This commit consists of the following:
1) The kafka messaging proxy in Twisted python for adapters
2) Initial implementation and containerization of ponsim OLT adapter
and ponsim ONU adapter
3) Initial submission of request and response facade in both Twisted
python and Go Language
4) Initial implementation of device management and logical device management
in the Core
5) Update to the log module to allow dynamic setting of log level per
package using the gRPC API
6) Bug fixes and minor changes

Change-Id: Ia8f033da84cfd08275335bae9542802415e7bb0f
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/__init__.py b/adapters/common/utils/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b0fb0b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/asleep.py b/adapters/common/utils/asleep.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10d1ce3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/asleep.py
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#
+# Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+""" Async sleep (asleep) method and other twisted goodies """
+
+from twisted.internet import reactor
+from twisted.internet.defer import Deferred
+
+
+def asleep(dt):
+    """
+    Async (event driven) wait for given time period (in seconds)
+    :param dt: Delay in seconds
+    :return: Deferred to be fired with value None when time expires.
+    """
+    d = Deferred()
+    reactor.callLater(dt, lambda: d.callback(None))
+    return d
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/consulhelpers.py b/adapters/common/utils/consulhelpers.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6060ba3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/consulhelpers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+#
+# Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+"""
+Some consul related convenience functions
+"""
+
+from structlog import get_logger
+from consul import Consul
+from random import randint
+from adapters.common.utils.nethelpers import get_my_primary_local_ipv4
+
+log = get_logger()
+
+
+def connect_to_consult(consul_endpoint):
+    log.debug('getting-service-endpoint', consul=consul_endpoint)
+
+    host = consul_endpoint.split(':')[0].strip()
+    port = int(consul_endpoint.split(':')[1].strip())
+
+    return Consul(host=host, port=port)
+
+
+def verify_all_services_healthy(consul_endpoint, service_name=None,
+                                number_of_expected_services=None):
+    """
+    Verify in consul if any service is healthy
+    :param consul_endpoint: a <host>:<port> string
+    :param service_name: name of service to check, optional
+    :param number_of_expected_services number of services to check for, optional
+    :return: true if healthy, false otherwise
+    """
+
+    def check_health(service):
+        _, serv_health = consul.health.service(service, passing=True)
+        return not serv_health == []
+
+    consul = connect_to_consult(consul_endpoint)
+
+    if service_name is not None:
+        return check_health(service_name)
+
+    services = get_all_services(consul_endpoint)
+
+    items = services.keys()
+
+    if number_of_expected_services is not None and \
+                    len(items) != number_of_expected_services:
+        return False
+
+    for item in items:
+        if not check_health(item):
+            return False
+
+    return True
+
+
+def get_all_services(consul_endpoint):
+    log.debug('getting-service-verify-health')
+
+    consul = connect_to_consult(consul_endpoint)
+    _, services = consul.catalog.services()
+
+    return services
+
+
+def get_all_instances_of_service(consul_endpoint, service_name):
+    log.debug('getting-all-instances-of-service', service=service_name)
+
+    consul = connect_to_consult(consul_endpoint)
+    _, services = consul.catalog.service(service_name)
+
+    for service in services:
+        log.debug('service',
+                  name=service['ServiceName'],
+                  serviceid=service['ServiceID'],
+                  serviceport=service['ServicePort'],
+                  createindex=service['CreateIndex'])
+
+    return services
+
+
+def get_endpoint_from_consul(consul_endpoint, service_name):
+    """
+    Get endpoint of service_name from consul.
+    :param consul_endpoint: a <host>:<port> string
+    :param service_name: name of service for which endpoint
+                         needs to be found.
+    :return: service endpoint if available, else exit.
