diff --git a/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/Jamfile b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/Jamfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e96d18043a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/Jamfile
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+SubDir OBOS_TOP src add-ons kernel generic blkman ;
+
+UsePrivateHeaders kernel ;
+UsePrivateHeaders [ FDirName kernel arch $(OBOS_ARCH) ] ;
+UsePrivateHeaders [ FDirName kernel boot platform $(OBOS_BOOT_PLATFORM) ] ;
+
+KernelAddon blkman : kernel generic :
+	blkman.c
+	io.c
+	virtual_memory.c
+	;
+
diff --git a/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/KernelExport_ext.h b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/KernelExport_ext.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c8365f90ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/KernelExport_ext.h
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/*
+** Copyright 2002/03, Thomas Kurschel. All rights reserved.
+** Distributed under the terms of the OpenBeOS License.
+*/
+
+/*
+	Functions that are missing in kernel.
+*/
+
+#ifndef _KERNEL_EXPORT_EXT_H
+#define _KERNEL_EXPORT_EXT_H
+
+#include <KernelExport.h>
+#include <iovec.h>
+
+
+// get memory map of iovec
+status_t get_iovec_memory_map( 
+	iovec *vec, 				// iovec to analyze
+	size_t vec_count, 			// number of entries in vec
+	size_t vec_offset, 			// number of bytes to skip at beginning of vec
+	size_t len, 				// number of bytes to analyze
+	physical_entry *map, 		// resulting memory map
+	size_t max_entries, 		// max number of entries in map
+	size_t *num_entries, 		// actual number of map entries used
+	size_t *mapped_len 			// actual number of bytes described by map
+);
+
+// map main memory into virtual address space
+status_t map_mainmemory( 
+	addr_t physical_addr, 		// physical address to map
+	void **virtual_addr 		// receives corresponding virtual address
+);
+
+// unmap main memory from virtual address space
+status_t unmap_mainmemory( 
+	void *virtual_addr 			// virtual address to release
+);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/bios_drive.h b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/bios_drive.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f68f9bba6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/bios_drive.h
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#ifndef __BIOS_INFO_H__
+#define __BIOS_INFO_H__
+
+// length: 0x84
+typedef struct tagbios_drive {
+	char name[32];				// 0
+	uint8 bios_id;				// 20
+	uint8 padding[3];
+	uint32 cylinder_count;		// 24
+	uint32 head_count;			// 28
+	uint32 sectors_per_track;	// 2c
+	
+	uint32 num_chksums;			// 30
+	
+	struct {
+		uint64 offset;			// 34+
+		uint32 len;				// 3c+
+		uint32 chksum;			// 40+
+	} chksums[5];				// 34
+} bios_drive;
+
+extern bios_drive *bios_drive_info;
+
+extern uint32 boot_calculate_hash( void *buffer, size_t len );
+
+#endif
diff --git a/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/blkman.c b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/blkman.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4303cfe44a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/blkman.c
@@ -0,0 +1,689 @@
+/*
+** Copyright 2002/03, Thomas Kurschel. All rights reserved.
+** Distributed under the terms of the OpenBeOS License.
+*/
+
+/*
+	Part of Open block device manager
+
+	Actual I/O.
+
+	Main file.
+*/
+
+
+#include "blkman_int.h"
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+
+#define TRACE_BLOCK_IO
+#ifdef TRACE_BLOCK_IO
+#	define TRACE(x) dprintf x
+#else
+#	define TRACE(x) ;
+#endif
+
+
+uint blkman_buffer_size;
+sem_id blkman_buffer_lock;
+struct iovec blkman_buffer_vec[1];
+void *blkman_buffer_phys;
+char *blkman_buffer;
+phys_vecs blkman_buffer_phys_vec;
+area_id blkman_buffer_area;
+
+locked_pool_interface *locked_pool;
+device_manager_info *pnp;
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_open(blkman_device_info *device, uint32 flags, 
+	blkman_handle_info **res_handle)
+{
+	blkman_handle_info *handle;
+	status_t res;
+
+	TRACE(("blkman_open()\n"));
+
+	handle = (blkman_handle_info *)malloc(sizeof(*handle));
+
+	if (handle == NULL)
+		return B_NO_MEMORY;
+
+	handle->device = device;
+
+	res = device->interface->open(device->cookie, &handle->cookie);
+	if (res < B_OK)
+		goto err;
+
+	*res_handle = handle;
+
+	TRACE((" opened.\n"));
+
+	return B_OK;
+
+err:
+	free(handle);
+	return res;
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_close(blkman_handle_info *handle)
+{
+	blkman_device_info *device = handle->device;
+
+	TRACE(("blkman_close()\n"));
+
+	device->interface->close(handle->cookie);
+	return B_OK;
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_freecookie(blkman_handle_info *handle)
+{
+	blkman_device_info *device = handle->device;
+
+	TRACE(("blkman_freecookie()\n"));
+
+	device->interface->free(handle->cookie);
+	free(handle);
+
+	TRACE(("done.\n"));
+
+	return B_OK;
+}
+
+#if 0
+/** Verify a checksum that is part of BIOS drive identification.
+ *	returns B_OK on success
+ */
+
+static status_t
+verify_checksum(blkman_handle_info *handle, uint64 offset, uint32 len, uint32 chksum)
+{
+	void *buffer;
+	uint32 readlen;
+	status_t res;
+
+//	SHOW_FLOW( 0, "offset=%lld, len=%ld", offset, len );
+
+	buffer = malloc(len);
+	if (buffer == NULL)
+		return B_NO_MEMORY;
+
+	readlen = len;
+
+	res = blkman_read(handle, offset, buffer, &readlen);
+	if (res < B_OK || readlen < len)
+		goto err;
+
+//	SHOW_FLOW0( 0, "check hash sum" );
+
+	if (boot_calculate_hash(buffer, len) != chksum)
+		goto err;
+
+//	SHOW_FLOW0( 0, "success" );
+
+	free(buffer);
+	return B_OK;
+
+err:
+	free(buffer);
+	return B_ERROR;
+}
+#endif
+
+/** store BIOS drive id in node's attribute */
+
+static status_t
+store_bios_drive_in_node(blkman_device_info *device)
+{
+	pnp_node_attr attribute = {
+		BLKDEV_BIOS_ID, B_UINT8_TYPE, { ui8: 
+			device->bios_drive != NULL ? device->bios_drive->bios_id : 0 }
+	};
+
+	return pnp->write_attr(device->node, &attribute);
+}
+
+
+/** find BIOS info of drive, if not happened yet.
