diff --git a/apps/files_external/appinfo/app.php b/apps/files_external/appinfo/app.php
index aeb7a2cb23..d6238932cd 100644
--- a/apps/files_external/appinfo/app.php
+++ b/apps/files_external/appinfo/app.php
@@ -31,3 +31,78 @@ OCP\Util::connectHook('OC_Filesystem', 'post_initMountPoints', '\OC_Mount_Config
 OCP\Util::connectHook('OC_User', 'post_login', 'OC\Files\Storage\iRODS', 'login');
 OCP\Util::connectHook('OC_User', 'post_login', 'OC\Files\Storage\SMB_OC', 'login');
 
+OC_Mount_Config::registerBackend('\OC\Files\Storage\Local', array(
+	'backend' => 'Local',
+	'configuration' => array(
+		'datadir' => 'Location')));
+
+OC_Mount_Config::registerBackend('\OC\Files\Storage\AmazonS3', array(
+	'backend' => 'Amazon S3',
+	'configuration' => array(
+		'key' => 'Key',
+		'secret' => '*Secret',
+		'bucket' => 'Bucket')));
+
+OC_Mount_Config::registerBackend('\OC\Files\Storage\Dropbox', array(
+	'backend' => 'Dropbox',
+	'configuration' => array(
+		'configured' => '#configured',
+		'app_key' => 'App key',
+		'app_secret' => 'App secret',
+		'token' => '#token',
+		'token_secret' => '#token_secret'),
+	'custom' => 'dropbox'));
+
+OC_Mount_Config::registerBackend('\OC\Files\Storage\FTP', array(
+	'backend' => 'FTP',
+	'configuration' => array(
+		'host' => 'URL',
+		'user' => 'Username',
+		'password' => '*Password',
+		'root' => '&Root',
+		'secure' => '!Secure ftps://'),
+	'has_dependencies' => true));
+
+OC_Mount_Config::registerBackend('\OC\Files\Storage\Google', array(
+	'backend' => 'Google Drive',
+	'configuration' => array(
+		'configured' => '#configured',
+		'token' => '#token',
+		'token_secret' => '#token secret'),
+	'custom' => 'google'));
+
+OC_Mount_Config::registerBackend('\OC\Files\Storage\SWIFT', array(
+	'backend' => 'OpenStack Swift',
+	'configuration' => array(
+		'host' => 'URL',
+		'user' => 'Username',
+		'token' => '*Token',
+		'root' => '&Root',
+		'secure' => '!Secure ftps://')));
+
+OC_Mount_Config::registerBackend('\OC\Files\Storage\SMB', array(
+	'backend' => 'SMB / CIFS',
+	'configuration' => array(
+		'host' => 'URL',
+		'user' => 'Username',
+		'password' => '*Password',
+		'share' => 'Share',
+		'root' => '&Root'),
+	'has_dependencies' => true));
+
+OC_Mount_Config::registerBackend('\OC\Files\Storage\DAV', array(
+	'backend' => 'ownCloud / WebDAV',
+	'configuration' => array(
+		'host' => 'URL',
+		'user' => 'Username',
+		'password' => '*Password',
+		'root' => '&Root',
+		'secure' => '!Secure https://')));
+
+OC_Mount_Config::registerBackend('\OC\Files\Storage\SFTP', array(
+	'backend' => 'SFTP',
+	'configuration' => array(
+		'host' => 'URL',
+		'user' => 'Username',
+		'password' => '*Password',
+		'root' => '&Root')));
diff --git a/apps/files_external/lib/config.php b/apps/files_external/lib/config.php
index 472c3963d5..00f77ea686 100755
--- a/apps/files_external/lib/config.php
+++ b/apps/files_external/lib/config.php
@@ -39,6 +39,17 @@ class OC_Mount_Config {
 	// whether to skip backend test (for unit tests, as this static class is not mockable)
 	public static $skipTest = false;
 
+	private static $backends = array();
+
+	public static function registerBackend($class, $definition) {
+		if (!isset($definition['backend'])) {
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		OC_Mount_Config::$backends[$class] = $definition;
+		return true;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	* Get details on each of the external storage backends, used for the mount config UI
 	* If a custom UI is needed, add the key 'custom' and a javascript file with that name will be loaded
@@ -49,127 +60,20 @@ class OC_Mount_Config {
 	* @return string
 	*/
 	public static function getBackends() {
+		$sortFunc = function($a, $b) {
+			return strcasecmp($a['backend'], $b['backend']);
+		};
 
