diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/AbstractBehaviour.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/AbstractBehaviour.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb6a302
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/AbstractBehaviour.java
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+/**
+ * Base implementation of device driver behaviour.
+ */
+public class AbstractBehaviour implements Behaviour {
+
+    private DriverData data;
+
+    @Override
+    public void setData(DriverData data) {
+        this.data = data;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/Behaviour.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/Behaviour.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7257eed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/Behaviour.java
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+/**
+ * Representation of a facet of device behaviour that can be used to talk about
+ * a device (in context of {@link DriverData}) or to a device (in context of
+ * {@link DriverHandler}).
+ */
+public interface Behaviour {
+
+    /**
+     * Sets the driver data context on this this behaviour should operate.
+     *
+     * @param data driver data
+     */
+    void setData(DriverData data);
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriver.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriver.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e95ddca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriver.java
@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import static com.google.common.base.MoreObjects.toStringHelper;
+import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkArgument;
+import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
+import static com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap.copyOf;
+
+/**
+ * Default implementation of extensible driver.
+ */
+public class DefaultDriver implements Driver {
+
+    private final String name;
+
+    private final String manufacturer;
+    private final String hwVersion;
+    private final String swVersion;
+
+    private final Map<Class<? extends Behaviour>, Class<? extends Behaviour>> behaviours;
+    private final Map<String, String> properties;
+
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a driver with the specified name.
+     *
+     * @param name         driver name
+     * @param manufacturer device manufacturer
+     * @param hwVersion    device hardware version
+     * @param swVersion    device software version
+     * @param behaviours   device behaviour classes
+     * @param properties   properties for configuration of device behaviour classes
+     */
+    public DefaultDriver(String name, String manufacturer,
+                         String hwVersion, String swVersion,
+                         Map<Class<? extends Behaviour>, Class<? extends Behaviour>> behaviours,
+                         Map<String, String> properties) {
+        this.name = checkNotNull(name, "Name cannot be null");
+        this.manufacturer = checkNotNull(manufacturer, "Manufacturer cannot be null");
+        this.hwVersion = checkNotNull(hwVersion, "HW version cannot be null");
+        this.swVersion = checkNotNull(swVersion, "SW version cannot be null");
+        this.behaviours = copyOf(checkNotNull(behaviours, "Behaviours cannot be null"));
+        this.properties = copyOf(checkNotNull(properties, "Properties cannot be null"));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Merges the two drivers while giving preference to this driver when
+     * dealing with conflicts.
+     *
+     * @param other other driver
+     * @return new driver
+     */
+    DefaultDriver merge(DefaultDriver other) {
+        // Merge the behaviours.
+        ImmutableMap.Builder<Class<? extends Behaviour>, Class<? extends Behaviour>>
+                behaviours = ImmutableMap.builder();
+        behaviours.putAll(other.behaviours).putAll(this.behaviours);
+
+        // Merge the properties.
+        ImmutableMap.Builder<String, String> properties = ImmutableMap.builder();
+        properties.putAll(other.properties).putAll(this.properties);
+
+        return new DefaultDriver(name, manufacturer, hwVersion, swVersion,
+                                 behaviours.build(), properties.build());
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String name() {
+        return name;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String manufacturer() {
+        return manufacturer;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String hwVersion() {
+        return hwVersion;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String swVersion() {
+        return swVersion;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Set<Class<? extends Behaviour>> behaviours() {
+        return behaviours.keySet();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean hasBehaviour(Class<? extends Behaviour> behaviourClass) {
+        return behaviours.containsKey(behaviourClass);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates an instance of behaviour primed with the specified driver data.
+     *
+     * @param data           driver data context
+     * @param behaviourClass driver behaviour class
+     * @param handler        indicates behaviour is intended for handler context
+     * @param <T>            type of behaviour
+     * @return behaviour instance
+     */
+    public <T extends Behaviour> T createBehaviour(DriverData data,
+                                                   Class<T> behaviourClass,
+                                                   boolean handler) {
+        checkArgument(handler || !HandlerBehaviour.class.isAssignableFrom(behaviourClass),
+                      "{} is applicable only to handler context", behaviourClass.getName());
+
+        // Locate the implementation of the requested behaviour.
+        Class<? extends Behaviour> implementation = behaviours.get(behaviourClass);
+        checkArgument(implementation != null, "{} not supported", behaviourClass.getName());
+
+        // Create an instance of the behaviour and apply data as its context.
