diff --git a/contrib/inventory/abiquo.py b/contrib/inventory/abiquo.py
index a6030c58b8..ee8373c1cd 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/abiquo.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/abiquo.py
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ def save_cache(data, config):
         cache = open('/'.join([dpath,'inventory']), 'w')
         cache.write(json.dumps(data))
         cache.close()
-    except IOError, e:
+    except IOError as e:
         pass # not really sure what to do here
 
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ def get_cache(cache_item, config):
         cache = open('/'.join([dpath,'inventory']), 'r')
         inv = cache.read()
         cache.close()
-    except IOError, e:
+    except IOError as e:
         pass # not really sure what to do here
 
     return inv
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ def generate_inv_from_api(enterprise_entity,config):
                         else:
                             vm_metadata = metadata['metadata']['metadata']
                         inventory['_meta']['hostvars'][vm_nic] = vm_metadata
-                    except Exception, e:
+                    except Exception as e:
                         pass
 
                 inventory[vm_vapp]['children'].append(vmcollection['name'])
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ def generate_inv_from_api(enterprise_entity,config):
                 inventory[vmcollection['name']].append(vm_nic)
 
         return inventory
-    except Exception, e:
+    except Exception as e:
         # Return empty hosts output
         return { 'all': {'hosts': []}, '_meta': { 'hostvars': {} } }
 
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
     try:
         login = api_get(None,config)
         enterprise = next(link for link in (login['links']) if (link['rel']=='enterprise'))
-    except Exception, e:
+    except Exception as e:
         enterprise = None
 
     if cache_available(config):
diff --git a/contrib/inventory/cloudstack.py b/contrib/inventory/cloudstack.py
index 426cf163fd..1f10b3da33 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/cloudstack.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/cloudstack.py
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ class CloudStackInventory(object):
         options = parser.parse_args()
         try:
             self.cs = CloudStack(**read_config())
-        except CloudStackException, e:
+        except CloudStackException as e:
             print >> sys.stderr, "Error: Could not connect to CloudStack API"
 
         project_id = ''
diff --git a/contrib/inventory/consul_io.py b/contrib/inventory/consul_io.py
index 4e40f96873..52bc05a13c 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/consul_io.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/consul_io.py
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ except ImportError:
 
 try:
   import consul
-except ImportError, e:
+except ImportError as e:
   print """failed=True msg='python-consul required for this module. see
   http://python-consul.readthedocs.org/en/latest/#installation'"""
   sys.exit(1)
diff --git a/contrib/inventory/digital_ocean.py b/contrib/inventory/digital_ocean.py
index 1927f09fdf..48f76cb762 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/digital_ocean.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/digital_ocean.py
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ except ImportError:
 
 try:
     from dopy.manager import DoError, DoManager
-except ImportError, e:
+except ImportError as e:
     print "failed=True msg='`dopy` library required for this script'"
     sys.exit(1)
 
diff --git a/contrib/inventory/gce.py b/contrib/inventory/gce.py
index 740e112332..e420fd951b 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/gce.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/gce.py
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ class GceInventory(object):
         '''Gets details about a specific instance '''
         try:
             return self.driver.ex_get_node(instance_name)
-        except Exception, e:
+        except Exception as e:
             return None
 
     def group_instances(self):
diff --git a/contrib/inventory/linode.py b/contrib/inventory/linode.py
index cbce5f8a69..0577ba9509 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/linode.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/linode.py
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ except:
         from chube.linode_obj import Linode
 
         sys.path = old_path
-    except Exception, e:
+    except Exception as e:
         raise Exception("could not import chube")
 
 load_chube_config()
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ class LinodeInventory(object):
         try:
             for node in Linode.search(status=Linode.STATUS_RUNNING):
                 self.add_node(node)
-        except chube_api.linode_api.ApiError, e:
+        except chube_api.linode_api.ApiError as e:
             print "Looks like Linode's API is down:"
             print
             print e
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ class LinodeInventory(object):
         """Gets details about a specific node."""
         try:
             return Linode.find(api_id=linode_id)
-        except chube_api.linode_api.ApiError, e:
+        except chube_api.linode_api.ApiError as e:
             print "Looks like Linode's API is down:"
             print
             print e
diff --git a/contrib/inventory/rax.py b/contrib/inventory/rax.py
index a42bbfcfef..5892f2cbb9 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/rax.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/rax.py
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ def _list_into_cache(regions):
         if cs is None:
             warnings.warn(
                 'Connecting to Rackspace region "%s" has caused Pyrax to '
-                'return a NoneType. Is this a valid region?' % region,
+                'return None. Is this a valid region?' % region,
                 RuntimeWarning)
             continue
         for server in cs.servers.list():
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ def setup():
             pyrax.keyring_auth(keyring_username, region=region)
         else:
             pyrax.set_credential_file(creds_file, region=region)
-    except Exception, e:
+    except Exception as e:
         sys.stderr.write("%s: %s\n" % (e, e.message))
         sys.exit(1)
 
diff --git a/contrib/inventory/spacewalk.py b/contrib/inventory/spacewalk.py
index b853ca18ba..cace56401e 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/spacewalk.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/spacewalk.py
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ try:
 	for group in spacewalk_report('system-groups'):
 	    org_groups[group['spacewalk_group_id']] = group['spacewalk_org_id']
 
