diff --git a/orte/mca/plm/base/plm_base_launch_support.c b/orte/mca/plm/base/plm_base_launch_support.c
index 8bedfef7d0..7554cd17d6 100644
--- a/orte/mca/plm/base/plm_base_launch_support.c
+++ b/orte/mca/plm/base/plm_base_launch_support.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  *                         et Automatique. All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2011-2012 Los Alamos National Security, LLC.
  * Copyright (c) 2013-2017 Intel, Inc.  All rights reserved.
- * Copyright (c) 2014-2016 Research Organization for Information Science
+ * Copyright (c) 2014-2017 Research Organization for Information Science
  *                         and Technology (RIST). All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2016      IBM Corporation.  All rights reserved.
  * $COPYRIGHT$
@@ -1088,8 +1088,57 @@ void orte_plm_base_daemon_callback(int status, orte_process_name_t* sender,
         /* rank=1 always sends its topology back */
         topo = NULL;
         if (1 == dname.vpid) {
+            uint8_t flag;
+            size_t inlen, cmplen;
+            uint8_t *packed_data, *cmpdata;
+            opal_buffer_t datbuf, *data;
+            OBJ_CONSTRUCT(&datbuf, opal_buffer_t);
+            /* unpack the flag to see if this payload is compressed */
             idx=1;
-            if (OPAL_SUCCESS != (rc = opal_dss.unpack(buffer, &topo, &idx, OPAL_HWLOC_TOPO))) {
+            if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (rc = opal_dss.unpack(buffer, &flag, &idx, OPAL_INT8))) {
+                ORTE_ERROR_LOG(rc);
+                orted_failed_launch = true;
+                goto CLEANUP;
+            }
+            if (flag) {
+                /* unpack the data size */
+                idx=1;
+                if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (rc = opal_dss.unpack(buffer, &inlen, &idx, OPAL_SIZE))) {
+                    ORTE_ERROR_LOG(rc);
+                    orted_failed_launch = true;
+                    goto CLEANUP;
+                }
+                /* unpack the unpacked data size */
+                idx=1;
+                if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (rc = opal_dss.unpack(buffer, &cmplen, &idx, OPAL_SIZE))) {
+                    ORTE_ERROR_LOG(rc);
+                    orted_failed_launch = true;
+                    goto CLEANUP;
+                }
+                /* allocate the space */
+                packed_data = (uint8_t*)malloc(inlen);
+                /* unpack the data blob */
+                idx = inlen;
+                if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (rc = opal_dss.unpack(buffer, packed_data, &idx, OPAL_UINT8))) {
+                    ORTE_ERROR_LOG(rc);
+                    orted_failed_launch = true;
+                    goto CLEANUP;
+                }
+                /* decompress the data */
+                if (orte_util_uncompress_block(&cmpdata, cmplen,
+                                               packed_data, inlen)) {
+                    /* the data has been uncompressed */
+                    opal_dss.load(&datbuf, cmpdata, cmplen);
+                    data = &datbuf;
+                } else {
+                    data = buffer;
+                }
+                free(packed_data);
+            } else {
+                data = buffer;
+            }
+            idx=1;
+            if (OPAL_SUCCESS != (rc = opal_dss.unpack(data, &topo, &idx, OPAL_HWLOC_TOPO))) {
                 ORTE_ERROR_LOG(rc);
                 orted_failed_launch = true;
                 goto CLEANUP;
diff --git a/orte/orted/orted_main.c b/orte/orted/orted_main.c
index 76b62f6d1e..c21e0f54f6 100644
--- a/orte/orted/orted_main.c
+++ b/orte/orted/orted_main.c
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@
 #include "orte/util/parse_options.h"
 #include "orte/mca/rml/base/rml_contact.h"
 #include "orte/util/pre_condition_transports.h"
+#include "orte/util/compress.h"
 
 #include "orte/mca/errmgr/errmgr.h"
 #include "orte/mca/ess/ess.h"
@@ -793,9 +794,58 @@ int orte_daemon(int argc, char *argv[])
         /* if we are rank=1, then send our topology back - otherwise, mpirun
          * will request it if necessary */
         if (1 == ORTE_PROC_MY_NAME->vpid) {
-            if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_dss.pack(buffer, &opal_hwloc_topology, 1, OPAL_HWLOC_TOPO))) {
+            opal_buffer_t data;
+            int8_t flag;
+            uint8_t *cmpdata;
+            size_t cmplen;
+
+            /* setup an intermediate buffer */
+            OBJ_CONSTRUCT(&data, opal_buffer_t);
+
+            if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_dss.pack(&data, &opal_hwloc_topology, 1, OPAL_HWLOC_TOPO))) {
                 ORTE_ERROR_LOG(ret);
             }
+            if (orte_util_compress_block((uint8_t*)data.base_ptr, data.bytes_used,
+                                 &cmpdata, &cmplen)) {
+                /* the data was compressed - mark that we compressed it */
+                flag = 1;
+                if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_dss.pack(buffer, &flag, 1, OPAL_INT8))) {
+                    ORTE_ERROR_LOG(ret);
+                    free(cmpdata);
+                    OBJ_DESTRUCT(&data);
+                }
+                /* pack the compressed length */
+                if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_dss.pack(buffer, &cmplen, 1, OPAL_SIZE))) {
+                    ORTE_ERROR_LOG(ret);
+                    free(cmpdata);
+                    OBJ_DESTRUCT(&data);
+                }
+                /* pack the uncompressed length */
+                if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_dss.pack(buffer, &data.bytes_used, 1, OPAL_SIZE))) {
+                    ORTE_ERROR_LOG(ret);
+                    free(cmpdata);
+                    OBJ_DESTRUCT(&data);
+                }
+                /* pack the compressed info */
+                if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_dss.pack(buffer, cmpdata, cmplen, OPAL_UINT8))) {
+                    ORTE_ERROR_LOG(ret);
+                    free(cmpdata);
+                    OBJ_DESTRUCT(&data);
+                }
+                OBJ_DESTRUCT(&data);
+                free(cmpdata);
+            } else {
+                /* mark that it was not compressed */
+                flag = 0;
+                if (ORTE_SUCCESS != (ret = opal_dss.pack(buffer, &flag, 1, OPAL_INT8))) {
+                    ORTE_ERROR_LOG(ret);
+                    OBJ_DESTRUCT(&data);
+                    free(cmpdata);
+                }
+                /* transfer the payload across */
+                opal_dss.copy_payload(buffer, &data);
+                OBJ_DESTRUCT(&data);
+            }
         }
 
         /* send it to the designated target */