diff --git a/cmake_targets/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake_targets/CMakeLists.txt
index d7a656e61cf1ea376de35dd398c62f6629b981e5..122d41baa2dd501076bafaad5c1576749c5a9b15 100644
--- a/cmake_targets/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake_targets/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -473,6 +473,9 @@ add_list_string_option(PACKAGE_NAME "NotDefined" "As per attribute name")
 add_boolean_option(MESSAGE_CHART_GENERATOR False         "For generating sequence diagrams")
 add_boolean_option(MESSAGE_CHART_GENERATOR_RLC_MAC False "trace RLC-MAC exchanges in sequence diagrams")
 add_boolean_option(MESSAGE_CHART_GENERATOR_PHY     False "trace some PHY exchanges in sequence diagrams")
+
+add_boolean_option(ENB_AGENT                   True         "enable eNB agent to inteface with a SDN contrller")
+
 ########################
 # Include order
 ##########################
@@ -687,6 +690,16 @@ include_directories("${OPENAIR_DIR}")
 
 # Utilities Library
 ################
+if (ENB_AGENT)
+  add_library(ASYNC_IF
+    ${OPENAIR2_DIR}/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/socket_link.c
+    ${OPENAIR2_DIR}/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/link_manager.c
+    ${OPENAIR2_DIR}/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/message_queue.c
+    )
+  set(ASYNC_IF_LIB ASYNC_IF)
+endif()
+include_directories(${OPENAIR2_DIR}/UTIL/ASYNC_IF)
+
 add_library(HASHTABLE
   ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/collection/hashtable/hashtable.c
   ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/collection/hashtable/obj_hashtable.c
@@ -1591,7 +1604,7 @@ add_executable(oaisim_nos1
 target_include_directories(oaisim_nos1 PUBLIC  ${OPENAIR_TARGETS}/SIMU/USER)
 target_link_libraries (oaisim_nos1
   -Wl,--start-group
-  RRC_LIB X2AP_LIB SECU_CN UTIL HASHTABLE SCHED_LIB PHY LFDS ${MSC_LIB} L2 ${RAL_LIB} SIMU SIMU_ETH SECU_OSA ${ITTI_LIB}  ${MIH_LIB}
+  RRC_LIB X2AP_LIB SECU_CN UTIL HASHTABLE SCHED_LIB PHY LFDS ${MSC_LIB} L2 ${RAL_LIB} SIMU SIMU_ETH SECU_OSA ${ITTI_LIB}  ${MIH_LIB} ${ASYNC_IF_LIB}
   -Wl,--end-group )
 
 target_link_libraries (oaisim_nos1 ${LIBXML2_LIBRARIES} ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES})
diff --git a/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/link_manager.c b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/link_manager.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9b31fc043bd285b157750e952329942195b65e65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/link_manager.c
@@ -0,0 +1,247 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+    OpenAirInterface
+    Copyright(c) 1999 - 2015 Eurecom
+
+    OpenAirInterface is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+
+    OpenAirInterface is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with OpenAirInterface.The full GNU General Public License is
+    included in this distribution in the file called "COPYING". If not,
+    see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+  Contact Information
+  OpenAirInterface Admin: openair_admin@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Tech : openair_tech@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Dev  : openair4g-devel@eurecom.fr
+
+  Address      : Eurecom, Campus SophiaTech, 450 Route des Chappes, CS 50193 - 06904 Biot Sophia Antipolis cedex, FRANCE
+
+*******************************************************************************/
+/*! \file link_manager.c
+ * \brief this is the implementation of a link manager
+ * \author Cedric Roux
+ * \date November 2015
+ * \version 1.0
+ * \email: cedric.roux@eurecom.fr
+ * @ingroup _mac
+ */
+
+#include "link_manager.h"
+#include "log.h"
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
+
+/* that thread reads messages in the queue and sends them to the link */
+static void *link_manager_sender_thread(void *_manager)
+{
+  link_manager_t *manager = _manager;
+  void           *data;
+  int            size;
+  int            priority;
+
+  LOG_D(MAC, "starting link manager sender thread\n");
+
+  while (manager->run) {
+    if (message_get(manager->send_queue, &data, &size, &priority))
+      goto error;
+    if (link_send_packet(manager->socket_link, data, size))
+      goto error;
+    free(data);
+  }
+
+  LOG_D(MAC, "link manager sender thread quits\n");
+
+  return NULL;
+
+error:
+  LOG_E(MAC, "%s: error\n", __FUNCTION__);
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+/* that thread receives messages from the link and puts them in the queue */
