diff --git a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/DecoderState.java b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/DecoderState.java
index dc885aa..1850183 100644
--- a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/DecoderState.java
+++ b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/DecoderState.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
     READ_SENDER_IP_VERSION,
     READ_SENDER_IP,
     READ_SENDER_PORT,
+    READ_MESSAGE_TYPE_LENGTH,
     READ_MESSAGE_TYPE,
     READ_CONTENT_LENGTH,
     READ_CONTENT
diff --git a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/InternalMessage.java b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/InternalMessage.java
index f9d4e0b..ba3c896 100644
--- a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/InternalMessage.java
+++ b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/InternalMessage.java
@@ -27,19 +27,18 @@
  */
 public final class InternalMessage implements Message {
 
-    public static final long REPLY_MESSAGE_TYPE =
-            NettyMessagingService.hashToLong("NETTY_MESSAGING_REQUEST_REPLY");
+    public static final String REPLY_MESSAGE_TYPE = "NETTY_MESSAGING_REQUEST_REPLY";
 
     private long id;
     private Endpoint sender;
-    private long type;
+    private String type;
     private byte[] payload;
     private transient NettyMessagingService messagingService;
 
     // Must be created using the Builder.
     private InternalMessage() {}
 
-    InternalMessage(long id, Endpoint sender, long type, byte[] payload) {
+    InternalMessage(long id, Endpoint sender, String type, byte[] payload) {
         this.id = id;
         this.sender = sender;
         this.type = type;
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@
         return id;
     }
 
-    public long type() {
+    public String type() {
         return type;
     }
 
@@ -104,7 +103,7 @@
             return this;
         }
 
-        public Builder withType(long type) {
+        public Builder withType(String type) {
             message.type = type;
             return this;
         }
diff --git a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/MessageDecoder.java b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/MessageDecoder.java
index 1697539..edb2d52 100644
--- a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/MessageDecoder.java
+++ b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/MessageDecoder.java
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
+import com.google.common.base.Charsets;
+
 /**
  * Decoder for inbound messages.
  */
@@ -40,8 +42,9 @@
     private Version ipVersion;
     private IpAddress senderIp;
     private int senderPort;
+    private int messageTypeLength;
+    private String messageType;
     private int contentLength;
-    private long messageType;
 
     public MessageDecoder(NettyMessagingService messagingService) {
         super(DecoderState.READ_MESSAGE_ID);
@@ -68,9 +71,14 @@
             checkpoint(DecoderState.READ_SENDER_PORT);
         case READ_SENDER_PORT:
             senderPort = buffer.readInt();
+            checkpoint(DecoderState.READ_MESSAGE_TYPE_LENGTH);
+        case READ_MESSAGE_TYPE_LENGTH:
+            messageTypeLength = buffer.readInt();
             checkpoint(DecoderState.READ_MESSAGE_TYPE);
         case READ_MESSAGE_TYPE:
-            messageType = buffer.readLong();
+            byte[] messageTypeBytes = new byte[messageTypeLength];
+            buffer.readBytes(messageTypeBytes);
+            messageType = new String(messageTypeBytes, Charsets.UTF_8);
             checkpoint(DecoderState.READ_CONTENT_LENGTH);
         case READ_CONTENT_LENGTH:
             contentLength = buffer.readInt();
diff --git a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/MessageEncoder.java b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/MessageEncoder.java
index c05eae2..14c7b18 100644
--- a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/MessageEncoder.java
+++ b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/MessageEncoder.java
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
+import com.google.common.base.Charsets;
+
 /**
  * Encode InternalMessage out into a byte buffer.
  */
@@ -57,8 +59,13 @@
         // write sender port
         out.writeInt(sender.port());
 
