diff --git a/tecs/coc.c b/tecs/coc.c
index d804ade8..c0c3d5a4 100644
--- a/tecs/coc.c
+++ b/tecs/coc.c
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include "errhdl.h"
-#include "util.h"
+#include "str_util.h"
 #include "coc.h"
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 /* CreateSocketAddress stolen from Tcl. Thanks to John Ousterhout */
diff --git a/tecs/dlog.c b/tecs/dlog.c
index ae8b67e6..52bcfe11 100644
--- a/tecs/dlog.c
+++ b/tecs/dlog.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include "errhdl.h"
-#include "util.h"
+#include "str_util.h"
 #include "dlog.h"
 
 #define VERSION 1.1
diff --git a/tecs/logfile.c b/tecs/logfile.c
index 2ac4521b..4f77ea84 100644
--- a/tecs/logfile.c
+++ b/tecs/logfile.c
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 #include <assert.h>
 #include "logfile.h"
 #include "errhdl.h"
-#include "util.h"
+#include "str_util.h"
 
 static FILE *fil=NULL;
 static char lnam[256]="", filnam[256]="";
diff --git a/tecs/lsc.c b/tecs/lsc.c
index aa3d959f..9b32ec6a 100644
--- a/tecs/lsc.c
+++ b/tecs/lsc.c
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 #include "logfile.h"
 #include "coc.h"
 #include "lsc.h"
-#include "util.h"
+#include "str_util.h"
 
 #define MC LSC_MAX_CMDS
 #define MAX_PAR 16
diff --git a/tecs/serutil.c b/tecs/serutil.c
index 195a7068..cab7b5f5 100644
--- a/tecs/serutil.c
+++ b/tecs/serutil.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #include "errhdl.h"
 #include "serutil.h"
 #include "logfile.h"
-#include "util.h"
+#include "str_util.h"
 