+        T behaviour = createBehaviour(behaviourClass, implementation);
+        behaviour.setData(data);
+        return behaviour;
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private <T extends Behaviour> T createBehaviour(Class<T> behaviourClass,
+                                                    Class<? extends Behaviour> implementation) {
+        try {
+            return (T) implementation.newInstance();
+        } catch (InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException e) {
+            // TODO: add a specific unchecked exception
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unable to create behaviour", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Set<String> keys() {
+        return properties.keySet();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String value(String key) {
+        return properties.get(key);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Map<String, String> properties() {
+        return properties;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return toStringHelper(this)
+                .add("name", name)
+                .add("manufacturer", manufacturer)
+                .add("hwVersion", hwVersion)
+                .add("swVersion", swVersion)
+                .add("behaviours", behaviours)
+                .add("properties", properties)
+                .toString();
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriverData.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriverData.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e83afe8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriverData.java
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
+import org.onosproject.net.MutableAnnotations;
+
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import static com.google.common.base.MoreObjects.toStringHelper;
+
+/**
+ * Default implementation of driver data descriptor.
+ */
+public class DefaultDriverData implements DriverData {
+
+    private final Driver type;
+    private final Map<String, String> properties;
+
+    /**
+     * Creates new driver data.
+     *
+     * @param type parent driver type
+     */
+    public DefaultDriverData(Driver type) {
+        this.type = type;
+        this.properties = new HashMap<>();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Driver type() {
+        return type;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <T extends Behaviour> T behaviour(Class<T> behaviourClass) {
+        return type.createBehaviour(this, behaviourClass, false);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public MutableAnnotations set(String key, String value) {
+        properties.put(key, value);
+        return this;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public MutableAnnotations clear(String... keys) {
+        if (keys.length == 0) {
+            properties.clear();
+        } else {
+            for (String key : keys) {
+                properties.remove(key);
+            }
+        }
+        return this;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Set<String> keys() {
+        return ImmutableSet.copyOf(properties.keySet());
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String value(String key) {
+        return properties.get(key);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return toStringHelper(this)
+                .add("type", type)
+                .add("properties", properties)
+                .toString();
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriverHandler.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriverHandler.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..247ccec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriverHandler.java
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import static com.google.common.base.MoreObjects.toStringHelper;
+
+/**
+ * Default implementation of driver handler.
+ */
+public class DefaultDriverHandler implements DriverHandler {
+
+    private final DefaultDriverData data;
+
+    /**
+     * Creates new driver handler with the attached driver data.
+     *
+     * @param data driver data to attach
+     */
+    public DefaultDriverHandler(DefaultDriverData data) {
+        this.data = data;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public DriverData data() {
+        return data;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <T extends Behaviour> T behaviour(Class<T> behaviourClass) {
+        return data.type().createBehaviour(this.data, behaviourClass, true);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return toStringHelper(this)
+                .add("data", data)
+                .toString();
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriverProvider.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriverProvider.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3110dc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DefaultDriverProvider.java
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
+
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import static com.google.common.base.MoreObjects.toStringHelper;
+
+/**
+ * Default driver provider implementation.
+ */
+public class DefaultDriverProvider implements DriverProvider {
+
+    private final Map<String, DefaultDriver> drivers = new HashMap<>();
+
+    @Override
+    public Set<Driver> getDrivers() {
+        return ImmutableSet.copyOf(drivers.values());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Adds the specified driver to be provided.
+     *
+     * @param driverClasses driver to be provided
+     */
+    public void addDrivers(Set<DefaultDriver> driverClasses) {
+        for (DefaultDriver driverClass : driverClasses) {
+            addDriver(driverClass);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Adds the specified driver to be provided.
+     *
+     * @param driverClass driver to be provided
+     */
+    public void addDriver(DefaultDriver driverClass) {
+        DefaultDriver ddc = drivers.get(driverClass.name());
+        if (ddc == null) {
+            // If we don't have the driver yet, just use the new one.
+            drivers.put(driverClass.name(), driverClass);
+        } else {
+            // Otherwise merge the existing driver with the new one and rebind.
+            drivers.put(driverClass.name(), ddc.merge(driverClass));
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return toStringHelper(this).add("drivers", drivers).toString();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/Driver.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/Driver.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a6883d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/Driver.java
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import org.onosproject.net.Annotations;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+/**
+ * Representation of a specific family of device drivers. Behaviour configuration
+ * data is stored using {@link org.onosproject.net.Annotations}.
