diff --git a/util/cbfstool/common.c b/util/cbfstool/common.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8db2d8cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/cbfstool/common.c
@@ -0,0 +1,298 @@
+/*
+ * common utility functions for cbfstool
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2009 coresystems GmbH
+ *                 written by Patrick Georgi <patrick.georgi@coresystems.de>
+ *
+ * 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; version 2 of the License.
+ *
+ * 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, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA, 02110-1301 USA
+ */
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include "common.h"
+#include "cbfs.h"
+#include "elf.h"
+
+#define dprintf
+
+void *loadfile(const char *filename, uint32_t * romsize_p, void *content,
+	       int place)
+{
+	FILE *file = fopen(filename, "rb");
+	fseek(file, 0, SEEK_END);
+	*romsize_p = ftell(file);
+	fseek(file, 0, SEEK_SET);
+	if (!content)
+		content = malloc(*romsize_p);
+	else if (place == SEEK_END)
+		content -= *romsize_p;
+	if (!fread(content, *romsize_p, 1, file)) {
+		printf("failed to read %s\n", filename);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	fclose(file);
+	return content;
+}
+
+struct cbfs_header *master_header;
+uint32_t phys_start, phys_end, align, romsize;
+void *offset;
+
+void recalculate_rom_geometry(void *romarea)
+{
+	offset = romarea + romsize - 0x100000000ULL;
+	master_header = (struct cbfs_header *)
+	    phys_to_virt(*((uint32_t *) phys_to_virt(0xfffffffc)));
+	phys_start = (0 - romsize + ntohl(master_header->offset)) & 0xffffffff;
+	phys_end =
+	    (0 - ntohl(master_header->bootblocksize) -
+	     sizeof(struct cbfs_header)) & 0xffffffff;
+	align = ntohl(master_header->align);
+}
+
+void *loadrom(const char *filename)
+{
+	void *romarea = loadfile(filename, &romsize, 0, SEEK_SET);
+	recalculate_rom_geometry(romarea);
+	return romarea;
+}
+
+void writerom(const char *filename, void *start, uint32_t size)
+{
+	FILE *file = fopen(filename, "wb");
+	fwrite(start, size, 1, file);
+	fclose(file);
+}
+
+int cbfs_file_header(uint32_t physaddr)
+{
+	/* maybe improve this test */
+	return (strncmp(phys_to_virt(physaddr), "LARCHIVE", 8) == 0);
+}
+
+struct cbfs_file *cbfs_create_empty_file(uint32_t physaddr, uint32_t size)
+{
+	struct cbfs_file *nextfile = (struct cbfs_file *)phys_to_virt(physaddr);
+	strncpy(nextfile->magic, "LARCHIVE", 8);
+	nextfile->len = htonl(size);
+	nextfile->type = htonl(0xffffffff);
+	nextfile->checksum = 0;	// FIXME?
+	nextfile->offset = htonl(sizeof(struct cbfs_file) + 16);
+	memset(((void *)nextfile) + sizeof(struct cbfs_file), 0, 16);
+	return nextfile;
+}
+
+int iself(unsigned char *input)
+{
+	Elf32_Ehdr *ehdr = (Elf32_Ehdr *) input;
+	return !memcmp(ehdr->e_ident, ELFMAG, 4);
+}
+
+struct filetypes_t {
+	uint32_t type;
+	const char *name;
+} filetypes[] = {
+	{CBFS_COMPONENT_STAGE, "stage"},
+	{CBFS_COMPONENT_PAYLOAD, "payload"},
+	{CBFS_COMPONENT_OPTIONROM, "optionrom"},
+	{CBFS_COMPONENT_DELETED, "deleted"},
+	{CBFS_COMPONENT_NULL, "null"}
+};
+
+const char *strfiletype(uint32_t number)
+{
+	int i;
+	for (i = 0; i < (sizeof(filetypes) / sizeof(struct filetypes_t)); i++)
+		if (filetypes[i].type == number)
+			return filetypes[i].name;
+	return "unknown";
+}
+
+uint64_t intfiletype(const char *name)
+{
+	int i;
+	for (i = 0; i < (sizeof(filetypes) / sizeof(struct filetypes_t)); i++)
+		if (strcmp(filetypes[i].name, name) == 0)
+			return filetypes[i].type;
+	return -1;
+}
+
+void print_cbfs_directory(const char *filename)
+{
+	printf
+	    ("%s: %d kB, bootblocksize %d, romsize %d, offset 0x%x\nAlignment: %d bytes\n\n",
+	     filename, romsize / 1024, ntohl(master_header->bootblocksize),
+	     romsize, ntohl(master_header->offset), align);
+	printf("%-30s %-10s %-12s Size\n", "Name", "Offset", "Type");
+	uint32_t current = phys_start;
+	while (current < phys_end) {
+		if (!cbfs_file_header(current)) {
+			current += align;
+			continue;
+		}
+		struct cbfs_file *thisfile =
+		    (struct cbfs_file *)phys_to_virt(current);
+		uint32_t length = ntohl(thisfile->len);
+		printf("%-30s 0x%-8x %-12s %d\n",
+		       (const char *)(phys_to_virt(current) +
+				      sizeof(struct cbfs_file)),
+		       current - phys_start, strfiletype(ntohl(thisfile->type)),
+		       length);
+		current =
+		    ALIGN(current + ntohl(thisfile->len) +
+			  ntohl(thisfile->offset), align);
+	}
+}
+
+int add_file_to_cbfs(void *content, uint32_t contentsize, uint32_t location)
+{
+	uint32_t current = phys_start;
+	while (current < phys_end) {
+		if (!cbfs_file_header(current)) {
+			current += align;