+ *	this must be called whenever someone wants to access BIOS infos about the drive;
+ *	there are two reasons to not call this during probe():
+ *	 - perhaps nobody is interested in BIOS info
+ *	 - we need a working blkman device to handle lower level driver 
+ *	   restrictions, so this method can only be safely called once the 
+ *	   node has been loaded
+ */
+
+static void
+find_bios_drive_info(blkman_handle_info *handle)
+{
+	blkman_device_info *device = handle->device;
+	bios_drive *drive = NULL; //, *colliding_drive;
+	char name[32];
+	uint8 bios_id;
+
+//	SHOW_FLOW( 0, "%p", device );
+
+	// return immediately if BIOS info has already been found	
+	if (device->bios_drive != NULL)
+		return;
+
+	// check whether BIOS info was found during one of the previous	
+	// loads
+	if (pnp->get_attr_uint8(device->node, BLKDEV_BIOS_ID, &bios_id, false) == B_OK) {
+		TRACE(("use previous BIOS ID 0x%x\n", bios_id));
+
+// ToDo: this assumes private R5 kernel functions to be present
+#if 0
+		// yes, so find the associated data structure
+		if (bios_id != 0) {
+			for (drive = bios_drive_info; drive->bios_id != 0; ++drive) {
+				if (drive->bios_id == bios_id)
+					break;
+			}
+		} else
+#endif
+			drive = NULL;
+
+		device->bios_drive = drive;
+		return;
+	}
+
+	sprintf(name, "PnP %p", device->node);
+
+// ToDo: this assumes private R5 kernel functions to be present
+#if 0
+	// do it the hard way: find a BIOS drive with the same checksums
+	for (drive = bios_drive_info; drive->bios_id != 0; ++drive) {
+		uint32 i;
+
+		// ignore identified BIOS drives
+		if (drive->name[0] != 0)
+			continue;
+
+		TRACE(("verifying drive 0x%x", drive->bios_id));
+
+		for (i = 0; i < drive->num_chksums; ++i) {
+			if (verify_checksum( handle, drive->chksums[i].offset,
+					drive->chksums[i].len, drive->chksums[i].chksum) != B_OK)
+				break;
+		}
+
+		if (i == drive->num_chksums)
+			break;
+	}
+#endif
+
+	if (drive->bios_id == 0) {
+		TRACE(("this is no BIOS drive\n"));
+		// no BIOS drive found
+		goto no_bios_drive;
+	}
+
+	TRACE(("this is BIOS drive 0x%x\n", drive->bios_id));
+
+// ToDo: this assumes private R5 kernel functions to be present
+#if 0
+	// the R5 boot loader assumes that two drives can be distinguished by
+	// - their checksums
+	// - their physical layout
+	// unfortunately, the "physical layout" is something virtual defined by the
+	// BIOS itself, so nobody can verify that;
+	// as a result, we may have two drives with same checksums and different
+	// geometry - having no opportunity to check the geometry, we cannot
+	// distinguish between them.
+	// The simple solution is to modify the boot loader to not take geometry
+	// into account, but without sources, the boot loader cannot be fixed.
+	for (colliding_drive = bios_drive_info; colliding_drive->bios_id != 0; ++colliding_drive) {
+		uint32 i;
+
+		if (drive == colliding_drive)
+			continue;
+
+		if (drive->num_chksums != colliding_drive->num_chksums)
+			continue;
+
+		for (i = 0; i < colliding_drive->num_chksums; ++i) {
+			if (colliding_drive->chksums[i].offset != drive->chksums[i].offset
+				|| colliding_drive->chksums[i].len != drive->chksums[i].len
+				|| colliding_drive->chksums[i].chksum != drive->chksums[i].chksum)
+				break;
+		}
+
+		if (i < colliding_drive->num_chksums)
+			continue;
+
+		dprintf("Cannot distinguish between BIOS drives %x and %x without geometry\n",
+			drive->bios_id, colliding_drive->bios_id);
+
+		// this is nasty - we cannot reliable assign BIOS drive number. 
+		// if the user has luck, he "only" cannot install a boot manager;
+		// but if the boot drive is affected, he cannot even boot.
+		goto no_bios_drive;
+	}
+#endif
+
+	TRACE(("store driver \"%s\" in system data\n", name));
+
+	// store name so noone else will test this BIOS drive
+	strcpy(drive->name, name);
+	device->bios_drive = drive;
+
+	// remember that to avoid testing next time	
+	store_bios_drive_in_node(device);
+	return;
+
+no_bios_drive:	
+	device->bios_drive = NULL;
+
+	// remember that to avoid testing next time
+	store_bios_drive_in_node(device);
+	return;
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_ioctl(blkman_handle_info *handle, uint32 op, void *buf, size_t len)
+{
+	blkman_device_info *device = handle->device;
+	status_t res;
+
+	if (device->is_bios_drive) {
+		switch (op) {
+			case B_GET_BIOS_DRIVE_ID:
+				find_bios_drive_info(handle);
+
+				if (device->bios_drive == NULL)
+					return B_ERROR;
+
+				*(char *)buf = device->bios_drive->bios_id;
+				return B_OK;
+
+			case B_GET_BIOS_GEOMETRY:
+				if (!device->is_bios_drive)
+					break;
+
+				{
+					device_geometry *geometry = (device_geometry *)buf;
+
+					find_bios_drive_info(handle);
+					if (device->bios_drive == NULL)
+						return B_ERROR;
+
+					TRACE(("GET_BIOS_GEOMETRY\n"));
+
+					// get real geometry from low level driver		
+					res = device->interface->ioctl(handle->cookie, B_GET_GEOMETRY, 
+						geometry, sizeof(*geometry));
+					if (res != B_OK)
+						return res;
+
+					// replace entries with bios info retrieved by boot loader
+					geometry->cylinder_count = device->bios_drive->cylinder_count;
+					geometry->head_count = device->bios_drive->head_count;
+					geometry->sectors_per_track = device->bios_drive->sectors_per_track;
+				}
+				return B_OK;
+		}
+	}
+
+	res = device->interface->ioctl( handle->cookie, op, buf, len );
+	
+	//SHOW_FLOW( 0, "%s", strerror( res ));
+	
+	return res;
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_probe(pnp_node_handle parent)
+{
+	char *str;
+
+	TRACE(("blkman_probe()\n"));
+
+	// make sure we can handle this parent device
+	if (pnp->get_attr_string(parent, "type", &str, false) != B_OK)
+		return B_ERROR;
+
+	if (strcmp(str, BLKDEV_TYPE_NAME) != 0) {
+		free(str);
+		return B_ERROR;
+	}
+
+	free(str);
+
+	// ready to register at devfs
+	{
+		pnp_node_attr attrs[] =
+		{
+			{ PNP_DRIVER_DRIVER, B_STRING_TYPE, { string: BLKMAN_MODULE_NAME }},
+			{ PNP_DRIVER_TYPE, B_STRING_TYPE, { string: PNP_DEVFS_TYPE_NAME }},
+			// we always want devfs on top of us
+			{ PNP_DRIVER_FIXED_CONSUMER, B_STRING_TYPE, { string: PNP_DEVFS_MODULE_NAME }},
+			{ PNP_DRIVER_CONNECTION, B_STRING_TYPE, { string: "blkman" }},
+			{ NULL }
+		};
+
+		pnp_node_handle node;
+
+		return pnp->register_device(parent, attrs, NULL, &node);
+	}
+}
+
+
+static void
+blkman_remove(pnp_node_handle node, void *cookie)
+{
+	uint8 bios_id;
+	//bios_drive *drive;
+
+	// if this drive has a BIOS ID, remove it from BIOS drive list
+	if (pnp->get_attr_uint8(node, BLKDEV_BIOS_ID, &bios_id, false) != B_OK
+		|| bios_id == 0 )
+		return;
+
+// ToDo: this assumes private R5 kernel functions to be present
+#if 0
+	for (drive = bios_drive_info; drive->bios_id != 0; ++drive) {
+		if (drive->bios_id == bios_id)
+			break;
+	}
+
+	if (drive->bios_id != 0) {
+		TRACE(("Marking BIOS device 0x%x as being unknown\n", bios_id));
+		drive->name[0] = 0;
+	}
+#endif
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_init_device(pnp_node_handle node, void *user_cookie, void **cookie)
+{
+	blkman_device_info *device;
+	blkdev_params params;
+	char *name, *tmp_name;
+	uint8 is_bios_drive;
+	status_t res;
+//	blkdev_interface *interface;
+//	blkdev_device_cookie dev_cookie;
+
+	TRACE(("blkman_init_device()\n"));
+
+	// extract controller/protocoll restrictions from node
+	if (pnp->get_attr_uint32(node, BLKDEV_DMA_ALIGNMENT, &params.alignment, true) != B_OK)
+		params.alignment = 0;
+	if (pnp->get_attr_uint32(node, BLKDEV_MAX_BLOCKS_ITEM, &params.max_blocks, true) != B_OK)
+		params.max_blocks = 0xffffffff;
+	if (pnp->get_attr_uint32(node, BLKDEV_DMA_BOUNDARY, &params.dma_boundary, true) != B_OK)
+		params.dma_boundary = ~0;
+	if (pnp->get_attr_uint32(node, BLKDEV_MAX_SG_BLOCK_SIZE, &params.max_sg_block_size, true) != B_OK)
+		params.max_sg_block_size = 0xffffffff;
+	if (pnp->get_attr_uint32(node, BLKDEV_MAX_SG_BLOCKS, &params.max_sg_blocks, true) != B_OK)
+		params.max_sg_blocks = ~0;
+
+	// do some sanity check:
+	// (see scsi/bus_mgr.c)
+	params.max_sg_block_size &= ~params.alignment;
+
+	if (params.alignment > B_PAGE_SIZE) {
+		dprintf("Alignment (0x%lx) must be less then B_PAGE_SIZE\n", params.alignment);
+		return B_ERROR;
+	}
+
+	if (params.max_sg_block_size < 512) {
+		dprintf("Max s/g block size (0x%lx) is too small\n", params.max_sg_block_size);
+		return B_ERROR;
+	}
+
+	if (params.dma_boundary < B_PAGE_SIZE - 1) {
+		dprintf("DMA boundary (0x%lx) must be at least B_PAGE_SIZE\n", params.dma_boundary);
+		return B_ERROR;
+	}
+
+	if (params.max_blocks < 1 || params.max_sg_blocks < 1) {
+		dprintf("Max blocks (%ld) and max s/g blocks (%ld) must be at least 1",
+			params.max_blocks, params.max_sg_blocks);
+		return B_ERROR;
+	}
+
+	// allow "only" up to 512 sg entries 
+	// (they consume 4KB and can describe up to 2MB virtual cont. memory!)