+    """
+    log.debug('getting-service-info', service=service_name)
+
+    consul = connect_to_consult(consul_endpoint)
+    _, services = consul.catalog.service(service_name)
+
+    if len(services) == 0:
+        raise Exception(
+            'Cannot find service {} in consul'.format(service_name))
+        os.exit(1)
+
+    """ Get host IPV4 address
+    """
+    local_ipv4 = get_my_primary_local_ipv4()
+    """ If host IP address from where the request came in matches
+        the IP address of the requested service's host IP address,
+        pick the endpoint
+    """
+    for i in range(len(services)):
+        service = services[i]
+        if service['ServiceAddress'] == local_ipv4:
+            log.debug("picking address locally")
+            endpoint = '{}:{}'.format(service['ServiceAddress'],
+                                      service['ServicePort'])
+            return endpoint
+
+    """ If service is not available locally, picak a random
+        endpoint for the service from the list
+    """
+    service = services[randint(0, len(services) - 1)]
+    endpoint = '{}:{}'.format(service['ServiceAddress'],
+                              service['ServicePort'])
+
+    return endpoint
+
+
+def get_healthy_instances(consul_endpoint, service_name=None,
+                          number_of_expected_services=None):
+    """
+    Verify in consul if any service is healthy
+    :param consul_endpoint: a <host>:<port> string
+    :param service_name: name of service to check, optional
+    :param number_of_expected_services number of services to check for, optional
+    :return: true if healthy, false otherwise
+    """
+
+    def check_health(service):
+        _, serv_health = consul.health.service(service, passing=True)
+        return not serv_health == []
+
+    consul = connect_to_consult(consul_endpoint)
+
+    if service_name is not None:
+        return check_health(service_name)
+
+    services = get_all_services(consul_endpoint)
+
+    items = services.keys()
+
+    if number_of_expected_services is not None and \
+                    len(items) != number_of_expected_services:
+        return False
+
+    for item in items:
+        if not check_health(item):
+            return False
+
+    return True
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    # print get_endpoint_from_consul('10.100.198.220:8500', 'kafka')
+    # print get_healthy_instances('10.100.198.220:8500', 'voltha-health')
+    # print get_healthy_instances('10.100.198.220:8500')
+    get_all_instances_of_service('10.100.198.220:8500', 'voltha-grpc')
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/deferred_utils.py b/adapters/common/utils/deferred_utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c55c1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/deferred_utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+from twisted.internet import reactor
+from twisted.internet.defer import Deferred
+from twisted.internet.error import AlreadyCalled
+
+
+class TimeOutError(Exception): pass
+
+
+class DeferredWithTimeout(Deferred):
+    """
+    Deferred with a timeout. If neither the callback nor the errback method
+    is not called within the given time, the deferred's errback will be called
+    with a TimeOutError() exception.
+
+    All other uses are the same as of Deferred().
+    """
+    def __init__(self, timeout=1.0):
+        Deferred.__init__(self)
+        self._timeout = timeout
+        self.timer = reactor.callLater(timeout, self.timed_out)
+
+    def timed_out(self):
+        self.errback(
+            TimeOutError('timed out after {} seconds'.format(self._timeout)))
+
+    def callback(self, result):
+        self._cancel_timer()
+        return Deferred.callback(self, result)
+
+    def errback(self, fail):
+        self._cancel_timer()
+        return Deferred.errback(self, fail)
+
+    def cancel(self):
+        self._cancel_timer()
+        return Deferred.cancel(self)
+
+    def _cancel_timer(self):
+        try:
+            self.timer.cancel()
+        except AlreadyCalled:
+            pass
+
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/dockerhelpers.py b/adapters/common/utils/dockerhelpers.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4620aef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/dockerhelpers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+#
+# Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+"""
+Some docker related convenience functions
+"""
+from datetime import datetime
+from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
+
+import os
+import socket
+from structlog import get_logger
+
+from docker import Client, errors
+
+
+docker_socket = os.environ.get('DOCKER_SOCK', 'unix://tmp/docker.sock')
+log = get_logger()
+
+def get_my_containers_name():
+    """
+    Return the docker containers name in which this process is running.
+    To look up the container name, we use the container ID extracted from the
+    $HOSTNAME environment variable (which is set by docker conventions).
