diff --git a/utils/showlease.in b/utils/showlease.in
index 81ee1a7918ea9d1eeb4a869a6f0df3d382966bdb..d555c7ef7f8399df29bf31395b5ef1524446e7e5 100644
--- a/utils/showlease.in
+++ b/utils/showlease.in
@@ -38,24 +38,27 @@ sub usage()
     print STDERR "   -a      Show all leases (admin only)\n";
     print STDERR "   -g      Show only leases in the 'grace' state\n";
     print STDERR "   -L      Show lock holders (admin only)\n";
+    print STDERR "   -D      Describe the system-wide limits on leases\n";
     print STDERR "   -p pid  Show all leases for project <pid>\n";
     print STDERR "   -u uid  Show all leases owned by user <uid>\n";
     print STDERR "   lid ... Show named leases (name is <pid>/<id>)\n";
     exit(-1);
 }
-my $optlist  = "dhaLp:u:g";
+my $optlist  = "dhaLDp:u:g";
 my $debug = 0;
 my $pid;
 my $uid;
 my $showall;
 my $showgrace;
 my $showlockers;
+my $showsitevars;
 my @lids = ();
 my %sitevars = ();
 
 # Protos
 sub fatal($);
 sub datestr($);
+sub showsitevars();
 
 #
 # Configure variables
@@ -105,6 +108,9 @@ if (defined($options{g})) {
 if (defined($options{L})) {
     $showlockers = 1;
 }
+if (defined($options{D})) {
+    $showsitevars = 1;
+}
 if (defined($options{p})) {
     $pid = $options{p};
 }
@@ -137,6 +143,11 @@ if (! defined($this_user)) {
     fatal("You ($UID) do not exist!");
 }
 
+if ($showsitevars) {
+    showsitevars();
+    exit(0);
+}
+
 if ($showall) {
     # Admin can see all leases, others not so much
     foreach my $lid (Lease->AllLeases()) {
@@ -300,6 +311,127 @@ if (@lids > 0) {
 
 exit(0);
 
