diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 0bd0820..d979fb6 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 	testsuite.at \
 	$(srcdir)/package.m4 \
 	$(TESTSUITE) \
+	ctrl_test_runner.py \
 	$(NULL)
 
 TESTSUITE = $(srcdir)/testsuite
@@ -33,8 +34,17 @@
 	atconfig \
 	$(NULL)
 
+if ENABLE_EXT_TESTS
+python-tests: $(BUILT_SOURCES)
+	$(PYTHON) $(srcdir)/ctrl_test_runner.py -w $(abs_top_builddir) -v
+else
+python-tests: $(BUILT_SOURCES)
+	echo "Not running python-based tests (determined at configure-time)"
+endif
+
 check-local: atconfig $(TESTSUITE)
 	$(SHELL) '$(TESTSUITE)' $(TESTSUITEFLAGS)
+	$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) python-tests
 
 installcheck-local: atconfig $(TESTSUITE)
 	$(SHELL) '$(TESTSUITE)' AUTOTEST_PATH='$(bindir)' \
diff --git a/tests/ctrl_test_runner.py b/tests/ctrl_test_runner.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d453197
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ctrl_test_runner.py
@@ -0,0 +1,199 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+# (C) 2013 by Jacob Erlbeck <jerlbeck@sysmocom.de>
+# (C) 2014 by Holger Hans Peter Freyther
+# based on vty_test_runner.py:
+# (C) 2013 by Katerina Barone-Adesi <kat.obsc@gmail.com>
+# (C) 2013 by Holger Hans Peter Freyther
+# based on bsc_control.py.
+
+# This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+import os
+import time
+import unittest
+import socket
+import sys
+import struct
+import subprocess
+
+import osmopy.osmoutil as osmoutil
+
+# add $top_srcdir/contrib to find ipa.py
+sys.path.append(os.path.join(sys.path[0], '..', 'contrib'))
+
+from ipa import Ctrl, IPA
+
+# to be able to find $top_srcdir/doc/...
+confpath = os.path.join(sys.path[0], '..')
+verbose = False
+
+class TestCtrlBase(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def ctrl_command(self):
+        raise Exception("Needs to be implemented by a subclass")
+
+    def ctrl_app(self):
+        raise Exception("Needs to be implemented by a subclass")
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        osmo_ctrl_cmd = self.ctrl_command()[:]
+        config_index = osmo_ctrl_cmd.index('-c')
+        if config_index:
+            cfi = config_index + 1
+            osmo_ctrl_cmd[cfi] = os.path.join(confpath, osmo_ctrl_cmd[cfi])
+
+        try:
+            self.proc = osmoutil.popen_devnull(osmo_ctrl_cmd)
+        except OSError:
+            print >> sys.stderr, "Current directory: %s" % os.getcwd()
+            print >> sys.stderr, "Consider setting -b"
+        time.sleep(2)
+
+        appstring = self.ctrl_app()[2]
+        appport = self.ctrl_app()[0]
+        self.connect("127.0.0.1", appport)
+        self.next_id = 1000
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        self.disconnect()
+        osmoutil.end_proc(self.proc)
+
+    def disconnect(self):
+        if not (self.sock is None):
+            self.sock.close()
+
+    def connect(self, host, port):
+        if verbose:
+            print "Connecting to host %s:%i" % (host, port)
+
+        retries = 30
+        while True:
+            try:
+                sck = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
+                sck.setblocking(1)
+                sck.connect((host, port))
+            except IOError:
+                retries -= 1
+                if retries <= 0:
+                    raise
+                time.sleep(.1)
+                continue
+            break
+        self.sock = sck
+        return sck
+
+    def send(self, data):
+        if verbose:
+            print "Sending \"%s\"" %(data)
+        data = Ctrl().add_header(data)
+        return self.sock.send(data) == len(data)
+
+    def send_set(self, var, value, id):
+        setmsg = "SET %s %s %s" %(id, var, value)
+        return self.send(setmsg)
+
+    def send_get(self, var, id):
+        getmsg = "GET %s %s" %(id, var)
+        return self.send(getmsg)
+
+    def do_set(self, var, value):
+        id = self.next_id
+        self.next_id += 1
+        self.send_set(var, value, id)
+        return self.recv_msgs()[id]
+
+    def do_get(self, var):
+        id = self.next_id
+        self.next_id += 1
+        self.send_get(var, id)
+        return self.recv_msgs()[id]
+
+    def assert_reply(self, r, mtype, var, val):
+        expect = dict(mtype=mtype, var=var, value=val)
+        result_matches = all([r.get(k) == expect.get(k) for k in expect.keys()])
+        if not result_matches:
+            print('\nError details:\nGot reply: %r\nExpected reply: %r\n' % (r, expect))
+        self.assertTrue(result_matches)
+
+    def assert_set(self, var, val, result_val):
+        r = self.do_set(var, val)
+        self.assert_reply(r, 'SET_REPLY', var, result_val)
+
+    def assert_get(self, var, result_val):
+        r = self.do_get(var)
+        self.assert_reply(r, 'GET_REPLY', var, result_val)
+
+    def recv_msgs(self):
+        responses = {}
+        data = self.sock.recv(4096)
+        while (len(data)>0):
+            (head, data) = IPA().split_combined(data)
+            answer = Ctrl().rem_header(head)
+            if verbose:
+                print "Got message:", answer
+            (mtype, id, msg) = answer.split(None, 2)
+            id = int(id)
+            rsp = {'mtype': mtype, 'id': id}
+            if mtype == "ERROR":
+                rsp['error'] = msg
+            else:
+                split = msg.split(None, 1)
+                rsp['var'] = split[0]
+                if len(split) > 1:
+                    rsp['value'] = split[1]
+                else:
+                    rsp['value'] = None
+            responses[id] = rsp
+
+        if verbose:
+            print "Decoded replies: ", responses
+
+        return responses
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    import argparse
+    import sys
+
+    workdir = '.'
+
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbose", dest="verbose",
+                        action="store_true", help="verbose mode")
+    parser.add_argument("-p", "--pythonconfpath", dest="p",
+                        help="searchpath for config")
+    parser.add_argument("-w", "--workdir", dest="w",
+                        help="Working directory")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    verbose_level = 1
+    if args.verbose:
+        verbose_level = 2
+        verbose = True
+
+    if args.w:
+        workdir = args.w
+
+    if args.p:
+        confpath = args.p
+
+    print "confpath %s, workdir %s" % (confpath, workdir)
+    os.chdir(workdir)
+    print "Running tests for specific control commands"
+    suite = unittest.TestSuite()
+    res = unittest.TextTestRunner(verbosity=verbose_level).run(suite)
+    sys.exit(len(res.errors) + len(res.failures))
+
+# vim: tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 expandtab