+ */
+public interface Driver extends Annotations {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the driver name. This is expected to be a reverse-DNS,
+     * Java package-like name.
+     *
+     * @return driver name
+     */
+    String name();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the device manufacturer name.
+     *
+     * @return manufacturer name
+     */
+    String manufacturer();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the device hardware version.
+     *
+     * @return hardware version
+     */
+    String hwVersion();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the device software version.
+     *
+     * @return software version
+     */
+    String swVersion();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the set of behaviours supported by this driver.
+     *
+     * @return set of device driver behaviours
+     */
+    Set<Class<? extends Behaviour>> behaviours();
+
+    /**
+     * Indicates whether or not the driver supports the specified class
+     * of behaviour.
+     *
+     * @param behaviourClass behaviour class
+     * @return true if behaviour is supported
+     */
+    boolean hasBehaviour(Class<? extends Behaviour> behaviourClass);
+
+    /**
+     * Creates an instance of behaviour primed with the specified driver data.
+     *
+     * @param data           driver data context
+     * @param behaviourClass driver behaviour class
+     * @param handler        indicates behaviour is intended for handler context
+     * @param <T>            type of behaviour
+     * @return behaviour instance
+     */
+    <T extends Behaviour> T createBehaviour(DriverData data, Class<T> behaviourClass,
+                                            boolean handler);
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the set of annotations as map of key/value properties.
+     *
+     * @return map of properties
+     */
+    Map<String, String> properties();
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverAdminService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverAdminService.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e7fa138
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverAdminService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import java.util.Set;
+
+/**
+ * Service for managing drivers and driver behaviour implementations.
+ */
+public interface DriverAdminService extends DriverService {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the set of driver providers currently registered.
+     *
+     * @return registered driver providers
+     */
+    Set<DriverProvider> getProviders();
+
+    /**
+     * Registers the specified driver provider.
+     *
+     * @param provider driver provider to register
+     */
+    void registerProvider(DriverProvider provider);
+
+    /**
+     * Unregisters the specified driver provider.
+     *
+     * @param provider driver provider to unregister
+     */
+    void unregisterProvider(DriverProvider provider);
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverConnect.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverConnect.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1d51091
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverConnect.java
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+/**
+ * Abstraction of handler behaviour used to set-up and tear-down driver
+ * connection with a device.
+ */
+public interface DriverConnect extends HandlerBehaviour {
+
+    /**
+     * Connects to the device.
+     *
+     * @param credentials optional login credentials in string form
+     */
+    void connect(String... credentials);
+
+    /**
+     * Disconnects from the device.
+     */
+    void disconnect();
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverData.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverData.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff4d622
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverData.java
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import org.onosproject.net.MutableAnnotations;
+
+/**
+ * Container for data about a device. Data is stored using
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.MutableAnnotations}.
+ */
+public interface DriverData extends MutableAnnotations {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the parent device driver.
+     *
+     * @return device driver
+     */
+    Driver type();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the specified facet of behaviour to access the device data.
+     *
+     * @param behaviourClass behaviour class
+     * @param <T>            type of behaviour
+     * @return requested behaviour or null if not supported
+     */
+    <T extends Behaviour> T behaviour(Class<T> behaviourClass);
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverHandler.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverHandler.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0fb46aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverHandler.java
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+/**
+ * Representation of context for interacting with a device.
+ */
+public interface DriverHandler {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the device driver data.
+     *
+     * @return device driver data
+     */
+    DriverData data();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the specified facet of behaviour to interact with the device.
+     *
+     * @param behaviourClass behaviour class
+     * @param <T>            type of behaviour
+     * @return behaviour
+     */
+    <T extends Behaviour> T behaviour(Class<T> behaviourClass);
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverProvider.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverProvider.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..354d93e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverProvider.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import java.util.Set;
+
+/**
+ * Represents entity capable of providing device drivers and their
+ * behaviours.
+ */
+public interface DriverProvider {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the set of driver types and behaviour implementations to be
+     * made available by this provider.
+     *
+     * @return set of driver types and their behaviours
+     */
+    Set<Driver> getDrivers();
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverService.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverService.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d6d464
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/DriverService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import org.onosproject.net.DeviceId;
+
+import java.util.Set;
+
+/**
+ * Service for obtaining drivers and driver behaviour implementations.
