diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/.gitignore b/build-root/deb/debian/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c9b412
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+changelog
+files
+*debhelper*
+*.substvars
+*.install
+vpp-dpdk-dkms*
+vpp/
+vpp-dev/
+vpp-lib/
+vpp-dpdk-dkms/
diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/README.vpp b/build-root/deb/debian/README.vpp
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b343c78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/README.vpp
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+Building DEB packages
+=====================
+
+REQUIREMENTS:
+    You will need a working Internet connection to execute the build, because
+    the build procedure for the included "dpdk" project attempts to contact the
+    Internet host "dpdk.org".
+
+There are three main parts to the process:
+    a) Stage the source tree so that dpkg-source will recognize its organization
+        and create a valid DSC source package for you;
+    b) Ensure that the tools required for building DEB packages are installed;
+        and
+    c) Launch the build.
+
+1) Create, or have on hand, a local clone of the git repository, with no
+untracked files or local modifications pending, up-to-date with the branch or
+commit reference from which you wish to construct the source release.
+
+The branch and repository origins will differ based on local conditions.
+
+Example:
+$ git clone -b master ssh://git@example.com:7999/~username/open-vpp
+
+("-b master" can be omitted since master is the default branch)
+
+2) Rename the checkout with a version number embedded in its name as is
+conventional for code releases.  Again, your version number may vary.
+
+Example:
+$ mv open-vpp open-vpp-0.0.0
+
+3) Ensure that the dpkg-buildpackage program is installed.
+
+E.g.,
+
+# apt-get install dpkg-dev
+
+4) From the PARENT directory of the debian/ directory, run:
+
+$ cd open-vpp-0.0.0
+$ dpkg-buildpackage -I .git -us -uc
+
+(The -us and -uc flags omit GPG signatures from the .dsc and .changes files,
+respectively.  You can add them later, or if you are preparing a signed release
+and have the signing key on hand, leave off the flags.)
+
+5) Get rid of the source directory; you now either have a source package with
+which you can re-create it at any time, or there were problems with the build,
+and you should go back to your git checkout to fix them.
+
+$ rm -r open-vpp-0.0.0
+
+END
+
+vim:set ai et sw=4 ts=4 tw=80:
diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/compat b/build-root/deb/debian/compat
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..ec63514
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/compat
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+9
diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/control b/build-root/deb/debian/control
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0278286
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/control
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+Source: vpp
+Section: net
+Priority: extra
+Maintainer: Cisco OpenVPP Packaging Team <bogus.address@cisco.com>
+Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 9), dkms
+Standards-Version: 3.9.4
+
+Package: vpp
+Architecture: any
+Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}
+Description: Vector Packet Processing--executables
+ This package provides VPP executables: vpe, vpe_api_test, vpe_json_test
+ vpe - the vector packet engine
+ vpe_api_test - vector packet engine API test tool
+ vpe_json_test - vector packet engine JSON test tool
+
+Package: vpp-dbg
+Architecture: any
+Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}
+Description: Vector Packet Processing--debug symbols
+
+Package: vpp-dev
+Architecture: any
+Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}
+Description: Vector Packet Processing--development support
+ This package contains development support files for the VPP libraries, including:
+ .
+ Do we need to list those header files or just leave it blank ?
+ dynamic vectors (vec.c), dynamic bitmaps (bitmap.h), allocation heap of
+ objects (heap.c), allocation pool(pool.h), dynamic hash tables (hash.c), memory
+ allocator (mheap.c), extendable printf-like interface built on top of vectors
+ (format.c), formats for data structures (std-formats.c), and support for clock
+ time-based function calls (timer.c).
+ .
+ TODO: reference and describe only the .h files
+
+Package: vpp-lib
+Architecture: any
+Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}
+Description: Vector Packet Processing--runtime libraries
+ This package contains the VPP shared libraries, including:
+ .
+ vppinfra - foundation library supporting vectors, hashes, bitmaps, pools, and string formatting.
+ dpdk - Intel DPDK library
+ svm - vm library
+ vlib - vector processing library
+ vlib-api - binary API library
+ vnet -  network stack library
+
+Package: vpp-dpdk-dkms
+Architecture: any
+Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}
+Description: DPDK 2.1 igb_uio_driver
+ This package contains Linux kernel modules distributed with DPDK.
diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/copyright b/build-root/deb/debian/copyright
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9775c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/copyright
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+Format: http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/
+Upstream-Name: optional.
