diff --git a/src/yggdrasil/awdl.go b/src/yggdrasil/awdl.go
index 7207b22..ce8e1d7 100644
--- a/src/yggdrasil/awdl.go
+++ b/src/yggdrasil/awdl.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 package yggdrasil
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
+	//"fmt"
 	"sync"
 )
 
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ func (l *awdl) init(c *Core) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+/* temporarily disabled while getting the TCP side to work
 func (l *awdl) create(fromAWDL chan []byte, toAWDL chan []byte, name string) (*awdlInterface, error) {
 	link, err := l.core.link.create(fromAWDL, toAWDL, name)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -90,3 +91,4 @@ func (ai *awdlInterface) handler() {
 		}
 	}
 }
+*/
diff --git a/src/yggdrasil/link.go b/src/yggdrasil/link.go
index 423a968..b53242a 100644
--- a/src/yggdrasil/link.go
+++ b/src/yggdrasil/link.go
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"sync"
-	"sync/atomic"
+	//"sync/atomic"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/yggdrasil-network/yggdrasil-go/src/crypto"
-	"github.com/yggdrasil-network/yggdrasil-go/src/util"
+	//"github.com/yggdrasil-network/yggdrasil-go/src/util"
 )
 
 type link struct {
@@ -27,13 +27,10 @@ type linkInterfaceMsgIO interface {
 }
 
 type linkInterface struct {
-	name     string
-	link     *link
-	fromlink chan []byte
-	tolink   chan []byte
-	shutdown chan bool
-	peer     *peer
-	stream   stream
+	name  string
+	link  *link
+	peer  *peer
+	msgIO linkInterfaceMsgIO
 }
 
 func (l *link) init(c *Core) error {
@@ -50,24 +47,123 @@ func (l *link) init(c *Core) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (l *link) create(fromlink chan []byte, tolink chan []byte, name string) (*linkInterface, error) {
+func (l *link) create(msgIO linkInterfaceMsgIO, name string) (*linkInterface, error) {
 	l.mutex.Lock()
 	defer l.mutex.Unlock()
 	if _, ok := l.interfaces[name]; ok {
 		return nil, errors.New("Interface with this name already exists")
 	}
 	intf := linkInterface{
-		name:     name,
-		link:     l,
-		fromlink: fromlink,
-		tolink:   tolink,
-		shutdown: make(chan bool),
+		name:  name,
+		link:  l,
+		msgIO: msgIO,
 	}
 	l.interfaces[intf.name] = &intf
-	go intf.start()
+	//go intf.start()
 	return &intf, nil
 }
 
+func (intf *linkInterface) handler() error {
+	// TODO split some of this into shorter functions, so it's easier to read, and for the FIXME duplicate peer issue mentioned later
+	myLinkPub, myLinkPriv := crypto.NewBoxKeys()
+	meta := version_getBaseMetadata()
+	meta.box = intf.link.core.boxPub
+	meta.sig = intf.link.core.sigPub
+	meta.link = *myLinkPub
+	metaBytes := meta.encode()
+	// TODO timeouts on send/recv (goroutine for send/recv, channel select w/ timer)
+	err := intf.msgIO._sendMetaBytes(metaBytes)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	metaBytes, err = intf.msgIO._recvMetaBytes()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	meta = version_metadata{}
+	if !meta.decode(metaBytes) || !meta.check() {
+		return errors.New("failed to decode metadata")
+	}
+	base := version_getBaseMetadata()
+	if meta.ver > base.ver || meta.ver == base.ver && meta.minorVer > base.minorVer {
+		intf.link.core.log.Println("Failed to connect to node: " + intf.name + " version: " + fmt.Sprintf("%d.%d", meta.ver, meta.minorVer))
+		return errors.New("failed to connect: wrong version")
+	}
+	// FIXME we *must* stop here and check that we don't already have a connection to this peer. Need to figure out a sane way how to do that. Otherwise you'll have things like duplicate connections (one in each direction) for auto-discovered peers.
+	shared := crypto.GetSharedKey(myLinkPriv, &meta.link)
+	intf.peer = intf.link.core.peers.newPeer(&meta.box, &meta.sig, shared, intf.name)
+	if intf.peer == nil {
+		return errors.New("failed to create peer")
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		// More cleanup can go here
+		intf.link.core.peers.removePeer(intf.peer.port)
+	}()
+	// Finish setting up the peer struct
+	out := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	defer close(out)
+	intf.peer.out = func(msg []byte) {
+		defer func() { recover() }()
+		out <- msg
+	}
+	intf.peer.close = func() { intf.msgIO.close() }
+	go intf.peer.linkLoop()
+	// Start the writer
+	go func() {
+		interval := 4 * time.Second
+		timer := time.NewTimer(interval)
+		clearTimer := func() {
+			if !timer.Stop() {
+				<-timer.C
+			}
+		}
+		defer clearTimer()
+		for {
+			// First try to send any link protocol traffic
+			select {
+			case msg := <-intf.peer.linkOut:
+				intf.msgIO.writeMsg(msg)
+				continue
+			default:
+			}
+			// No protocol traffic to send, so reset the timer
+			clearTimer()
+			timer.Reset(interval)
+			// Now block until something is ready or the timer triggers keepalive traffic
+			select {
+			case <-timer.C:
+				intf.msgIO.writeMsg(nil)
+			case msg := <-intf.peer.linkOut:
+				intf.msgIO.writeMsg(msg)
+			case msg, ok := <-out:
+				if !ok {
+					return
+				}
+				intf.msgIO.writeMsg(msg)
+				if true {
+					// TODO *don't* do this if we're not reading any traffic
+					// In such a case, the reader is responsible for resetting it the next time we read something
+					intf.link.core.switchTable.idleIn <- intf.peer.port
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+	intf.link.core.switchTable.idleIn <- intf.peer.port // notify switch that we're idle
+	// Run reader loop
+	for {
+		msg, err := intf.msgIO.readMsg()
+		if len(msg) > 0 {
+			intf.peer.handlePacket(msg)
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+	return nil
+}
+
+/*
 func (intf *linkInterface) start() {
 	myLinkPub, myLinkPriv := crypto.NewBoxKeys()
 	meta := version_getBaseMetadata()
@@ -171,3 +267,4 @@ func (ai *linkInterface) handler() {
 		}
 	}
 }
+*/
diff --git a/src/yggdrasil/stream.go b/src/yggdrasil/stream.go
index ecfa245..966319a 100644
--- a/src/yggdrasil/stream.go
+++ b/src/yggdrasil/stream.go
@@ -12,10 +12,8 @@ import (
 var _ = linkInterfaceMsgIO(&stream{})
 
