diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
index db66031..12863a2 100644
--- a/.gitattributes
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -347,6 +347,8 @@ doc/tetrahedron_refinements/text2vtk.py -text
 /license.txt -text
 /missing -text
 /rules.make -text
+src/H5.c -text
+src/H5.h -text
 src/H5Block.c -text
 src/H5Block.h -text
 src/H5Fed.c -text
@@ -360,6 +362,7 @@ src/H5Fed_store.c -text
 src/H5Fed_storeretrieve.c -text
 src/H5Part.c -text
 src/H5Part.h -text
+src/H5_inquiry.c -text
 src/Makefile.am -text
 src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.cc -text
 src/bindings/C++/H5Fed.hh -text
diff --git a/src/H5.c b/src/H5.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5700b03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/H5.c
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+/*
+  Copyright 2007-2008
+ 	Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland;
+ 	Benedikt Oswald;
+ 	Achim Gsell
+ 	All rights reserved.
+ 
+  Authors
+ 	Achim Gsell
+  
+  Warning
+	This code is under development.
+ 
+ */
+
+/*!
+  Some conventions:
+	Functions:
+		Name:
+			thisIsAFunction()
+		Return values:
+			negative value or NULL signals an error
+
+
+	Macros:
+		UPPERCASE_WITH_UNDERSCORE
+  \note
+  In function names we use the words \b get and \b store insteed of
+  \b read and \b write, because no I/O is actually done in these
+  functions.
+*/
+
+
+/*!
+  \defgroup h5_c_api H5Fed C API
+*/
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_c_api
+  \defgroup h5_general
+*/
+
+
+#include <stdarg.h>
+#include <hdf5.h>
+#include "h5/h5.h"
+#include "h5/h5_private.h"
+#include "H5Fed.h"
+
+
+/******	General routines *****************************************************/
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_general
+  
+  Open file with name \c filename. This function is available in the paralell
+  and serial version. In the serial case \c comm may have any value.
+
+  \return File handle.
+  \return NULL on error.
+
+  \note
+  File is always opened in read/writer mode!
+*/
+h5_file *
+H5OpenFile (
+	const char * filename,		/*!< file name			*/
+	const MPI_Comm comm		/*!< MPI communicator		*/
+	) {
+	SET_FNAME ( __func__ );
+	return h5_open_file( filename, H5_O_RDWR, comm ); 
+}
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_general
+
+  Close file.
+
+  \return value \c >=0 on success
+  \return -1 on error
+*/
+h5_err_t
+H5CloseFile (
+	h5_file * fh			/*!< file handle		*/
+	) {
+	SET_FNAME ( __func__ );
+	return h5_close_file ( fh );
+}
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_general
+
+  Define format of the step names.
+
+  Example: ==H5FedDefineStepNameFormat( f, "Step", 6 )== defines step names 
+  like ==Step#000042==.
+
+  \return value \c >=0 on success
+  \return -1 on error
+*/
+h5_err_t
+H5DefineStepNameFormat (
+	h5_file *f,			/*!< Handle to file		*/
+	const char *name,		/*!< Prefix			*/
+	const h5part_int64_t width	/*!< Width of the number	*/
+	) {
+	SET_FNAME ( "H5PartDefineStepNameFormat" );
+
+	return h5_define_stepname_fmt( f, name, width );
+}
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_general
+
+  Get format of the step names.
+
+  \return value \c >=0 on success
+  \return -1 on error
+*/
+h5_err_t
+H5GetStepNameFormat (
+	h5_file *f,			/*!< Handle to file		*/
+	char *name,			/*!< OUT: Prefix		*/
+	h5_int64_t *l_name,		/*!< length of buffer name	*/
+	h5_int64_t *width		/*!< OUT: Width of the number	*/
+	) {
+	SET_FNAME ( "H5PartDefineStepNameFormat" );
+
+	return h5_get_stepname_fmt( f, name, l_name, width );
+}
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_general
+
+  Set the current step.