-except (OSError), e:
+except (OSError) as e:
 	print >> sys.stderr, 'Problem executing the command "%s system-groups": %s' % \
 	    (SW_REPORT, str(e))
 	sys.exit(2)
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ if options.list:
         for item in spacewalk_report('inventory'):
             host_vars[ item['spacewalk_profile_name'] ] = dict( ( key, ( value.split(';') if ';' in value else value) ) for key, value in item.items() )
 
-    except (OSError), e:
+    except (OSError) as e:
         print >> sys.stderr, 'Problem executing the command "%s inventory": %s' % \
             (SW_REPORT, str(e))
         sys.exit(2)
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ if options.list:
                 if system['spacewalk_server_name'] in host_vars and not system['spacewalk_server_name'] in meta[ "hostvars" ]:
                         meta[ "hostvars" ][ system['spacewalk_server_name'] ] = host_vars[ system['spacewalk_server_name'] ]
 
-    except (OSError), e:
+    except (OSError) as e:
         print >> sys.stderr, 'Problem executing the command "%s system-groups-systems": %s' % \
             (SW_REPORT, str(e))
         sys.exit(2)
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ elif options.host:
                 host_details = system
                 break
 
-    except (OSError), e:
+    except (OSError) as e:
         print >> sys.stderr, 'Problem executing the command "%s inventory": %s' % \
             (SW_REPORT, str(e))
         sys.exit(2)
diff --git a/contrib/inventory/vmware.py b/contrib/inventory/vmware.py
index b708d59994..44896656f0 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/vmware.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/vmware.py
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ class VMwareInventory(object):
                     obj_info = self._get_obj_info(val, depth - 1, seen)
                     if obj_info != ():
                         d[attr] = obj_info
-                except Exception, e:
+                except Exception as e:
                     pass
             return d
         elif isinstance(obj, SudsObject):
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ class VMwareInventory(object):
                 host_info[k] = v
         try:
             host_info['ipAddress'] = host.config.network.vnic[0].spec.ip.ipAddress
-        except Exception, e:
+        except Exception as e:
             print >> sys.stderr, e
         host_info = self._flatten_dict(host_info, prefix)
         if ('%s_ipAddress' % prefix) in host_info:
diff --git a/contrib/inventory/zabbix.py b/contrib/inventory/zabbix.py
index 2bc1e2e1cc..e23a7ac9f7 100755
--- a/contrib/inventory/zabbix.py
+++ b/contrib/inventory/zabbix.py
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ class ZabbixInventory(object):
             try:
                 api = ZabbixAPI(server=self.zabbix_server)
                 api.login(user=self.zabbix_username, password=self.zabbix_password)
-            except BaseException, e:
+            except BaseException as e:
                 print >> sys.stderr, "Error: Could not login to Zabbix server. Check your zabbix.ini."
                 sys.exit(1)
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/cli/doc.py b/lib/ansible/cli/doc.py
index 4a56e68e1f..e27d85d799 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/cli/doc.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/cli/doc.py
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ class DocCLI(CLI):
                     # this typically means we couldn't even parse the docstring, not just that the YAML is busted,
                     # probably a quoting issue.
                     raise AnsibleError("Parsing produced an empty object.")
-            except Exception, e:
+            except Exception as e:
                 self.display.vvv(traceback.print_exc())
                 raise AnsibleError("module %s missing documentation (or could not parse documentation): %s\n" % (module, str(e)))
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/cli/pull.py b/lib/ansible/cli/pull.py
index 3b61c473c3..0c33568d3d 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/cli/pull.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/cli/pull.py
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ class PullCLI(CLI):
             os.chdir('/')
             try:
                 shutil.rmtree(self.options.dest)
-            except Exception, e:
+            except Exception as e:
                 self.display.error("Failed to remove %s: %s" % (self.options.dest, str(e)))
 
         return rc
diff --git a/lib/ansible/executor/process/worker.py b/lib/ansible/executor/process/worker.py
index 5fb4d6250b..7968b41679 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/executor/process/worker.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/executor/process/worker.py
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class WorkerProcess(multiprocessing.Process):
             if fileno is not None:
                 try:
                     self._new_stdin = os.fdopen(os.dup(fileno))
-                except OSError, e:
+                except OSError as e:
                     # couldn't dupe stdin, most likely because it's
                     # not a valid file descriptor, so we just rely on
                     # using the one that was passed in
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ class WorkerProcess(multiprocessing.Process):
                 except:
                     # FIXME: most likely an abort, catch those kinds of errors specifically
                     break
-            except Exception, e:
+            except Exception as e:
                 debug("WORKER EXCEPTION: %s" % e)
                 debug("WORKER EXCEPTION: %s" % traceback.format_exc())
                 try:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/executor/task_executor.py b/lib/ansible/executor/task_executor.py
index 4b372cf4c7..62923d4317 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/executor/task_executor.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/executor/task_executor.py
@@ -125,14 +125,14 @@ class TaskExecutor:
             result = json.dumps(res)
             debug("done dumping result, returning")
             return result
-        except AnsibleError, e:
+        except AnsibleError as e:
             return dict(failed=True, msg=to_unicode(e, nonstring='simplerepr'))
         finally:
             try:
                 self._connection.close()
             except AttributeError:
                 pass
-            except Exception, e:
+            except Exception as e:
                 debug("error closing connection: %s" % to_unicode(e))
 
