diff --git a/apps/sdnip/src/test/java/org/onlab/onos/sdnip/bgp/TestBgpPeerChannelHandler.java b/apps/sdnip/src/test/java/org/onlab/onos/sdnip/bgp/TestBgpPeerChannelHandler.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b51d52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/sdnip/src/test/java/org/onlab/onos/sdnip/bgp/TestBgpPeerChannelHandler.java
@@ -0,0 +1,250 @@
+package org.onlab.onos.sdnip.bgp;
+
+import java.util.Collection;
+
+import org.jboss.netty.buffer.ChannelBuffer;
+import org.jboss.netty.buffer.ChannelBuffers;
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelStateEvent;
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.SimpleChannelHandler;
+import org.onlab.packet.IpAddress;
+import org.onlab.packet.IpPrefix;
+
+/**
+ * Class for handling the remote BGP Peer session.
+ */
+class TestBgpPeerChannelHandler extends SimpleChannelHandler {
+    static final long PEER_AS = 65001;
+    static final int PEER_HOLDTIME = 120;       // 120 seconds
+    final IpAddress bgpId;                     // The BGP ID
+    final long localPref;                       // Local preference for routes
+    final long multiExitDisc = 20;              // MED value
+
+    ChannelHandlerContext savedCtx;
+
+    /**
+     * Constructor for given BGP ID.
+     *
+     * @param bgpId the BGP ID to use
+     * @param localPref the local preference for the routes to use
+     */
+    TestBgpPeerChannelHandler(IpAddress bgpId,
+                              long localPref) {
+        this.bgpId = bgpId;
+        this.localPref = localPref;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Closes the channel.
+     */
+    void closeChannel() {
+        savedCtx.getChannel().close();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void channelConnected(ChannelHandlerContext ctx,
+                                 ChannelStateEvent channelEvent) {
+        this.savedCtx = ctx;
+        // Prepare and transmit BGP OPEN message
+        ChannelBuffer message = prepareBgpOpen();
+        ctx.getChannel().write(message);
+
+        // Prepare and transmit BGP KEEPALIVE message
+        message = prepareBgpKeepalive();
+        ctx.getChannel().write(message);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void channelDisconnected(ChannelHandlerContext ctx,
+                                    ChannelStateEvent channelEvent) {
+        // Nothing to do
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Prepares BGP OPEN message.
+     *
+     * @return the message to transmit (BGP header included)
+     */
+    ChannelBuffer prepareBgpOpen() {
+        ChannelBuffer message =
+            ChannelBuffers.buffer(BgpConstants.BGP_MESSAGE_MAX_LENGTH);
+        message.writeByte(BgpConstants.BGP_VERSION);
+        message.writeShort((int) PEER_AS);
+        message.writeShort(PEER_HOLDTIME);
+        message.writeInt(bgpId.toInt());
+        message.writeByte(0);                   // No Optional Parameters
+        return prepareBgpMessage(BgpConstants.BGP_TYPE_OPEN, message);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Prepares BGP UPDATE message.
+     *
+     * @param nextHopRouter the next-hop router address for the routes to add
+     * @param addedRoutes the routes to add
+     * @param withdrawnRoutes the routes to withdraw
+     * @return the message to transmit (BGP header included)
+     */
+    ChannelBuffer prepareBgpUpdate(IpAddress nextHopRouter,
+                                   Collection<IpPrefix> addedRoutes,
+                                   Collection<IpPrefix> withdrawnRoutes) {
+        int attrFlags;
+        ChannelBuffer message =
+            ChannelBuffers.buffer(BgpConstants.BGP_MESSAGE_MAX_LENGTH);
+        ChannelBuffer pathAttributes =
+            ChannelBuffers.buffer(BgpConstants.BGP_MESSAGE_MAX_LENGTH);
+
+        // Encode the Withdrawn Routes
+        ChannelBuffer encodedPrefixes = encodePackedPrefixes(withdrawnRoutes);
+        message.writeShort(encodedPrefixes.readableBytes());
+        message.writeBytes(encodedPrefixes);
+
+        // Encode the Path Attributes
+        // ORIGIN: IGP
+        attrFlags = 0x40;                               // Transitive flag
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(attrFlags);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(BgpConstants.Update.Origin.TYPE);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(1);                    // Data length
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(BgpConstants.Update.Origin.IGP);
+        // AS_PATH: Two Path Segments of 3 ASes each
+        attrFlags = 0x40;                               // Transitive flag
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(attrFlags);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(BgpConstants.Update.AsPath.TYPE);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(16);                   // Data length
+        byte pathSegmentType1 = (byte) BgpConstants.Update.AsPath.AS_SEQUENCE;
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(pathSegmentType1);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(3);                    // Three ASes
+        pathAttributes.writeShort(65010);               // AS=65010
+        pathAttributes.writeShort(65020);               // AS=65020
+        pathAttributes.writeShort(65030);               // AS=65030
+        byte pathSegmentType2 = (byte) BgpConstants.Update.AsPath.AS_SET;
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(pathSegmentType2);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(3);                    // Three ASes
+        pathAttributes.writeShort(65041);               // AS=65041
+        pathAttributes.writeShort(65042);               // AS=65042
+        pathAttributes.writeShort(65043);               // AS=65043
+        // NEXT_HOP: nextHopRouter
+        attrFlags = 0x40;                               // Transitive flag
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(attrFlags);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(BgpConstants.Update.NextHop.TYPE);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(4);                    // Data length
+        pathAttributes.writeInt(nextHopRouter.toInt()); // Next-hop router
+        // LOCAL_PREF: localPref
+        attrFlags = 0x40;                               // Transitive flag
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(attrFlags);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(BgpConstants.Update.LocalPref.TYPE);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(4);                    // Data length
+        pathAttributes.writeInt((int) localPref);       // Preference value
+        // MULTI_EXIT_DISC: multiExitDisc
+        attrFlags = 0x80;                               // Optional
+                                                        // Non-Transitive flag
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(attrFlags);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(BgpConstants.Update.MultiExitDisc.TYPE);
+        pathAttributes.writeByte(4);                    // Data length
+        pathAttributes.writeInt((int) multiExitDisc);   // Preference value
+        // The NLRI prefixes
+        encodedPrefixes = encodePackedPrefixes(addedRoutes);
+
+        // Write the Path Attributes, beginning with its length
+        message.writeShort(pathAttributes.readableBytes());
+        message.writeBytes(pathAttributes);
+        message.writeBytes(encodedPrefixes);
+
+        return prepareBgpMessage(BgpConstants.BGP_TYPE_UPDATE, message);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Encodes a collection of IPv4 network prefixes in a packed format.
