diff --git a/slsReceiverSoftware/includes/logger.h b/slsReceiverSoftware/includes/logger.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a230a5266
--- /dev/null
+++ b/slsReceiverSoftware/includes/logger.h
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+#ifndef __LOG_H__
+#define __LOG_H__
+
+#include <sstream>
+#include <string>
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+inline std::string NowTime();
+
+enum TLogLevel {logERROR, logWARNING, logINFO, logDEBUG, logDEBUG1, logDEBUG2, logDEBUG3, logDEBUG4};
+
+template <typename T>
+class Log
+{
+public:
+    Log();
+    virtual ~Log();
+    std::ostringstream& Get(TLogLevel level = logINFO);
+public:
+    static TLogLevel& ReportingLevel();
+    static std::string ToString(TLogLevel level);
+    static TLogLevel FromString(const std::string& level);
+protected:
+    std::ostringstream os;
+private:
+    Log(const Log&);
+    Log& operator =(const Log&);
+};
+
+template <typename T>
+Log<T>::Log()
+{
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+std::ostringstream& Log<T>::Get(TLogLevel level)
+{
+    os << "- " << NowTime();
+    os << " " << ToString(level) << ": ";
+    os << std::string(level > logDEBUG ? level - logDEBUG : 0, '\t');
+    return os;
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+Log<T>::~Log()
+{
+    os << std::endl;
+    T::Output(os.str());
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+TLogLevel& Log<T>::ReportingLevel()
+{
+    static TLogLevel reportingLevel = logDEBUG4;
+    return reportingLevel;
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+std::string Log<T>::ToString(TLogLevel level)
+{
+	static const char* const buffer[] = {"ERROR", "WARNING", "INFO", "DEBUG", "DEBUG1", "DEBUG2", "DEBUG3", "DEBUG4"};
+    return buffer[level];
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+TLogLevel Log<T>::FromString(const std::string& level)
+{
+    if (level == "DEBUG4")
+        return logDEBUG4;
+    if (level == "DEBUG3")
+        return logDEBUG3;
+    if (level == "DEBUG2")
+        return logDEBUG2;
+    if (level == "DEBUG1")
+        return logDEBUG1;
+    if (level == "DEBUG")
+        return logDEBUG;
+    if (level == "INFO")
+        return logINFO;
+    if (level == "WARNING")
+        return logWARNING;
+    if (level == "ERROR")
+        return logERROR;
+    Log<T>().Get(logWARNING) << "Unknown logging level '" << level << "'. Using INFO level as default.";
+    return logINFO;
+}
+
+class Output2FILE
+{
+public:
+    static FILE*& Stream();
+    static void Output(const std::string& msg);
+};
+
+inline FILE*& Output2FILE::Stream()
+{
+    static FILE* pStream = stderr;
+    return pStream;
+}
+
+inline void Output2FILE::Output(const std::string& msg)
+{   
+    FILE* pStream = Stream();
+    if (!pStream)
+        return;
+    fprintf(pStream, "%s", msg.c_str());
+    fflush(pStream);
+}
+
+#if defined(WIN32) || defined(_WIN32) || defined(__WIN32__)
+#   if defined (BUILDING_FILELOG_DLL)
+#       define FILELOG_DECLSPEC   __declspec (dllexport)
+#   elif defined (USING_FILELOG_DLL)
+#       define FILELOG_DECLSPEC   __declspec (dllimport)
+#   else
+#       define FILELOG_DECLSPEC
+#   endif // BUILDING_DBSIMPLE_DLL
+#else
+#   define FILELOG_DECLSPEC
+#endif // _WIN32
+
+class FILELOG_DECLSPEC FILELog : public Log<Output2FILE> {};
+//typedef Log<Output2FILE> FILELog;
+
+#ifndef FILELOG_MAX_LEVEL
+#define FILELOG_MAX_LEVEL logDEBUG4
+#endif
+
+#define FILE_LOG(level) \
+	if (level > FILELOG_MAX_LEVEL) ;				\
+	else if (level > FILELog::ReportingLevel() || !Output2FILE::Stream()) ; \
+	else FILELog().Get(level)
+
+#if defined(WIN32) || defined(_WIN32) || defined(__WIN32__)
+
+#include <windows.h>
+
+inline std::string NowTime()
+{
+    const int MAX_LEN = 200;
+    char buffer[MAX_LEN];
+    if (GetTimeFormatA(LOCALE_USER_DEFAULT, 0, 0, 
+            "HH':'mm':'ss", buffer, MAX_LEN) == 0)
+        return "Error in NowTime()";
+
+    char result[100] = {0};
+    static DWORD first = GetTickCount();
+    sprintf(result, "%s.%03ld", buffer, (long)(GetTickCount() - first) % 1000); 
+    return result;
+}
+
+#else
+
+#include <sys/time.h>
+
+inline std::string NowTime()
+{
+    char buffer[11];
+    time_t t;
+    time(&t);
+    tm r = {0};
+    strftime(buffer, sizeof(buffer), "%X", localtime_r(&t, &r));
+    struct timeval tv;
+    gettimeofday(&tv, 0);
+    char result[100] = {0};
+    sprintf(result, "%s.%03ld", buffer, (long)tv.tv_usec / 1000); 
+    return result;
+}
+
+#endif //WIN32
+
+#endif //__LOG_H__
diff --git a/slsReceiverSoftware/includes/utilities.h b/slsReceiverSoftware/includes/utilities.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e55d81598
--- /dev/null
+++ b/slsReceiverSoftware/includes/utilities.h
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#include <iostream>
+#include <string>
+#include <sstream>
+#include <iostream>
+using namespace std;
+
+/* uncomment next line to enable debug output */
+//#define EIGER_DEBUG
+
+/* macro for debug output http://stackoverflow.com/a/14256296 */
+#ifdef EIGER_DEBUG
+#define DEBUG(x) do { std::cerr << x << std::endl; } while (0)
+#else
+#define DEBUG(x)
+#endif
+
+#ifdef VERBOSE
+#define VERBOSE_PRINT(x) do { std::cout << "[VERBOSE]" << x << std::endl; } while (0)
+#else
+#define VERBOSE_PRINT(x)
+#endif
+
+
+
+
+
+
+inline int read_config_file(string fname, int *tcpip_port_no);
+