-		// FIXME: do not rely on php key order for the options order in the UI
-		$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\Local']=array(
-				'backend' => 'Local',
-				'configuration' => array(
-					'datadir' => 'Location'));
-
-		$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\AmazonS3']=array(
-			'backend' => 'Amazon S3 and compliant',
-			'configuration' => array(
-				'key' => 'Access Key',
-				'secret' => '*Secret Key',
-				'bucket' => 'Bucket',
-				'hostname' => '&Hostname (optional)',
-				'port' => '&Port (optional)',
-				'region' => '&Region (optional)',
-				'use_ssl' => '!Enable SSL',
-				'use_path_style' => '!Enable Path Style'));
-
-		$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\Dropbox']=array(
-			'backend' => 'Dropbox',
-			'configuration' => array(
-				'configured' => '#configured',
-				'app_key' => 'App key',
-				'app_secret' => '*App secret',
-				'token' => '#token',
-				'token_secret' => '#token_secret'),
-				'custom' => 'dropbox');
-
-		if(OC_Mount_Config::checkphpftp()) $backends['\OC\Files\Storage\FTP']=array(
-			'backend' => 'FTP',
-			'configuration' => array(
-				'host' => 'Hostname',
-				'user' => 'Username',
-				'password' => '*Password',
-				'root' => '&Root',
-				'secure' => '!Secure ftps://'));
-
-		if(OC_Mount_Config::checkcurl()) $backends['\OC\Files\Storage\Google']=array(
-			'backend' => 'Google Drive',
-			'configuration' => array(
-				'configured' => '#configured',
-				'client_id' => 'Client ID',
-				'client_secret' => '*Client secret',
-				'token' => '#token'),
-				'custom' => 'google');
-
-		if(OC_Mount_Config::checkcurl()) {
-			$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\Swift'] = array(
-				'backend' => 'OpenStack Object Storage',
-				'configuration' => array(
-					'user' => 'Username (required)',
-					'bucket' => 'Bucket (required)',
-					'region' => '&Region (optional for OpenStack Object Storage)',
-					'key' => '*API Key (required for Rackspace Cloud Files)',
-					'tenant' => '&Tenantname (required for OpenStack Object Storage)',
-					'password' => '*Password (required for OpenStack Object Storage)',
-					'service_name' => '&Service Name (required for OpenStack Object Storage)',
-					'url' => '&URL of identity endpoint (required for OpenStack Object Storage)',
-					'timeout' => '&Timeout of HTTP requests in seconds (optional)',
-				)
-			);
-                }
-
-		if (!OC_Util::runningOnWindows()) {
-			if (OC_Mount_Config::checksmbclient()) {
-				$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\SMB'] = array(
-					'backend' => 'SMB / CIFS',
-					'configuration' => array(
-						'host' => 'URL',
-						'user' => 'Username',
-						'password' => '*Password',
-						'share' => 'Share',
-						'root' => '&Root'));
-				$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\SMB_OC'] = array(
-					'backend' => 'SMB / CIFS using OC login',
-					'configuration' => array(
-						'host' => 'URL',
-						'username_as_share' => '!Username as share',
-						'share' => '&Share',
-						'root' => '&Root'));
+		foreach (OC_Mount_Config::$backends as $class => $backend) {
+			if (isset($backend['has_dependencies']) and $backend['has_dependencies'] === true) {
+				if ($class::checkDependencies() !== true) {
+					continue;
+				}
 			}
+			$backends[$class] = $backend;
 		}
 
-		if(OC_Mount_Config::checkcurl()){
-			$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\DAV']=array(
-				'backend' => 'WebDAV',
-				'configuration' => array(
-					'host' => 'URL',
-					'user' => 'Username',
-					'password' => '*Password',
-					'root' => '&Root',
-					'secure' => '!Secure https://'));
-			$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\OwnCloud']=array(
-				'backend' => 'ownCloud',
-				'configuration' => array(
-					'host' => 'URL',
-					'user' => 'Username',
-					'password' => '*Password',
-					'root' => '&Remote subfolder',
-					'secure' => '!Secure https://'));
-		}
-
-		$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\SFTP']=array(
-			'backend' => 'SFTP',
-			'configuration' => array(
-				'host' => 'URL',
-				'user' => 'Username',
-				'password' => '*Password',
-				'root' => '&Root'));
-
-		$backends['\OC\Files\Storage\iRODS']=array(
-			'backend' => 'iRODS',
-			'configuration' => array(
-				'host' => 'Host',
-				'port' => 'Port',
-				'use_logon_credentials' => '!Use ownCloud login',
-				'user' => 'Username',
-				'password' => '*Password',
-				'auth_mode' => 'Authentication Mode',
-				'zone' => 'Zone'));
+		uasort($backends, $sortFunc);
 