 type stream struct {
-	rwc          io.ReadWriteCloser
-	inputBuffer  []byte // Incoming packet stream
-	didFirstSend bool   // Used for metadata exchange
-	didFirstRecv bool   // Used for metadata exchange
+	rwc         io.ReadWriteCloser
+	inputBuffer []byte // Incoming packet stream
 	// TODO remove the rest, it shouldn't matter in the long run
 	handlePacket func([]byte)
 }
diff --git a/src/yggdrasil/tcp.go b/src/yggdrasil/tcp.go
index 975da46..d2d20a7 100644
--- a/src/yggdrasil/tcp.go
+++ b/src/yggdrasil/tcp.go
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ type tcpInterface struct {
 	mutex       sync.Mutex // Protecting the below
 	calls       map[string]struct{}
 	conns       map[tcpInfo](chan struct{})
-	stream      stream
 }
 
 // This is used as the key to a map that tracks existing connections, to prevent multiple connections to the same keys and local/remote address pair from occuring.
@@ -281,9 +280,25 @@ func (iface *tcpInterface) call(saddr string, socksaddr *string, sintf string) {
 	}()
 }
 
+func (iface *tcpInterface) handler(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
+	defer sock.Close()
+	iface.setExtraOptions(sock)
+	stream := stream{}
+	stream.init(sock, nil)
+	name := sock.LocalAddr().String() + sock.RemoteAddr().String()
+	link, err := iface.core.link.create(&stream, name)
+	if err != nil {
+		iface.core.log.Println(err)
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	iface.core.log.Println("DEBUG: starting handler")
+	link.handler()
+	iface.core.log.Println("DEBUG: stopped handler")
+}
+
 // This exchanges/checks connection metadata, sets up the peer struct, sets up the writer goroutine, and then runs the reader within the current goroutine.
 // It defers a bunch of cleanup stuff to tear down all of these things when the reader exists (e.g. due to a closed connection or a timeout).
-func (iface *tcpInterface) handler(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
+func (iface *tcpInterface) handler_old(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
 	defer sock.Close()
 	iface.setExtraOptions(sock)
 	// Get our keys
@@ -440,7 +455,7 @@ func (iface *tcpInterface) handler(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
 	themAddrString := net.IP(themAddr[:]).String()
 	themString := fmt.Sprintf("%s@%s", themAddrString, them)
 	iface.core.log.Printf("Connected: %s, source: %s", themString, us)
-	iface.stream.init(sock, p.handlePacket)
+	//iface.stream.init(sock, p.handlePacket)
 	bs := make([]byte, 2*streamMsgSize)
 	var n int
 	for {
@@ -452,7 +467,7 @@ func (iface *tcpInterface) handler(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
 			break
 		}
 		if n > 0 {
-			iface.stream.handleInput(bs[:n])
+			//iface.stream.handleInput(bs[:n])
 		}
 	}
 	if err == nil {