diff --git a/src/python/loxi/generic_util.py b/src/python/loxi/generic_util.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6df9565
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/python/loxi/generic_util.py
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2008 The Board of Trustees of The Leland Stanford Junior University
+# Copyright (c) 2011, 2012 Open Networking Foundation
+# Copyright (c) 2012, 2013 Big Switch Networks, Inc.
+"""
+Utility functions independent of the protocol version
+"""
+
+# Automatically generated by LOXI from template generic_util.py
+# Do not modify
+
+import loxi
+import struct
+
+def unpack_list(reader, deserializer):
+    """
+    The deserializer function should take an OFReader and return the new object.
+    """
+    entries = []
+    while not reader.is_empty():
+        entries.append(deserializer(reader))
+    return entries
+
+def unpack_list_lv16(reader, deserializer):
+    """
+    The deserializer function should take an OFReader and return the new object.
+    """
+    def wrapper(reader):
+        length, = reader.peek('!H')
+        return deserializer(reader.slice(length))
+    return unpack_list(reader, wrapper)
+
+def unpack_list_tlv16(reader, deserializer):
+    """
+    The deserializer function should take an OFReader and an integer type
+    and return the new object.
+    """
+    def wrapper(reader):
+        typ, length, = reader.peek('!HH')
+        return deserializer(reader.slice(length), typ)
+    return unpack_list(reader, wrapper)
+
+class OFReader(object):
+    """
+    Cursor over a read-only buffer
+
+    OpenFlow messages are best thought of as a sequence of elements of
+    variable size, rather than a C-style struct with fixed offsets and
+    known field lengths. This class supports efficiently reading
+    fields sequentially and is intended to be used recursively by the
+    parsers of child objects which will implicitly update the offset.
+    """
+    def __init__(self, buf):
+        self.buf = buf
+        self.offset = 0
+
+    def read(self, fmt):
+        st = struct.Struct(fmt)
+        if self.offset + st.size > len(self.buf):
+            raise loxi.ProtocolError("Buffer too short")
+        result = st.unpack_from(self.buf, self.offset)
+        self.offset += st.size
+        return result
+
+    def read_all(self):
+        buf = buffer(self.buf, self.offset)
+        self.offset += len(buf)
+        return str(buf)
+
+    def peek(self, fmt):
+        st = struct.Struct(fmt)
+        if self.offset + st.size > len(self.buf):
+            raise loxi.ProtocolError("Buffer too short")
+        result = st.unpack_from(self.buf, self.offset)
+        return result
+
+    def skip(self, length):
+        if self.offset + length > len(self.buf):
+            raise loxi.ProtocolError("Buffer too short")
+        self.offset += length
+
+    def is_empty(self):
+        return self.offset == len(self.buf)
+
+    # Used when parsing variable length objects which have external length
+    # fields (e.g. the actions list in an OF 1.0 packet-out message).
+    def slice(self, length):
+        if self.offset + length > len(self.buf):
+            raise loxi.ProtocolError("Buffer too short")
+        buf = OFReader(buffer(self.buf, self.offset, length))
+        self.offset += length
+        return buf