+	params.max_sg_blocks = min(params.max_sg_blocks, 512);
+
+	if (pnp->get_attr_uint8(node, BLKDEV_IS_BIOS_DRIVE, &is_bios_drive, true) != B_OK)
+		is_bios_drive = false;
+
+	// we don't really care about /dev name, but if it is 
+	// missing, we will get a problem
+	if (pnp->get_attr_string(node, PNP_DEVFS_FILENAME, &name, true) != B_OK) {
+		dprintf("devfs filename is missing.\n");
+		return B_ERROR;
+	}
+
+	device = (blkman_device_info *)malloc(sizeof(*device));
+	if (device == NULL) {
+		res = B_NO_MEMORY;
+		goto err1;
+	}
+
+	memset(device, 0, sizeof(*device));
+
+	device->node = node;
+
+	res = benaphore_init(&device->lock, "blkdev_mutex");
+	if (res < 0)
+		goto err2;
+
+	// construct a identifiable name for S/G pool		
+	tmp_name = malloc(strlen(name) + strlen(" sg_lists") + 1);
+	if (tmp_name == NULL) {
+		res = B_NO_MEMORY;
+		goto err3;
+	}
+
+	strcpy(tmp_name, name);
+	strcat(tmp_name, " sg_lists");
+
+	// create S/G pool with initial size 1
+	// (else, we may be on the paging path and have no S/G entries at hand)
+	device->phys_vecs_pool = locked_pool->create( 
+		params.max_sg_blocks * sizeof(physical_entry),
+		sizeof( physical_entry ) - 1,
+		0, 16*1024, 32, 1, tmp_name, B_FULL_LOCK | B_CONTIGUOUS,
+		NULL, NULL, NULL);
+
+	free(tmp_name);
+
+	if (device->phys_vecs_pool == NULL) {
+		res = B_NO_MEMORY;
+		goto err3;	
+	}
+
+	device->params = params;
+	device->is_bios_drive = is_bios_drive != 0;
+
+	res = pnp->load_driver(pnp->get_parent(node), device,
+			(pnp_driver_info **)&device->interface, (void **)&device->cookie);
+	if (res != B_OK)
+		goto err4;
+
+	free(name);
+
+	TRACE(("done\n"));
+
+	*cookie = device;
+	return B_OK;
+
+err4:
+	locked_pool->destroy(device->phys_vecs_pool);
+err3:
+	benaphore_destroy(&device->lock);
+err2:
+	free(device);
+err1:
+	free(name);
+	pnp->unload_driver(pnp->get_parent(node));
+	return res;
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_uninit_device(blkman_device_info *device)
+{
+	pnp->unload_driver(pnp->get_parent(device->node));
+
+	locked_pool->destroy(device->phys_vecs_pool);
+	benaphore_destroy(&device->lock);
+	free(device);
+
+	return B_OK;
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_init_buffer(void)
+{
+	physical_entry physicalTable[2];
+	status_t res;
+
+	TRACE(("blkman_init_buffer()\n"));
+
+	blkman_buffer_size = 32*1024;
+
+	blkman_buffer_lock = create_sem(1, "blkman_buffer_mutex");
+	if (blkman_buffer_lock < 0) {
+		res = blkman_buffer_lock;
+		goto err1;
+	}
+
+	res = blkman_buffer_area = create_area("blkman_buffer", 
+		(void **)&blkman_buffer, B_ANY_KERNEL_ADDRESS, 
+		blkman_buffer_size, B_FULL_LOCK | B_CONTIGUOUS, B_READ_AREA | B_WRITE_AREA);
+	if (res < 0)
+		goto err2;
+
+	res = get_memory_map(blkman_buffer, blkman_buffer_size, physicalTable, 2);
+	if (res < 0)
+		goto err3;
+
+	blkman_buffer_vec[0].iov_base = blkman_buffer;
+	blkman_buffer_vec[0].iov_len = blkman_buffer_size;
+
+	blkman_buffer_phys_vec.num = 1;
+	blkman_buffer_phys_vec.total_len = blkman_buffer_size;
+	blkman_buffer_phys_vec.vec[0] = physicalTable[0];
+
+	return B_OK;
+
+err3:
+	delete_area(blkman_buffer_area);
+err2:
+	delete_sem(blkman_buffer_lock);
+err1:
+	return res;
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_uninit_buffer(void)
+{
+	delete_area(blkman_buffer_area);	
+	delete_sem(blkman_buffer_lock);
+
+	return B_OK;
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+std_ops(int32 op, ...)
+{
+	switch (op) {
+		case B_MODULE_INIT:
+			return blkman_init_buffer();
+		case B_MODULE_UNINIT:
+			blkman_uninit_buffer();
+			return B_OK;
+
+		default:
+			return B_ERROR;
+	}
+}
+
+
+module_dependency module_dependencies[] = {
+	{ DEVICE_MANAGER_MODULE_NAME, (module_info **)&pnp },
+	{ LOCKED_POOL_MODULE_NAME, (module_info **)&locked_pool },
+	{}
+};
+
+
+pnp_devfs_driver_info blkman_module = {
+	{
+		{
+			BLKMAN_MODULE_NAME,
+			0,
+
+			std_ops
+		},
+			
+		blkman_init_device,
+		(status_t (*)( void * )) blkman_uninit_device,
+		blkman_probe,
+		blkman_remove
+	},
+
+	(status_t (*)(void *, uint32, void **))blkman_open,
+	(status_t (*)(void *))blkman_close,
+	(status_t (*)(void *))blkman_freecookie,
+
+	(status_t (*)(void *, uint32, void *, size_t))blkman_ioctl,
+
+	(status_t (*)(void *, off_t, void *, size_t *))blkman_read,
+	(status_t (*)(void *, off_t, const void *, size_t *))blkman_write,
+
+	NULL,
+	NULL,
+
+	(status_t (*)(void *, off_t, const iovec *, size_t, size_t *))blkman_readv,
+	(status_t (*)(void *, off_t, const iovec *, size_t, size_t *))blkman_writev
+};
+
+
+static status_t
+std_ops_for_driver(int32 op, ...)