+static void *link_manager_receiver_thread(void *_manager)
+{
+  link_manager_t *manager = _manager;
+  void           *data;
+  int            size;
+
+  LOG_D(MAC, "starting link manager receiver thread\n");
+
+  while (manager->run) {
+    if (link_receive_packet(manager->socket_link, &data, &size))
+      goto error;
+    /* todo: priority */
+    if (message_put(manager->receive_queue, data, size, 0))
+      goto error;
+  }
+
+  LOG_D(MAC, "link manager receiver thread quits\n");
+
+  return NULL;
+
+error:
+  LOG_E(MAC, "%s: error\n", __FUNCTION__);
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+link_manager_t *create_link_manager(
+        message_queue_t *send_queue,
+        message_queue_t *receive_queue,
+        socket_link_t   *link)
+{
+  link_manager_t *ret = NULL;
+  pthread_attr_t attr;
+  pthread_t      t;
+
+  LOG_D(MAC, "create new link manager\n");
+
+  ret = calloc(1, sizeof(link_manager_t));
+  if (ret == NULL)
+    goto error;
+
+  ret->send_queue = send_queue;
+  ret->receive_queue = receive_queue;
+  ret->socket_link = link;
+  ret->run = 1;
+
+  if (pthread_attr_init(&attr))
+    goto error;
+
+  if (pthread_attr_setdetachstate(&attr, PTHREAD_CREATE_DETACHED))
+    goto error;
+
+  if (pthread_create(&t, &attr, link_manager_sender_thread, ret))
+    goto error;
+  ret->sender = t;
+
+  if (pthread_create(&t, &attr, link_manager_receiver_thread, ret))
+    /* we should destroy the other thread here */
+    goto error;
+  ret->receiver = t;
+
+  if (pthread_attr_destroy(&attr))
+    /* to be clean we should destroy the threads at this point,
+     * even if in practice we never reach it */
+    goto error;
+
+  return ret;
+
+error:
+  LOG_E(MAC, "%s: an error occured\n", __FUNCTION__);
+  free(ret);
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+void destroy_link_manager(link_manager_t *manager)
+{
+  LOG_D(MAC, "destroying link manager\n");
+  manager->run = 0;
+  /* todo: force threads to stop (using a dummy message?) */
+}
+
+#ifdef SERVER_TEST
+
+#include <string.h>
+
+int main(void)
+{
+  socket_link_t   *link;
+  message_queue_t *send_queue;
+  message_queue_t *receive_queue;
+  link_manager_t  *manager;
+  void            *data;
+  int             size;
+  int             priority;
+
+  printf("starting server\n");
+
+  link = new_link_server(2210);
+  if (link == NULL) goto error;
+
+  send_queue = new_message_queue();
+  if (send_queue == NULL) goto error;
+  receive_queue = new_message_queue();
+  if (receive_queue == NULL) goto error;
+
+  manager = create_link_manager(send_queue, receive_queue, link);
+  if (manager == NULL) goto error;
+
+  data = strdup("hello"); if (data == NULL) goto error;
+  if (message_put(send_queue, data, 6, 100)) goto error;
+
+  if (message_get(receive_queue, &data, &size, &priority)) goto error;
+  printf("received message:\n");
+  printf("    data: %s\n", (char *)data);
+  printf("    size: %d\n", size);
+  printf("    priority: %d\n", priority);
+
+  printf("server ends\n");
+  return 0;
+
+error:
+  printf("there was an error\n");
+  return 1;
+}
+
+#endif
+
+#ifdef CLIENT_TEST
+
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+int main(void)
+{
+  socket_link_t   *link;
+  message_queue_t *send_queue;
+  message_queue_t *receive_queue;
+  link_manager_t  *manager;
+  void            *data;
+  int             size;
+  int             priority;
+
+  printf("starting client\n");
+
+  link = new_link_client("127.0.0.1", 2210);
+  if (link == NULL) goto error;
+
+  send_queue = new_message_queue();
+  if (send_queue == NULL) goto error;
+  receive_queue = new_message_queue();
+  if (receive_queue == NULL) goto error;
+
+  manager = create_link_manager(send_queue, receive_queue, link);
+  if (manager == NULL) goto error;
+
+  if (message_get(receive_queue, &data, &size, &priority)) goto error;
+  printf("received message:\n");
+  printf("    data: %s\n", (char *)data);
+  printf("    size: %d\n", size);
+  printf("    priority: %d\n", priority);
+
+  data = strdup("world"); if (data == NULL) goto error;
+  if (message_put(send_queue, data, 6, 200)) goto error;
+
+  /* let's wait for the message to be sent (unreliable sleep, but does it for the test) */
+  sleep(1);
+
+  printf("client ends\n");
+  return 0;
+
+error:
+  printf("there was an error\n");
+  return 1;
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/link_manager.h b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/link_manager.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3e24b8679ab4524e1d993d4456c7fba0297384b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/link_manager.h