+ */
+public interface DriverService {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the overall set of drivers being provided, optionally
+     * filtered to only those that support all specified behaviours.
+     *
+     * @param withBehaviours optional behaviour classes to query by
+     * @return provided drivers
+     */
+    Set<Driver> getDrivers(Class<? extends Behaviour>... withBehaviours);
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the specified driver.
+     *
+     * @param driverName driver name
+     * @return driver
+     */
+    Driver getDriver(String driverName);
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the driver that matches the specified primordial device
+     * discovery information.
+     *
+     * @param mfr device manufacturer
+     * @param hw  device hardware name/version
+     * @param sw  device software version
+     * @return driver or null of no matching one is found
+     */
+    Driver getDriver(String mfr, String hw, String sw);
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new driver handler for the specified driver.
+     *
+     * @param driverName  driver name
+     * @param deviceId    device identifier
+     * @param credentials optional login credentials in string form
+     * @return driver handler
+     */
+    DriverHandler createHandler(String driverName, DeviceId deviceId,
+                                String... credentials);
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new driver handler for the specified driver data.
+     *
+     * @param data        driver data
+     * @param deviceId    device identifier
+     * @param credentials optional login credentials in string form
+     * @return driver handler
+     */
+    DriverHandler createHandler(DriverData data, DeviceId deviceId,
+                                String... credentials);
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/HandlerBehaviour.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/HandlerBehaviour.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e3f78d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/HandlerBehaviour.java
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+/**
+ * Representation of a facet of device behaviour that can be used to interact
+ * with a device (in context of {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.DriverHandler}).
+ */
+public interface HandlerBehaviour extends Behaviour {
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/XmlDriverLoader.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/XmlDriverLoader.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3bb7ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/XmlDriverLoader.java
@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.onosproject.net.driver;
+
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
+import org.apache.commons.configuration.ConfigurationException;
+import org.apache.commons.configuration.HierarchicalConfiguration;
+import org.apache.commons.configuration.XMLConfiguration;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/**
+ * Utility capable of reading driver configuration XML resources and producing
+ * a device driver provider as a result.
+ * <p>
+ * The drivers stream structure is as follows:
+ * </p>
+ * <pre>
+ *     &lt;drivers&gt;
+ *         &lt;driver name=“...” [manufacturer="..." hwVersion="..." swVersion="..."]&gt;
+ *             &lt;behaviour api="..." impl="..."/&gt;
+ *             ...
+ *             [&lt;property name=“key”&gt;value&lt;/key&gt;]
+ *             ...
+ *         &lt;/driver&gt;
+ *         ...
+ *     &lt;/drivers&gt;
+ * </pre>
+ */
+public class XmlDriverLoader {
+
+    private static final String DRIVERS = "drivers";
+    private static final String DRIVER = "driver";
+
+    private static final String BEHAVIOUR = "behaviour";
+    private static final String PROPERTY = "property";
+
+    private static final String NAME = "[@name]";
+    private static final String MFG = "[@manufacturer]";
+    private static final String HW = "[@hwVersion]";
+    private static final String SW = "[@swVersion]";
+    private static final String API = "[@api]";
+    private static final String IMPL = "[@impl]";
+
+    private final ClassLoader classLoader;
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new driver loader capable of loading drivers from the supplied
+     * class loader.
+     *
+     * @param classLoader class loader to use
+     */
+    public XmlDriverLoader(ClassLoader classLoader) {
+        this.classLoader = classLoader;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Loads the specified drivers resource as an XML stream and parses it to
+     * produce a ready-to-register driver provider.
+     *
+     * @param driversStream stream containing the drivers definitions
+     * @return driver provider
+     * @throws java.io.IOException if issues are encountered reading the stream
+     *                             or parsing the driver definitions within
+     */
+    public DefaultDriverProvider loadDrivers(InputStream driversStream) throws IOException {
+        try {
+            XMLConfiguration cfg = new XMLConfiguration();
+            cfg.setRootElementName(DRIVERS);
+            cfg.setAttributeSplittingDisabled(true);
+
+            cfg.load(driversStream);
+            return loadDrivers(cfg);
+        } catch (ConfigurationException e) {
+            throw new IOException("Unable to load drivers", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Loads a driver provider from the supplied hierarchical configuration.
