diff --git a/src/common/Makefile.am b/src/common/Makefile.am
--- a/src/common/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/common/Makefile.am
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 pkglib_LTLIBRARIES = libdistren.la
 
-libdistren_la_SOURCES = options.c options.h
+libdistren_la_SOURCES = options.c options.h remoteio.h remoteio.c
 #evidently the following should not be LDADD, but LDFLAGS because automake doesn't like the idea of LDADD for libraries for some reason... or I am very confused
 libdistren_la_LIBADD = @DISTLIBS_LIBS@
 libdistren_la_CXXFLAGS = @DISTLIBS_CFLAGS@
diff --git a/src/common/remoteio.c b/src/common/remoteio.c
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/remoteio.c
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/*
+  Copyright 2008 Nathan Phillip Brink, Ethan Zonca
+
+  This file is a part of DistRen.
+
+  DistRen is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+  it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
+  the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+  (at your option) any later version.
+
+  DistRen 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 Affero General Public License for more details.
+
+  You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+  along with DistRen.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+
+#include "remoteio.h"
+
+int remoteio_open(const char *spec, struct remoteio **rem)
+{
+  
+}
+
+
+size_t remoteio_read(struct remoteio *rem, void *buf, size_t len)
+{
+  
+}
+
+size_t remoteio_write(struct remoteio *rem, void *buf, size_t len)
+{
+  
+}
+
+
+int remoteio_close(struct remoteio *rem)
+{
+  
+}
+
+
+#endif
+
diff --git a/src/common/remoteio.h b/src/common/remoteio.h
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/remoteio.h
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+/*
+  Copyright 2008 Nathan Phillip Brink, Ethan Zonca
+
+  This file is a part of DistRen.
+
+  DistRen is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+  it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
+  the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+  (at your option) any later version.
+
+  DistRen 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 Affero General Public License for more details.
+
+  You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+  along with DistRen.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+
+#ifndef _DISTREN_REMOTEIO_H
+#defien _DISTREN_REMOTEIO_H
+
+/*
+  This file tries to abstract away getting a socket/fd that talks to a remote service
+ */
+
+struct remoteio
+{
+  int fd;
+  
+};
+
+/* nonzsero return on error */
+int remoteio_open(const char *spec, struct remoteio **rem);
+
+/* blocks, returns 0 if len is 0 or on error */
+size_t remoteio_read(struct remoteio *rem, void *buf, size_t len);
+size_t remoteio_write(struct remoteio *rem, void *buf, size_t len);
+
+/* nonzero return on error */
+int remoteio_close(struct remoteio *rem);
+
+#endif
+