+     * <p>
+     * The IPv4 prefixes are encoded in the form:
+     * <Length, Prefix> where Length is the length in bits of the IPv4 prefix,
+     * and Prefix is the IPv4 prefix (padded with trailing bits to the end
+     * of an octet).
+     *
+     * @param prefixes the prefixes to encode
+     * @return the buffer with the encoded prefixes
+     */
+    private ChannelBuffer encodePackedPrefixes(Collection<IpPrefix> prefixes) {
+        ChannelBuffer message =
+            ChannelBuffers.buffer(BgpConstants.BGP_MESSAGE_MAX_LENGTH);
+
+        // Write each of the prefixes
+        for (IpPrefix prefix : prefixes) {
+            int prefixBitlen = prefix.prefixLength();
+            int prefixBytelen = (prefixBitlen + 7) / 8;         // Round-up
+            message.writeByte(prefixBitlen);
+
+            IpAddress address = prefix.toIpAddress();
+            long value = address.toInt() & 0xffffffffL;
+            for (int i = 0; i < IpAddress.INET_LEN; i++) {
+                if (prefixBytelen-- == 0) {
+                    break;
+                }
+                long nextByte =
+                    (value >> ((IpAddress.INET_LEN - i - 1) * 8)) & 0xff;
+                message.writeByte((int) nextByte);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return message;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Prepares BGP KEEPALIVE message.
+     *
+     * @return the message to transmit (BGP header included)
+     */
+    ChannelBuffer prepareBgpKeepalive() {
+        ChannelBuffer message =
+            ChannelBuffers.buffer(BgpConstants.BGP_MESSAGE_MAX_LENGTH);
+        return prepareBgpMessage(BgpConstants.BGP_TYPE_KEEPALIVE, message);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Prepares BGP NOTIFICATION message.
+     *
+     * @param errorCode the BGP NOTIFICATION Error Code
+     * @param errorSubcode the BGP NOTIFICATION Error Subcode if applicable,
+     * otherwise BgpConstants.Notifications.ERROR_SUBCODE_UNSPECIFIC
+     * @param payload the BGP NOTIFICATION Data if applicable, otherwise null
+     * @return the message to transmit (BGP header included)
+     */
+    ChannelBuffer prepareBgpNotification(int errorCode, int errorSubcode,
+                                         ChannelBuffer data) {
+        ChannelBuffer message =
+            ChannelBuffers.buffer(BgpConstants.BGP_MESSAGE_MAX_LENGTH);
+        // Prepare the NOTIFICATION message payload
+        message.writeByte(errorCode);
+        message.writeByte(errorSubcode);
+        if (data != null) {
+            message.writeBytes(data);
+        }
+        return prepareBgpMessage(BgpConstants.BGP_TYPE_NOTIFICATION, message);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Prepares BGP message.
+     *
+     * @param type the BGP message type
+     * @param payload the message payload to transmit (BGP header excluded)
+     * @return the message to transmit (BGP header included)
+     */
+    private ChannelBuffer prepareBgpMessage(int type, ChannelBuffer payload) {
+        ChannelBuffer message =
+            ChannelBuffers.buffer(BgpConstants.BGP_HEADER_LENGTH +
+                                  payload.readableBytes());
+
+        // Write the marker
+        for (int i = 0; i < BgpConstants.BGP_HEADER_MARKER_LENGTH; i++) {
+            message.writeByte(0xff);
+        }
+
+        // Write the rest of the BGP header
+        message.writeShort(BgpConstants.BGP_HEADER_LENGTH +
+                           payload.readableBytes());
+        message.writeByte(type);
+
+        // Write the payload
+        message.writeBytes(payload);
+        return message;
+    }
+}