diff --git a/image-builder/Makefile b/image-builder/Makefile
index 2e4d951..d6c2fda 100644
--- a/image-builder/Makefile
+++ b/image-builder/Makefile
@@ -118,8 +118,9 @@ else
 	    export user_data=$(QCOW_BUNDLE)/$$subdir/user_data
 	    export network_config=$(QCOW_BUNDLE)/$$subdir/network_data.json
 	    # QCOW configs
-	    export osconfig_params=$(QCOW_BUNDLE)/$$subdir/osconfig-*-vars.yaml
-	    export qcow_params=$(QCOW_BUNDLE)/$$subdir/qcow-*-vars.yaml
+	    qcow_type=$$(echo $$subdir | sed -e "s/^qcow-//")
+	    export osconfig_params="$(QCOW_BUNDLE)/$$subdir/osconfig-$$qcow_type-vars.yaml"
+	    export qcow_params="$(QCOW_BUNDLE)/$$subdir/qcow-$$qcow_type-vars.yaml"
 	    # Shared configs
 	    export img_name=$$(cat $(QCOW_BUNDLE)/$$subdir/img_name)
 	    sudo -E tools/cut_image.sh $(IMAGE_TYPE) $(QCOW_BUNDLE) $(IMAGE) "$(PROXY)" "$(NO_PROXY)"
diff --git a/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/tasks/grub.yaml b/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/tasks/grub.yaml
index 59b0858..74eea24 100644
--- a/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/tasks/grub.yaml
+++ b/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/tasks/grub.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 # Settings here will be applied to /boot/grub/grub.cfg when grub is installed
+- name: "Append any user-defined grub cmdline linux default"
+  set_fact:
+    grub_cmdline_linux_default: "{% if grub_cmdline_linux_default_append is defined %}{{ grub.GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT + grub_cmdline_linux_default_append }}{% else %}{{ grub.GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT }}{% endif %}"
 - name: "Grub | Grub config"
   template:
     src: grub.j2
diff --git a/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/tasks/main.yaml b/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/tasks/main.yaml
index 56f8e65..b6c488d 100644
--- a/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/tasks/main.yaml
+++ b/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/tasks/main.yaml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
   when: run_context == default_run_context
 - name: "configure grub"
   include_tasks: grub.yaml
-  when: run_context == default_run_context
+  when: run_context == default_run_context or run_context == qcow_run_context
 - name: "configure kdump-tools"
   include_tasks: kdump-tools.yaml
   when: run_context == default_run_context
diff --git a/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/templates/grub.j2 b/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/templates/grub.j2
index 9e5dbbc..c40ac2e 100644
--- a/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/templates/grub.j2
+++ b/image-builder/assets/playbooks/roles/osconfig/templates/grub.j2
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=menu
 GRUB_TIMEOUT={{ grub.GRUB_TIMEOUT }}
 GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
 {% set ns = namespace (content = '') %}
-{% for arg in grub.GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT %}
+{% for arg in grub_cmdline_linux_default %}
 {% set ns.content = ns.content + ' ' + arg.name + '=' + arg.value %}
 {% endfor %}
 GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="{{ ns.content }}"
diff --git a/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-control-plane/osconfig-control-plane-vars.yaml b/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-control-plane/osconfig-control-plane-vars.yaml
index 44736a3..5e3121a 100644
--- a/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-control-plane/osconfig-control-plane-vars.yaml
+++ b/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-control-plane/osconfig-control-plane-vars.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 # Custom user-defined overrides to the `osconfig` playbook can be placed here.
 #
-# You would only use this if you needed to apply some settings uniques to this
-# type of image (control-plane or data-plane). Ex: kernel boot params specific
-# to workers vs non-worker nodes.
+# You would only use this if you needed to apply some settings uniques to
+# control-plane image. Ex: kernel boot params specific to non-worker nodes.
diff --git a/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-data-plane/osconfig-control-plane-vars.yaml b/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-data-plane/osconfig-control-plane-vars.yaml
deleted file mode 120000
index 20d876a..0000000
--- a/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-data-plane/osconfig-control-plane-vars.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../qcow-control-plane/osconfig-control-plane-vars.yaml
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-data-plane/osconfig-data-plane-vars.yaml b/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-data-plane/osconfig-data-plane-vars.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b0e50fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/image-builder/config/qcow-bundle/qcow-data-plane/osconfig-data-plane-vars.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Custom user-defined overrides to the `osconfig` playbook can be placed here.
+#
+# You would only use this if you needed to apply some settings uniques to
+# data-plane image. Ex: hugepages and cpu pinning configuration
+
+# grub_cmdline_linux_default_append:
+#    - name: hugepagesz
+#      value: "1G"
+#    - name: hugepages
+#      value: "100"
+#    - name: default_hugepagesz
+#      value: "1G"
+#    - name: isolcpus
+#      value: "4-43,48-87"
+#    - name: rcu_nocbs
+#      value: "4-43,48-87"
+#    - name: transparent_hugepage
+#      value: "never"
diff --git a/image-builder/tools/cut_image.sh b/image-builder/tools/cut_image.sh
index 530778e..6c212c9 100755
--- a/image-builder/tools/cut_image.sh
+++ b/image-builder/tools/cut_image.sh
@@ -25,8 +25,6 @@ workdir="$(realpath ${host_mount_directory})"
 # Overrides
 : ${user_data:=$workdir/user_data}
 : ${network_config:=$workdir/network_data.json}
-: ${osconfig_params:=$workdir/qcow-control-plane/osconfig-control-plane-vars.yaml}
-: ${qcow_params:=$workdir/qcow-control-plane/qcow-control-plane-vars.yaml}
 
 if [ -n "$proxy" ]; then
   export http_proxy=$proxy