+			continue;
+		}
+		struct cbfs_file *thisfile =
+		    (struct cbfs_file *)phys_to_virt(current);
+		uint32_t length = ntohl(thisfile->len);
+
+		dprintf("at %x, %x bytes\n", current, length);
+		/* Is this a free chunk? */
+		if ((thisfile->type == CBFS_COMPONENT_DELETED)
+		    || (thisfile->type == CBFS_COMPONENT_NULL)) {
+			dprintf("null||deleted at %x, %x bytes\n", current,
+				length);
+			/* if this is the right size, and if specified, the right location, use it */
+			if ((contentsize <= length)
+			    && ((location == 0) || (current == location))) {
+				if (contentsize < length) {
+					dprintf
+					    ("this chunk is %x bytes, we need %x. create a new chunk at %x with %x bytes\n",
+					     length, contentsize,
+					     ALIGN(current + contentsize,
+						   align),
+					     length - contentsize);
+					uint32_t start =
+					    ALIGN(current + contentsize, align);
+					uint32_t size =
+					    current + ntohl(thisfile->offset)
+					    + length - start - 16 -
+					    sizeof(struct cbfs_file);
+					cbfs_create_empty_file(start, size);
+				}
+				dprintf("copying data\n");
+				memcpy(phys_to_virt(current), content,
+				       contentsize);
+				break;
+			}
+			if (location == 0)
+				continue;
+
+			/* CBFS has the constraint that the chain always moves up in memory. so once
+			   we're past the place we seek, we don't need to look any further */
+			if (current > location) {
+				printf
+				    ("the requested space is not available\n");
+				return 1;
+			}
+
+			/* Is the requested location inside the current chunk? */
+			if ((current < location)
+			    && ((location + contentsize) <= (current + length))) {
+				/* Split it up. In the next iteration the code will be at the right place. */
+				dprintf("split up. new length: %x\n",
+					location - current -
+					ntohl(thisfile->offset));
+				thisfile->len =
+				    htonl(location - current -
+					  ntohl(thisfile->offset));
+				struct cbfs_file *nextfile =
+				    cbfs_create_empty_file(location,
+							   length - (location -
+								     current));
+			}
+		}
+		current =
+		    ALIGN(current + ntohl(thisfile->len) +
+			  ntohl(thisfile->offset), align);
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/* returns new data block with cbfs_file header, suitable to dump into the ROM. location returns
+   the new location that points to the cbfs_file header */
+void *create_cbfs_file(const char *filename, void *data, uint32_t * datasize,
+		       uint32_t type, uint32_t * location)
+{
+	uint32_t filename_len = ALIGN(strlen(filename) + 1, 16);
+	uint32_t headersize = sizeof(struct cbfs_file) + filename_len;
+	if ((location != 0) && (*location != 0)) {
+		uint32_t offset = *location % align;
+		/* If offset >= (headersize % align), we can stuff the header into the offset.
+		   Otherwise the header has to be aligned itself, and put before the offset data */
+		if (offset >= (headersize % align)) {
+			offset -= (headersize % align);
+		} else {
+			offset += align - (headersize % align);
+		}
+		headersize += offset;
+		*location -= headersize;
+	}
+	void *newdata = malloc(*datasize + headersize);
+	struct cbfs_file *nextfile = (struct cbfs_file *)newdata;
+	strncpy(nextfile->magic, "LARCHIVE", 8);
+	nextfile->len = htonl(*datasize);
+	nextfile->type = htonl(type);
+	nextfile->checksum = 0;	// FIXME?
+	nextfile->offset = htonl(headersize);
+	strcpy(newdata + sizeof(struct cbfs_file), filename);
+	memcpy(newdata + headersize, data, *datasize);
+	*datasize += headersize;
+	return newdata;
+}
+
+int create_cbfs_image(const char *romfile, uint32_t _romsize,
+		      const char *bootblock, uint32_t align)
+{
+	romsize = _romsize;
+	unsigned char *romarea = malloc(romsize);
+	memset(romarea, 0xff, romsize);
+	recalculate_rom_geometry(romarea);
+
+	if (align == 0)
+		align = 64;
+
+	uint32_t bootblocksize = 0;
+	loadfile(bootblock, &bootblocksize, romarea + romsize, SEEK_END);
+	struct cbfs_header *master_header =
+	    (struct cbfs_header *)(romarea + romsize - bootblocksize -
+				   sizeof(struct cbfs_header));
+	master_header->magic = ntohl(0x4f524243);
+	master_header->version = ntohl(0x31313131);
+	master_header->romsize = htonl(romsize);
+	master_header->bootblocksize = htonl(bootblocksize);
+	master_header->align = htonl(align);
+	master_header->offset = htonl(0);
+	((uint32_t *) phys_to_virt(0xfffffffc))[0] =
+	    virt_to_phys(master_header);
+	struct cbfs_file *one_empty_file =
+	    cbfs_create_empty_file((0 - romsize) & 0xffffffff,
+				   romsize - bootblocksize -
+				   sizeof(struct cbfs_header) -
+				   sizeof(struct cbfs_file) - 16);
+
+	writerom(romfile, romarea, romsize);
+	return 0;
+}