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+    OpenAirInterface
+    Copyright(c) 1999 - 2015 Eurecom
+
+    OpenAirInterface is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+
+    OpenAirInterface is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with OpenAirInterface.The full GNU General Public License is
+    included in this distribution in the file called "COPYING". If not,
+    see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+  Contact Information
+  OpenAirInterface Admin: openair_admin@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Tech : openair_tech@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Dev  : openair4g-devel@eurecom.fr
+
+  Address      : Eurecom, Campus SophiaTech, 450 Route des Chappes, CS 50193 - 06904 Biot Sophia Antipolis cedex, FRANCE
+
+*******************************************************************************/
+/*! \file link_manager.h
+ * \brief this is the implementation of a link manager
+ * \author Cedric Roux
+ * \date November 2015
+ * \version 1.0
+ * \email: cedric.roux@eurecom.fr
+ * @ingroup _mac
+ */
+
+#ifndef LINK_MANAGER_H
+#define LINK_MANAGER_H
+
+#include "message_queue.h"
+#include "socket_link.h"
+
+#include <pthread.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+typedef struct {
+  message_queue_t *send_queue;
+  message_queue_t *receive_queue;
+  socket_link_t   *socket_link;
+  pthread_t       sender;
+  pthread_t       receiver;
+  volatile int    run;
+} link_manager_t;
+
+link_manager_t *create_link_manager(
+        message_queue_t *send_queue,
+        message_queue_t *receive_queue,
+        socket_link_t   *link);
+void destroy_link_manager(link_manager_t *);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* LINK_MANAGER_H */
diff --git a/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/message_queue.c b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/message_queue.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3e06b5021af71bb2ede03433e6ae854eddd8900f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/message_queue.c
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+    OpenAirInterface
+    Copyright(c) 1999 - 2015 Eurecom
+
+    OpenAirInterface is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+
+    OpenAirInterface is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with OpenAirInterface.The full GNU General Public License is
+    included in this distribution in the file called "COPYING". If not,
+    see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+  Contact Information
+  OpenAirInterface Admin: openair_admin@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Tech : openair_tech@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Dev  : openair4g-devel@eurecom.fr
+
+  Address      : Eurecom, Campus SophiaTech, 450 Route des Chappes, CS 50193 - 06904 Biot Sophia Antipolis cedex, FRANCE
+
+*******************************************************************************/
+/*! \file message_queue.c
+ * \brief this is the implementation of a message queue
+ * \author Cedric Roux
+ * \date November 2015
+ * \version 1.0
+ * \email: cedric.roux@eurecom.fr
+ * @ingroup _mac
+ */
+
+#include "message_queue.h"
+#include "log.h"
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
+
+message_queue_t *new_message_queue(void)
+{
+  message_queue_t *ret = NULL;
+
+  ret = calloc(1, sizeof(message_queue_t));
+  if (ret == NULL)
+    goto error;
+
+  ret->mutex = calloc(1, sizeof(pthread_mutex_t));
+  if (ret->mutex == NULL)
+    goto error;
+  if (pthread_mutex_init(ret->mutex, NULL))
+    goto error;
+
+  ret->cond = calloc(1, sizeof(pthread_cond_t));
+  if (ret->cond == NULL)
+    goto error;
+  if (pthread_cond_init(ret->cond, NULL))
+    goto error;
+
+  return ret;
+
+error:
+  LOG_E(MAC, "%s: an error occured\n", __FUNCTION__);
+  if (ret != NULL) {
+    free(ret->mutex);
+    free(ret->cond);
+    memset(ret, 0, sizeof(message_queue_t));
+    free(ret);
+  }
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+int message_put(message_queue_t *queue, void *data, int size, int priority)
+{
+  message_t *m = NULL;
+
+  m = calloc(1, sizeof(message_t));
+  if (m == NULL)
+    goto error;
+
+  m->data = data;
+  m->size = size;
+  m->priority = priority;
+  m->next = NULL;
+
+  if (pthread_mutex_lock(queue->mutex))
+    goto error;
+
+  if (queue->count == 0)
+    queue->head = m;
