diff --git a/tests/nicira_role.py b/tests/nicira_role.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a8ac8cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/nicira_role.py
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+"""
+"""
+import struct
+
+import logging
+
+from oftest import config
+import oftest.controller as controller
+import oftest.cstruct as ofp
+import oftest.message as message
+import oftest.base_tests as base_tests
+
+from oftest.testutils import *
+
+# Nicira vendor extension constants
+NXT_VENDOR = 0x00002320
+
+NXT_ROLE_REQUEST = 10
+
+NXT_ROLE_VALUE = dict( other=0, slave=1, master=2 )
+
+class NiciraRoleRequest(base_tests.SimpleDataPlane):
+    """
+    Exercise Nicira vendor extension for requesting HA roles
+    """
+
+    priority = 0
+
+    def nicira_role_request(self, role):
+        """
+        Use the BSN_SET_IP_MASK vendor command to change the IP mask for the
+        given wildcard index
+        """
+        logging.info("Sending role request %s" % role)
+        m = message.vendor()
+        m.vendor = NXT_VENDOR
+        m.data = struct.pack("!LL", NXT_ROLE_REQUEST, NXT_ROLE_VALUE[role])
+        return m
+
+    def runTest(self):
+        '''
+        For now, we only verify that a response is received.
+        '''
+        request = self.nicira_role_request("master")
+        response, pkt = self.controller.transact(request)
+        self.assertTrue(response is not None, "No reply to Nicira role request")