 #define A_CHK(R) if (1!=(R)) { SerA_error(); ErrTxt(#R,0); goto OnError; }
 
diff --git a/tecs/str_util.c b/tecs/str_util.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ede8724c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tecs/str_util.c
@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <sys/socket.h>
+#include <sys/time.h>
+#include <assert.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <ctype.h>
+#include "errhdl.h"
+#include "str_util.h"
+
+char *str_splitx(char *str, char sep, char *list[], int *n) {
+  int i;
+  char *s, *e;
+
+  s=str;
+  for (i=0; i<*n; i++) {
+    list[i]=s;
+    e=strchr(s, sep);
+    if (e==NULL) { *n=i+1; return(NULL); }
+    s=e+1;
+    e--;
+    while (e>str && *e==' ') e--; /* trim sequence */
+    e[1]='\0';
+  }
+  return(s);
+}
+
+char *str_split1(char *str, char sep) {
+  char *s, *e;
+
+  e=strchr(str, sep);
+  if (e==NULL) {
+    s=NULL;
+    e=str+strlen(str);
+  } else {
+    s=e+1;
+  }
+  e--;
+  while (e>str && *e==' ') e--; /* trim sequence */
+  e[1]='\0';
+  return(s);
+}
+
+int str_ntrim(char *dest, const char *src, int ldest, int lsrc) {
+  int i;
+
+  if (lsrc>=ldest) lsrc=ldest-1;
+  if (dest!=src) strncpy(dest, src, lsrc);
+  dest[lsrc]='\0';
+  i=strlen(dest)-1;
+  while (i>0 && dest[i]==' ') i--; /* trim sequence */
+  i++;
+  dest[i]='\0';
+  return(i);
+}
+
+char *str_nsplit(char *dst, const char *src, char sep, int dstlen) {
+  char *s;
+  int i;
+
+  s=strchr(src, sep);
+  if (s==NULL) {
+    s=NULL;
+    i=strlen(src);
+  } else {
+    i=s-src;
+    s++; /* skip separator */
+  }
+  if (i>=dstlen) {
+    str_copy(dst, src);
+  } else {
+    strncpy(dst, src, i);
+    dst[i]='\0';
+  }
+  return(s);
+}
+
+char *str_read_until(FILE *fil, char *term, char *buf, char *end) {
+  char *s;
+  char fmt[24];
+  int i, l, siz;
+  char ch;
+
+  siz=end-buf-1;
+  if (siz<1) return(NULL);
+  sprintf(fmt, "%s%d[^%s%s", "%", siz, term, "]%n%c");
+  i=fscanf(fil, fmt, buf, &l, &ch);
+  if (i<0) { /* eof */
+    buf[0]='\0';
+    return(&buf[0]);
+  } else if (i==0) { /* fscanf returns 0 if first char is terminator */
+    buf[0]=fgetc(fil);
+    return(&buf[0]);
+  } else if (i==1) { /* terminator not found -> read until eof */
+    buf[l]='\0';
+    return(&buf[l]);
+  } else {
+    buf[l]=ch;
+    if (l==siz && NULL==strchr(term, ch)) return(NULL);
+    return(&buf[l]);
+  }
+}
+
+char *str_read_file(char *file) {
+  FILE *fil;
+  char *str, *s, *e, *p, *q;
+  char ch;
+  int i, l, size;
+  struct stat statbuf;
+  
+  i=stat(file, &statbuf);
+  if (i<0) ERR_MSG("file not found");
+  size=statbuf.st_size+4;
+  ERR_SP(str=malloc(size));
+  e=&str[size-1];
+  ERR_SP(fil=fopen(file, "r"));
+  s=str;
+  while (1) {
+    p=str_read_until(fil, "!", s, e);
+    if (p==NULL) break;
+    if (*p=='!') {
+      q=str_read_until(fil, "\n", p, e);
+      if (q==NULL) { p=NULL; break; }
+      s=p; *s='\n'; s++;
+    } else {
+      assert(*p=='\0');
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+  ERR_SI(fclose(fil));
+  assert(strlen(str)<size);
+  return(str);
+  OnError: return(NULL);
+}
+
+void str_replace_char(char *str, char ch, char rep) {
+  char *s;
+
+  assert(ch!='\0' && ch!=rep);
+  s=strchr(str, ch);
+  while (s!=NULL) {
+    *s=rep;
+    s=strchr(s, ch);
+  }
+}
+
+int str_nsubstitute(char *result, char *str, char *old, char *new, int reslen) {
+  char *s, *p, *r;
+  int l, ln, lo;
+
+  p=str;
+  r=result;
+  ln=strlen(new);
+  lo=strlen(old);
+  s=strstr(p, old);
+  reslen--;
+  if (reslen<0) ERR_MSG("result buffer too short");
+  while (s!=NULL) {
+    l=s-p;
+    if (l>reslen) ERR_MSG("result buffer too short");
+    strncpy(r, p, l);
+    r+=l; reslen-=l;
+    if (ln>reslen) ERR_MSG("result buffer too short");
+    strncpy(r, new, reslen);
+    r+=ln; reslen-=ln;
+    p=s+lo;
+    s=strstr(p, old);
+  }
+  l=strlen(p);
+  if (l>reslen) ERR_MSG("result buffer too short");
+  strncpy(r, p, l);
+  r+=l;
+  *r='\0';
+  return(r-result);
+  OnError:
+    result[0]='\0';
+    return(-1);
+}
+
+void str_nupcase(char *dst, const char *src, int dstlen) {
+  dstlen--; /* space for trailing nul */
+  while (*src!='\0' && dstlen>0) {
+    *dst=toupper(*src);
+    dst++; src++;
+  }
+  *dst='\0';
+}
+
+int strcasecmp(const char *str1, const char *str2) {
+  int i;
+  char ch1, ch2;
+  ch1=tolower(*(str1++)); ch2=tolower(*(str2++));
+  i=1;
+  while (ch1!='\0' && ch2!='\0' && ch1==ch2) {
+    ch1=tolower(*(str1++)); ch2=tolower(*(str2++)); i++;
+  }
+  if (ch1<ch2) {
+    return(-i);
+  } else if (ch1>ch2) {
+    return(i);
+  }
+  return(0);
+}
+
+int str_ncpy(char *dst, const char *src, int maxdest) {
+  strncpy(dst, src, maxdest);
+  if (dst[maxdest-1]!='\0') {
+    dst[maxdest-1]='\0';
+    ERR_MSG("destination string too short");
+  }
+  return(0);
+  OnError: return(-1);
+}
+
+int str_ncat(char *dst, const char *src, int maxdest) {
+  strncat(dst, src, maxdest-strlen(dst)-1);
+  if (dst[maxdest-1]!='\0') {
+    dst[maxdest-1]='\0';
+    ERR_MSG("destination string too short");
+  }
+  return(0);
+  OnError: return(-1);
+}
diff --git a/tecs/tecc.c b/tecs/tecc.c
index 47690ddc..940cf0be 100644
--- a/tecs/tecc.c
+++ b/tecs/tecc.c
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include "errhdl.h"
-#include "util.h"
+#include "str_util.h"
 #include "tecc.h"
 
 static char device[80], command[80];
diff --git a/tecs/tecs.c b/tecs/tecs.c
index ce899733..c2137f91 100644
--- a/tecs/tecs.c
+++ b/tecs/tecs.c
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 #include "errhdl.h"
 #include "server.h"
 #include "logfile.h"
-#include "util.h"
+#include "str_util.h"
 #include "lsc.h"
 #include "dlog.h"