diff --git a/openflow/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/of/controller/driver/AbstractOpenFlowSwitch.java b/openflow/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/of/controller/driver/AbstractOpenFlowSwitch.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7e0186
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openflow/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/of/controller/driver/AbstractOpenFlowSwitch.java
@@ -0,0 +1,346 @@
+/**
+ *    Copyright 2011, Big Switch Networks, Inc.
+ *    Originally created by David Erickson, Stanford University
+ *
+ *    Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ *    not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
+ *    a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *         http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ *    Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ *    distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ *    WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ *    License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ *    under the License.
+ **/
+
+package org.onlab.onos.of.controller.driver;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
+
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.Channel;
+import org.onlab.onos.of.controller.Dpid;
+import org.onlab.onos.of.controller.RoleState;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFDescStatsReply;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFErrorMsg;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFExperimenter;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFFactories;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFFactory;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFFeaturesReply;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFMessage;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFPortDesc;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFPortDescStatsReply;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFRoleReply;
+import org.projectfloodlight.openflow.protocol.OFVersion;
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+
+/**
+ * An abstract representation of an OpenFlow switch. Can be extended by others
+ * to serve as a base for their vendor specific representation of a switch.
+ */
+public abstract class AbstractOpenFlowSwitch implements OpenFlowSwitchDriver {
+
+    private static Logger log =
+            LoggerFactory.getLogger(AbstractOpenFlowSwitch.class);
+
+    protected Channel channel;
+
+    private boolean connected;
+    protected boolean startDriverHandshakeCalled = false;
+    private final Dpid dpid;
+    private OpenFlowAgent agent;
+    private final AtomicInteger xidCounter = new AtomicInteger(0);
+
+    private OFVersion ofVersion;
+
+    protected OFPortDescStatsReply ports;
+
+    protected boolean tableFull;
+
+    private RoleHandler roleMan;
+
+    protected RoleState role;
+
+    protected OFFeaturesReply features;
+    protected OFDescStatsReply desc;
+
+    /**
+     * Given a dpid build this switch.
+     * @param dp the dpid
+     */
+    protected AbstractOpenFlowSwitch(Dpid dp) {
+        this.dpid = dp;
+    }
+
+    public AbstractOpenFlowSwitch(Dpid dpid, OFDescStatsReply desc) {
+        this.dpid = dpid;
+        this.desc = desc;
+    }
+
+    //************************
+    // Channel related
+    //************************
+
+    @Override
+    public final void disconnectSwitch() {
+        this.channel.close();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final void sendMsg(OFMessage m) {
+        this.write(m);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final void sendMsg(List<OFMessage> msgs) {
+        this.write(msgs);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public abstract void write(OFMessage msg);
+
+    @Override
+    public abstract void write(List<OFMessage> msgs);
+
+    @Override
+    public final boolean isConnected() {
+        return this.connected;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final void setConnected(boolean connected) {
+        this.connected = connected;
+    };
+
+    @Override
+    public final void setChannel(Channel channel) {
+        this.channel = channel;
+    };
+
+    //************************
+    // Switch features related
+    //************************
+
+    @Override
+    public final long getId() {
+        return this.dpid.value();
+    };
+
+    @Override
+    public final String getStringId() {
+        return this.dpid.toString();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final void setOFVersion(OFVersion ofV) {
+        this.ofVersion = ofV;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setTableFull(boolean full) {
+        this.tableFull = full;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setFeaturesReply(OFFeaturesReply featuresReply) {
+        this.features = featuresReply;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public abstract Boolean supportNxRole();
+
+    //************************
+    //  Message handling
+    //************************
+    /**
+     * Handle the message coming from the dataplane.