+{
+	// there is nothing to setup as this is a interface for 
+	// drivers which are loaded by _us_
+	switch (op) {
+		case B_MODULE_INIT:
+		case B_MODULE_UNINIT:
+			return B_OK;
+
+		default:
+			return B_ERROR;
+	}
+}
+
+
+blkman_for_driver_interface blkman_for_driver_module = {
+	{
+		BLKMAN_FOR_DRIVER_MODULE_NAME,
+		0,
+
+		std_ops_for_driver
+	},
+
+	blkman_set_media_params,
+};
+
+module_info *modules[] = {
+	&blkman_module.dinfo.minfo,
+	&blkman_for_driver_module.minfo,
+	NULL
+};
diff --git a/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/blkman_int.h b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/blkman_int.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..40ee4a6b9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/blkman_int.h
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+/*
+** Copyright 2002/03, Thomas Kurschel. All rights reserved.
+** Distributed under the terms of the OpenBeOS License.
+*/
+
+/*
+	Part of Open block device manager
+
+	Internal header.
+*/
+
+#include <blkman.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <module.h>
+#include <locked_pool.h>
+#include <malloc.h>
+#include <pnp_devfs.h>
+#include <device_manager.h>
+#include <bios_drive.h>
+#include "wrapper.h"
+
+
+// controller restrictions (see blkman.h)
+typedef struct blkdev_params {
+	uint32 alignment;
+	uint32 max_blocks;
+	uint32 dma_boundary;
+	uint32 max_sg_block_size;
+	uint32 max_sg_blocks;
+} blkdev_params;
+
+
+// device info
+typedef struct blkman_device_info {
+	pnp_node_handle node;
+	blkdev_interface *interface;
+	blkdev_device_cookie cookie;
+	
+	benaphore lock;					// used for access to following variables
+	uint32 block_size;
+	uint32 ld_block_size;
+	uint64 capacity;
+	
+	blkdev_params params;
+	bool is_bios_drive;				// could be a BIOS drive
+	locked_pool_cookie phys_vecs_pool;	// pool of temporary phys_vecs
+	bios_drive *bios_drive;			// info about corresponding BIOS drive
+} blkman_device_info;
+
+
+// file handle info
+typedef struct blkman_handle_info {
+	blkman_device_info *device;
+	blkdev_handle_cookie cookie;
+} blkman_handle_info;
+
+
+// attribute containing BIOS drive ID (or 0, if it's no BIOS drive) (uint8)
+#define BLKDEV_BIOS_ID "blkdev/bios_id"
+
+// transmission buffer data:
+// size in bytes
+extern uint blkman_buffer_size;
+// to use the buffer, you must own this semaphore
+extern sem_id blkman_buffer_lock;
+// iovec
+extern struct iovec blkman_buffer_vec[1];
+// physical address
+extern void *blkman_buffer_phys;
+// virtual address
+extern char *blkman_buffer;
+// phys_vec of it (always linear)
+extern phys_vecs blkman_buffer_phys_vec;
+// area containing buffer
+extern area_id blkman_buffer_area;
+
+extern locked_pool_interface *locked_pool;
+extern device_manager_info *pnp;
+
+
+// io.c
+
+status_t blkman_readv( blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, struct iovec *vec, 
+	size_t vec_count, size_t *len );
+status_t blkman_read( blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, void *buf, size_t *len );
+ssize_t blkman_writev( blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, struct iovec *vec, 
+	size_t vec_count, ssize_t *len );
+ssize_t blkman_write( blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, void *buf, size_t *len );
+void blkman_set_media_params( blkman_device_info *device, 
+	uint32 block_size, uint32 ld_block_size, uint64 capacity );
diff --git a/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/io.c b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/io.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1933a8643f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/io.c
@@ -0,0 +1,733 @@
+/*
+** Copyright 2002/03, Thomas Kurschel. All rights reserved.
+** Distributed under the terms of the OpenBeOS License.
+*/
+
+/*
+	Part of Open block device manager
+
+	Actual I/O.
+
+	This is hardcode. Think twice before changing something
+	in here. 
+
+	Things could become a lot easier with the following restrictions:
+	 - stricter data alignment that is sufficient for all controllers
+	   (e.g. page-aligned should certainly be)
+	 - no partial block access
+	 - locked data
+	 - always sufficient iovecs for entire transfer
+
+	The last thing is a design problem of the devfs. The first two
+	make sure that we need no buffer anymore, which would make much
+	code unnecessary. The locked data would save much code too - having
+	a sg list as input would make it even more sweeter.
+
+	Obviously these restrictions cannot be enforced for user programs,
+	but at least for transfers from/to disk cache, we could define
+	extra functions with these properties.
+*/
+
+
+#include "blkman_int.h"
+#include "KernelExport_ext.h"
+
+
+/**	get sg list of iovecs, taking dma boundaries and maximum size of
+ *	single s/g entry into account
+ *	<vec_offset> must not point byond first iovec
+ */
+
+static int
+blkman_map_iovecs(iovec *vec, size_t vec_count, size_t vec_offset, size_t len,
+	phys_vecs *map, size_t max_phys_entries, size_t dma_boundary,
+	size_t max_sg_block_size)
+{
+	status_t res;
+	size_t total_len;
+	size_t cur_idx;
+
+	SHOW_FLOW0( 3, "" );
+
+	if ((res = get_iovec_memory_map( vec, vec_count, vec_offset, len,
+					map->vec, max_phys_entries, &map->num, &map->total_len)) < B_OK)
+		return res;
+
+	if (dma_boundary == ~0 && max_sg_block_size >= map->total_len) 
+		return B_OK;
+
+	SHOW_FLOW(3, "Checking violation of dma boundary 0x%x and entry size 0x%x", 
+		(int)dma_boundary, (int)max_sg_block_size);
+
+	total_len = 0;
+
+	for (cur_idx = 0; cur_idx < map->num; ++cur_idx) {
+		addr_t max_len;
+
+		// calculate space upto next dma boundary crossing
+		max_len = (dma_boundary + 1) - ((addr_t)map->vec[cur_idx].address & dma_boundary);
+
+		// restrict size per sg item
+		max_len = min(max_len, max_sg_block_size);
+
+		SHOW_FLOW( 4, "addr=%p, size=%x, max_len=%x, idx=%d, num=%d", 
+			map->vec[cur_idx].address, (int)map->vec[cur_idx].size,
+			(int)max_len, (int)cur_idx, (int)map->num );
+
+		//snooze(100000);
+
+		if (max_len < map->vec[cur_idx].size) {
+			// split sg block
+			map->num = min(map->num + 1, max_phys_entries);
+			memmove(&map->vec[cur_idx + 1], &map->vec[cur_idx], 
+				(map->num - 1 - cur_idx) * sizeof(physical_entry));
+
+			map->vec[cur_idx].size = max_len;
+			map->vec[cur_idx + 1].address = (void *)((addr_t)map->vec[cur_idx + 1].address + max_len);
+			map->vec[cur_idx + 1].size -= max_len;
+		}
+
+		total_len += map->vec[cur_idx].size;
+	}
+
+	// we really have to update total_len - due to block splitting,
+	// some other blocks may got discarded if s/g list became too long
+	map->total_len = total_len;
+	return B_OK;
+}
+
+
+/**	check whether dma alignment restrictions are met
+ *	returns true on success
+ *	remark: if the user specifies too many iovecs and the unused iovecs
+ *	        are mis-aligned, it's bad luck as we ignore this case and still
