diff --git a/apps/sdnip/src/test/java/org/onlab/onos/sdnip/bgp/TestBgpPeerFrameDecoder.java b/apps/sdnip/src/test/java/org/onlab/onos/sdnip/bgp/TestBgpPeerFrameDecoder.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42bbb90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/sdnip/src/test/java/org/onlab/onos/sdnip/bgp/TestBgpPeerFrameDecoder.java
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+package org.onlab.onos.sdnip.bgp;
+
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
+
+import org.jboss.netty.buffer.ChannelBuffer;
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.Channel;
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
+import org.jboss.netty.handler.codec.frame.FrameDecoder;
+import org.onlab.packet.IpAddress;
+
+/**
+ * Class for handling the decoding of the BGP messages at the remote
+ * BGP peer session.
+ */
+class TestBgpPeerFrameDecoder extends FrameDecoder {
+    int remoteBgpVersion;               // 1 octet
+    long remoteAs;                      // 2 octets
+    long remoteHoldtime;                // 2 octets
+    IpAddress remoteBgpIdentifier;     // 4 octets -> IPv4 address
+
+    final CountDownLatch receivedOpenMessageLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
+    final CountDownLatch receivedKeepaliveMessageLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
+
+    @Override
+    protected Object decode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx,
+                            Channel channel,
+                            ChannelBuffer buf) throws Exception {
+        // Test for minimum length of the BGP message
+        if (buf.readableBytes() < BgpConstants.BGP_HEADER_LENGTH) {
+            // No enough data received
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        //
+        // Mark the current buffer position in case we haven't received
+        // the whole message.
+        //
+        buf.markReaderIndex();
+
+        //
+        // Read and check the BGP message Marker field: it must be all ones
+        //
+        byte[] marker = new byte[BgpConstants.BGP_HEADER_MARKER_LENGTH];
+        buf.readBytes(marker);
+        for (int i = 0; i < marker.length; i++) {
+            if (marker[i] != (byte) 0xff) {
+                // ERROR: Connection Not Synchronized. Close the channel.
+                ctx.getChannel().close();
+                return null;
+            }
+        }
+
+        //
+        // Read and check the BGP message Length field
+        //
+        int length = buf.readUnsignedShort();
+        if ((length < BgpConstants.BGP_HEADER_LENGTH) ||
+            (length > BgpConstants.BGP_MESSAGE_MAX_LENGTH)) {
+            // ERROR: Bad Message Length. Close the channel.
+            ctx.getChannel().close();
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        //
+        // Test whether the rest of the message is received:
+        // So far we have read the Marker (16 octets) and the
+        // Length (2 octets) fields.
+        //
+        int remainingMessageLen =
+            length - BgpConstants.BGP_HEADER_MARKER_LENGTH - 2;
+        if (buf.readableBytes() < remainingMessageLen) {
+            // No enough data received
+            buf.resetReaderIndex();
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        //
+        // Read the BGP message Type field, and process based on that type
+        //
+        int type = buf.readUnsignedByte();
+        remainingMessageLen--;      // Adjust after reading the type
+        ChannelBuffer message = buf.readBytes(remainingMessageLen);
+
+        //
+        // Process the remaining of the message based on the message type
+        //
+        switch (type) {
+        case BgpConstants.BGP_TYPE_OPEN:
+            processBgpOpen(ctx, message);
+            break;
+        case BgpConstants.BGP_TYPE_UPDATE:
+            // NOTE: Not used as part of the test, because ONOS does not
+            // originate UPDATE messages.
+            break;
+        case BgpConstants.BGP_TYPE_NOTIFICATION:
+            // NOTE: Not used as part of the testing (yet)
+            break;
+        case BgpConstants.BGP_TYPE_KEEPALIVE:
+            processBgpKeepalive(ctx, message);
+            break;
+        default:
+            // ERROR: Bad Message Type. Close the channel.
+            ctx.getChannel().close();
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Processes BGP OPEN message.
+     *
+     * @param ctx the Channel Handler Context.
+     * @param message the message to process.
+     */
+    private void processBgpOpen(ChannelHandlerContext ctx,
+                                ChannelBuffer message) {
+        int minLength =
+            BgpConstants.BGP_OPEN_MIN_LENGTH - BgpConstants.BGP_HEADER_LENGTH;
+        if (message.readableBytes() < minLength) {
+            // ERROR: Bad Message Length. Close the channel.
+            ctx.getChannel().close();
+            return;
+        }
+
+        //
+        // Parse the OPEN message
+        //
+        remoteBgpVersion = message.readUnsignedByte();
+        remoteAs = message.readUnsignedShort();
+        remoteHoldtime = message.readUnsignedShort();
+        remoteBgpIdentifier = IpAddress.valueOf((int) message.readUnsignedInt());
+        // Optional Parameters
+        int optParamLen = message.readUnsignedByte();
+        if (message.readableBytes() < optParamLen) {
+            // ERROR: Bad Message Length. Close the channel.
+            ctx.getChannel().close();
+            return;
+        }
+        message.readBytes(optParamLen);             // NOTE: data ignored
+
+        // BGP OPEN message successfully received
+        receivedOpenMessageLatch.countDown();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Processes BGP KEEPALIVE message.
+     *
+     * @param ctx the Channel Handler Context.
+     * @param message the message to process.
+     */
+    private void processBgpKeepalive(ChannelHandlerContext ctx,
+                                     ChannelBuffer message) {
+        if (message.readableBytes() + BgpConstants.BGP_HEADER_LENGTH !=
+            BgpConstants.BGP_KEEPALIVE_EXPECTED_LENGTH) {
+            // ERROR: Bad Message Length. Close the channel.
+            ctx.getChannel().close();
+            return;
+        }
+        // BGP KEEPALIVE message successfully received
+        receivedKeepaliveMessageLatch.countDown();
+    }
+}