+     *
+     * @param m the actual message
+     */
+    @Override
+    public final void handleMessage(OFMessage m) {
+        this.agent.processMessage(dpid, m);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public RoleState getRole() {
+        return role;
+    };
+
+    @Override
+    public final boolean connectSwitch() {
+        return this.agent.addConnectedSwitch(dpid, this);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final boolean activateMasterSwitch() {
+        return this.agent.addActivatedMasterSwitch(dpid, this);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final boolean activateEqualSwitch() {
+        return this.agent.addActivatedEqualSwitch(dpid, this);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final void transitionToEqualSwitch() {
+        this.agent.transitionToEqualSwitch(dpid);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final void transitionToMasterSwitch() {
+        this.agent.transitionToMasterSwitch(dpid);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final void removeConnectedSwitch() {
+        this.agent.removeConnectedSwitch(dpid);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public OFFactory factory() {
+        return OFFactories.getFactory(ofVersion);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setPortDescReply(OFPortDescStatsReply portDescReply) {
+        this.ports = portDescReply;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public abstract void startDriverHandshake();
+
+    @Override
+    public abstract boolean isDriverHandshakeComplete();
+
+    @Override
+    public abstract void processDriverHandshakeMessage(OFMessage m);
+
+    @Override
+    public void setRole(RoleState role) {
+        try {
+            log.info("Sending role {} to switch {}", role, getStringId());
+            if (this.roleMan.sendRoleRequest(role, RoleRecvStatus.MATCHED_SET_ROLE)) {
+                this.role = role;
+            }
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            log.error("Unable to write to switch {}.", this.dpid);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Role Handling
+
+    @Override
+    public void handleRole(OFMessage m) throws SwitchStateException {
+        RoleReplyInfo rri = roleMan.extractOFRoleReply((OFRoleReply) m);
+        RoleRecvStatus rrs = roleMan.deliverRoleReply(rri);
+        if (rrs == RoleRecvStatus.MATCHED_SET_ROLE) {
+            if (rri.getRole() == RoleState.MASTER) {
+                this.transitionToMasterSwitch();
+            } else if (rri.getRole() == RoleState.EQUAL ||
+                    rri.getRole() == RoleState.MASTER) {
+                this.transitionToEqualSwitch();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void handleNiciraRole(OFMessage m) throws SwitchStateException {
+        RoleState r = this.roleMan.extractNiciraRoleReply((OFExperimenter) m);
+        if (r == null) {
+            // The message wasn't really a Nicira role reply. We just
+            // dispatch it to the OFMessage listeners in this case.
+            this.handleMessage(m);
+        }
+
+        RoleRecvStatus rrs = this.roleMan.deliverRoleReply(
+                new RoleReplyInfo(r, null, m.getXid()));
+        if (rrs == RoleRecvStatus.MATCHED_SET_ROLE) {
+            if (r == RoleState.MASTER) {
+                this.transitionToMasterSwitch();
+            } else if (r == RoleState.EQUAL ||
+                    r == RoleState.SLAVE) {
+                this.transitionToEqualSwitch();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean handleRoleError(OFErrorMsg error) {
+        try {
+            return RoleRecvStatus.OTHER_EXPECTATION != this.roleMan.deliverError(error);
+        } catch (SwitchStateException e) {
+            this.disconnectSwitch();
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void reassertRole() {
+        if (this.getRole() == RoleState.MASTER) {
+            this.setRole(RoleState.MASTER);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final void setAgent(OpenFlowAgent ag) {
+        if (this.agent == null) {
+            this.agent = ag;
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public final void setRoleHandler(RoleHandler roleHandler) {
+        if (this.roleMan == null) {
+            this.roleMan = roleHandler;
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setSwitchDescription(OFDescStatsReply d) {
+        this.desc = d;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int getNextTransactionId() {
+        return this.xidCounter.getAndIncrement();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public List<OFPortDesc> getPorts() {
+        return Collections.unmodifiableList(ports.getEntries());
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String manfacturerDescription() {
+        return this.desc.getMfrDesc();
+    }
+
+
+    @Override
+    public String datapathDescription() {
+        return this.desc.getDpDesc();
+    }
+
+
+    @Override
+    public String hardwareDescription() {
+        return this.desc.getHwDesc();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String softwareDescription() {
+        return this.desc.getSwDesc();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String serialNumber() {
+        return this.desc.getSerialNum();
+    }
+
+}