diff --git a/container.go b/container.go
index c5df1f4b58..c98982b111 100644
--- a/container.go
+++ b/container.go
@@ -104,6 +104,44 @@ type Config struct {
 	NetworkDisabled bool
 }
 
+func ContainerConfigFromJob(job *engine.Job) *Config {
+	var config Config
+	config.Hostname = job.Getenv("Hostname")
+	config.Domainname = job.Getenv("Domainname")
+	config.User = job.Getenv("User")
+	config.Memory = job.GetenvInt64("Memory")
+	config.MemorySwap = job.GetenvInt64("MemorySwap")
+	config.CpuShares = job.GetenvInt64("CpuShares")
+	config.AttachStdin = job.GetenvBool("AttachStdin")
+	config.AttachStdout = job.GetenvBool("AttachStdout")
+	config.AttachStderr = job.GetenvBool("AttachStderr")
+	if PortSpecs := job.GetenvList("PortSpecs"); PortSpecs != nil {
+		config.PortSpecs = PortSpecs
+	}
+	job.GetenvJson("ExposedPorts", &config.ExposedPorts)
+	config.Tty = job.GetenvBool("Tty")
+	config.OpenStdin = job.GetenvBool("OpenStdin")
+	config.StdinOnce = job.GetenvBool("StdinOnce")
+	if Env := job.GetenvList("Env"); Env != nil {
+		config.Env = Env
+	}
+	if Cmd := job.GetenvList("Cmd"); Cmd != nil {
+		config.Cmd = Cmd
+	}
+	if Dns := job.GetenvList("Dns"); Dns != nil {
+		config.Dns = Dns
+	}
+	config.Image = job.Getenv("Image")
+	job.GetenvJson("Volumes", &config.Volumes)
+	config.VolumesFrom = job.Getenv("VolumesFrom")
+	config.WorkingDir = job.Getenv("WorkingDir")
+	if Entrypoint := job.GetenvList("Entrypoint"); Entrypoint != nil {
+		config.Entrypoint = Entrypoint
+	}
+	config.NetworkDisabled = job.GetenvBool("NetworkDisabled")
+	return &config
+}
+
 type HostConfig struct {
 	Binds           []string
 	ContainerIDFile string
@@ -114,6 +152,22 @@ type HostConfig struct {
 	PublishAllPorts bool
 }
 
+func ContainerHostConfigFromJob(job *engine.Job) *HostConfig {
+	var hostConfig HostConfig
+	if Binds := job.GetenvList("Binds"); Binds != nil {
+		hostConfig.Binds = Binds
+	}
+	hostConfig.ContainerIDFile = job.Getenv("ContainerIDFile")
+	job.GetenvJson("LxcConf", &hostConfig.LxcConf)
+	hostConfig.Privileged = job.GetenvBool("Privileged")
+	job.GetenvJson("PortBindings", &hostConfig.PortBindings)
+	if Links := job.GetenvList("Links"); Links != nil {
+		hostConfig.Links = Links
+	}
+	hostConfig.PublishAllPorts = job.GetenvBool("PublishAllPorts")
+	return &hostConfig
+}
+
 type BindMap struct {
 	SrcPath string
 	DstPath string
diff --git a/engine/env.go b/engine/env.go
index f93555a40b..e000fe26b1 100644
--- a/engine/env.go
+++ b/engine/env.go
@@ -191,24 +191,6 @@ func (env *Env) WriteTo(dst io.Writer) (n int64, err error) {
 	return 0, env.Encode(dst)
 }
 
