diff --git a/include/ipaccess.h b/include/ipaccess.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..345ed3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/ipaccess.h
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+#ifndef _IPACCESS_H
+#define _IPACCESS_H
+
+#include <laf0rge1/linuxlist.h>
+
+#define IPA_TCP_PORT_OML	3002
+#define IPA_TCP_PORT_RSL	3003
+
+struct ipaccess_head {
+	u_int16_t len;	/* network byte order */
+	u_int8_t proto;
+	u_int8_t data[0];
+} __attribute__ ((packed));
+
+enum ipaccess_proto {
+	IPAC_PROTO_RSL		= 0x00,
+	IPAC_PROTO_IPACCESS	= 0xfe,
+	IPAC_PROTO_SCCP		= 0xfd,
+	IPAC_PROTO_OML		= 0xff,
+};
+
+enum ipaccess_msgtype {
+	IPAC_MSGT_PING		= 0x00,
+	IPAC_MSGT_PONG		= 0x01,
+	IPAC_MSGT_ID_GET	= 0x04,
+	IPAC_MSGT_ID_RESP	= 0x05,
+	IPAC_MSGT_ID_ACK	= 0x06,
+};
+
+enum ipaccess_id_tags {
+	IPAC_IDTAG_SERNR		= 0x00,
+	IPAC_IDTAG_UNITNAME		= 0x01,
+	IPAC_IDTAG_LOCATION1		= 0x02,
+	IPAC_IDTAG_LOCATION2		= 0x03,
+	IPAC_IDTAG_EQUIPVERS		= 0x04,
+	IPAC_IDTAG_SWVERSION		= 0x05,
+	IPAC_IDTAG_IPADDR		= 0x06,
+	IPAC_IDTAG_MACADDR		= 0x07,
+	IPAC_IDTAG_UNIT			= 0x08,
+};
+
+/*
+ * methods for parsing and sending a message
+ */
+int ipaccess_rcvmsg_base(struct msgb *msg, struct bsc_fd *bfd);
+struct msgb *ipaccess_read_msg(struct bsc_fd *bfd, int *error);
+void ipaccess_prepend_header(struct msgb *msg, int proto);
+int ipaccess_send_id_ack(int fd);
+int ipaccess_send_id_req(int fd);
+
+
+#endif /* _IPACCESS_H */