable_RW"], datatype=numpy.bool_, dims=(16,), access=AttrWriteType.READ_WRITE)
     FPGA_beamlet_output_hdr_eth_destination_mac_R = attribute_wrapper(comms_annotation=["2:FPGA_beamlet_output_hdr_eth_destination_mac_R"], datatype=numpy.str, dims=(16,))
diff --git a/devices/devices/sdp/statistics.py b/devices/devices/sdp/statistics.py
index a884783ddd85c669e35a2230e72e3e4ca2f85d60..63f1cb0a7b1d2763fc51fa79abfa6317684bfd38 100644
--- a/devices/devices/sdp/statistics.py
+++ b/devices/devices/sdp/statistics.py
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ from clients.attribute_wrapper import attribute_wrapper
 
 from devices.opcua_device import opcua_device
 
-from common.lofar_git import get_version
 from common.lofar_logging import device_logging_to_python, log_exceptions
 import logging
 
@@ -67,8 +66,6 @@ class Statistics(opcua_device, metaclass=ABCMeta):
     # Attributes
     # ----------
 
-    version_R = attribute(dtype = str, access = AttrWriteType.READ, fget = lambda self: get_version())
-
     # number of UDP packets and bytes that were received
     nof_packets_received_R  = attribute_wrapper(comms_id=StatisticsClient, comms_annotation={"type": "udp", "parameter": "nof_packets_received"}, datatype=numpy.uint64)
     nof_bytes_received_R  = attribute_wrapper(comms_id=StatisticsClient, comms_annotation={"type": "udp", "parameter": "nof_bytes_received"}, datatype=numpy.uint64)
diff --git a/devices/devices/unb2.py b/devices/devices/unb2.py
index f68402448c73b3a992613273a45231e4d6d919c9..4b071950bb68c52a41758a5eedba32605c0214cf 100644
--- a/devices/devices/unb2.py
+++ b/devices/devices/unb2.py
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ from clients.attribute_wrapper import attribute_wrapper
 from devices.opcua_device import opcua_device
 
 from common.lofar_logging import device_logging_to_python, log_exceptions
-from common.lofar_git import get_version
 
 import numpy
 
@@ -49,8 +48,6 @@ class UNB2(opcua_device):
     # Attributes
     # ----------
 
-    version_R = attribute(dtype=str, access=AttrWriteType.READ, fget=lambda self: get_version())
-
     N_unb = 2
     N_fpga = 4
     N_ddr = 2
diff --git a/docker-compose/device-docker.yml b/docker-compose/device-docker.yml
index 6cf76c650df4b37f204260fa38b2750ff2bb95b0..5386ead921b386741e62febeab399f3007a79281 100644
--- a/docker-compose/device-docker.yml
+++ b/docker-compose/device-docker.yml
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ services:
     volumes:
       - ..:/opt/lofar/tango:rw
       - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:rw # we want to control our sibling containers, NOT do docker-in-docker (dind)
-    user: ${CONTAINER_EXECUTION_UID}:${DOCKER_GID} # user that starts this container by definition has access rights to docker
+    user: 1000:${DOCKER_GID} # uid 1000 is the default "tango" user
     environment:
       - TANGO_HOST=${TANGO_HOST}
     entrypoint:
diff --git a/sbin/load_ConfigDb.sh b/sbin/load_ConfigDb.sh
index e62092969301662f5714ce88f028c97b427cc9c8..03ab449a026b5de41056f16de0d2e566a00adfbb 100755
--- a/sbin/load_ConfigDb.sh
+++ b/sbin/load_ConfigDb.sh
@@ -9,7 +9,10 @@ fi
 
 # copy file into container to read it from container, as the file's location
 # in the container won't be the same as on the host.
-docker cp "${file}" dsconfig:/tmp/dsconfig-load-settings.json
+docker cp "${file}" dsconfig:/tmp/dsconfig-load-settings.json || exit 1
 
 # write settings
 docker exec -it dsconfig json2tango --write /tmp/dsconfig-load-settings.json
+
+# somehow json2tango does not return 0 on success
+exit 0
diff --git a/sbin/run_integration_test.sh b/sbin/run_integration_test.sh
index 3b7c09e511a26be4e2c403acb1ed557e8046b463..9d9ec12ae79a2336d5bfd88191930f8c6fa9db36 100755
--- a/sbin/run_integration_test.sh
+++ b/sbin/run_integration_test.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/bash
+#!/bin/bash -e
 
 if [ -z "$LOFA20_DIR"]; then
     # We assume we aren't in the PATH, so we can derive our path.
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ make start databaseds dsconfig jupyter elk
 sleep 15
 
 # Update the dsconfig
-sbin/update_ConfigDb.sh CDB/integration_ConfigDb.json
+${LOFAR20_DIR}/sbin/update_ConfigDb.sh ${LOFAR20_DIR}/CDB/integration_ConfigDb.json
 
 cd "$LOFAR20_DIR/docker-compose" || exit 1
 make start sdptr-sim recv-sim unb2-sim
diff --git a/sbin/update_ConfigDb.sh b/sbin/update_ConfigDb.sh
index 90cf92c2418586edf3194f2b0d422040c0f8c7de..8d71c312fc94ba4dba45b17c05a966f62fa9ff34 100755
--- a/sbin/update_ConfigDb.sh
+++ b/sbin/update_ConfigDb.sh
@@ -9,7 +9,10 @@ fi
 
 # copy file into container to read it from container, as the file's location
 # in the container won't be the same as on the host.
-docker cp "${file}" dsconfig:/tmp/dsconfig-update-settings.json
+docker cp "${file}" dsconfig:/tmp/dsconfig-update-settings.json || exit 1
 
 # update settings
 docker exec -it dsconfig json2tango --write --update /tmp/dsconfig-update-settings.json
+
+# somehow json2tango does not return 0 on success
+exit 0