diff --git a/core/util.c b/core/util.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cb287b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/util.c
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+/*
+| util.c from Lsyncd - Live (Mirror) Syncing Demon
+|
+|
+| Small in Lsyncd commonly used utils.
+|
+|
+| License: GPLv2 (see COPYING) or any later version
+| Authors: Axel Kittenberger <axkibe@gmail.com>
+*/
+
+#include "lsyncd.h"
+
+#include <limits.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+
+#include "log.h"
+
+
+/*
+| Returns the absolute path of a path.
+|
+| This is a wrapper to various C-Library differences.
+*/
+char *
+get_realpath( char const * rpath )
+{
+#ifdef __GLIBC__
+
+	// in case of GLIBC the task is easy.
+	return realpath( rpath, NULL );
+
+#else
+#warning having to use old style realpath()
+
+	// otherwise less so and requires PATH_MAX limit
+	char buf[ PATH_MAX] ;
+	char *asw = realpath( rpath, buf );
+	if( !asw ) return NULL;
+
+	return s_strdup( asw );
+
+#endif
+}
+
+
+/*
+| Sets the non-blocking flag of a file descriptor.
+*/
+void
+non_block_fd( int fd )
+{
+	int flags;
+
+	flags = fcntl( fd, F_GETFL );
+
+	if( flags == -1 )
+	{
+		logstring( "Error", "cannot get status flags!" );
+		exit( -1 );
+	}
+
+	flags |= O_NONBLOCK;
+
+	if( fcntl( fd, F_SETFL, flags ) == -1 )
+	{
+		logstring( "Error", "cannot set status flags!" );
+		exit( -1 );
+	}
+}
+
+
+/*
+| Sets the close-on-exit flag of a file descriptor.
+*/
+void
+close_exec_fd( int fd )
+{
+	int flags;
+
+	flags = fcntl( fd, F_GETFD );
+
+	if( flags == -1 )
+	{
+		logstring( "Error", "cannot get descriptor flags!" );
+		exit( -1 );
+	}
+
+	flags |= FD_CLOEXEC;
+
+	if( fcntl( fd, F_SETFD, flags ) == -1 )
+	{
+		logstring( "Error", "cannot set descripptor flags!" );
+		exit( -1 );
+	}
+}
+
+
diff --git a/core/util.h b/core/util.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5335973
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/util.h
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/*
+| util.h from Lsyncd - Live (Mirror) Syncing Demon
+|
+|
+| Small in Lsyncd commonly used utils.
+|
+|
+| License: GPLv2 (see COPYING) or any later version
+| Authors: Axel Kittenberger <axkibe@gmail.com>
+*/
+#ifndef LSYNCD_UTIL_H
+#define LSYNCD_UTIL_H
+
+
+/*
+| Returns the absolute path of a path.
+|
+| This is a wrapper to various C-Library differences.
+*/
+extern char * get_realpath( char const * rpath );
+
+
+/*
+| Sets the non-blocking flag on a file descriptor.
+*/
+extern void non_block_fd( int fd );
+
+
+/*
+| Sets the close-on-exit flag on a file descriptor.
+*/
+extern void close_exec_fd( int fd );
+
+
+#endif