-func (env *Env) Export(dst interface{}) (err error) {
-	defer func() {
-		if err != nil {
-			err = fmt.Errorf("ExportEnv %s", err)
-		}
-	}()
-	var buf bytes.Buffer
-	// step 1: encode/marshal the env to an intermediary json representation
-	if err := env.Encode(&buf); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	// step 2: decode/unmarshal the intermediary json into the destination object
-	if err := json.NewDecoder(&buf).Decode(dst); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
 func (env *Env) Import(src interface{}) (err error) {
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/engine/env_test.go b/engine/env_test.go
index 24c5992dd0..419c47491e 100644
--- a/engine/env_test.go
+++ b/engine/env_test.go
@@ -84,32 +84,6 @@ func TestSetenvList(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestImportEnv(t *testing.T) {
-	type dummy struct {
-		DummyInt         int
-		DummyStringArray []string
-	}
-
-	job := mkJob(t, "dummy")
-	if err := job.ImportEnv(&dummy{42, []string{"foo", "bar"}}); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	dmy := dummy{}
-	if err := job.ExportEnv(&dmy); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if dmy.DummyInt != 42 {
-		t.Fatalf("Expected 42, got %d", dmy.DummyInt)
-	}
-
-	if len(dmy.DummyStringArray) != 2 || dmy.DummyStringArray[0] != "foo" || dmy.DummyStringArray[1] != "bar" {
-		t.Fatalf("Expected {foo, bar}, got %v", dmy.DummyStringArray)
-	}
-
-}
-
 func TestEnviron(t *testing.T) {
 	job := mkJob(t, "dummy")
 	job.Setenv("foo", "bar")
diff --git a/engine/job.go b/engine/job.go
index 179b2ebdda..181eaa80c7 100644
--- a/engine/job.go
+++ b/engine/job.go
@@ -164,10 +164,6 @@ func (job *Job) EncodeEnv(dst io.Writer) error {
 	return job.env.Encode(dst)
 }
 
-func (job *Job) ExportEnv(dst interface{}) (err error) {
-	return job.env.Export(dst)
-}
-
 func (job *Job) ImportEnv(src interface{}) (err error) {
 	return job.env.Import(src)
 }
diff --git a/server.go b/server.go
index a6731842cc..5a3b999c43 100644
--- a/server.go
+++ b/server.go
@@ -1742,11 +1742,7 @@ func (srv *Server) ContainerCreate(job *engine.Job) engine.Status {
 		job.Printf("Usage: %s", job.Name)
 		return engine.StatusErr
 	}
-	var config Config
-	if err := job.ExportEnv(&config); err != nil {
-		job.Error(err)
-		return engine.StatusErr
-	}
+	config := ContainerConfigFromJob(job)
 	if config.Memory != 0 && config.Memory < 524288 {
 		job.Errorf("Minimum memory limit allowed is 512k")
 		return engine.StatusErr
@@ -1769,7 +1765,7 @@ func (srv *Server) ContainerCreate(job *engine.Job) engine.Status {
 		config.Dns = defaultDns
 	}
 
-	container, buildWarnings, err := srv.runtime.Create(&config, name)
+	container, buildWarnings, err := srv.runtime.Create(config, name)
 	if err != nil {
 		if srv.runtime.graph.IsNotExist(err) {
 			_, tag := utils.ParseRepositoryTag(config.Image)
@@ -2196,11 +2192,7 @@ func (srv *Server) ContainerStart(job *engine.Job) engine.Status {
 	}
 	// If no environment was set, then no hostconfig was passed.
 	if len(job.Environ()) > 0 {
-		var hostConfig HostConfig
-		if err := job.ExportEnv(&hostConfig); err != nil {
-			job.Error(err)
-			return engine.StatusErr
-		}
+		hostConfig := ContainerHostConfigFromJob(job)
 		// Validate the HostConfig binds. Make sure that:
 		// 1) the source of a bind mount isn't /
 		//         The bind mount "/:/foo" isn't allowed.
@@ -2227,11 +2219,11 @@ func (srv *Server) ContainerStart(job *engine.Job) engine.Status {
 			}
 		}
 		// Register any links from the host config before starting the container
-		if err := srv.RegisterLinks(container, &hostConfig); err != nil {
+		if err := srv.RegisterLinks(container, hostConfig); err != nil {
 			job.Error(err)
 			return engine.StatusErr
 		}
-		container.hostConfig = &hostConfig
+		container.hostConfig = hostConfig
 		container.ToDisk()
 	}
 	if err := container.Start(); err != nil {