+ *	        report an alignment problem
+ */
+
+static bool
+blkman_check_alignment(struct iovec *vecs, uint num_vecs, 
+	size_t vec_offset, uint alignment)
+{
+	if (alignment == 0)
+		// no alignment - good boy
+		return true;
+
+	for (; num_vecs > 0; ++vecs, --num_vecs) {
+		// check both begin and end of iovec
+		if ((((addr_t)vecs->iov_base + vec_offset) & alignment) != 0) {
+			SHOW_FLOW(1, "s/g entry not aligned (%p)", vecs->iov_base);
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		if ((((addr_t)vecs->iov_base + vecs->iov_len) & alignment) != 0) {
+			SHOW_FLOW(1, "end of s/g entry not aligned (%p)",
+				(void *)((addr_t)vecs->iov_base + vecs->iov_len));
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		vec_offset = 0;
+	}
+
+	return true;
+}
+
+
+/**	try to lock iovecs
+ *	returns number of locked bytes
+ *	(only entire iovecs are attempted to be locked)
+ *	remark: if there are too few iovecs, you simply get fewer locked bytes
+ */
+
+static size_t
+blkman_lock_iovecs(struct iovec *vecs, uint num_vecs, 
+	size_t vec_offset, size_t len, int flags)
+{
+	size_t orig_len = len;
+
+	SHOW_FLOW(3, "len = %lu", len);
+
+	for (; len > 0 && num_vecs > 0; ++vecs, --num_vecs) {
+		size_t lock_len;
+		status_t res;
+
+		lock_len = min(vecs->iov_len - vec_offset, len);
+
+		SHOW_FLOW( 3, "pos = %p, len = %lu", vecs->iov_base, vecs->iov_len);
+
+		res = lock_memory((void *)((addr_t)vecs->iov_base + vec_offset), lock_len, flags);
+		if (res != B_OK) {
+			//snooze( 1000000 );
+			SHOW_FLOW(3, "cannot lock: %s", strerror(res));
+			break;
+		}
+
+		len -= lock_len;
+		vec_offset = 0;
+	}
+
+	SHOW_FLOW( 3, "remaining len=%lu", len);
+
+	return orig_len - len;
+}
+
+
+/** unlock iovecs */
+
+static void
+blkman_unlock_iovecs(struct iovec *vecs, uint num_vecs, 
+	size_t vec_offset, size_t len, int flags)
+{
+	SHOW_FLOW(3, "len = %lu", len);
+
+	for (; len > 0; ++vecs, --num_vecs) {
+		size_t lock_len;
+
+		lock_len = min(vecs->iov_len - vec_offset, len);
+		
+		if (unlock_memory((void *)((addr_t)vecs->iov_base + vec_offset), lock_len, 
+				flags) != B_OK)
+			panic( "Cannot unlock previously locked memory!" );
+
+		len -= lock_len;
+		vec_offset = 0;
+	}
+}
+
+
+/**	copy data from/to transfer buffer;
+ *	remark: if iovecs are missing, copying is aborted
+ */
+
+static void
+blkman_copy_buffer(char *buffer, struct iovec *vecs, uint num_vecs, 
+	size_t vec_offset, size_t len, bool to_buffer)
+{
+	for (; len > 0 && num_vecs > 0; ++vecs, --num_vecs) {
+		size_t bytes;
+
+		bytes = min(len, vecs->iov_len - vec_offset);
+
+		if (to_buffer)
+			memcpy(buffer, (void *)((addr_t)vecs->iov_base + vec_offset), bytes);
+		else
+			memcpy((void *)((addr_t)vecs->iov_base + vec_offset), buffer, bytes);
+
+		buffer += bytes;
+		vec_offset = 0;
+	}
+}
+
+
+/** determine number of bytes described by iovecs */
+
+static size_t
+blkman_iovec_len(struct iovec *vecs, uint num_vecs, size_t vec_offset)
+{
+	size_t len = 0;
+
+	for (; num_vecs > 0; ++vecs, --num_vecs) {
+		len += vecs->iov_len - vec_offset;
+		vec_offset = 0;
+	}
+
+	return len;
+}
+
+
+/**	main beast to execute i/o transfer
+ *	as <need_locking> and <write> is usual const, we really want to inline 
+ *	it - this makes this function much smaller in a given instance
+ *	<need_locking> - data must be locked before transferring it
+ *	<vec> - should be locked, though it's probably not really necessary
+ */
+
+static inline status_t
+blkman_readwrite(blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, struct iovec *vec,
+	int vec_count, size_t *total_len, bool need_locking, bool write)
+{
+	blkman_device_info *device = handle->device;
+	uint32 block_size, ld_block_size;
+	uint64 capacity;
+	bool need_buffer;
+	status_t res = B_OK;
+
+	size_t len = *total_len;
+	size_t orig_len = len;
+	size_t vec_offset;
+
+	phys_vecs *phys_vecs;
+
+	//snooze( 1000000 );
+
+	SHOW_FLOW(3, "pos = %Ld, len = %lu, need_locking = %d, write = %d, vec_count = %d",
+		pos, len, need_locking, write, vec_count);
+
+	// general properties may get modified, so make a copy first
+	/*device->interface->get_media_params( handle->handle_cookie, 
+		&block_size, &ld_block_size, &capacity );*/
+	ACQUIRE_BEN(&device->lock);
+	block_size = device->block_size;
+	ld_block_size = device->ld_block_size;
+	capacity = device->capacity;
+	RELEASE_BEN(&device->lock);
+
+	if (capacity == 0) {
+		res = B_DEV_NO_MEDIA;
+		goto err;
+	}
+
+	if (block_size == 0) {
+		res = B_DEV_CONFIGURATION_ERROR;
+		goto err;
+	}
+
+	phys_vecs = locked_pool->alloc(handle->device->phys_vecs_pool);
+
+	SHOW_FLOW0(3, "got phys_vecs");
+
+	// offset in active iovec (can span even byond first iovec)
+	vec_offset = 0;
+
+	while (len > 0) {
+		//off_t block_pos;
+		uint64 block_pos;
+		uint32 block_ofs;
+		size_t cur_len;
+
+		size_t cur_blocks;
+		struct iovec *cur_vecs;
+		size_t cur_vec_count;
+		size_t cur_vec_offset;
+
+		size_t bytes_transferred;
+
+		SHOW_FLOW(3, "current len = %lu", len);
+
+		// skip handled iovecs
+		while (vec_count > 0 && vec_offset >= vec->iov_len) {
+			vec_offset -= vec->iov_len;
+			++vec;
+			--vec_count;
+		}
+
+		// having too few iovecs is handled in the following way:
+		// 1. if no other problem occurs, lock_iovecs restrict transfer
+		//    up to the last block fully described by iovecs
+		// 2. if only a partial block is described, we fallback to 
+		//    buffered transfer because lock_iovecs cannot give you 
+		//    a whole block
+		// 3. whenever buffered transfer is used, an explicit test for
+		//    iovec shortage is done and transmission is restricted up to
+		//    and including the last block that has an iovec; copying from/to
+		//    buffer stops when no iovec is left (copy_buffer) and thus
+		//    restricts transfer appropriately
+		// 4. whenever all iovecs are consumed, we arrive at this piece of 
+		//    code and abort
+		if (vec_count == 0) {
+			SHOW_FLOW0(3, "vec too short");
+			res = B_BAD_VALUE;
+			goto err2;
+		}
+
+		// get block index / start offset in block
+		if (ld_block_size) {
+			block_pos = pos >> ld_block_size;
+			block_ofs = pos - (block_pos << ld_block_size);
+		} else {
+			block_pos = pos / block_size;
+			block_ofs = pos - block_pos * block_size;
+		}
+
+		// read requests byond end of volume must be ignored without notice
+		if (block_pos >= capacity) {
+			SHOW_FLOW0(1, "transfer starts byond end of device");
+			goto err2;
+		}
+
+		SHOW_FLOW(3, "block_pos = %Ld, block_ofs = %lu", block_pos, block_ofs);
+
+		// check whether a buffered transfer is required:
+		// 1. partial block transfer:
+		// 1a. transfer starts within block
+		// 1b. transfer finishes within block
+		// 2. dma alignment problem
+
+		// 1a and 2 is handled immediately, case 1b is delayed: we transmit 
+		// whole blocks until the last (partial) block is reached and handle
+		// it seperately; therefore we only check for len < block_size, e.g.