+  else
+    queue->tail->next = m;
+  queue->tail = m;
+
+  queue->count++;
+
+  if (pthread_cond_signal(queue->cond)) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d:%s: fatal error\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, __FUNCTION__);
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(queue->mutex);
+    exit(1);
+  }
+  if (pthread_mutex_unlock(queue->mutex)) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d:%s: fatal error\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, __FUNCTION__);
+    exit(1);
+  }
+
+  return 0;
+
+error:
+  free(m);
+  LOG_E(MAC, "%s: an error occured\n", __FUNCTION__);
+  return -1;
+}
+
+int message_get(message_queue_t *queue, void **data, int *size, int *priority)
+{
+  message_t *m;
+
+  if (pthread_mutex_lock(queue->mutex))
+    goto error;
+
+  while (queue->count == 0) {
+    if (pthread_cond_wait(queue->cond, queue->mutex)) {
+      pthread_mutex_unlock(queue->mutex);
+      goto error;
+    }
+  }
+
+  m = queue->head;
+  queue->head = queue->head->next;
+  if (queue->head == NULL)
+    queue->tail = NULL;
+
+  queue->count--;
+
+  if (pthread_mutex_unlock(queue->mutex))
+    goto error;
+
+  *data = m->data;
+  *size = m->size;
+  *priority = m->priority;
+  free(m);
+
+  return 0;
+
+error:
+  LOG_E(MAC, "%s: an error occured\n", __FUNCTION__);
+  return -1;
+}
+
+/* when calling this function, the queue must not be used anymore (we don't lock it) */
+/* we suppose that the data pointer in messages was allocated by malloc/calloc/realloc */
+void destroy_message_queue(message_queue_t *queue)
+{
+  while (queue->head) {
+    message_t *m = queue->head;
+    queue->head = queue->head->next;
+    free(m->data);
+    memset(m, 0, sizeof(message_t));
+    free(m);
+  }
+  free(queue->mutex);
+  free(queue->cond);
+  memset(queue, 0, sizeof(message_queue_t));
+  free(queue);
+}
+
+#ifdef TEST
+
+/* some very basic tests */
+int main(void)
+{
+  void *data;
+  int size;
+  int priority;
+  message_queue_t *q;
+  char *s;
+
+  q = new_message_queue();
+  if (q == NULL) goto error;
+
+  if (message_put(q, "hello", 6, 0)) goto error;
+  if (message_put(q, "world", 6, 1)) goto error;
+
+  if (message_get(q, &data, &size, &priority)) goto error;
+  printf("message:\n  data: '%s'\n  size: %d\n  priority: %d\n",
+         (char *)data, size, priority);
+  if (message_get(q, &data, &size, &priority)) goto error;
+  printf("message:\n  data: '%s'\n  size: %d\n  priority: %d\n",
+         (char *)data, size, priority);
+
+  /* let's put a message before destroying the queue */
+  s = malloc(10); if (s == NULL) goto error;
+  sprintf(s, "hello");
+  if (message_put(q, s, 6, 0)) goto error;
+  destroy_message_queue(q);
+
+  return 0;
+
+error:
+  printf("error\n");
+  return 1;
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/message_queue.h b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/message_queue.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..15fc4335a1b2529ab21997e2e64d6808b2baf398
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/message_queue.h
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+    OpenAirInterface
+    Copyright(c) 1999 - 2015 Eurecom
+
+    OpenAirInterface is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+
+    OpenAirInterface is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with OpenAirInterface.The full GNU General Public License is
+    included in this distribution in the file called "COPYING". If not,
+    see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+  Contact Information
+  OpenAirInterface Admin: openair_admin@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Tech : openair_tech@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Dev  : openair4g-devel@eurecom.fr
+
+  Address      : Eurecom, Campus SophiaTech, 450 Route des Chappes, CS 50193 - 06904 Biot Sophia Antipolis cedex, FRANCE
+
+*******************************************************************************/
+/*! \file message_queue.h
+ * \brief this is the implementation of a message queue
+ * \author Cedric Roux
+ * \date November 2015
+ * \version 1.0
+ * \email: cedric.roux@eurecom.fr
+ * @ingroup _mac
+ */
+
+#ifndef MESSAGE_QUEUE_H
+#define MESSAGE_QUEUE_H
+
+#include <pthread.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+typedef struct message_t {
+  void *data;
+  int  size;
+  int  priority;
+  struct message_t *next;
+} message_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+  message_t       *head;
+  message_t       *tail;