+    :return: String with the docker container name (or None if any issue is
+             encountered)
+    """
+    my_container_id = os.environ.get('HOSTNAME', None)
+
+    try:
+        docker_cli = Client(base_url=docker_socket)
+        info = docker_cli.inspect_container(my_container_id)
+
+    except Exception, e:
+        log.exception('failed', my_container_id=my_container_id, e=e)
+        raise
+
+    name = info['Name'].lstrip('/')
+
+    return name
+
+def get_all_running_containers():
+    try:
+        docker_cli = Client(base_url=docker_socket)
+        containers = docker_cli.containers()
+
+    except Exception, e:
+        log.exception('failed', e=e)
+        raise
+
+    return containers
+
+def inspect_container(id):
+    try:
+        docker_cli = Client(base_url=docker_socket)
+        info = docker_cli.inspect_container(id)
+    except Exception, e:
+        log.exception('failed-inspect-container', id=id, e=e)
+        raise
+
+    return info
+
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/grpc_utils.py b/adapters/common/utils/grpc_utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8df630e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/grpc_utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+#
+# Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+"""
+Utilities to handle gRPC server and client side code in a Twisted environment
+"""
+import structlog
+from concurrent.futures import Future
+from twisted.internet import reactor
+from twisted.internet.defer import Deferred
+from twisted.python.threadable import isInIOThread
+
+
+log = structlog.get_logger()
+
+
+def twisted_async(func):
+    """
+    This decorator can be used to implement a gRPC method on the twisted
+    thread, allowing asynchronous programming in Twisted while serving
+    a gRPC call.
+
+    gRPC methods normally are called on the futures.ThreadPool threads,
+    so these methods cannot directly use Twisted protocol constructs.
+    If the implementation of the methods needs to touch Twisted, it is
+    safer (or mandatory) to wrap the method with this decorator, which will
+    call the inner method from the external thread and ensure that the
+    result is passed back to the foreign thread.
+
+    Example usage:
+
+    When implementing a gRPC server, typical pattern is:
+
+    class SpamService(SpamServicer):
+
+        def GetBadSpam(self, request, context):
+            '''this is called from a ThreadPoolExecutor thread'''
+            # generally unsafe to make Twisted calls
+
+        @twisted_async
+        def GetSpamSafely(self, request, context):
+            '''this method now is executed on the Twisted main thread
+            # safe to call any Twisted protocol functions
+
+        @twisted_async
+        @inlineCallbacks
+        def GetAsyncSpam(self, request, context):
+            '''this generator can use inlineCallbacks Twisted style'''
+            result = yield some_async_twisted_call(request)
+            returnValue(result)
+
+    """
+    def in_thread_wrapper(*args, **kw):
+
+        if isInIOThread():
+
+            return func(*args, **kw)
+
+        f = Future()
+
+        def twisted_wrapper():
+            try:
+                d = func(*args, **kw)
+                if isinstance(d, Deferred):
+
+                    def _done(result):
+                        f.set_result(result)
+                        f.done()
+
+                    def _error(e):
+                        f.set_exception(e)
+                        f.done()
+
+                    d.addCallback(_done)
+                    d.addErrback(_error)
+
+                else:
+                    f.set_result(d)
+                    f.done()
+
+            except Exception, e:
+                f.set_exception(e)
+                f.done()
+
+        reactor.callFromThread(twisted_wrapper)
+        try:
+            result = f.result()
+        except Exception, e:
+            log.exception(e=e, func=func, args=args, kw=kw)
+            raise
+
+        return result
+
+    return in_thread_wrapper
+
+
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/id_generation.py b/adapters/common/utils/id_generation.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e0fea1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/id_generation.py
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+#
+# Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+# """ ID generation utils """
+
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+
+BROADCAST_CORE_ID=hex(0xFFFF)[2:]
+
+def get_next_core_id(current_id_in_hex_str):
+    """
+    :param current_id_in_hex_str: a hex string of the maximum core id 
+    assigned without the leading 0x characters
+    :return: current_id_in_hex_str + 1 in hex string 
+    """
+    if not current_id_in_hex_str or current_id_in_hex_str == '':
+        return '0001'
+    else:
+        return format(int(current_id_in_hex_str, 16) + 1, '04x')
+
+
+def create_cluster_logical_device_ids(core_id, switch_id):
+    """
+    Creates a logical device id and an OpenFlow datapath id that is unique 
+    across the Voltha cluster.