     def _get_loop_items(self):
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ class TaskExecutor:
 
             try:
                 tmp_task = self._task.copy()
-            except AnsibleParserError, e:
+            except AnsibleParserError as e:
                 results.append(dict(failed=True, msg=str(e)))
                 continue
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/inventory/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/inventory/__init__.py
index a3bb0bba47..1e6efeefdd 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/inventory/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/inventory/__init__.py
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ class Inventory(object):
                 return re.search(pattern_str[1:], str)
             else:
                 return fnmatch.fnmatch(str, pattern_str)
-        except Exception, e:
+        except Exception as e:
             raise AnsibleError('invalid host pattern: %s' % pattern_str)
 
     def _match_list(self, items, item_attr, pattern_str):
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ class Inventory(object):
                 pattern = re.compile(fnmatch.translate(pattern_str))
             else:
                 pattern = re.compile(pattern_str[1:])
-        except Exception, e:
+        except Exception as e:
             raise AnsibleError('invalid host pattern: %s' % pattern_str)
 
         for item in items:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/inventory/script.py b/lib/ansible/inventory/script.py
index 91549d78fb..6e64b0e894 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/inventory/script.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/inventory/script.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ class InventoryScript:
         cmd = [ self.filename, "--list" ]
         try:
             sp = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
-        except OSError, e:
+        except OSError as e:
             raise AnsibleError("problem running %s (%s)" % (' '.join(cmd), e))
         (stdout, stderr) = sp.communicate()
 
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ class InventoryScript:
         cmd = [self.filename, "--host", host.name]
         try:
             sp = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
-        except OSError, e:
+        except OSError as e:
             raise AnsibleError("problem running %s (%s)" % (' '.join(cmd), e))
         (out, err) = sp.communicate()
         if out.strip() == '':
diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/conditional.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/conditional.py
index f0acbbdb3f..4fa600734f 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/conditional.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/conditional.py
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ class Conditional:
             for conditional in self.when:
                 if not self._check_conditional(conditional, templar, all_vars):
                     return False
-        except Exception, e:
+        except Exception as e:
             raise AnsibleError("The conditional check '%s' failed. The error was: %s" % (conditional, e), obj=ds)
 
         return True
diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/helpers.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/helpers.py
index 98bef15e2a..98c9ffae30 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/helpers.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/helpers.py
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 import os
 
-from types import NoneType
-
 from ansible.errors import AnsibleParserError
 from ansible.parsing.yaml.objects import AnsibleBaseYAMLObject, AnsibleSequence
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/role/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/role/__init__.py
index 1a6f99540c..c406bd9404 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/role/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/role/__init__.py
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ import inspect
 import os
 
 from hashlib import sha1
-from types import NoneType
 
 from ansible.errors import AnsibleError, AnsibleParserError
 from ansible.parsing import DataLoader
@@ -184,16 +183,16 @@ class Role(Base, Become, Conditional, Taggable):
 
         # vars and default vars are regular dictionaries
         self._role_vars  = self._load_role_yaml('vars')
-        if not isinstance(self._role_vars, (dict, NoneType)):
-            raise AnsibleParserError("The vars/main.yml file for role '%s' must contain a dictionary of variables" % self._role_name)
-        elif self._role_vars is None:
+        if self._role_vars is None:
             self._role_vars = dict()
+        elif not isinstance(self._role_vars, dict):
+            raise AnsibleParserError("The vars/main.yml file for role '%s' must contain a dictionary of variables" % self._role_name)
 
         self._default_vars = self._load_role_yaml('defaults')
-        if not isinstance(self._default_vars, (dict, NoneType)):
-            raise AnsibleParserError("The default/main.yml file for role '%s' must contain a dictionary of variables" % self._role_name)
-        elif self._default_vars is None:
+        if self._default_vars is None:
             self._default_vars = dict()
+        elif not isinstance(self._default_vars, dict):
+            raise AnsibleParserError("The default/main.yml file for role '%s' must contain a dictionary of variables" % self._role_name)
 