+     *
+     * @param driversCfg hierarchical configuration containing the drivers definitions
+     * @return driver provider
+     */
+    public DefaultDriverProvider loadDrivers(HierarchicalConfiguration driversCfg) {
+        DefaultDriverProvider provider = new DefaultDriverProvider();
+        for (HierarchicalConfiguration cfg : driversCfg.configurationsAt(DRIVER)) {
+            provider.addDriver(loadDriver(cfg));
+        }
+        return provider;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Loads a driver from the supplied hierarchical configuration.
+     *
+     * @param driverCfg hierarchical configuration containing the driver definition
+     * @return driver
+     */
+    public DefaultDriver loadDriver(HierarchicalConfiguration driverCfg) {
+        String name = driverCfg.getString(NAME);
+        String manufacturer = driverCfg.getString(MFG, "");
+        String hwVersion = driverCfg.getString(HW, "");
+        String swVersion = driverCfg.getString(SW, "");
+
+        return new DefaultDriver(name, manufacturer, hwVersion, swVersion,
+                                 parseBehaviours(driverCfg),
+                                 parseProperties(driverCfg));
+    }
+
+    // Parses the behaviours section.
+    private Map<Class<? extends Behaviour>, Class<? extends Behaviour>>
+    parseBehaviours(HierarchicalConfiguration driverCfg) {
+        ImmutableMap.Builder<Class<? extends Behaviour>,
+                Class<? extends Behaviour>> behaviours = ImmutableMap.builder();
+        for (HierarchicalConfiguration b : driverCfg.configurationsAt(BEHAVIOUR)) {
+            behaviours.put(getClass(b.getString(API)), getClass(b.getString(IMPL)));
+        }
+        return behaviours.build();
+    }
+
+    // Parses the properties section.
+    private Map<String, String> parseProperties(HierarchicalConfiguration driverCfg) {
+        ImmutableMap.Builder<String, String> properties = ImmutableMap.builder();
+        for (HierarchicalConfiguration b : driverCfg.configurationsAt(PROPERTY)) {
+            properties.put(b.getString(NAME), (String) b.getRootNode().getValue());
+        }
+        return properties.build();
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private Class<? extends Behaviour> getClass(String className) {
+        try {
+            return (Class<? extends Behaviour>) classLoader.loadClass(className);
+        } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unable to load class " + className, e);
+        }
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/package-info.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/package-info.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fbc39a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/driver/package-info.java
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Open Networking Laboratory
+ *
+ * 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.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Set of facilities to allow the platform to be extended with
+ * device specific behaviours and to allow modeling device behaviours while
+ * hiding details of specific device driver implementations.
+ * <p>
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.Driver} is a representation of a
+ * specific family of devices supports set of
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.Behaviour behaviour classes}. Default
+ * implementation is provided by the platform and allows DriverProviders to
+ * add different behaviour implementations via DriverService.
+ * </p>
+ * <p>
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.DriverData} is a container for data
+ * learned about a device. It is associated with a specific
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.Driver}
+ * and provides set of {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.Behaviour behaviours}
+ * for talking about a device. A default
+ * implementation provided by platform and has mutable key/value store for use by
+ * implementations of {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.Behaviour behaviours}.
+ * </p>
+ * <p>
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.DriverHandler} is an entity used as a
+ * context to interact with a device. It has a peer
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.DriverData} instance, which is used to
+ * store information learned about a device. It also
+ * provides set of {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.Behaviour behaviours}
+ * for talking to a device.
+ * </p>
+ * <p>
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.DriverService} can be used to query the
+ * inventory of device drivers and their behaviours, while the
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.DriverAdminService} allows adding/removing
+ * drivers and managing behaviour implementations.
+ * {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.DriverProvider} is an entity capable
+ * of add/removing drivers and supplying and managing behaviour
+ * implementations. A default implementation is provided by the framework along
+ * with a {@link org.onosproject.net.driver.XmlDriverLoader loader utility} to
+ * create a driver provider from an XML file structured as follows:
+ * <pre>
+ *     &lt;drivers&gt;
+ *         &lt;driver name=“...” [manufacturer="..." hwVersion="..." swVersion="..."]&gt;
+ *             &lt;behaviour api="..." impl="..."/&gt;
+ *             ...
+ *             [&lt;property name=“key”&gt;value&lt;/key&gt;]
+ *             ...
+ *         &lt;/driver&gt;
+ *         ...
+ *     &lt;/drivers&gt;
+ * </pre>
+ *
+ */
+package org.onosproject.net.driver;
\ No newline at end of file