+    The returned logical device id  represents a 64 bits integer where the
+    lower 48 bits is the switch id and the upper 16 bits is the core id.   For
+    the datapath id the core id is set to '0000' as it is not used for voltha
+    core routing
+    :param core_id: string
+    :param switch_id:int
+    :return: cluster logical device id and OpenFlow datapath id
+    """
+    switch_id = format(switch_id, '012x')
+    core_in_hex=format(int(core_id, 16), '04x')
+    ld_id = '{}{}'.format(core_in_hex[-4:], switch_id[-12:])
+    dpid_id = '{}{}'.format('0000', switch_id[-12:])
+    return ld_id, int(dpid_id, 16)
+
+def is_broadcast_core_id(id):
+    assert id and len(id) == 16
+    return id[:4] == BROADCAST_CORE_ID
+
+def create_empty_broadcast_id():
+    """
+    Returns an empty broadcast id (ffff000000000000). The id is used to
+    dispatch xPON objects across all the Voltha instances.
+    :return: An empty broadcast id
+    """
+    return '{}{}'.format(BROADCAST_CORE_ID, '0'*12)
+
+def create_cluster_id():
+    """
+    Returns an id that is common across all voltha instances.  The id  
+    is a str of 64 bits.  The lower 48 bits refers to an id specific to that 
+    object while the upper 16 bits refers a broadcast core_id
+    :return: An common id across all Voltha instances
+    """
+    return '{}{}'.format(BROADCAST_CORE_ID, uuid4().hex[:12])
+
+def create_cluster_device_id(core_id):
+    """
+    Creates a device id that is unique across the Voltha cluster.
+    The device id is a str of 64 bits.  The lower 48 bits refers to the 
+    device id while the upper 16 bits refers to the core id.
+    :param core_id: string
+    :return: cluster device id
+    """
+    return '{}{}'.format(format(int(core_id), '04x'), uuid4().hex[:12])
+
+
+def get_core_id_from_device_id(device_id):
+    # Device id is a string and the first 4 characters represent the core_id
+    assert device_id and len(device_id) == 16
+    # Get the leading 4 hexs and remove leading 0's
+    return device_id[:4]
+
+
+def get_core_id_from_logical_device_id(logical_device_id):
+    """ 
+    Logical Device id is a string and the first 4 characters represent the 
+    core_id
+    :param logical_device_id: 
+    :return: core_id string
+    """
+    assert logical_device_id and len(logical_device_id) == 16
+    # Get the leading 4 hexs and remove leading 0's
+    return logical_device_id[:4]
+
+
+def get_core_id_from_datapath_id(datapath_id):
+    """
+    datapath id is a uint64 where:
+        - low 48 bits -> switch_id
+        - high 16 bits -> core id
+    :param datapath_id: 
+    :return: core_id string
+    """
+    assert datapath_id
+    # Get the hex string and remove the '0x' prefix
+    id_in_hex_str = hex(datapath_id)[2:]
+    assert len(id_in_hex_str) > 12
+    return id_in_hex_str[:-12]
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/indexpool.py b/adapters/common/utils/indexpool.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..858cb3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/indexpool.py
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+# Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+from bitstring import BitArray
+import structlog
+
+log = structlog.get_logger()
+
+class IndexPool(object):
+    def __init__(self, max_entries, offset):
+        self.max_entries = max_entries
+        self.offset = offset
+        self.indices = BitArray(self.max_entries)
+
+    def get_next(self):
+        try:
+            _pos = self.indices.find('0b0')
+            self.indices.set(1, _pos)
+            return self.offset + _pos[0]
+        except IndexError:
+            log.info("exception-fail-to-allocate-id-all-bits-in-use")
+            return None
+
+    def allocate(self, index):
+        try:
+            _pos = index - self.offset
+            if not (0 <= _pos < self.max_entries):
+                log.info("{}-out-of-range".format(index))
+                return None
+            if self.indices[_pos]:
+                log.info("{}-is-already-allocated".format(index))
+                return None
+            self.indices.set(1, _pos)
+            return index
+
+        except IndexError:
+            return None
+
+    def release(self, index):
+        index -= self.offset
+        _pos = (index,)
+        try:
+            self.indices.set(0, _pos)
+        except IndexError:
+            log.info("bit-position-{}-out-of-range".format(index))
+
+    #index or multiple indices to set all of them to 1 - need to be a tuple
+    def pre_allocate(self, index):
+        if(isinstance(index, tuple)):
+            _lst = list(index)
+            for i in range(len(_lst)):
+                _lst[i] -= self.offset
+            index = tuple(_lst)
+            self.indices.set(1, index)
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/json_format.py b/adapters/common/utils/json_format.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c18d013
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/json_format.py
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+# Copyright 2017-present Open Networking Foundation
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+"""
+Monkey patched json_format to allow best effort decoding of Any fields.
+Use the additional flag (strict_any_handling=False) to trigger the
+best-effort behavior. Omit the flag, or just use the original json_format
+module fot the strict behavior.
+"""
+
+from google.protobuf import json_format
+
+class _PatchedPrinter(json_format._Printer):
+
+    def __init__(self, including_default_value_fields=False,
+                 preserving_proto_field_name=False,
+                 strict_any_handling=False):
+        super(_PatchedPrinter, self).__init__(including_default_value_fields,
+                                              preserving_proto_field_name)
+        self.strict_any_handling = strict_any_handling
+
+    def _BestEffortAnyMessageToJsonObject(self, msg):
+        try:
+            res = self._AnyMessageToJsonObject(msg)
+        except TypeError:
+            res = self._RegularMessageToJsonObject(msg, {})
+        return res
+
+
+def MessageToDict(message,
+                  including_default_value_fields=False,
+                  preserving_proto_field_name=False,
+                  strict_any_handling=False):
+    """Converts protobuf message to a JSON dictionary.
+
+    Args:
+      message: The protocol buffers message instance to serialize.
+      including_default_value_fields: If True, singular primitive fields,
+          repeated fields, and map fields will always be serialized.  If
+          False, only serialize non-empty fields.  Singular message fields
+          and oneof fields are not affected by this option.
+      preserving_proto_field_name: If True, use the original proto field
+          names as defined in the .proto file. If False, convert the field
+          names to lowerCamelCase.
+      strict_any_handling: If True, converion will error out (like in the
+          original method) if an Any field with value for which the Any type
+          is not loaded is encountered. If False, the conversion will leave
+          the field un-packed, but otherwise will continue.
+
+    Returns:
+      A dict representation of the JSON formatted protocol buffer message.
+    """
+    printer = _PatchedPrinter(including_default_value_fields,
+                              preserving_proto_field_name,
+                              strict_any_handling=strict_any_handling)
+    # pylint: disable=protected-access
+    return printer._MessageToJsonObject(message)
+
+
+def MessageToJson(message,
+                  including_default_value_fields=False,
+                  preserving_proto_field_name=False,
+                  strict_any_handling=False):
+  """Converts protobuf message to JSON format.
+
+  Args:
+    message: The protocol buffers message instance to serialize.
+    including_default_value_fields: If True, singular primitive fields,
+        repeated fields, and map fields will always be serialized.  If
+        False, only serialize non-empty fields.  Singular message fields
+        and oneof fields are not affected by this option.
+    preserving_proto_field_name: If True, use the original proto field
+        names as defined in the .proto file. If False, convert the field
+        names to lowerCamelCase.