+  volatile int    count;
+  pthread_mutex_t *mutex;
+  pthread_cond_t  *cond;
+} message_queue_t;
+
+message_queue_t *new_message_queue(void);
+int message_put(message_queue_t *queue, void *data, int size, int priority);
+int message_get(message_queue_t *queue, void **data, int *size, int *priority);
+void destroy_message_queue(message_queue_t *queue);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* MESSAGE_QUEUE_H */
diff --git a/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/socket_link.c b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/socket_link.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..95a92ae3ee32bf1e8c18e7fbad3cd0c0069fc0b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/socket_link.c
@@ -0,0 +1,349 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+    OpenAirInterface
+    Copyright(c) 1999 - 2015 Eurecom
+
+    OpenAirInterface is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+
+    OpenAirInterface is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with OpenAirInterface.The full GNU General Public License is
+    included in this distribution in the file called "COPYING". If not,
+    see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+  Contact Information
+  OpenAirInterface Admin: openair_admin@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Tech : openair_tech@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Dev  : openair4g-devel@eurecom.fr
+
+  Address      : Eurecom, Campus SophiaTech, 450 Route des Chappes, CS 50193 - 06904 Biot Sophia Antipolis cedex, FRANCE
+
+*******************************************************************************/
+/*! \file socket_link.c
+ * \brief this is the implementation of a TCP socket ASYNC IF
+ * \author Cedric Roux
+ * \date November 2015
+ * \version 1.0
+ * \email: cedric.roux@eurecom.fr
+ * @ingroup _mac
+ */
+
+#include "socket_link.h"
+#include "log.h"
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/socket.h>
+#include <netinet/ip.h>
+#include <arpa/inet.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+socket_link_t *new_link_server(int port)
+{
+  socket_link_t      *ret = NULL;
+  int                reuse;
+  struct sockaddr_in addr;
+  socklen_t          addrlen;
+  int                socket_server = -1;
+
+  ret = calloc(1, sizeof(socket_link_t));
+  if (ret == NULL) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: out of memory\n", __FILE__, __LINE__);
+    goto error;
+  }
+  ret->socket_fd = -1;
+
+  LOG_D(MAC, "create a new link server socket at port %d\n", port);
+
+  socket_server = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
+  if (socket_server == -1) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: socket: %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, strerror(errno));
+    goto error;
+  }
+
+  reuse = 1;
+  if (setsockopt(socket_server, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &reuse, sizeof(reuse)) == -1) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: setsockopt: %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, strerror(errno));
+    goto error;
+  }
+
+  addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
+  addr.sin_port = htons(port);
+  addr.sin_addr.s_addr = INADDR_ANY;
+  if (bind(socket_server, (struct sockaddr *)&addr, sizeof(addr)) == -1) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: bind: %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, strerror(errno));
+    goto error;
+  }
+
+  if (listen(socket_server, 5)) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: listen: %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, strerror(errno));
+    goto error;
+  }
+
+  addrlen = sizeof(addr);
+  ret->socket_fd = accept(socket_server, (struct sockaddr *)&addr, &addrlen);
+  if (ret->socket_fd == -1) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: accept: %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, strerror(errno));
+    goto error;
+  }
+
+  close(socket_server);
+
+  LOG_D(MAC, "connection from %s:%d\n", inet_ntoa(addr.sin_addr), ntohs(addr.sin_port));
+  return ret;
+
+error:
+  close(socket_server);
+  if (ret != NULL) close(ret->socket_fd);
+  free(ret);
+  LOG_E(MAC, "ERROR in new_link_server (see above), returning NULL\n");
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+socket_link_t *new_link_client(char *server, int port)
+{
+  socket_link_t      *ret = NULL;
+  struct sockaddr_in addr;
+
+  ret = calloc(1, sizeof(socket_link_t));
+  if (ret == NULL) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: out of memory\n", __FILE__, __LINE__);