     def _load_role_yaml(self, subdir):
         file_path = os.path.join(self._role_path, subdir)
@@ -370,7 +369,7 @@ class Role(Base, Become, Conditional, Taggable):
     def deserialize(self, data, include_deps=True):
         self._role_name    = data.get('_role_name', '')
         self._role_path    = data.get('_role_path', '')
-	self._role_vars    = data.get('_role_vars', dict())
+        self._role_vars    = data.get('_role_vars', dict())
         self._role_params  = data.get('_role_params', dict())
         self._default_vars = data.get('_default_vars', dict())
         self._had_task_run = data.get('_had_task_run', dict())
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/__init__.py
index 6cea019ce1..6f63231b14 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/__init__.py
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ class ActionBase:
 
         tmp_mode = None
         if self._play_context.remote_user != 'root' or self._play_context.become and self._play_context.become_user != 'root':
-            tmp_mode = 0755
+            tmp_mode = 0o755
 
         cmd = self._connection._shell.mkdtemp(basefile, use_system_tmp, tmp_mode)
         self._display.debug("executing _low_level_execute_command to create the tmp path")
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/include_vars.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/include_vars.py
index 31d93e7acc..e0c1c088b8 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/include_vars.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/include_vars.py
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 import os
 
-from types import NoneType
-
 from ansible.errors import AnsibleError
 from ansible.parsing import DataLoader
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/cache/jsonfile.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/cache/jsonfile.py
index 04e05f9b0c..3fc3458fb9 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/cache/jsonfile.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/cache/jsonfile.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ class CacheModule(BaseCacheModule):
         if not os.path.exists(self._cache_dir):
             try:
                 os.makedirs(self._cache_dir)
-            except (OSError,IOError), e:
+            except (OSError,IOError) as e:
                 self._display.warning("error while trying to create cache dir %s : %s" % (self._cache_dir, str(e)))
                 return None
 
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ class CacheModule(BaseCacheModule):
         cachefile = "%s/%s" % (self._cache_dir, key)
         try:
             f = codecs.open(cachefile, 'r', encoding='utf-8')
-        except (OSError,IOError), e:
+        except (OSError,IOError) as e:
             self._display.warning("error while trying to read %s : %s" % (cachefile, str(e)))
             pass
         else:
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ class CacheModule(BaseCacheModule):
         cachefile = "%s/%s" % (self._cache_dir, key)
         try:
             f = codecs.open(cachefile, 'w', encoding='utf-8')
-        except (OSError,IOError), e:
+        except (OSError,IOError) as e:
             self._display.warning("error while trying to write to %s : %s" % (cachefile, str(e)))
             pass
         else:
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ class CacheModule(BaseCacheModule):
         cachefile = "%s/%s" % (self._cache_dir, key)
         try:
             st = os.stat(cachefile)
-        except (OSError,IOError), e:
+        except (OSError,IOError) as e:
             if e.errno == errno.ENOENT:
                 return False
             else:
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ class CacheModule(BaseCacheModule):
         try:
             st = os.stat(cachefile)
             return True
-        except (OSError,IOError), e:
+        except (OSError,IOError) as e:
             if e.errno == errno.ENOENT:
                 return False
             else:
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ class CacheModule(BaseCacheModule):
         del self._cache[key]
         try:
             os.remove("%s/%s" % (self._cache_dir, key))
-        except (OSError,IOError), e:
+        except (OSError,IOError) as e:
             pass #TODO: only pass on non existing?
 
     def flush(self):
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/core.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/core.py
index aa7464c323..39303af4b6 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/core.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/core.py
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ def version_compare(value, version, operator='eq', strict=False):
     try:
         method = getattr(py_operator, operator)
         return method(Version(str(value)), Version(str(version)))
-    except Exception, e:
+    except Exception as e:
         raise errors.AnsibleFilterError('Version comparison: %s' % e)
 
 def regex_escape(string):
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/mathstuff.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/mathstuff.py
index 516ef1c677..341c2aa2d8 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/mathstuff.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/filter/mathstuff.py
@@ -80,14 +80,14 @@ def logarithm(x, base=math.e):
             return math.log10(x)
         else:
             return math.log(x, base)
-    except TypeError, e:
+    except TypeError as e:
         raise errors.AnsibleFilterError('log() can only be used on numbers: %s' % str(e))
 
 
 def power(x, y):
     try:
         return math.pow(x, y)
-    except TypeError, e:
+    except TypeError as e:
         raise errors.AnsibleFilterError('pow() can only be used on numbers: %s' % str(e))
 
 
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ def inversepower(x, base=2):
             return math.sqrt(x)
         else:
             return math.pow(x, 1.0/float(base))
-    except TypeError, e:
+    except TypeError as e:
         raise errors.AnsibleFilterError('root() can only be used on numbers: %s' % str(e))
 