+Upstream-Contact: optional.
+Source: optional.
+Disclaimer: optional.
+Comment: optional.
+License: Apache-2.0
+Copyright: 2015 Cisco and/or its affiliates and others.
+
diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/rules b/build-root/deb/debian/rules
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..bcee012
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/rules
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+#!/usr/bin/make -f
+# See debhelper(7) (uncomment to enable)
+# output every command that modifies files on the build system.
+DH_VERBOSE = 1
+
+# see EXAMPLES in dpkg-buildflags(1) and read /usr/share/dpkg/*
+DPKG_EXPORT_BUILDFLAGS = 1
+include /usr/share/dpkg/default.mk
+
+# see FEATURE AREAS in dpkg-buildflags(1)
+#export DEB_BUILD_MAINT_OPTIONS = hardening=+all
+
+# see ENVIRONMENT in dpkg-buildflags(1)
+# package maintainers to append CFLAGS
+#export DEB_CFLAGS_MAINT_APPEND  = -Wall -pedantic
+# package maintainers to append LDFLAGS
+#export DEB_LDFLAGS_MAINT_APPEND = -Wl,--as-needed
+
+# main packaging script based on dh7 syntax
+%:
+	dh $@ --with dkms
+
+override_dh_install:
+	dh_install --exclude .git
+
+override_dh_strip:
+	dh_strip --dbg-package=vpp-dbg
+
+override_dh_dkms:
+	dh_dkms -pvpp-dpdk-dkms
diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/source/format b/build-root/deb/debian/source/format
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..89ae9db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/source/format
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+3.0 (native)
diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/vpp-bin.README.Debian b/build-root/deb/debian/vpp-bin.README.Debian
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25ecd38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/vpp-bin.README.Debian
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+To run vpp with the debug shell:
+
+sudo vpe unix interactive
+
+which will result in a prompt that looks like:
+
+DBGvpd#
+
+To give it a spin, we can create a tap interface and try a simple ping
+(with trace).
+
+To create the tap:
+
+DBGvpd# tap connect foobar
+Created tap-0 for Linux tap 'foobar'
+DBGvpd# show int
+
+To assign it an ip address (and 'up' the interface):
+
+DBGvpd# set int ip address tap-0 192.168.1.1/24
+DBGvpd# set int state tap-0 up
+
+To turn on packet tracing for the tap interface:
+DBGvpd# trace add tapcli-rx 10
+
+Now, to set up and try the other end from the unix prompt:
+vagrant@vagrant-ubuntu-trusty-64:~$ sudo ip addr add 192.168.1.2/24 dev foobar
+vagrant@vagrant-ubuntu-trusty-64:~$ ping -c 3 192.168.1.1
+
+To look at the trace, back in the vpp CLI:
+DBGvpd#  show trace
+
+And to stop tracing:
+
+DBGvpd# clear trace
+
+Other fun things to look at:
+
+The vlib packet processing graph:
+DBGvpd# show vlib graph
+
+which will produce output like:
+
+           Name                      Next                    Previous
+ip4-icmp-input                  error-punt [0]               ip4-local
+                                ip4-icmp-echo-request [1]
+                                vpe-icmp4-oam [2]
+
+To read this, the first column (Name) is the name of the node.
+The second column (Next) is the name of the children of that node.
+The third column (Previous) is the name of the parents of this node.
+
+END
diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/vpp.postinst b/build-root/deb/debian/vpp.postinst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..78fcac2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/vpp.postinst
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/bin/sh -e
+
+# try to set the required values now. This may or may not work.
+sysctl --system
+
+#DEBHELPER#
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/build-root/deb/debian/vpp.upstart b/build-root/deb/debian/vpp.upstart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ec731d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-root/deb/debian/vpp.upstart
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+description	"vector packet processing engine"
+author          "Cisco Systems, Inc <listname@cisco.com>"
+
+manual
+
+respawn
+
+pre-start script
+   rm -f /dev/shm/* || true
+   # should be there via dkms, but if not, start anyway
+   modprobe igb_uio || true
+end script
+
+
+script
+  exec vpe $(cat /etc/vpp/startup.conf | sed -e 's/#.*//')
+end script
+
+post-stop script
+   rm -f /dev/shm/* || true
+end script