+    goto error;
+  }
+  ret->socket_fd = -1;
+
+  LOG_D(MAC, "create a new link client socket connecting to %s:%d\n", server, port);
+
+  ret->socket_fd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
+  if (ret->socket_fd == -1) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: socket: %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, strerror(errno));
+    goto error;
+  }
+
+  addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
+  addr.sin_port = htons(port);
+  if (inet_aton(server, &addr.sin_addr) == 0) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "invalid IP address '%s', use a.b.c.d notation\n", server);
+    goto error;
+  }
+  if (connect(ret->socket_fd, (struct sockaddr *)&addr, sizeof(addr)) == -1) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: connect: %s\n", __FILE__, __LINE__, strerror(errno));
+    goto error;
+  }
+
+  LOG_D(MAC, "connection to %s:%d established\n", inet_ntoa(addr.sin_addr), ntohs(addr.sin_port));
+  return ret;
+
+error:
+  if (ret != NULL) close(ret->socket_fd);
+  free(ret);
+  LOG_E(MAC, "ERROR in new_link_client (see above), returning NULL\n");
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+/*
+ * return -1 on error and 0 if the sending was fine
+ */
+static int socket_send(int socket_fd, void *buf, int size)
+{
+  char *s = buf;
+  int   l;
+
+  while (size) {
+    l = send(socket_fd, s, size, MSG_NOSIGNAL);
+    if (l == -1) goto error;
+    if (l == 0) { LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: this cannot happen, normally...\n", __FILE__, __LINE__); abort(); }
+    size -= l;
+    s += l;
+  }
+
+  return 0;
+
+error:
+  LOG_E(MAC, "socket_send: ERROR: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+  return -1;
+}
+
+/*
+ * return -1 on error and 0 if the receiving was fine
+ */
+static int socket_receive(int socket_fd, void *buf, int size)
+{
+  char *s = buf;
+  int   l;
+
+  while (size) {
+    l = read(socket_fd, s, size);
+    if (l == -1) goto error;
+    if (l == 0) goto socket_closed;
+    size -= l;
+    s += l;
+  }
+
+  return 0;
+
+error:
+  LOG_E(MAC, "socket_receive: ERROR: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+  return -1;
+
+socket_closed:
+  LOG_E(MAC, "socket_receive: socket closed\n");
+  return -1;
+}
+
+/*
+ * return -1 on error and 0 if the sending was fine
+ */
+int link_send_packet(socket_link_t *link, void *data, int size)
+{
+  char sizebuf[4];
+  int32_t s = size;
+
+  /* send the size first, maximum is 2^31 bytes */
+  sizebuf[0] = (s >> 24) & 255;
+  sizebuf[1] = (s >> 16) & 255;
+  sizebuf[2] = (s >> 8) & 255;
+  sizebuf[3] = s & 255;
+
+  if (socket_send(link->socket_fd, sizebuf, 4) == -1)
+    goto error;
+
+  link->bytes_sent += 4;
+
+  if (socket_send(link->socket_fd, data, size) == -1)
+    goto error;
+
+  link->bytes_sent += size;
+  link->packets_sent++;
+
+  return 0;
+
+error:
+  return -1;
+}
+
+/*
+ * return -1 on error and 0 if the sending was fine
+ */
+int link_receive_packet(socket_link_t *link, void **ret_data, int *ret_size)
+{
+  unsigned char sizebuf[4];
+  int32_t       size;
+  void          *data = NULL;
+
+  /* received the size first, maximum is 2^31 bytes */
+  if (socket_receive(link->socket_fd, sizebuf, 4) == -1)
+    goto error;
+
+  size = (sizebuf[0] << 24) |
+         (sizebuf[1] << 16) |
+         (sizebuf[2] << 8)  |
+          sizebuf[3];
+
+  link->bytes_received += 4;
+
+  data = malloc(size);
+  if (data == NULL) {
+    LOG_E(MAC, "%s:%d: out of memory\n", __FILE__, __LINE__);
+    goto error;
+  }
+
+  if (socket_receive(link->socket_fd, data, size) == -1)
+    goto error;
+
+  link->bytes_received += size;
+  link->packets_received++;
+
+  *ret_data = data;
+  *ret_size = size;
+  return 0;
+
+error:
+  free(data);
+  *ret_data = NULL;
+  *ret_size = 0;
+  return -1;
+}
+
+/*
+ * return -1 on error, 0 if all is fine
+ */
+int close_link(socket_link_t *link)
+{
+  close(link->socket_fd);
+  memset(link, 0, sizeof(socket_link_t));
+  free(link);
+  return 0;
+}
+
+#ifdef SERVER_TEST
+
+#include <inttypes.h>
+
+int main(void)
+{
+  void *data;
+  int size;
+  socket_link_t *l = new_link_server(2210);
+  if (l == NULL) { printf("no link created\n"); return 1; }
+  printf("link is up\n");
+  printf("server starts sleeping...\n");
+  /* this sleep is here to test for broken pipe. You can run "nc localhost 2210"
+   * and interrupt it quickly so that the server gets a 'broken' pipe on the
+   * following link_send_packet.