 
@@ -107,13 +107,13 @@ def human_readable(size, isbits=False, unit=None):
     suffix = ''
 
     ranges = (
-            (1<<70L, 'Z'),
-            (1<<60L, 'E'),
-            (1<<50L, 'P'),
-            (1<<40L, 'T'),
-            (1<<30L, 'G'),
-            (1<<20L, 'M'),
-            (1<<10L, 'K'),
+            (1<<70, 'Z'),
+            (1<<60, 'E'),
+            (1<<50, 'P'),
+            (1<<40, 'T'),
+            (1<<30, 'G'),
+            (1<<20, 'M'),
+            (1<<10, 'K'),
             (1, base)
         )
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/consul_kv.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/consul_kv.py
index 5da1a5bef0..47eaa71bc8 100755
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/consul_kv.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/consul_kv.py
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ except ImportError:
 try:
     import consul
     HAS_CONSUL = True
-except ImportError, e:
+except ImportError as e:
     HAS_CONSUL = False
 
 
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                             values.append(r['Value'])
                     else:
                         values.append(results[1]['Value'])
-        except Exception, e:
+        except Exception as e:
             raise AnsibleError(
                 "Error locating '%s' in kv store. Error was %s" % (term, e))
 
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                     name, value = param.split('=')
                     assert name in paramvals, "% not a valid consul lookup parameter" % name
                     paramvals[name] = value
-        except (ValueError, AssertionError), e:
+        except (ValueError, AssertionError) as e:
             raise AnsibleError(e)
 
         return paramvals
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/credstash.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/credstash.py
index 9d548baea6..41cc6b894f 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/credstash.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/credstash.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                 val = credstash.getSecret(term, **kwargs)
             except credstash.ItemNotFound:
                 raise AnsibleError('Key {0} not found'.format(term))
-            except Exception, e:
+            except Exception as e:
                 raise AnsibleError('Encountered exception while fetching {0}: {1}'.format(term, e.message))
             ret.append(val)
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/dig.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/dig.py
index acd73ddc19..a3ba43879b 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/dig.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/dig.py
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                         try:
                             nsaddr = dns.resolver.query(ns)[0].address
                             nameservers.append(nsaddr)
-                        except Exception, e:
+                        except Exception as e:
                             raise AnsibleError("dns lookup NS: ", str(e))
                     myres.nameservers = nameservers
                 continue
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                 domain = n.to_text()
             except dns.exception.SyntaxError:
                 pass
-            except Exception, e:
+            except Exception as e:
                 raise AnsibleError("dns.reversename unhandled exception", str(e))
 
         try:
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                         rd['ttl']       = answers.rrset.ttl
 
                         ret.append(rd)
-                    except Exception, e:
+                    except Exception as e:
                         ret.append(str(e))
 
         except dns.resolver.NXDOMAIN:
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
             ret.append("")
         except dns.resolver.Timeout:
             ret.append('')
-        except dns.exception.DNSException, e:
+        except dns.exception.DNSException as e:
             raise AnsibleError("dns.resolver unhandled exception", e)
 
         return ret
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/ini.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/ini.py
index 7ea8f92aaf..9c1adc90ca 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/ini.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/ini.py
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
         # Retrieve a single value
         try:
             value = self.cp.get(section, key)
-        except ConfigParser.NoOptionError, e:
+        except ConfigParser.NoOptionError as e:
             return dflt
         return value
 
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                     name, value = param.split('=')
                     assert(name in paramvals)
                     paramvals[name] = value
-            except (ValueError, AssertionError), e:
+            except (ValueError, AssertionError) as e:
                 raise errors.AnsibleError(e)
 
             path = self._loader.path_dwim_relative(basedir, 'files', paramvals['file'])
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/nested.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/nested.py
index ff865c28ee..2593aa5d9f 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/nested.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/nested.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
         for x in terms:
             try:
                 intermediate = listify_lookup_plugin_terms(x, templar=self._templar, loader=self._loader, fail_on_undefined=True)
-            except UndefinedError, e:
+            except UndefinedError as e:
                 raise AnsibleUndefinedVariable("One of the nested variables was undefined. The error was: %s" % e)
             results.append(intermediate)
         return results
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/sequence.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/sequence.py
index a6d133b3f9..319173d5a9 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/sequence.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/sequence.py
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                 try:
                     if not self.parse_simple_args(term):
                         self.parse_kv_args(parse_kv(term))
-                except Exception, e:
+                except Exception as e:
                     raise AnsibleError("unknown error parsing with_sequence arguments: %r. Error was: %s" % (term, e))
 
                 self.sanity_check()
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/shelvefile.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/shelvefile.py
index 89e393694b..8883dc06b9 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/shelvefile.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/lookup/shelvefile.py
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class LookupModule(LookupBase):
                     assert(name in paramvals)
                     paramvals[name] = value
 