+		// for a last partial block (we could do better, but you get what
+		// you deserve)
+		need_buffer = block_ofs != 0
+			|| len < block_size
+			|| !blkman_check_alignment(vec, vec_count, vec_offset, device->params.alignment);
+
+retry:			
+		if (need_buffer) {
+			int tmp_len;
+
+			// argh! - need buffered transfer
+			SHOW_FLOW(1, "buffer required: len=%ld, block_ofs=%ld",
+				len, block_ofs);
+
+			acquire_sem(blkman_buffer_lock);
+
+			// nobody helps us if there are too few iovecs, so test
+			// for that explicitely
+			// (case that tmp_len = 0 is already checked above; if not,
+			//  we would get trouble when we try to round up to next
+			//  block size, which would lead to zero, making trouble
+			//  during lock)
+			tmp_len = blkman_iovec_len(vec, vec_count, vec_offset);
+			tmp_len = min(tmp_len, len);
+
+			SHOW_FLOW(3, "tmp_len: %d", tmp_len);
+
+			if (write && (block_ofs != 0 || tmp_len < (ssize_t)block_size)) {
+				// partial block write - need to read block first
+				// we always handle one block only to keep things simple
+				cur_blocks = 1;
+
+				SHOW_FLOW0(3, "partial write at beginning: reading content of first block");
+				res = handle->device->interface->read(handle->cookie, 
+					&blkman_buffer_phys_vec, block_pos, 
+					cur_blocks, block_size, &bytes_transferred);
+			} else {
+				// alignment problem or partial block read - find out how many
+				// blocks are spanned by this transfer
+				cur_blocks = (tmp_len + block_ofs + block_size - 1) / block_size;
+
+				SHOW_FLOW(3, "cur_blocks: %ld", cur_blocks);
+
+				// restrict block count to buffer size
+				if (cur_blocks * block_size > blkman_buffer_size)
+					cur_blocks = blkman_buffer_size / block_size;
+			}
+
+			// copy data into buffer before write
+			// (calculate number of bytes to copy carefully!)
+			if (write) {
+				SHOW_FLOW(3, "copy data to buffer (%ld bytes)",
+					cur_blocks * block_size - block_ofs);
+				blkman_copy_buffer(blkman_buffer + block_ofs, 
+					vec, vec_count, vec_offset, cur_blocks * block_size - block_ofs, 
+					true);
+			}
+
+			cur_vecs = blkman_buffer_vec;
+			cur_vec_count = 1;
+			cur_vec_offset = 0;
+		} else {
+			// no buffer needed
+			if (ld_block_size)
+				cur_blocks = len >> ld_block_size;
+			else
+				cur_blocks = len / block_size;
+
+			cur_vecs = vec;
+			cur_vec_count = vec_count;
+			cur_vec_offset = vec_offset;
+		}
+
+		SHOW_FLOW(3, "cur_blocks = %lu, cur_vec_offset = %lu, cur_vec_count = %lu",
+			cur_blocks, cur_vec_offset, cur_vec_count);
+
+		// restrict transfer size to device limits and media capacity
+		cur_blocks = min(cur_blocks, device->params.max_blocks);
+
+		if (block_pos + cur_blocks > capacity)
+			cur_blocks = capacity - block_pos;
+
+		SHOW_FLOW(3, "after applying size restriction: cur_blocks = %lu", cur_blocks);
+
+		cur_len = cur_blocks * block_size;
+
+		if (need_locking) {
+			// lock data
+			// side-node: we also lock the transfer buffer to simplify code
+
+			// if n bytes are to be transferred, we try to lock
+			// n bytes, then n/2, n/4 etc. until we succeed
+			// this is needed because locking fails for entire iovecs only
+			for (; cur_len > 0; cur_blocks >>= 1, cur_len = cur_blocks * block_size) {
+				size_t locked_len;
+
+				SHOW_FLOW(3, "trying to lock %lu bytes", cur_len);
+
+				locked_len = blkman_lock_iovecs(cur_vecs, cur_vec_count, 
+					cur_vec_offset, cur_len, B_DMA_IO | (write ? 0 : B_READ_DEVICE));
+
+				if (locked_len == cur_len)
+					break;
+
+				// couldn't lock all we want				
+				SHOW_FLOW0(3, "couldn't lock all bytes");
+
+				if (locked_len > block_size) {
+					// locked at least one block - we are happy
+					SHOW_FLOW0(3, "transmission length restricted to locked bytes");
+					cur_blocks = locked_len / block_size;
+					cur_len = cur_blocks * block_size;
+					break;
+				}
+
+				// got less then one block locked - unlock and retry
+				SHOW_FLOW0(3, "too few bytes locked - trying again with fewer bytes");
+
+				blkman_unlock_iovecs(cur_vecs, cur_vec_count, cur_vec_offset, locked_len,
+					 B_DMA_IO | (write ? 0 : B_READ_DEVICE));
+			}
+
+			if (cur_len == 0) {
+				// didn't manage to lock at least one block
+				// -> fallback to buffered transfer
+				SHOW_FLOW0(3, "locking failed");
+
+				if (need_buffer) {
+					// error locking transfer buffer? 
+					// that's impossible - it is locked already!
+					panic("Cannot lock scratch buffer\n");
+					res = B_ERROR;
+					goto err3;
+				}
+
+				need_buffer = true;
+				goto retry;
+			}
+		}
+
+		// data is locked and all restrictions are obeyed now;
+		// time to setup sg list
+		SHOW_FLOW0(3, "Creating SG list");
+
+		res = blkman_map_iovecs(cur_vecs, cur_vec_count, cur_vec_offset, cur_len, 
+				phys_vecs, device->params.max_sg_blocks, device->params.dma_boundary,
+				device->params.max_sg_block_size);
+
+		if (res < 0) {
+			SHOW_FLOW(3, "failed - %s", strerror(res));
+			goto cannot_map;
+		}
+	
+		if (phys_vecs->total_len < cur_len) {
+			// we hit some sg limit - restrict transfer appropriately
+			cur_blocks = phys_vecs->total_len / block_size;
+
+			SHOW_FLOW(3, "transmission to complex - restricted to %d blocks", (int)cur_blocks);
+
+			if (cur_blocks == 0) {
+				// oh no - not even one block is left; use transfer buffer instead
+				SHOW_FLOW0(3, "SG too small to handle even one block");
+
+				if (need_locking) {
+					blkman_unlock_iovecs(cur_vecs, cur_vec_count, cur_vec_offset,
+						cur_len, B_DMA_IO | (write ? 0 : B_READ_DEVICE));
+				}
+
+				if (need_buffer) {
+					// we are already using the transfer buffer
+					// this case is impossible as transfer buffer is linear!
