diff --git a/deploy/ssh.sh b/deploy/ssh.sh
index 8c83f0b..b3e040b 100644
--- a/deploy/ssh.sh
+++ b/deploy/ssh.sh
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 # export DEPLOY_SSH_FULLCHAIN=""
 # export DEPLOY_SSH_REMOTE_CMD="/etc/init.d/stunnel.sh restart"
 # export DEPLOY_SSH_BACKUP=""  # yes or no, default to yes
+# export DEPLOY_SSH_BATCH_MODE="yes"  # yes or no, default to yes
 #
 ########  Public functions #####################
 
@@ -78,12 +79,44 @@ ssh_deploy() {
   # BACKUP is optional. If not provided then default to yes
   if [ "$DEPLOY_SSH_BACKUP" = "no" ]; then
     Le_Deploy_ssh_backup="no"
-  elif [ -z "$Le_Deploy_ssh_backup" ]; then
+  elif [ -z "$Le_Deploy_ssh_backup" ] || [ "$DEPLOY_SSH_BACKUP" = "yes" ]; then
     Le_Deploy_ssh_backup="yes"
   fi
   _savedomainconf Le_Deploy_ssh_backup "$Le_Deploy_ssh_backup"
 
+  # BATCH_MODE is optional. If not provided then default to yes
+  if [ "$DEPLOY_SSH_BATCH_MODE" = "no" ]; then
+    Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode="no"
+  elif [ -z "$Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode" ] || [ "$DEPLOY_SSH_BATCH_MODE" = "yes" ]; then
+    Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode="yes"
+  fi
+  _savedomainconf Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode "$Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode"
+
   _info "Deploy certificates to remote server $Le_Deploy_ssh_user@$Le_Deploy_ssh_server"
+  if [ "$Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode" = "yes" ]; then
+    _info "Using BATCH MODE... Multiple commands sent in single call to remote host"
+  else
+    _info "Commands sent individually in multiple calls to remote host"
+  fi
+
+  if [ "$Le_Deploy_ssh_backup" = "yes" ]; then
+    # run cleanup on the backup directory, erase all older
+    # than 180 days (15552000 seconds).
+    _cmdstr="{ now=\"\$(date -u +%s)\"; for fn in $_backupprefix*; \
+do if [ -d \"\$fn\" ] && [ \"\$(expr \$now - \$(date -ur \$fn +%s) )\" -ge \"15552000\" ]; \
+then rm -rf \"\$fn\"; echo \"Backup \$fn deleted as older than 180 days\"; fi; done; }; $_cmdstr"
+    # Alternate version of above... _cmdstr="find $_backupprefix* -type d -mtime +180 2>/dev/null | xargs rm -rf; $_cmdstr"
+    # Create our backup directory for overwritten cert files.
+    _cmdstr="mkdir -p $_backupdir; $_cmdstr"
+    _info "Backup of old certificate files will be placed in remote directory $_backupdir"
+    _info "Backup directories erased after 180 days."
+    if [ "$Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode" = "no" ]; then
+      if ! _ssh_remote_cmd "$_cmdstr"; then
+        return $_err_code
+      fi
+      _cmdstr=""
+    fi
+  fi
 
   # KEYFILE is optional.
   # If provided then private key will be copied to provided filename.
@@ -99,6 +132,12 @@ ssh_deploy() {
     # copy new certificate into file.
     _cmdstr="$_cmdstr echo \"$(cat "$_ckey")\" > $Le_Deploy_ssh_keyfile;"
     _info "will copy private key to remote file $Le_Deploy_ssh_keyfile"
+    if [ "$Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode" = "no" ]; then
+      if ! _ssh_remote_cmd "$_cmdstr"; then
+        return $_err_code
+      fi
+      _cmdstr=""
+    fi
   fi
 
   # CERTFILE is optional.
@@ -119,6 +158,12 @@ ssh_deploy() {
     # copy new certificate into file.
     _cmdstr="$_cmdstr echo \"$(cat "$_ccert")\" $_pipe $Le_Deploy_ssh_certfile;"
     _info "will copy certificate to remote file $Le_Deploy_ssh_certfile"
+    if [ "$Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode" = "no" ]; then
+      if ! _ssh_remote_cmd "$_cmdstr"; then
+        return $_err_code
+      fi
+      _cmdstr=""
+    fi
   fi
 
