diff --git a/OpenSim/Data/AssetDataBase.cs b/OpenSim/Data/AssetDataBase.cs
index b30ae73dd6..e3b5c253bc 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Data/AssetDataBase.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Data/AssetDataBase.cs
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ namespace OpenSim.Data
 
         public abstract string Version { get; }
         public abstract string Name { get; }
+        public abstract void Initialise(string connect);
         public abstract void Initialise();
     }
 }
diff --git a/OpenSim/Data/MSSQL/MSSQLAssetData.cs b/OpenSim/Data/MSSQL/MSSQLAssetData.cs
index 2029b80ffd..d837e4ee31 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Data/MSSQL/MSSQLAssetData.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Data/MSSQL/MSSQLAssetData.cs
@@ -191,6 +191,13 @@ namespace OpenSim.Data.MSSQL
 
         #region IPlugin Members
 
+        override public void Initialise(string connect)
+        {
+            // TODO: this would allow you to pass in connnect info as
+            // a string instead of file, if someone writes the support
+            Initialise();
+        }
+
         override public void Initialise()
         {
             IniFile GridDataMySqlFile = new IniFile("mssql_connection.ini");
diff --git a/OpenSim/Data/MySQL/MySQLAssetData.cs b/OpenSim/Data/MySQL/MySQLAssetData.cs
index 111f7d14f9..b6545d741d 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Data/MySQL/MySQLAssetData.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Data/MySQL/MySQLAssetData.cs
@@ -170,6 +170,13 @@ namespace OpenSim.Data.MySQL
 
         #region IPlugin Members
 
+        override public void Initialise(string connect)
+        {
+            // TODO: This will let you pass in the connect string in
+            // the config, though someone will need to write that.
+            Initialise();
+        }
+
         override public void Initialise()
         {
             IniFile GridDataMySqlFile = new IniFile("mysql_connection.ini");
diff --git a/OpenSim/Data/NHibernate/NHibernateAssetData.cs b/OpenSim/Data/NHibernate/NHibernateAssetData.cs
index db90d09ba6..7bd4a0b899 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Data/NHibernate/NHibernateAssetData.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Data/NHibernate/NHibernateAssetData.cs
@@ -50,18 +50,24 @@ namespace OpenSim.Data.NHibernate
 
         public override void Initialise()
         {
-            // TODO: hard coding for sqlite based stuff to begin with, just making it easier to test
+            Initialise("SQLiteDialect;SqliteClientDriver;URI=file:Asset.db,version=3");
+        }
 
+        public override void Initialise(string connect)
+        {
+            // TODO: hard coding for sqlite based stuff to begin with, just making it easier to test
+            char[] split = {';'};
+            string[] parts = connect.Split(split);
+            
             // This is stubbing for now, it will become dynamic later and support different db backends
             cfg = new Configuration();
             cfg.SetProperty(Environment.ConnectionProvider, 
                             "NHibernate.Connection.DriverConnectionProvider");
             cfg.SetProperty(Environment.Dialect, 
-                            "NHibernate.Dialect.SQLiteDialect");
+                            "NHibernate.Dialect." + parts[0]);
             cfg.SetProperty(Environment.ConnectionDriver, 
-                            "NHibernate.Driver.SqliteClientDriver");
-            cfg.SetProperty(Environment.ConnectionString,
-                            "URI=file:Asset.db,version=3");
+                            "NHibernate.Driver." + parts[1]);
+            cfg.SetProperty(Environment.ConnectionString, parts[2]);
             cfg.AddAssembly("OpenSim.Data.NHibernate");
 
             HbmSerializer.Default.Validate = true;
diff --git a/OpenSim/Data/SQLite/SQLiteAssetData.cs b/OpenSim/Data/SQLite/SQLiteAssetData.cs
index 2b63d2be59..0d8b46870f 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Data/SQLite/SQLiteAssetData.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Data/SQLite/SQLiteAssetData.cs
@@ -56,9 +56,12 @@ namespace OpenSim.Data.SQLite
 
         private SqliteConnection m_conn;
 