-            except (ValueError, AssertionError), e:
+            except (ValueError, AssertionError) as e:
                 # In case "file" or "key" are not present
                 raise AnsibleError(e)
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/shell/sh.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/shell/sh.py
index 1464fd09fa..249131a0fb 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/shell/sh.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/shell/sh.py
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ class ShellModule(object):
         # change the umask in a subshell to achieve the desired mode
         # also for directories created with `mkdir -p`
         if mode:
-            tmp_umask = 0777 & ~mode
+            tmp_umask = 0o777 & ~mode
             cmd = '(umask %o && %s)' % (tmp_umask, cmd)
 
         return cmd
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/__init__.py
index f6bb3b03aa..834569dd8a 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/__init__.py
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ class StrategyBase:
             data = self._loader.load_from_file(included_file._filename)
             if data is None:
                 return []
-        except AnsibleError, e:
+        except AnsibleError as e:
             for host in included_file._hosts:
                 tr = TaskResult(host=host, task=included_file._task, return_data=dict(failed=True, reason=str(e)))
                 iterator.mark_host_failed(host)
@@ -455,7 +455,7 @@ class StrategyBase:
                             loader=self._loader,
                             variable_manager=self._variable_manager
                         )
-                    except AnsibleError, e:
+                    except AnsibleError as e:
                         return False
 
                     if len(included_files) > 0:
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ class StrategyBase:
                                     # and add the new blocks to the list of handler blocks
                                     handler_block.block.extend(block.block)
                                 #iterator._play.handlers.extend(new_blocks)
-                            except AnsibleError, e:
+                            except AnsibleError as e:
                                 for host in included_file._hosts:
                                     iterator.mark_host_failed(host)
                                     self._tqm._failed_hosts[host.name] = True
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/free.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/free.py
index 5bc0d8db36..aed71caef6 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/free.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/free.py
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ class StrategyModule(StrategyBase):
 
             try:
                 included_files = IncludedFile.process_include_results(host_results, self._tqm, iterator=iterator, loader=self._loader, variable_manager=self._variable_manager)
-            except AnsibleError, e:
+            except AnsibleError as e:
                 return False
 
             if len(included_files) > 0:
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ class StrategyModule(StrategyBase):
                     # list of noop tasks, to make sure that they continue running in lock-step
                     try:
                         new_blocks = self._load_included_file(included_file, iterator=iterator)
-                    except AnsibleError, e:
+                    except AnsibleError as e:
                         for host in included_file._hosts:
                             iterator.mark_host_failed(host)
                         self._display.warning(str(e))
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/linear.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/linear.py
index 2e6b3b2386..35c2cb5067 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/linear.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/linear.py
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ class StrategyModule(StrategyBase):
 
                 try:
                     included_files = IncludedFile.process_include_results(host_results, self._tqm, iterator=iterator, loader=self._loader, variable_manager=self._variable_manager)
-                except AnsibleError, e:
+                except AnsibleError as e:
                     return False
 
                 if len(included_files) > 0:
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ class StrategyModule(StrategyBase):
                         # list of noop tasks, to make sure that they continue running in lock-step
                         try:
                             new_blocks = self._load_included_file(included_file, iterator=iterator)
-                        except AnsibleError, e:
+                        except AnsibleError as e:
                             for host in included_file._hosts:
                                 iterator.mark_host_failed(host)
                             self._display.warning(str(e))
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ class StrategyModule(StrategyBase):
                         iterator.add_tasks(host, all_blocks[host])
 
                 self._display.debug("results queue empty")
-            except (IOError, EOFError), e:
+            except (IOError, EOFError) as e:
                 self._display.debug("got IOError/EOFError in task loop: %s" % e)
                 # most likely an abort, return failed
                 return False
diff --git a/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py
index 1a1465139a..1793a2f43e 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ from ansible.template.vars import AnsibleJ2Vars
 from ansible.utils.debug import debug
 
 from numbers import Number
-from types import NoneType
 
 __all__ = ['Templar']
 
@@ -188,7 +187,7 @@ class Templar:
                             resolved_val = self._available_variables[var_name]
                             if isinstance(resolved_val, NON_TEMPLATED_TYPES):
                                 return resolved_val
-                            elif isinstance(resolved_val, NoneType):
+                            elif resolved_val is None:
                                 return C.DEFAULT_NULL_REPRESENTATION
 
                     result = self._do_template(variable, preserve_trailing_newlines=preserve_trailing_newlines, fail_on_undefined=fail_on_undefined, overrides=overrides)
@@ -261,7 +260,7 @@ class Templar:
                 ran = instance.run(loop_terms, variables=self._available_variables, **kwargs)
             except (AnsibleUndefinedVariable, UndefinedError) as e:
                 raise AnsibleUndefinedVariable(e)
-            except Exception, e:
+            except Exception as e:
                 if self._fail_on_lookup_errors:
                     raise
                 ran = None
@@ -299,9 +298,9 @@ class Templar:
 
             try:
                 t = myenv.from_string(data)
-            except TemplateSyntaxError, e:
+            except TemplateSyntaxError as e:
                 raise AnsibleError("template error while templating string: %s" % str(e))
-            except Exception, e:
+            except Exception as e:
                 if 'recursion' in str(e):
                     raise AnsibleError("recursive loop detected in template string: %s" % data)
                 else:
@@ -317,7 +316,7 @@ class Templar:
 