-        // write message type.
-        out.writeLong(message.type());
+        byte[] messageTypeBytes = message.type().getBytes(Charsets.UTF_8);
+
+        // write length of message type
+        out.writeInt(messageTypeBytes.length);
+
+        // write message type bytes
+        out.writeBytes(messageTypeBytes);
 
         byte[] payload = message.payload();
 
diff --git a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/NettyMessagingService.java b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/NettyMessagingService.java
index 317f01a..6628bb2 100644
--- a/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/NettyMessagingService.java
+++ b/utils/netty/src/main/java/org/onlab/netty/NettyMessagingService.java
@@ -52,14 +52,10 @@
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
-import com.google.common.base.Charsets;
 import com.google.common.cache.Cache;
 import com.google.common.cache.CacheBuilder;
-import com.google.common.cache.CacheLoader;
-import com.google.common.cache.LoadingCache;
 import com.google.common.cache.RemovalListener;
 import com.google.common.cache.RemovalNotification;
-import com.google.common.hash.Hashing;
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.ListenableFuture;
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.SettableFuture;
 
@@ -71,7 +67,7 @@
     private final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(getClass());
 
     private final Endpoint localEp;
-    private final ConcurrentMap<Long, MessageHandler> handlers = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    private final ConcurrentMap<String, MessageHandler> handlers = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
     private final AtomicLong messageIdGenerator = new AtomicLong(0);
     private final Cache<Long, SettableFuture<byte[]>> responseFutures = CacheBuilder.newBuilder()
             .maximumSize(100000)
@@ -86,14 +82,6 @@
             })
             .build();
 
-    private final LoadingCache<String, Long> messageTypeLookupCache = CacheBuilder.newBuilder()
-            .build(new CacheLoader<String, Long>() {
-                @Override
-                public Long load(String type) {
-                    return hashToLong(type);
-                }
-            });
-
     private final GenericKeyedObjectPool<Endpoint, Channel> channels
             = new GenericKeyedObjectPool<Endpoint, Channel>(new OnosCommunicationChannelFactory());
 
@@ -162,7 +150,7 @@
         InternalMessage message = new InternalMessage.Builder(this)
             .withId(messageIdGenerator.incrementAndGet())
             .withSender(localEp)
-            .withType(messageTypeLookupCache.getUnchecked(type))
+            .withType(type)
             .withPayload(payload)
             .build();
         sendAsync(ep, message);
@@ -198,7 +186,7 @@
         InternalMessage message = new InternalMessage.Builder(this)
             .withId(messageId)
             .withSender(localEp)
-            .withType(messageTypeLookupCache.getUnchecked(type))
+            .withType(type)
             .withPayload(payload)
             .build();
         try {
@@ -212,12 +200,12 @@
 
     @Override
     public void registerHandler(String type, MessageHandler handler) {
-        handlers.putIfAbsent(hashToLong(type), handler);
+        handlers.putIfAbsent(type, handler);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void registerHandler(String type, MessageHandler handler, ExecutorService executor) {
-        handlers.putIfAbsent(hashToLong(type), new MessageHandler() {
+        handlers.putIfAbsent(type, new MessageHandler() {
             @Override
             public void handle(Message message) throws IOException {
                 executor.submit(() -> {
@@ -233,10 +221,10 @@
 
     @Override
     public void unregisterHandler(String type) {
-        handlers.remove(hashToLong(type));
+        handlers.remove(type);
     }
 
-    private MessageHandler getMessageHandler(long type) {
+    private MessageHandler getMessageHandler(String type) {
         return handlers.get(type);
     }
 
@@ -342,8 +330,8 @@
     }
 
     private void dispatchLocally(InternalMessage message) throws IOException {
-        long type = message.type();
-        if (type == InternalMessage.REPLY_MESSAGE_TYPE) {
+        String type = message.type();
+        if (InternalMessage.REPLY_MESSAGE_TYPE.equals(type)) {
             try {
                 SettableFuture<byte[]> futureResponse =
                     NettyMessagingService.this.responseFutures.getIfPresent(message.id());
@@ -366,13 +354,4 @@
             log.debug("No handler registered for {}", type);
         }
     }
-
-    /**
-     * Returns the md5 hash of the specified input string as a long.
-     * @param input input string.
-     * @return md5 hash as long.
-     */
-    public static long hashToLong(String input) {
-        return Hashing.md5().hashBytes(input.getBytes(Charsets.UTF_8)).asLong();
-    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file