diff --git a/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/bgproute/PtreeNode.java b/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/bgproute/PtreeNode.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d2c265
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/bgproute/PtreeNode.java
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package net.floodlightcontroller.bgproute;
+
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+
+public class PtreeNode {
+	public PtreeNode parent;
+	public PtreeNode left;
+	public PtreeNode right;
+	
+	public byte key[];
+	public int keyBits;
+	
+	public int refCount;
+	
+	public Rib rib;
+	protected static Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(BgpRoute.class);
+	
+	PtreeNode(byte [] key, int key_bits, int max_key_octet) {
+		parent = null;
+		left = null;
+		right = null;
+		refCount = 0;
+		rib = null;
+		this.key = new byte[max_key_octet];
+		this.keyBits = key_bits;
+		log.debug("inside Ptreenode constructor key {} bits {}", key, key_bits);
+		
+		int octet = Ptree.bit_to_octet(key_bits);
+		for (int i = 0; i < max_key_octet; i++) {
+			if (i < octet) {
+				if (key != null) {
+				    log.debug(octet + ": filling key[{}] {}", i, key[i]);
+				    this.key[i] = key[i];
+				} else {
+				    log.debug("no filling, null key", i);
+				}
+			} else {
+			    log.debug("filling key {} as 0", i);
+				this.key[i] = 0;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}