             try:
                 res = j2_concat(rf)
-            except TypeError, te:
+            except TypeError as te:
                 if 'StrictUndefined' in str(te):
                     raise AnsibleUndefinedVariable(
                         "Unable to look up a name or access an attribute in template string. " + \
@@ -338,7 +337,7 @@ class Templar:
                     res += '\n' * (data_newlines - res_newlines)
 
             return res
-        except (UndefinedError, AnsibleUndefinedVariable), e:
+        except (UndefinedError, AnsibleUndefinedVariable) as e:
             if fail_on_undefined:
                 raise AnsibleUndefinedVariable(e)
             else:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/utils/module_docs.py b/lib/ansible/utils/module_docs.py
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
diff --git a/lib/ansible/utils/path.py b/lib/ansible/utils/path.py
index b271e7ed4b..0f9e641b74 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/utils/path.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/utils/path.py
@@ -45,6 +45,6 @@ def makedirs_safe(path, mode=None):
                 os.makedirs(path, mode)
             else:
                 os.makedirs(path)
-        except OSError, e:
+        except OSError as e:
             if e.errno != EEXIST:
                 raise
diff --git a/lib/ansible/utils/unicode.py b/lib/ansible/utils/unicode.py
index 2cff2e5e45..a63c1960e1 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/utils/unicode.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/utils/unicode.py
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ def to_bytes(obj, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', nonstring=None):
         return obj
     elif nonstring == 'simplerepr':
         try:
-            simple = binary_type(obj)
+            simple = str(obj)
         except UnicodeError:
             try:
                 simple = obj.__str__()
diff --git a/lib/ansible/vars/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/vars/__init__.py
index 27f7221252..4eeedb1b05 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/vars/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/vars/__init__.py
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ class VariableManager:
                             break
                     else:
                         raise AnsibleError("vars file %s was not found" % vars_file_item)
-                except UndefinedError, e:
+                except UndefinedError as e:
                     continue
 
             if not C.DEFAULT_PRIVATE_ROLE_VARS:
diff --git a/test/integration/cleanup_ec2.py b/test/integration/cleanup_ec2.py
index 1935f0bdc1..559a5c0ae1 100644
--- a/test/integration/cleanup_ec2.py
+++ b/test/integration/cleanup_ec2.py
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ def delete_aws_eips(get_func, attr, opts):
     try:
       eip_log = open(opts.eip_log, 'r').read().splitlines()
     except IOError:
-      print opts.eip_log, 'not found.'
+      print('%s not found.' % opts.eip_log)
       return
 
     for item in get_func():
@@ -175,5 +175,5 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
         filters = {"tag:Name":opts.match_re.replace('^',''), "instance-state-name": ['running', 'pending', 'stopped' ]}
         delete_aws_instances(aws.get_all_instances(filters=filters), opts)
 
-    except KeyboardInterrupt, e:
-        print "\nExiting on user command."
+    except KeyboardInterrupt as e:
+        print("\nExiting on user command.")
diff --git a/test/integration/cleanup_gce.py b/test/integration/cleanup_gce.py
index e0cf0bc043..c807ebb81a 100644
--- a/test/integration/cleanup_gce.py
+++ b/test/integration/cleanup_gce.py
@@ -73,5 +73,5 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
       delete_gce_resources(get_snapshots, 'name', opts)
       # Delete matching disks
       delete_gce_resources(gce.list_volumes, 'name', opts)
-    except KeyboardInterrupt, e:
-        print "\nExiting on user command."
+    except KeyboardInterrupt as e:
+        print("\nExiting on user command.")
diff --git a/test/integration/cleanup_rax.py b/test/integration/cleanup_rax.py
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index f872e9458d..5c757f53c5
--- a/test/integration/cleanup_rax.py
+++ b/test/integration/cleanup_rax.py
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ def authenticate():
 def prompt_and_delete(item, prompt, assumeyes):
     if not assumeyes:
         assumeyes = raw_input(prompt).lower() == 'y'
-    assert (hasattr(item, 'delete') or hasattr(item, 'terminate'),
-            "Class <%s> has no delete or terminate attribute" % item.__class__)
+    assert hasattr(item, 'delete') or hasattr(item, 'terminate'), \
+            "Class <%s> has no delete or terminate attribute" % item.__class__
     if assumeyes:
         if hasattr(item, 'delete'):
             item.delete()
diff --git a/test/integration/consul_running.py b/test/integration/consul_running.py
index 9fdff9ef59..f64aaeecc3 100644
--- a/test/integration/consul_running.py
+++ b/test/integration/consul_running.py
@@ -6,6 +6,6 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
         import consul
         consul = consul.Consul(host='0.0.0.0', port=8500)
         consul.catalog.nodes()
-        print "True"
+        print("True")
     except:
         pass
diff --git a/test/integration/roles/test_service/files/ansible_test_service b/test/integration/roles/test_service/files/ansible_test_service
index 66c3a3a2d4..5e8691f2f1 100755
--- a/test/integration/roles/test_service/files/ansible_test_service
+++ b/test/integration/roles/test_service/files/ansible_test_service
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ else:
 def createDaemon():
    try:
       pid = os.fork()
-   except OSError, e:
+   except OSError as e:
       raise Exception, "%s [%d]" % (e.strerror, e.errno)
 
