diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-comm/pom.xml b/hyracks/hyracks-comm/pom.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e997bdd9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-comm/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+  <artifactId>hyracks-comm</artifactId>
+  <name>hyracks-comm</name>
+  <parent>
+    <groupId>edu.uci.ics.hyracks</groupId>
+    <artifactId>hyracks</artifactId>
+    <version>0.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
+  </parent>
+
+  <build>
+    <plugins>
+      <plugin>
+        <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+        <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
+        <version>2.0.2</version>
+        <configuration>
+          <source>1.6</source>
+          <target>1.6</target>
+        </configuration>
+      </plugin>
+    </plugins>
+  </build>
+  <dependencies>
+ <dependency>
+ 	<groupId>edu.uci.ics.hyracks</groupId>
+ 	<artifactId>hyracks-api</artifactId>
+ 	<version>0.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
+ </dependency>
+  <dependency>
+    <groupId>edu.uci.ics.hyracks</groupId>
+    <artifactId>hyracks-net</artifactId>
+    <version>0.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
+ </dependency>
+  </dependencies>
+</project>
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-comm/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/comm/channels/IChannelConnectionFactory.java b/hyracks/hyracks-comm/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/comm/channels/IChannelConnectionFactory.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..33179ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-comm/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/comm/channels/IChannelConnectionFactory.java
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2009-2010 by The Regents of the University of California
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * you may obtain a copy of the License from
+ * 
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ * 
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package edu.uci.ics.hyracks.comm.channels;
+
+import java.net.SocketAddress;
+
+import edu.uci.ics.hyracks.net.exceptions.NetException;
+import edu.uci.ics.hyracks.net.protocols.muxdemux.ChannelControlBlock;
+
+public interface IChannelConnectionFactory {
+    public ChannelControlBlock connect(SocketAddress remoteAddress) throws InterruptedException, NetException;
+}
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-nc/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/nc/net/NetworkInputChannel.java b/hyracks/hyracks-comm/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/comm/channels/NetworkInputChannel.java
similarity index 91%
rename from hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-nc/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/nc/net/NetworkInputChannel.java
rename to hyracks/hyracks-comm/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/comm/channels/NetworkInputChannel.java
index 1d5af84..d74ab96 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-nc/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/nc/net/NetworkInputChannel.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-comm/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/comm/channels/NetworkInputChannel.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-package edu.uci.ics.hyracks.control.nc.net;
+package edu.uci.ics.hyracks.comm.channels;
 
 import java.net.SocketAddress;
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@
 public class NetworkInputChannel implements IInputChannel {
     private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(NetworkInputChannel.class.getName());
 
-    private final NetworkManager netManager;
+    static final int INITIAL_MESSAGE_SIZE = 20;
+
+    private final IChannelConnectionFactory netManager;
 
     private final SocketAddress remoteAddress;
 
@@ -49,8 +51,8 @@
 
     private Object attachment;
 
-    public NetworkInputChannel(NetworkManager netManager, SocketAddress remoteAddress, PartitionId partitionId,
-            int nBuffers) {
+    public NetworkInputChannel(IChannelConnectionFactory netManager, SocketAddress remoteAddress,
+            PartitionId partitionId, int nBuffers) {
         this.netManager = netManager;
         this.remoteAddress = remoteAddress;
         this.partitionId = partitionId;
@@ -96,7 +98,7 @@
         for (int i = 0; i < nBuffers; ++i) {
             ccb.getReadInterface().getEmptyBufferAcceptor().accept(ctx.allocateFrame());
         }
-        ByteBuffer writeBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(NetworkManager.INITIAL_MESSAGE_SIZE);
+        ByteBuffer writeBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(INITIAL_MESSAGE_SIZE);
         writeBuffer.putLong(partitionId.getJobId().getId());
         writeBuffer.putInt(partitionId.getConnectorDescriptorId().getId());
         writeBuffer.putInt(partitionId.getSenderIndex());
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-nc/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/nc/net/NetworkOutputChannel.java b/hyracks/hyracks-comm/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/comm/channels/NetworkOutputChannel.java
similarity index 97%
rename from hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-nc/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/nc/net/NetworkOutputChannel.java
rename to hyracks/hyracks-comm/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/comm/channels/NetworkOutputChannel.java
index 9024e18..df910be 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-control/hyracks-control-nc/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/control/nc/net/NetworkOutputChannel.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-comm/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/comm/channels/NetworkOutputChannel.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-package edu.uci.ics.hyracks.control.nc.net;
+package edu.uci.ics.hyracks.comm.channels;
 
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.util.ArrayDeque;
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@
         ccb.getWriteInterface().getFullBufferAcceptor().close();
     }
 
-    void abort() {
+    public void abort() {
         ccb.getWriteInterface().getFullBufferAcceptor().error(1);
         synchronized (NetworkOutputChannel.this) {
             aborted = true;