diff --git a/src/common/execio.c b/src/common/execio.c
--- a/src/common/execio.c
+++ b/src/common/execio.c
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ int execio_open(struct execio **rem, con
 	}
       (*rem)->pipe_write = pipe_write[1];
       (*rem)->pipe_read = pipe_read[0];
+      (*rem)->state = 0;
       (*rem)->child = child;
       
       return 0;
@@ -129,26 +130,54 @@ int execio_open(struct execio **rem, con
       execvp(progname, argv);
 
       return 1; /* this line should never be reached because we exec -- unless if the exec returns something bad. Then we'd have to tell execio over the pipe about that somehow... */
+      /* in fact, maybe we should abort() here because if we returned, a monster of a distren client would exist! */
     }
 }
 
-
 size_t execio_read(struct execio *eio, void *buf, size_t len)
 {
-  
-  return 0;
+  int toreturn;
+
+  /*
+    TODO: detect NULL eio? 
+    TODO: errno?
+    update status of eio for execio_status/to be able to cleanup subproc??
+
+    whenever read() returns 0, it means EOF
+   */
+  toreturn = read(eio->pipe_read, buf, len);
+  if(!toreturn)
+    /* should also be able to figure out if is bad fd and should set EXECIO_STATE_ERROR instead of _EOF */
+    eio->state = EXECIO_STATE_EOF;
+
+  return toreturn;
 }
 
 size_t execio_write(struct execio *eio, void *buf, size_t len)
 {
-  
-  return 0;
+  int toreturn;
+  /*
+    TODO: errno handling
+   */
+  toreturn = write(eio->pipe_write, buf, len);
+  if(!toreturn)
+    eio->state = EXECIO_STATE_ERROR;
+
+   return toreturn;
+}
+
+
+enum execio_state execio_state(struct execio *eio)
+{
+  return eio->state;
 }
 
 
 int execio_close(struct execio *eio)
 {
-  
+  close(eio->pipe_read);
+  close(eio->pipe_write);
+
   return 0;
 }