-        public void Initialise(string dbfile, string dbname)
+        override public void Initialise(string dbconnect)
         {
-            m_conn = new SqliteConnection("URI=file:" + dbfile + ",version=3");
+            if (dbconnect == string.Empty) {
+                dbconnect = "URI=file:AssetStorage.db,version=3";
+            }
+            m_conn = new SqliteConnection(dbconnect);
             m_conn.Open();
             TestTables(m_conn);
             return;
@@ -289,7 +292,7 @@ namespace OpenSim.Data.SQLite
 
         override public void Initialise()
         {
-            Initialise("AssetStorage.db", "");
+            Initialise("URI=file:AssetStorage.db,version=3");
         }
 
         override public string Name
diff --git a/OpenSim/Framework/Communications/Cache/SQLAssetServer.cs b/OpenSim/Framework/Communications/Cache/SQLAssetServer.cs
index 1afec70b71..334c5bd48d 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Framework/Communications/Cache/SQLAssetServer.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Framework/Communications/Cache/SQLAssetServer.cs
@@ -35,9 +35,9 @@ namespace OpenSim.Framework.Communications.Cache
     {
         private static readonly ILog m_log = LogManager.GetLogger(MethodBase.GetCurrentMethod().DeclaringType);
 
-        public SQLAssetServer(string pluginName)
+        public SQLAssetServer(string pluginName, string connect)
         {
-            AddPlugin(pluginName);
+            AddPlugin(pluginName, connect);
         }
 
         public SQLAssetServer(IAssetProvider assetProvider)
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ namespace OpenSim.Framework.Communications.Cache
             m_assetProvider = assetProvider;
         }
 
-        public void AddPlugin(string FileName)
+        public void AddPlugin(string FileName, string connect)
         {
             m_log.Info("[SQLAssetServer]: AssetStorage: Attempting to load " + FileName);
             Assembly pluginAssembly = Assembly.LoadFrom(FileName);
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ namespace OpenSim.Framework.Communications.Cache
                         IAssetProvider plug =
                             (IAssetProvider) Activator.CreateInstance(pluginAssembly.GetType(pluginType.ToString()));
                         m_assetProvider = plug;
-                        m_assetProvider.Initialise();
+                        m_assetProvider.Initialise(connect);
 
                         m_log.Info("[AssetStorage]: " +
                                    "Added " + m_assetProvider.Name + " " +
diff --git a/OpenSim/Framework/IAssetProvider.cs b/OpenSim/Framework/IAssetProvider.cs
index c9e4c8af37..dcb79ea6f1 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Framework/IAssetProvider.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Framework/IAssetProvider.cs
@@ -36,5 +36,6 @@ namespace OpenSim.Framework
         void UpdateAsset(AssetBase asset);
         bool ExistsAsset(LLUUID uuid);
         void CommitAssets(); // force a sync to the database
+        void Initialise(string connect);
     }
 }
diff --git a/OpenSim/Region/Application/OpenSimMain.cs b/OpenSim/Region/Application/OpenSimMain.cs
index ad0ee45061..c01fc5a993 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Region/Application/OpenSimMain.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Region/Application/OpenSimMain.cs
@@ -454,7 +454,7 @@ namespace OpenSim
             }
             else
             {
-                SQLAssetServer sqlAssetServer = new SQLAssetServer(m_standaloneAssetPlugin);
+                SQLAssetServer sqlAssetServer = new SQLAssetServer(m_standaloneAssetPlugin, m_standaloneAssetSource);
                 sqlAssetServer.LoadDefaultAssets();
                 assetServer = sqlAssetServer;
             }
diff --git a/bin/OpenSim.ini.example b/bin/OpenSim.ini.example
index ab7dfe4cd3..bced39189a 100644
--- a/bin/OpenSim.ini.example
+++ b/bin/OpenSim.ini.example
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ welcome_message = "Welcome to OpenSim"
 ; Asset database provider
 asset_plugin = "OpenSim.Data.SQLite.dll"
 ; asset_plugin = "OpenSim.Data.MySQL.dll"
+; the Asset DB source.  This only works for sqlite and nhibernate for now
+asset_source = "URI=file:Asset.db,version=3"
 
 ; Inventory database provider
 inventory_plugin = "OpenSim.Data.SQLite.dll"