+    strict_any_handling: If True, converion will error out (like in the
+        original method) if an Any field with value for which the Any type
+        is not loaded is encountered. If False, the conversion will leave
+        the field un-packed, but otherwise will continue.
+
+  Returns:
+    A string containing the JSON formatted protocol buffer message.
+  """
+  printer = _PatchedPrinter(including_default_value_fields,
+                            preserving_proto_field_name,
+                            strict_any_handling=strict_any_handling)
+  return printer.ToJsonString(message)
+
+
+json_format._WKTJSONMETHODS['google.protobuf.Any'] = [
+    '_BestEffortAnyMessageToJsonObject',
+    '_ConvertAnyMessage'
+]
+
+json_format._Printer._BestEffortAnyMessageToJsonObject = \
+    json_format._Printer._AnyMessageToJsonObject
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/message_queue.py b/adapters/common/utils/message_queue.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2b4257a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/message_queue.py
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#
+# Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+from twisted.internet.defer import Deferred
+from twisted.internet.defer import succeed
+
+
+class MessageQueue(object):
+    """
+    An event driven queue, similar to twisted.internet.defer.DeferredQueue
+    but which allows selective dequeing based on a predicate function.
+    Unlike DeferredQueue, there is no limit on backlog, and there is no queue
+    limit.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.waiting = []  # tuples of (d, predicate)
+        self.queue = []  # messages piling up here if no one is waiting
+
+    def reset(self):
+        """
+        Purge all content as well as waiters (by errback-ing their entries).
+        :return: None
+        """
+        for d, _ in self.waiting:
+            d.errback(Exception('mesage queue reset() was called'))
+        self.waiting = []
+        self.queue = []
+
+    def _cancelGet(self, d):
+        """
+        Remove a deferred from our waiting list.
+        :param d: The deferred that was been canceled.
+        :return: None
+        """
+        for i in range(len(self.waiting)):
+            if self.waiting[i][0] is d:
+                self.waiting.pop(i)
+
+    def put(self, obj):
+        """
+        Add an object to this queue
+        :param obj: arbitrary object that will be added to the queue
+        :return:
+        """
+
+        # if someone is waiting for this, return right away
+        for i in range(len(self.waiting)):
+            d, predicate = self.waiting[i]
+            if predicate is None or predicate(obj):
+                self.waiting.pop(i)
+                d.callback(obj)
+                return
+
+        # otherwise...
+        self.queue.append(obj)
+
+    def get(self, predicate=None):
+        """
+        Attempt to retrieve and remove an object from the queue that
+        matches the optional predicate.
+        :return: Deferred which fires with the next object available.
+        If predicate was provided, only objects for which
+        predicate(obj) is True will be considered.
+        """
+        for i in range(len(self.queue)):
+            msg = self.queue[i]
+            if predicate is None or predicate(msg):
+                self.queue.pop(i)
+                return succeed(msg)
+
+        # there were no matching entries if we got here, so we wait
+        d = Deferred(canceller=self._cancelGet)
+        self.waiting.append((d, predicate))
+        return d
+
+
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/nethelpers.py b/adapters/common/utils/nethelpers.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b17aced
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/nethelpers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+#
+# Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+"""
+Some network related convenience functions
+"""
+
+from netifaces import AF_INET
+
+import netifaces as ni
+import netaddr
+
+
+def _get_all_interfaces():
+    m_interfaces = []
+    for iface in ni.interfaces():
+        m_interfaces.append((iface, ni.ifaddresses(iface)))
+    return m_interfaces
+
+
+def _get_my_primary_interface():
+    gateways = ni.gateways()
+    assert 'default' in gateways, \
+        ("No default gateway on host/container, "
+         "cannot determine primary interface")
+    default_gw_index = gateways['default'].keys()[0]
+    # gateways[default_gw_index] has the format (example):
+    # [('10.15.32.1', 'en0', True)]
+    interface_name = gateways[default_gw_index][0][1]
+    return interface_name
+
+