+					panic("Scratch buffer turned out to be too fragmented !?\n");
+				}
+
+				SHOW_FLOW0(3, "Falling back to buffered transfer");
+
+				need_buffer = true;
+				goto retry;
+			}
+
+			// reflect rounded len in sg list
+			phys_vecs->total_len = cur_blocks * block_size;
+		}
+
+		// at least - let the bytes flow
+		SHOW_FLOW(2, "Transmitting %d bytes @%Ld", 
+			(int)phys_vecs->total_len, block_pos);
+
+		if (write) {
+			res = handle->device->interface->write(handle->cookie,
+					phys_vecs, block_pos, cur_blocks, block_size, &bytes_transferred);
+		} else {
+			res = handle->device->interface->read(handle->cookie,
+					phys_vecs, block_pos, cur_blocks, block_size, &bytes_transferred);
+		}
+
+		SHOW_FLOW(3, "Transfer of %d bytes completed (%s)", 
+			(int)bytes_transferred, strerror(res));
+
+cannot_map:
+		// unlock data
+		if (need_locking) {
+			blkman_unlock_iovecs(cur_vecs, cur_vec_count, cur_vec_offset, 
+				cur_len, B_DMA_IO | (write ? 0 : B_READ_DEVICE));
+		}
+
+		if (res < 0)
+			goto err3;
+
+		if (need_buffer) {
+			// adjust transfer size by gap skipped at beginning of blocks
+			bytes_transferred -= block_ofs;
+
+			// if we had to round up to block size, adjust transfer as well
+			if (bytes_transferred > len)
+				bytes_transferred = len;
+
+			// if transfer buffer is used for read, copy result from it
+			if (!write) {
+				SHOW_FLOW(3, "copying data back from buffer (%ld bytes)",
+					bytes_transferred);
+				blkman_copy_buffer(blkman_buffer + block_ofs,
+					vec, vec_count, vec_offset, bytes_transferred, false);
+			}
+
+			release_sem(blkman_buffer_lock);
+		}
+
+		len -= bytes_transferred;
+		vec_offset += bytes_transferred;
+		pos += bytes_transferred;
+	}
+
+	locked_pool->free(handle->device->phys_vecs_pool, phys_vecs);
+
+	SHOW_FLOW0(3, "done");
+
+	return B_OK;
+
+err3:
+	if (need_buffer)
+		release_sem(blkman_buffer_lock);
+err2:
+	locked_pool->free(handle->device->phys_vecs_pool, phys_vecs);
+err:
+	SHOW_FLOW(3, "done with error %s", strerror(res));
+
+	// we haven't transferred all data - tell caller about
+	*total_len = orig_len - len;
+	return res;
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_readv_int(blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, struct iovec *vec, 
+	size_t vec_count, size_t *len, bool need_locking)
+{
+	return blkman_readwrite(handle, pos, vec, vec_count, len, need_locking, false);
+}
+
+
+static status_t
+blkman_writev_int(blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, struct iovec *vec, 
+	size_t vec_count, size_t *len, bool need_locking)
+{
+	return blkman_readwrite(handle, pos, vec, vec_count, len, need_locking, true);
+}
+
+
+/**	generic read(v)/write(v) routine; 
+ *	iovecs are locked during transfer
+ *	inlining it leads to overall code reduction as <write> is const
+ */
+
+static inline status_t
+blkman_readwritev(blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, struct iovec *vec, 
+	size_t vec_count, size_t *len, bool write)
+
+{
+	status_t res;
+	struct iovec *cur_vec;
+	size_t left;
+	size_t total_len;
+
+	if ((res = lock_memory(vec, vec_count * sizeof(vec[0]), 0)) < 0)
+		return res;
+
+	// there is an error in the BeBook: *len does _not_ contain correct
+	// total length on call - you have to calculate that yourself
+	total_len = 0;
+
+	for (cur_vec = vec, left = vec_count; left > 0; ++cur_vec, --left) {
+		total_len += cur_vec->iov_len;
+	}
+
+	*len = total_len;
+
+	if (write)
+		res = blkman_writev_int(handle, pos, vec, vec_count, len, true);
+	else
+		res = blkman_readv_int(handle, pos, vec, vec_count, len, true);
+
+	unlock_memory(vec, vec_count * sizeof(vec[0]), 0);
+
+	return res;
+}
+
+
+status_t
+blkman_readv(blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, struct iovec *vec, 
+	size_t vec_count, size_t *len)
+{	
+/*	SHOW_FLOW( 4, "len=%d", (int)*len );
+
+	for( cur_vec = vec, left = vec_count; left > 0; ++cur_vec, --left ) {
+		SHOW_FLOW( 4, "pos=%x, size=%d",
+			(int)cur_vec->iov_base, (int)cur_vec->iov_len );
+	}*/
+
+	return blkman_readwritev(handle, pos, vec, vec_count, len, false);
+}
+
+
+status_t
+blkman_read(blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, void *buf, size_t *len)
+{
+	iovec vec[1];
+
+	vec[0].iov_base = buf;
+	vec[0].iov_len = *len;
+
+	SHOW_FLOW0( 3, "" );
+
+	// TBD: this assumes that the thread stack is not paged,
+	//      else you want to use blkman_readv
+	return blkman_readv_int(handle, pos, vec, 1, len, true);
+}
+
+
+ssize_t
+blkman_writev(blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, struct iovec *vec, 
+	size_t vec_count, ssize_t *len)
+{
+	return blkman_readwritev(handle, pos, vec, vec_count, len, true);
+}
+
+
+ssize_t
+blkman_write(blkman_handle_info *handle, off_t pos, void *buf, size_t *len)
+{
+	iovec vec[1];
+
+	vec[0].iov_base = buf;
+	vec[0].iov_len = *len;
+
+	// see blkman_read
+	return blkman_writev_int(handle, pos, vec, 1, len, true);
+}
+
+
+void
+blkman_set_media_params(blkman_device_info *device, uint32 block_size,
+	uint32 ld_block_size, uint64 capacity)
+{
+	SHOW_FLOW(3, "block_size = %lu, ld_block_size = %lu, capacity = %Lu\n", block_size,
+		ld_block_size, capacity);
+
+	ACQUIRE_BEN(&device->lock);
+
+	device->block_size = block_size;
+	device->ld_block_size = ld_block_size;
+	device->capacity = capacity;	
+
+	RELEASE_BEN(&device->lock);
+}
+
diff --git a/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/virtual_memory.c b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/virtual_memory.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0a18b3d3df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/virtual_memory.c
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+/*
+** Copyright 2002/03, Thomas Kurschel. All rights reserved.
+** Distributed under the terms of the OpenBeOS License.
+*/
+
+/*
+	VM helper functions.
+
+	Important assumption: get_memory_map must combine adjacent
+	physical pages, so contignous memory always leads to a S/G
+	list of length one.
