diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 775d0dfd8263e..e21939a8771e9 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ patches
 .stgit-*
 cscope.*
 *.swp
+/lib/asm
 /config.mak
 /*-run
 /test.log
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index fba58e36f272f..51cacdac00615 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -76,11 +76,11 @@ libfdt_clean:
 	$(LIBFDT_objdir)/.*.d
 
 distclean: clean libfdt_clean
-	$(RM) config.mak $(TEST_DIR)-run test.log msr.out cscope.*
+	$(RM) lib/asm config.mak $(TEST_DIR)-run test.log msr.out cscope.*
 
-cscope: common_dirs = lib lib/libfdt
+cscope: common_dirs = lib lib/libfdt lib/asm lib/asm-generic
 cscope:
 	$(RM) ./cscope.*
-	find $(TEST_DIR) lib/$(TEST_DIR) $(common_dirs) -maxdepth 1 \
+	find -L $(TEST_DIR) lib/$(TEST_DIR) $(common_dirs) -maxdepth 1 \
 		-name '*.[chsS]' -print | sed 's,^\./,,' > ./cscope.files
 	cscope -bk
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 6cfc64943f6e6..8a81bf92e27b7 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -95,6 +95,17 @@ if [ $exit -eq 0 ]; then
 fi
 rm -f lib_test.c
 
+# link lib/asm for the architecture
+rm -f lib/asm
+asm=asm-generic
+if [ -d lib/$arch/asm ]; then
+	asm=$arch/asm
+elif [ -d lib/$testdir/asm ]; then
+	asm=$testdir/asm
+fi
+ln -s $asm lib/asm
+
+# create the config
 cat <<EOF > config.mak
 PREFIX=$prefix
 KERNELDIR=$(readlink -f $kerneldir)
diff --git a/lib/asm-generic/io.h b/lib/asm-generic/io.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..34569c99ae270
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/asm-generic/io.h
@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+#ifndef _ASM_GENERIC_IO_H_
+#define _ASM_GENERIC_IO_H_
+/*
+ * asm-generic/io.h
+ *  adapted from the Linux kernel's include/asm-generic/io.h
+ *  and arch/arm/include/asm/io.h
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2014, Red Hat Inc, Andrew Jones <drjones@redhat.com>
+ *
+ * This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU LGPL, version 2.
+ */
+#include "libcflat.h"
+
+#ifndef __raw_readb
+static inline u8 __raw_readb(const volatile void *addr)
+{
+	return *(const volatile u8 *)addr;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __raw_readw
+static inline u16 __raw_readw(const volatile void *addr)
+{
+	return *(const volatile u16 *)addr;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __raw_readl
+static inline u32 __raw_readl(const volatile void *addr)
+{
+	return *(const volatile u32 *)addr;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __raw_readq
+static inline u64 __raw_readq(const volatile void *addr)
+{
+	assert(sizeof(unsigned long) == sizeof(u64));
+	return *(const volatile u64 *)addr;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __raw_writeb
+static inline void __raw_writeb(u8 b, volatile void *addr)
+{
+	*(volatile u8 *)addr = b;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __raw_writew
+static inline void __raw_writew(u16 b, volatile void *addr)
+{
+	*(volatile u16 *)addr = b;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __raw_writel
+static inline void __raw_writel(u32 b, volatile void *addr)
+{
+	*(volatile u32 *)addr = b;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __raw_writeq
+static inline void __raw_writeq(u64 b, volatile void *addr)
+{
+	assert(sizeof(unsigned long) == sizeof(u64));
+	*(volatile u64 *)addr = b;
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __bswap16
+static inline u16 __bswap16(u16 x)
+{
+	return ((x >> 8) & 0xff) | ((x & 0xff) << 8);
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __bswap32
+static inline u32 __bswap32(u32 x)
+{
+	return ((x & 0xff000000) >> 24) | ((x & 0x00ff0000) >>  8) |
+	       ((x & 0x0000ff00) <<  8) | ((x & 0x000000ff) << 24);
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __bswap64
+static inline u64 __bswap64(u64 x)
+{
+	return ((x & 0x00000000000000ffULL) << 56) |
+	       ((x & 0x000000000000ff00ULL) << 40) |
+	       ((x & 0x0000000000ff0000ULL) << 24) |
+	       ((x & 0x00000000ff000000ULL) <<  8) |
+	       ((x & 0x000000ff00000000ULL) >>  8) |
+	       ((x & 0x0000ff0000000000ULL) >> 24) |
+	       ((x & 0x00ff000000000000ULL) >> 40) |
+	       ((x & 0xff00000000000000ULL) >> 56);
+}
+#endif
+
+#ifndef __cpu_is_be
+#define __cpu_is_be() (0)
+#endif
+
+#define le16_to_cpu(x) \
+	({ u16 __r = __cpu_is_be() ? __bswap16(x) : (x); __r; })
+#define cpu_to_le16 le16_to_cpu
+
+#define le32_to_cpu(x) \
+	({ u32 __r = __cpu_is_be() ? __bswap32(x) : (x); __r; })
+#define cpu_to_le32 le32_to_cpu
+
+#define le64_to_cpu(x) \
+	({ u64 __r = __cpu_is_be() ? __bswap64(x) : (x); __r; })
+#define cpu_to_le64 le64_to_cpu
+
+#define be16_to_cpu(x) \
+	({ u16 __r = !__cpu_is_be() ? __bswap16(x) : (x); __r; })
+#define cpu_to_be16 be16_to_cpu
+
+#define be32_to_cpu(x) \
+	({ u32 __r = !__cpu_is_be() ? __bswap32(x) : (x); __r; })
+#define cpu_to_be32 be32_to_cpu
+
+#define be64_to_cpu(x) \
+	({ u64 __r = !__cpu_is_be() ? __bswap64(x) : (x); __r; })
+#define cpu_to_be64 be64_to_cpu
+
+#ifndef rmb
+#define rmb() do { } while (0)
+#endif
+#ifndef wmb
+#define wmb() do { } while (0)
+#endif
+
+#define readb(addr) \
+	({ u8 __r = __raw_readb(addr); rmb(); __r; })
+#define readw(addr) \
+	({ u16 __r = le16_to_cpu(__raw_readw(addr)); rmb(); __r; })
+#define readl(addr) \
+	({ u32 __r = le32_to_cpu(__raw_readl(addr)); rmb(); __r; })
+#define readq(addr) \
+	({ u64 __r = le64_to_cpu(__raw_readq(addr)); rmb(); __r; })
+
+#define writeb(b, addr) \
+	({ wmb(); __raw_writeb(b, addr); })
+#define writew(b, addr) \
+	({ wmb(); __raw_writew(cpu_to_le16(b), addr); })
+#define writel(b, addr) \
+	({ wmb(); __raw_writel(cpu_to_le32(b), addr); })
+#define writeq(b, addr) \
+	({ wmb(); __raw_writeq(cpu_to_le64(b), addr); })
+
+#endif /* _ASM_GENERIC_IO_H_ */
diff --git a/lib/asm-generic/spinlock.h b/lib/asm-generic/spinlock.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..31417442e3330
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/asm-generic/spinlock.h
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#ifndef _ASM_GENERIC_SPINLOCK_H_
+#define _ASM_GENERIC_SPINLOCK_H_
+#error need architecture specific asm/spinlock.h
+#endif
