diff --git a/src/common/remoteio.c b/src/common/remoteio.c
--- a/src/common/remoteio.c
+++ b/src/common/remoteio.c
@@ -20,3 +20,25 @@
 
 #include "remoteio.h"
 
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+/**
+   @todo there must be passage of a configuratoin struct to allow configuration of different ssh clients.
+ */
+int remoteio_open(struct remoteio **rem, const char *servername)
+{
+  const char *sshargs[] = {"ssh", servername, "distrend", "-d", (char *)NULL};
+  int rtn;
+
+  *rem = malloc(sizeof(struct remoteio));
+  rtn = execio_open( &(*rem)->execio, "ssh", sshargs);
+  if(rtn)
+    {
+      fprinf(stderr, "error opening remoteio channel to server ``%s''" , servername);
+      free(*rem);
+      return 1;
+    }
+  
+  return 0;
+}