diff --git a/play.yml b/play.yml
index 452eaec..5555b03 100644
--- a/play.yml
+++ b/play.yml
@@ -39,4 +39,5 @@
       name: slurm
     vars:
       container_privileged: True
+      num_nodes: 3
     tags: slurm
diff --git a/roles/slurm/handlers/main.yml b/roles/slurm/handlers/main.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b82ee7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/slurm/handlers/main.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+- name: reconfigure slurm 
+  command:
+    cmd: docker container exec -it slurm-ctl scontrol reconfigure
diff --git a/roles/slurm/tasks/main.yml b/roles/slurm/tasks/main.yml
index 90c4faf..5732bd1 100644
--- a/roles/slurm/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/slurm/tasks/main.yml
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
   loop:
     - slurm.conf
     - cgroup.conf
+  notify: reconfigure slurm
   tags: [ slurm-config ]
 
 - name: "create docker network to make service discovery work"
@@ -54,6 +55,16 @@
     name: slurm
     state: present
 
+- set_fact:
+    slurm_nodes: # default nodes: controller and submit machine
+    - machine: ctl
+      image: slurm-slurmctld
+    - machine: submit1
+      image: slurm-slurmd
+      extra_mounts:
+      - "/home/thoto/job3/:/mnt/:rw"
+  tags: [ slurm-config ]
+    
 # TODO: reserve some address using docker_network_info and assign as aux
 # address to enable slurmctld to get a static address in order to be
 # reachable from slurm running on docker host to enable submitting jobs.
@@ -70,21 +81,17 @@
     state: started
     detach: True
     cleanup: True
-    privileged: "{{ container_privileged | ternary(True,False) }}"
+    privileged: "{{ container_privileged | bool }}"
     networks_cli_compatible: True
   vars:
     default_mounts:
     - /container/volumes/slurm/:/etc/slurm/:rw
     - /container/volumes/munge/munge.key:/etc/munge/munge.key:rw
-  loop:
-  - machine: ctl
-    image: slurm-slurmctld
-  - machine: exec1
-    image: slurm-slurmd
-  - machine: exec2
-    image: slurm-slurmd
-  - machine: submit1
-    image: slurm-slurmd
-    extra_mounts:
-    - "/home/thoto/job3/:/mnt/:rw"
+    slurm_nodes_all: | # add execute nodes
+      {% for i in range(1, 4) -%}
+        {% set _ = slurm_nodes.extend([
+          {'machine':'exec%s'|format(i), 'image': 'slurm-slurmd'}]) -%}
+      {%- endfor %}
+      {{ slurm_nodes }}
+  loop: "{{slurm_nodes_all}}"
   tags: [ slurm-config ]
diff --git a/roles/slurm/templates/slurm.conf.j2 b/roles/slurm/templates/slurm.conf.j2
index 1441dda..6b4c4f5 100644
--- a/roles/slurm/templates/slurm.conf.j2
+++ b/roles/slurm/templates/slurm.conf.j2
@@ -161,7 +161,6 @@ SlurmdDebug=verbose
 #
 #
 # COMPUTE NODES
-NodeName=slurm-exec1 CPUs=1 State=UNKNOWN
-NodeName=slurm-exec2 CPUs=1 State=UNKNOWN
+NodeName=slurm-exec[1-{{num_nodes}}] CPUs=2 CoresPerSocket=2 State=UNKNOWN
 NodeName=slurm-submit1 CPUs=1 State=UNKNOWN
-PartitionName=debug Nodes=slurm-exec1,slurm-exec2 Default=YES MaxTime=INFINITE State=UP
+PartitionName=debug Nodes=slurm-exec[1-{{num_nodes}}] Default=YES MaxTime=INFINITE State=UP