 		return($backends);
 	}
@@ -613,53 +517,19 @@ class OC_Mount_Config {
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * check if smbclient is installed
-	 */
-	public static function checksmbclient() {
-		if(function_exists('shell_exec')) {
-			$output=shell_exec('command -v smbclient 2> /dev/null');
-			return !empty($output);
-		}else{
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
-
-	/**
-	 * check if php-ftp is installed
-	 */
-	public static function checkphpftp() {
-		if(function_exists('ftp_login')) {
-			return true;
-		}else{
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
-
-	/**
-	 * check if curl is installed
-	 */
-	public static function checkcurl() {
-		return function_exists('curl_init');
-	}
-
 	/**
 	 * check dependencies
 	 */
 	public static function checkDependencies() {
-		$l= new OC_L10N('files_external');
 		$txt='';
-		if (!OC_Util::runningOnWindows()) {
-			if(!OC_Mount_Config::checksmbclient()) {
-				$txt.=$l->t('<b>Warning:</b> "smbclient" is not installed. Mounting of CIFS/SMB shares is not possible. Please ask your system administrator to install it.').'<br />';
+		foreach (OC_Mount_Config::$backends as $class => $backend) {
+			if (isset($backend['has_dependencies']) and $backend['has_dependencies'] === true) {
+				$result = $class::checkDependencies();
+				if ($result !== true) {
+					$txt.=$result.'<br />';
+				}
 			}
 		}
-		if(!OC_Mount_Config::checkphpftp()) {
-			$txt.=$l->t('<b>Warning:</b> The FTP support in PHP is not enabled or installed. Mounting of FTP shares is not possible. Please ask your system administrator to install it.').'<br />';
-		}
-		if(!OC_Mount_Config::checkcurl()) {
-			$txt.=$l->t('<b>Warning:</b> The Curl support in PHP is not enabled or installed. Mounting of ownCloud / WebDAV or GoogleDrive is not possible. Please ask your system administrator to install it.').'<br />';
-		}
 
 		return $txt;
 	}
diff --git a/apps/files_external/lib/ftp.php b/apps/files_external/lib/ftp.php
index 00bf7a189c..43635f7f94 100644
--- a/apps/files_external/lib/ftp.php
+++ b/apps/files_external/lib/ftp.php
@@ -17,6 +17,18 @@ class FTP extends \OC\Files\Storage\StreamWrapper{
 
 	private static $tempFiles=array();
 
+	/**
+	 * check if php-ftp is installed
+	 */
+	public static function checkDependencies() {
+		if (function_exists('ftp_login')) {
+			return(true);
+		} else {
+			$l = new \OC_L10N('files_external');
+			return $l->t('<b>Warning:</b> The FTP support in PHP is not enabled or installed. Mounting of FTP shares is not possible. Please ask your system administrator to install it.');
+		}
+	}
+
 	public function __construct($params) {
 		if (isset($params['host']) && isset($params['user']) && isset($params['password'])) {
 			$this->host=$params['host'];
diff --git a/apps/files_external/lib/smb.php b/apps/files_external/lib/smb.php
index f3f3b3ed7f..bfe494e867 100644
--- a/apps/files_external/lib/smb.php
+++ b/apps/files_external/lib/smb.php
@@ -17,6 +17,20 @@ class SMB extends \OC\Files\Storage\StreamWrapper{
 	private $root;
 	private $share;
 
+	/**
+	 * check if smbclient is installed
+	 */
+	public static function checkDependencies() {
+		if (function_exists('shell_exec')) {
+			$output = shell_exec('which smbclient');
+			if (!empty($output)) {
+				return true;
+			}
+		}
+		$l = new \OC_L10N('files_external');
+		return $l->t('<b>Warning:</b> "smbclient" is not installed. Mounting of CIFS/SMB shares is not possible. Please ask your system administrator to install it.');
+	}
+
 	public function __construct($params) {
 		if (isset($params['host']) && isset($params['user']) && isset($params['password']) && isset($params['share'])) {
 			$this->host=$params['host'];