+*/
+
+#include "KernelExport_ext.h"
+#include "wrapper.h"
+
+#include <vm.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+
+/**	get sg list of iovec
+ *	TBD: this should be moved to somewhere in kernel
+ */
+
+status_t
+get_iovec_memory_map(iovec *vec, size_t vec_count, size_t vec_offset, size_t len,
+	physical_entry *map, size_t max_entries, size_t *num_entries, size_t *mapped_len)
+{
+	size_t cur_idx;
+	size_t left_len;
+	
+	SHOW_FLOW(3, "vec_count=%lu, vec_offset=%lu, len=%lu, max_entries=%lu",
+		vec_count, vec_offset, len, max_entries);
+
+	// skip iovec blocks if needed
+	while (vec_count > 0 && vec_offset > vec->iov_len) {
+		vec_offset -= vec->iov_len;
+		--vec_count;
+		++vec;
+	}
+
+	for (left_len = len, cur_idx = 0; left_len > 0 && vec_count > 0 && cur_idx < max_entries;) {
+		char *range_start;
+		size_t range_len;
+		status_t res;
+		size_t cur_num_entries, cur_mapped_len;
+		uint32 tmp_idx;
+
+		SHOW_FLOW( 3, "left_len=%d, vec_count=%d, cur_idx=%d", 
+			(int)left_len, (int)vec_count, (int)cur_idx );
+
+		// map one iovec
+		range_start = (char *)vec->iov_base + vec_offset;
+		range_len = min( vec->iov_len - vec_offset, left_len );
+
+		SHOW_FLOW( 3, "range_start=%x, range_len=%x",
+			(int)range_start, (int)range_len );
+
+		vec_offset = 0;
+
+		if ((res = get_memory_map(range_start, range_len, &map[cur_idx], 
+				max_entries - cur_idx)) != B_OK) {
+			// according to docu, no error is ever reported - argh!
+			SHOW_ERROR(1, "invalid io_vec passed (%s)", strerror(res));
+			return res;
+		}
+
+		// stupid: get_memory_map does neither tell how many sg blocks
+		// are used nor whether there were enough sg blocks at all;
+		// -> determine that manually
+		cur_mapped_len = 0;
+		cur_num_entries = 0;
+
+		for (tmp_idx = cur_idx; tmp_idx < max_entries; ++tmp_idx) {
+			if (map[tmp_idx].size == 0)
+				break;
+
+			cur_mapped_len += map[tmp_idx].size;
+			++cur_num_entries;
+		}
+
+		if (cur_mapped_len == 0) {
+			panic("get_memory_map() returned empty list; left_len=%d, idx=%d/%d", 
+				(int)left_len, (int)cur_idx, (int)max_entries);
+			SHOW_ERROR(2, "get_memory_map() returned empty list; left_len=%d, idx=%d/%d", 
+				(int)left_len, (int)cur_idx, (int)max_entries);
+			return B_ERROR;
+		}
+
+		SHOW_FLOW( 3, "cur_num_entries=%d, cur_mapped_len=%x", 
+			(int)cur_num_entries, (int)cur_mapped_len );
+
+		// try to combine with previous sg block
+		if (cur_num_entries > 0 && cur_idx > 0
+			&& map[cur_idx].address == (char *)map[cur_idx - 1].address + map[cur_idx - 1].size) {
+			SHOW_FLOW0( 3, "combine with previous chunk" );
+			map[cur_idx - 1].size += map[cur_idx].size;
+			memcpy(&map[cur_idx], &map[cur_idx + 1], (cur_num_entries - 1) * sizeof(map[0]));
+			--cur_num_entries;
+		}
+
+		cur_idx += cur_num_entries;
+		left_len -= cur_mapped_len;
+
+		// advance iovec if current one is described completely
+		if (cur_mapped_len == range_len) {
+			++vec;
+			--vec_count;
+		}
+	}
+
+	*num_entries = cur_idx;
+	*mapped_len = len - left_len;
+
+	SHOW_FLOW( 3, "num_entries=%d, mapped_len=%x", 
+		(int)*num_entries, (int)*mapped_len );
+
+	return B_OK;
+}
+
+
+/** map main memory into virtual address space */
+
+status_t
+map_mainmemory(addr_t physicalAddress, void **_virtualAddress)
+{
+	return vm_get_physical_page(physicalAddress, (addr_t *)_virtualAddress, PHYSICAL_PAGE_CAN_WAIT);
+		// ToDo: check if CAN_WAIT is correct
+}
+
+
+/** unmap main memory from virtual address space */
+
+status_t
+unmap_mainmemory(void *virtualAddress)
+{
+	return vm_put_physical_page((addr_t)virtualAddress);
+}
+
diff --git a/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/wrapper.h b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/wrapper.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6793cb73be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/add-ons/kernel/generic/blkman/wrapper.h
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#ifndef _WRAPPER_H
+#define _WRAPPER_H
+
+#include <KernelExport.h>
+#include <lock.h>
+
+
+// benaphores
+
+#define INIT_BEN(x, prefix)	benaphore_init(x, prefix)
+#define	DELETE_BEN(x)		benaphore_destroy(x)
+#define ACQUIRE_BEN(x)		benaphore_lock(x)
+#define RELEASE_BEN(x)		benaphore_unlock(x)
+
+// debug output
+
+#ifdef DEBUG_WAIT_ON_MSG
+#	define DEBUG_WAIT snooze( DEBUG_WAIT_ON_MSG );
+#else
+#	define DEBUG_WAIT 
+#endif
+
+#ifdef DEBUG_WAIT_ON_ERROR
+#	define DEBUG_WAIT_ERROR snooze( DEBUG_WAIT_ON_ERROR );
+#else
+#	define DEBUG_WAIT_ERROR
+#endif
+
+#ifndef DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_FLOW
+#	define DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_FLOW 4
+#endif
+
+#ifndef DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_INFO
+#	define DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_INFO 4
+#endif
+
+#ifndef DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_ERROR
+#	define DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_ERROR 4
+#endif
+
+#ifndef DEBUG_MSG_PREFIX
+#	define DEBUG_MSG_PREFIX ""
+#endif
+
+#ifndef debug_level_flow
+#	define debug_level_flow 3
+#endif
+
+#ifndef debug_level_info
+#	define debug_level_info 2
+#endif
+
+#ifndef debug_level_error
+#	define debug_level_error 1
+#endif
+
+#define FUNC_NAME DEBUG_MSG_PREFIX __FUNCTION__ ": "
+
+#define SHOW_FLOW(seriousness, format, param...) \
+	do { if( seriousness <= debug_level_flow && seriousness <= DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_FLOW ) { \
+		dprintf( "%s"##format"\n", FUNC_NAME, param ); DEBUG_WAIT \
+	}} while( 0 )
+
+#define SHOW_FLOW0(seriousness, format) \
+	do { if( seriousness <= debug_level_flow && seriousness <= DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_FLOW ) { \
+		dprintf( "%s"##format"\n", FUNC_NAME); DEBUG_WAIT \
+	}} while( 0 )
+
+#define SHOW_INFO(seriousness, format, param...) \
+	do { if( seriousness <= debug_level_info && seriousness <= DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_INFO ) { \
+		dprintf( "%s"##format"\n", FUNC_NAME, param ); DEBUG_WAIT \
+	}} while( 0 )
+
+#define SHOW_INFO0(seriousness, format) \
+	do { if( seriousness <= debug_level_info && seriousness <= DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_INFO ) { \
+		dprintf( "%s"##format"\n", FUNC_NAME); DEBUG_WAIT \
+	}} while( 0 )
+
+#define SHOW_ERROR(seriousness, format, param...) \
+	do { if( seriousness <= debug_level_error && seriousness <= DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_ERROR ) { \
+		dprintf( "%s"##format"\n", FUNC_NAME, param ); DEBUG_WAIT_ERROR \
+	}} while( 0 )
+
+#define SHOW_ERROR0(seriousness, format) \
+	do { if( seriousness <= debug_level_error && seriousness <= DEBUG_MAX_LEVEL_ERROR ) { \
+		dprintf( "%s"##format"\n", FUNC_NAME); DEBUG_WAIT_ERROR \
+	}} while( 0 )
+
+#endif	/* _BENAPHORE_H */