    if (pid == 0):
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ def createDaemon():
 
       try:
          pid = os.fork()
-      except OSError, e:
+      except OSError as e:
          raise Exception, "%s [%d]" % (e.strerror, e.errno)
 
       if (pid == 0):
diff --git a/test/integration/setup_gce.py b/test/integration/setup_gce.py
index 0248d7684d..8aa8babb2d 100644
--- a/test/integration/setup_gce.py
+++ b/test/integration/setup_gce.py
@@ -38,5 +38,5 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
       gce.create_volume_snapshot(base_volume, name=prefix+'-snapshot')
       gce.create_volume(
           size=10, name=prefix+'-extra', location='us-central1-a')
-    except KeyboardInterrupt, e:
-        print "\nExiting on user command."
+    except KeyboardInterrupt as e:
+        print("\nExiting on user command.")
diff --git a/test/units/module_utils/test_basic.py b/test/units/module_utils/test_basic.py
index e1e3399b93..1a2fbefd43 100644
--- a/test/units/module_utils/test_basic.py
+++ b/test/units/module_utils/test_basic.py
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ class TestModuleUtilsBasic(unittest.TestCase):
 
         base_params = dict(
             path = '/path/to/file',
-            mode = 0600,
+            mode = 0o600,
             owner = 'root',
             group = 'root',
             seuser = '_default',
@@ -711,9 +711,9 @@ class TestModuleUtilsBasic(unittest.TestCase):
         )
 
         mock_stat1 = MagicMock()
-        mock_stat1.st_mode = 0444
+        mock_stat1.st_mode = 0o444
         mock_stat2 = MagicMock()
-        mock_stat2.st_mode = 0660
+        mock_stat2.st_mode = 0o660
 
         with patch('os.lstat', side_effect=[mock_stat1]):
             self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file', None, True), True)
@@ -723,13 +723,13 @@ class TestModuleUtilsBasic(unittest.TestCase):
         with patch('os.lstat') as m:
             with patch('os.lchmod', return_value=None, create=True) as m_os:
                 m.side_effect = [mock_stat1, mock_stat2, mock_stat2]
-                self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file', 0660, False), True)
-                m_os.assert_called_with('/path/to/file', 0660)
+                self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file', 0o660, False), True)
+                m_os.assert_called_with('/path/to/file', 0o660)
 
                 m.side_effect = [mock_stat1, mock_stat2, mock_stat2]
-                am._symbolic_mode_to_octal = MagicMock(return_value=0660)
+                am._symbolic_mode_to_octal = MagicMock(return_value=0o660)
                 self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file', 'o+w,g+w,a-r', False), True)
-                m_os.assert_called_with('/path/to/file', 0660)
+                m_os.assert_called_with('/path/to/file', 0o660)
 
                 m.side_effect = [mock_stat1, mock_stat2, mock_stat2]
                 am._symbolic_mode_to_octal = MagicMock(side_effect=Exception)
@@ -737,7 +737,7 @@ class TestModuleUtilsBasic(unittest.TestCase):
 
                 m.side_effect = [mock_stat1, mock_stat2, mock_stat2]
                 am.check_mode = True
-                self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file', 0660, False), True)
+                self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file', 0o660, False), True)
                 am.check_mode = False
 
         # FIXME: this isn't working yet
@@ -746,11 +746,11 @@ class TestModuleUtilsBasic(unittest.TestCase):
         #        del m_os.lchmod
         #        with patch('os.path.islink', return_value=False):
         #            with patch('os.chmod', return_value=None) as m_chmod:
-        #                self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file/no_lchmod', 0660, False), True)
-        #                m_chmod.assert_called_with('/path/to/file', 0660)
+        #                self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file/no_lchmod', 0o660, False), True)
+        #                m_chmod.assert_called_with('/path/to/file', 0o660)
         #        with patch('os.path.islink', return_value=True):
         #            with patch('os.chmod', return_value=None) as m_chmod:
         #                with patch('os.stat', return_value=mock_stat2):
-        #                    self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file', 0660, False), True)
-        #                    m_chmod.assert_called_with('/path/to/file', 0660)
+        #                    self.assertEqual(am.set_mode_if_different('/path/to/file', 0o660, False), True)
+        #                    m_chmod.assert_called_with('/path/to/file', 0o660)
 
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 1031d051e9..643ab11dac 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ whitelist_externals = make
 [testenv:py34]
 commands =
     python --version
-    python -m compileall -fq -x 'lib/ansible/module_utils' lib test contrib
+    python -m compileall -fq -x 'lib/ansible/module_utils|lib/ansible/modules' lib test
     make tests
 deps = -r{toxinidir}/test-requirements.txt
 whitelist_externals = make