+#
+# Per-type Lease sitevars:
+#
+# maxsize	Max size (MiB) of a dataset
+#		(0 == unlimited)
+# maxlease	Max time (days) from creation before lease is marked expired
+#		(0 == unlimited)
+# maxidle	Max time (days) from last use before lease is marked expired
+#		(0 == unlimited)
+# graceperiod	Time (days) before an expired dataset will be destroyed
+#		(0 == no grace period, unlimited makes no sense here)
+# autodestroy	If non-zero, destroy expired datasets after grace period
+#		otherwise lock them
+# usequotas	If non-zero, enforce per-project dataset quotas
+# maxextend	Number of times a user can extend the lease
+#		(0 == unlimited)
+# extendperiod	Length (days) of each user-requested extention
+#		(0 == do not allow extensions)
+#
+sub showsitevars()
+{
+    my %vars = ();
+
+    foreach my $ltype ("stdataset", "ltdataset") {
+	$vars{$ltype} = Lease->SiteVars($ltype);
+	my $maxsize = $vars{$ltype}->{'maxsize'};
+	my $maxlease = $vars{$ltype}->{'maxlease'} / (24 * 60 * 60);
+	my $maxidle = $vars{$ltype}->{'maxidle'} / (24 * 60 * 60);
+	my $grace = $vars{$ltype}->{'graceperiod'} / (24 * 60 * 60);
+	my $autod = $vars{$ltype}->{'autodestroy'};
+	my $quotas = $vars{$ltype}->{'usequotas'};
+	my $maxext = $vars{$ltype}->{'maxextend'};
+	my $extend = $vars{$ltype}->{'extendperiod'} / (24 * 60 * 60);
+	my $v;
+
+	print "$ltype:\n";
+
+	print "  Maximum size:";
+	if ($quotas != 0) {
+	    print " determined by project quota";
+	} elsif ($maxsize == 0) {
+	    print " unlimited";
+	} else {
+	    if ($maxsize < 1024) {
+		$v = sprintf("%.2f", $maxsize);
+		print " $v MiB";
+	    } elsif ($maxsize < (1024 * 1024)) {
+		$v = sprintf("%.2f", $maxsize / 1024);
+		print " $v GiB";
+	    } else {
+		$v = sprintf("%.2f", $maxsize / (1024 * 1024));
+		print " $v TiB";
+	    }
+	    $v = $maxsize * 1024 * 1024;
+	    print " ($v bytes)";
+	}
+	print ".\n";
+
+	print "  Expiration:";
+	if ($maxidle == 0 && $maxlease == 0) {
+	    print " never";
+	} else {
+	    print " after";
+	    if ($maxidle != 0) {
+		if ($maxidle < 1) {
+		    $v = sprintf("%.1f", $maxidle * 24);
+		    print " $v hours";
+		} else {
+		    $v = sprintf("%.1f", $maxidle);
+		    print " $v days";
+		}
+		print " idle";
+	    }
+	    if ($maxlease != 0) {
+		if ($maxidle != 0) {
+		    print " or after";
+		}
+		print " a lease-specific time period (maximum of";
+		if ($maxlease < 1) {
+		    $v = sprintf("%.1f", $maxlease * 24);
+		    print " $v hours";
+		} else {
+		    $v = sprintf("%.1f", $maxlease);
+		    print " $v days";
+		}
+		print " from creation)";
+	    }
+	}
+	print ".\n";
+
+	print "  Disposition:";
+	if ($maxidle == 0 && $maxlease == 0) {
+	    print " N/A";
+	} else {
+	    if ($autod) {
+		print " destroyed";
+	    } else {
+		print " locked-down";
+	    }
+	    print " after expiration";
+	    if ($extend != 0) {
+		print " plus";
+		if ($maxext == 0) {
+		    print " an unlimited number of";
+		} else {
+		    print " up to $maxext";
+		}
+		if ($extend < 1) {
+		    $v = sprintf("%.1f", $extend * 24);
+		    print " $v hour";
+		} else {
+		    $v = sprintf("%.1f", $extend);
+		    print " $v day";
+		}
+		print " extentions";
+	    }
+	}
+	print ".\n";
+    }
+}
+
 sub datestr($)
 {
     my ($date) = @_;
diff --git a/xmlrpc/emulabserver.py.in b/xmlrpc/emulabserver.py.in
index e30866db7672b38276f4398e3c04e5c595a230bb..c281f5c309d25a7c606594fc50d2df6f070665b1 100755
--- a/xmlrpc/emulabserver.py.in
+++ b/xmlrpc/emulabserver.py.in
@@ -5996,7 +5996,12 @@ class dataset:
         #
         argstr = ""
         for opt, val in argdict.items():
-            if opt == "all":
+            if opt == "limits":
+                if xbool(val):
+                    argstr += " -D "
+                    pass
+                pass
+            elif opt == "all":
                 if xbool(val):
                     argstr += " -a "
                     pass
diff --git a/xmlrpc/script_wrapper.py.in b/xmlrpc/script_wrapper.py.in
index 5f00e19122a873516930f9b3d933c68b184283e1..fd88feaed36c175fcbf9fb06b0b616ab147baad7 100755
--- a/xmlrpc/script_wrapper.py.in
+++ b/xmlrpc/script_wrapper.py.in
@@ -2871,7 +2871,7 @@ class showdataset:
 
     def apply(self):
         try:
-            opts, req_args = getopt.getopt(self.argv, "au:p:h", [ "help" ]);
+            opts, req_args = getopt.getopt(self.argv, "Dau:p:h", [ "help" ]);
             pass
         except getopt.error, e:
             print e.args[0]
@@ -2883,6 +2883,9 @@ class showdataset:
             if opt in ("-h", "--help"):
                 self.usage()
                 return 0
+            elif opt == "-D":
+                params["limits"] = "yes";
+                pass
             elif opt == "-a":
                 params["all"] = "yes";
                 pass
@@ -2901,12 +2904,16 @@ class showdataset:
         return rval;
 
     def usage(self):
- 	print "showdataset [-ha] [-p pid] [-u uid] dataset_id...";
+ 	print "showdataset [-hDa] [-p pid] [-u uid] dataset_id...";
 	print "where:";
+        print "    -D     - Describe the site-specific limits of datasets";
         print "    -a     - Show all datasets";
         print "    -p pid - Show all datasets for given project";
         print "    -u uid - Show all datasets for given user";
         print "";
+        print "Describe the site-specific limits on the size/duration";
+        print "of the different dataset types (-D), or";
+        print "";
         print "Show all (-a) datasets or those associated with a particular";
         print "project (-p), user (-u), or those listed.";
         print "Only one of -a, -p, -u or an explicit list should be specified.";