   # CAFILE is optional.
@@ -140,6 +185,12 @@ ssh_deploy() {
     # copy new certificate into file.
     _cmdstr="$_cmdstr echo \"$(cat "$_cca")\" $_pipe $Le_Deploy_ssh_cafile;"
     _info "will copy CA file to remote file $Le_Deploy_ssh_cafile"
+    if [ "$Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode" = "no" ]; then
+      if ! _ssh_remote_cmd "$_cmdstr"; then
+        return $_err_code
+      fi
+      _cmdstr=""
+    fi
   fi
 
   # FULLCHAIN is optional.
@@ -162,6 +213,12 @@ ssh_deploy() {
     # copy new certificate into file.
     _cmdstr="$_cmdstr echo \"$(cat "$_cfullchain")\" $_pipe $Le_Deploy_ssh_fullchain;"
     _info "will copy fullchain to remote file $Le_Deploy_ssh_fullchain"
+    if [ "$Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode" = "no" ]; then
+      if ! _ssh_remote_cmd "$_cmdstr"; then
+        return $_err_code
+      fi
+      _cmdstr=""
+    fi
   fi
 
   # REMOTE_CMD is optional.
@@ -173,42 +230,35 @@ ssh_deploy() {
   if [ -n "$Le_Deploy_ssh_remote_cmd" ]; then
     _cmdstr="$_cmdstr $Le_Deploy_ssh_remote_cmd;"
     _info "Will execute remote command $Le_Deploy_ssh_remote_cmd"
+    if [ "$Le_Deploy_ssh_batch_mode" = "no" ]; then
+      if ! _ssh_remote_cmd "$_cmdstr"; then
+        return $_err_code
+      fi
+      _cmdstr=""
+    fi
   fi
 
-  if [ -z "$_cmdstr" ]; then
-    _err "No remote commands to excute. Failed to deploy certificates to remote server"
-    return 1
-  elif [ "$Le_Deploy_ssh_backup" = "yes" ]; then
-    # run cleanup on the backup directory, erase all older
-    # than 180 days (15552000 seconds).
-    _cmdstr="{ now=\"\$(date -u +%s)\"; for fn in $_backupprefix*; \
-do if [ -d \"\$fn\" ] && [ \"\$(expr \$now - \$(date -ur \$fn +%s) )\" -ge \"15552000\" ]; \
-then rm -rf \"\$fn\"; echo \"Backup \$fn deleted as older than 180 days\"; fi; done; }; $_cmdstr"
-    # Alternate version of above... _cmdstr="find $_backupprefix* -type d -mtime +180 2>/dev/null | xargs rm -rf; $_cmdstr"
-    # Create our backup directory for overwritten cert files.
-    _cmdstr="mkdir -p $_backupdir; $_cmdstr"
-    _info "Backup of old certificate files will be placed in remote directory $_backupdir"
-    _info "Backup directories erased after 180 days."
-  fi
-
-  if ! _ssh_remote_cmd "$_cmdstr"; then
-    return $_err_code
+  # if running as batch mode then all commands sent in a single SSH call now...
+  if [ -n "$_cmdstr" ]; then
+    if ! _ssh_remote_cmd "$_cmdstr"; then
+      return $_err_code
+    fi
   fi
-
   return 0
 }
 
 #cmd
 _ssh_remote_cmd() {
+  _cmd="$1"
   _secure_debug "Remote commands to execute: $_cmd"
-  _info "Submitting sequence of commands to remote server by $Le_Deploy_ssh_cmd"
+  _info "Submitting sequence of commands to remote server by ssh"
   # quotations in bash cmd below intended.  Squash travis spellcheck error
   # shellcheck disable=SC2029
   $Le_Deploy_ssh_cmd "$Le_Deploy_ssh_user@$Le_Deploy_ssh_server" sh -c "'$_cmd'"
   _err_code="$?"
 
   if [ "$_err_code" != "0" ]; then
-    _err "Error code $_err_code returned from $Le_Deploy_ssh_cmd"
+    _err "Error code $_err_code returned from ssh"
   fi
 
   return $_err_code