+def get_my_primary_local_ipv4(inter_core_subnet=None, ifname=None):
+    if not inter_core_subnet:
+        return _get_my_primary_local_ipv4(ifname)
+    # My IP should belong to the specified subnet
+    for iface in ni.interfaces():
+        addresses = ni.ifaddresses(iface)
+        if AF_INET in addresses:
+            m_ip = addresses[AF_INET][0]['addr']
+            _ip = netaddr.IPAddress(m_ip).value
+            m_network = netaddr.IPNetwork(inter_core_subnet)
+            if _ip >= m_network.first and _ip <= m_network.last:
+                return m_ip
+    return None
+
+
+def get_my_primary_interface(pon_subnet=None):
+    if not pon_subnet:
+        return _get_my_primary_interface()
+    # My interface should have an IP that belongs to the specified subnet
+    for iface in ni.interfaces():
+        addresses = ni.ifaddresses(iface)
+        if AF_INET in addresses:
+            m_ip = addresses[AF_INET][0]['addr']
+            m_ip = netaddr.IPAddress(m_ip).value
+            m_network = netaddr.IPNetwork(pon_subnet)
+            if m_ip >= m_network.first and m_ip <= m_network.last:
+                return iface
+    return None
+
+
+def _get_my_primary_local_ipv4(ifname=None):
+    try:
+        ifname = get_my_primary_interface() if ifname is None else ifname
+        addresses = ni.ifaddresses(ifname)
+        ipv4 = addresses[AF_INET][0]['addr']
+        return ipv4
+    except Exception as e:
+        return None
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    print get_my_primary_local_ipv4()
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/ordered_weakvalue_dict.py b/adapters/common/utils/ordered_weakvalue_dict.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ea739a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/ordered_weakvalue_dict.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+#
+# Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+from _weakref import ref
+from weakref import KeyedRef
+from collections import OrderedDict
+
+
+class OrderedWeakValueDict(OrderedDict):
+    """
+    Modified OrderedDict to use weak references as values. Entries disappear
+    automatically if the referred value has no more strong reference pointing
+    ot it.
+
+    Warning, this is not a complete implementation, only what is needed for
+    now. See test_ordered_wealvalue_dict.py to see what is tested behavior.
+    """
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kw):
+        def remove(wr, selfref=ref(self)):
+            self = selfref()
+            if self is not None:
+                super(OrderedWeakValueDict, self).__delitem__(wr.key)
+        self._remove = remove
+        super(OrderedWeakValueDict, self).__init__(*args, **kw)
+
+    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
+        super(OrderedWeakValueDict, self).__setitem__(
+            key, KeyedRef(value, self._remove, key))
+
+    def __getitem__(self, key):
+        o = super(OrderedWeakValueDict, self).__getitem__(key)()
+        if o is None:
+            raise KeyError, key
+        else:
+            return o
+
diff --git a/adapters/common/utils/registry.py b/adapters/common/utils/registry.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..270bd71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/adapters/common/utils/registry.py
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+#
+# Copyright 2017 the original author or authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+"""
+Simple component registry to provide centralized access to any registered
+components.
+"""
+from collections import OrderedDict
+from zope.interface import Interface
+
+
+class IComponent(Interface):
+    """
+    A Voltha Component
+    """
+
+    def start():
+        """
+        Called once the componet is instantiated. Can be used for async
+        initialization.
+        :return: (None or Deferred)
+        """
+
+    def stop():
+        """
+        Called once before the component is unloaded. Can be used for async
+        cleanup operations.
+        :return: (None or Deferred)
+        """
+
+
+class Registry(object):
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.components = OrderedDict()
+
+    def register(self, name, component):
+        assert IComponent.providedBy(component)
+        assert name not in self.components
+        self.components[name] = component
+        return component
+
+    def unregister(self, name):
+        if name in self.components:
+            del self.components[name]
+
+    def __call__(self, name):
+        return self.components[name]
+
+    def iterate(self):
+        return self.components.values()
+
+
+# public shared registry
+registry = Registry()