+   */
+  sleep(1);
+  printf("... done\n");
+  if (link_send_packet(l, "hello\n", 6+1) ||
+      link_send_packet(l, "world\n", 6+1)) return 1;
+  if (link_receive_packet(l, &data, &size)) return 1; printf("%s", (char *)data); free(data);
+  if (link_receive_packet(l, &data, &size)) return 1; printf("%s", (char *)data); free(data);
+  printf("stats:\n");
+  printf("    sent packets %"PRIu64"\n", l->packets_sent);
+  printf("    sent bytes %"PRIu64"\n", l->bytes_sent);
+  printf("    received packets %"PRIu64"\n", l->packets_received);
+  printf("    received bytes %"PRIu64"\n", l->bytes_received);
+  if (close_link(l)) return 1;
+  printf("link is down\n");
+  return 0;
+}
+
+#endif
+
+#ifdef CLIENT_TEST
+
+#include <inttypes.h>
+
+int main(void)
+{
+  void *data;
+  int size;
+  socket_link_t *l = new_link_client("127.0.0.1", 2210);
+  if (l == NULL) { printf("no link created\n"); return 1; }
+  printf("link is up\n");
+  if (link_receive_packet(l, &data, &size)) return 1; printf("%s", (char *)data); free(data);
+  if (link_receive_packet(l, &data, &size)) return 1; printf("%s", (char *)data); free(data);
+  if (link_send_packet(l, "bye\n", 4+1) ||
+      link_send_packet(l, "server\n", 7+1)) return 1;
+  printf("stats:\n");
+  printf("    sent packets %"PRIu64"\n", l->packets_sent);
+  printf("    sent bytes %"PRIu64"\n", l->bytes_sent);
+  printf("    received packets %"PRIu64"\n", l->packets_received);
+  printf("    received bytes %"PRIu64"\n", l->bytes_received);
+  if (close_link(l)) return 1;
+  printf("link is down\n");
+  return 0;
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/socket_link.h b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/socket_link.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c9e99b839f2609128ed656c48967724963b4aa34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openair2/UTIL/ASYNC_IF/socket_link.h
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+    OpenAirInterface
+    Copyright(c) 1999 - 2015 Eurecom
+
+    OpenAirInterface is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+
+    OpenAirInterface is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with OpenAirInterface.The full GNU General Public License is
+    included in this distribution in the file called "COPYING". If not,
+    see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+  Contact Information
+  OpenAirInterface Admin: openair_admin@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Tech : openair_tech@eurecom.fr
+  OpenAirInterface Dev  : openair4g-devel@eurecom.fr
+
+  Address      : Eurecom, Campus SophiaTech, 450 Route des Chappes, CS 50193 - 06904 Biot Sophia Antipolis cedex, FRANCE
+
+*******************************************************************************/
+/*! \file socket_link.h
+ * \brief this is the implementation of a TCP socket ASYNC IF
+ * \author Cedric Roux
+ * \date November 2015
+ * \version 1.0
+ * \email: cedric.roux@eurecom.fr
+ * @ingroup _mac
+ */
+
+#ifndef SOCKET_LINK_H
+#define SOCKET_LINK_H
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+typedef struct {
+  int      socket_fd;
+  uint64_t bytes_sent;
+  uint64_t packets_sent;
+  uint64_t bytes_received;
+  uint64_t packets_received;
+} socket_link_t;
+
+socket_link_t *new_link_server(int port);
+socket_link_t *new_link_client(char *server, int port);
+int link_send_packet(socket_link_t *link, void *data, int size);
+int link_receive_packet(socket_link_t *link, void **data, int *size);
+int close_link(socket_link_t *link);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* SOCKET_LINK_H */