+
+  \return \c H5_SUCCESS or error code 
+*/
+h5_err_t
+H5SetStep (
+	h5_file *f,			/*!< [in]  Handle to open file */
+	const h5_int64_t step		/*!< [in]  Step to set. */
+	) {
+
+	SET_FNAME ( __func__ );
+	return h5_set_step ( f, step );
+}
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_general
+
+  Get current step.
+
+  \return \c H5_SUCCESS or error code 
+*/
+h5_int64_t
+H5GetStep (
+	h5_file *f			/*!< Handle to open file */
+	) {
+
+	SET_FNAME ( __func__ );
+	return h5_get_step ( f );
+}
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_general
+
+  Start traversing steps.
+
+  \return \c H5_SUCCESS or error code 
+*/
+h5_err_t
+H5StartTraverseSteps (
+	h5_file *f			/*!< Handle to open file */
+	) {
+
+	SET_FNAME ( "H5FedStartTraverseSteps" );
+
+	return -1;
+}
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_general
+
+  Traverse steps.
+
+  \return \c H5_SUCCESS or error code 
+*/
+h5_err_t
+H5TraverseSteps (
+	h5_file *f			/*!< Handle to open file */
+	) {
+
+	SET_FNAME ( "H5FedStartTraverseSteps" );
+
+	return -1;
+}
diff --git a/src/H5.h b/src/H5.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..29aea70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/H5.h
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+/*
+  Copyright 2007-2008
+ 	Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland;
+ 	Benedikt Oswald;
+ 	Achim Gsell
+ 	All rights reserved.
+ 
+  Authors
+ 	Achim Gsell
+  
+  Warning
+	This code is under development.
+ 
+ */
+
+#ifndef __H5_H
+#define __H5_H
+
+h5_file*
+H5OpenFile (
+	const char * filename,
+	const MPI_Comm comm
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
+H5CloseFile (
+	h5_file * fh
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
+H5DefineStepNameFormat (
+	h5_file *f,
+	const char *name,
+	const h5part_int64_t width
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
+H5GetStepNameFormat (
+	h5_file *f,
+	char *name,
+	h5_int64_t *l_name,
+	h5_int64_t *width
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
+H5SetStep (
+	h5_file *f,
+	const h5_int64_t step
+	);
+
+h5_int64_t
+H5GetStep (
+	h5_file *f
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
+H5StartTraverseSteps (
+	h5_file *f
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
+H5TraverseSteps (
+	h5_file *f
+	);
+#endif
diff --git a/src/H5_inquiry.c b/src/H5_inquiry.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c9b8f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/H5_inquiry.c
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+/*
+  Copyright 2007-2008
+ 	Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland;
+ 	Benedikt Oswald;
+ 	Achim Gsell
+ 	All rights reserved.
+ 
+  Authors
+ 	Achim Gsell
+  
+  Warning
+	This code is under development.
+ 
+ */
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5f_c_api
+  \defgroup h5_inquiry
+*/
+
+#include <stdarg.h>
+#include <hdf5.h>
+#include "h5/h5.h"
+#include "h5/h5_private.h"
+#include "H5Fed.h"
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_inquiry
+
+  Get the number of compute nodes.
+
+  \return Number of compute notes.
+  \return \c -1 on error.
+ */
+h5_int_t
+H5GetNumNodes (
+	h5_file * fh			/*!< file handle		*/
+	) {
+	SET_FNAME ( __func__ );
+	return (h5_int_t)fh->nprocs;
+}
+
+/*`
+  \ingroup h5_inquiry
+
+  Get the number of steps that are currently stored in the file.
+
+  \return	number of steps or error code
+*/
+h5_id_t
+H5GetNumSteps (
+	h5_file * fh			/*!< file handle		*/
+	) {
+	SET_FNAME ( __func__ );
+	return h5_get_num_steps( fh );
+}
+
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_inquiry
+
+  Query whether a particular step already exists in the file.
+
+  \return      true or false
+*/
+h5_err_t
+H5HasStep (
+	h5_file *f,		/*!< [in]  Handle to open file */
+	h5part_int64_t step	/*!< [in]  Step number to query */
+	) {
+  
+	SET_FNAME ( __func__ );
+
+	return h5_has_step( f, step );
+}
+
+
+