diff --git a/tests/packager/test_csar.py b/tests/packager/test_csar.py
index 10d2a7d..6fca020 100644
--- a/tests/packager/test_csar.py
+++ b/tests/packager/test_csar.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
 Args = collections.namedtuple('Args',
            ['source', 'entry', 'manifest', 'history', 'tests',
-            'licenses', 'digest', 'certificate', 'privkey'])
+            'licenses', 'digest', 'certificate', 'privkey', 'sol241'])
 
 
 ARGS_MANIFEST = {
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
             'digest': None,
             'certificate': None,
             'privkey': None,
+            'sol241': False,
         }
 
 ARGS_MANIFEST_DIGEST = {
@@ -57,6 +58,7 @@
             'digest': 'sha-256',
             'certificate': None,
             'privkey': None,
+            'sol241': False,
         }
 
 ARGS_MANIFEST_DIGEST_CERT = {
@@ -68,7 +70,8 @@
             'licenses': 'Licenses',
             'digest': 'sha-256',
             'certificate': 'test.crt',
-            'privkey': os.path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'tests', 'resources', 'signature', 'test.key')
+            'privkey': os.path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'tests', 'resources', 'signature', 'test.key'),
+            'sol241': False,
         }
 
 ARGS_NO_MANIFEST = {
@@ -81,6 +84,7 @@
             'digest': None,
             'certificate': None,
             'privkey': None,
+            'sol241': True,
         }
 
 INVALID_ARGS_NO_MANIFEST = {
@@ -93,6 +97,7 @@
             'digest': 'sha-256',
             'certificate': None,
             'privkey': None,
+            'sol241': True,
         }
 
 INVALID_ARGS_NO_PRIVKEY = {
@@ -105,6 +110,7 @@
             'digest': None,
             'certificate': 'test.crt',
             'privkey': None,
+            'sol241': True,
         }
 
 
diff --git a/tests/packager/test_toscameta.py b/tests/packager/test_toscameta.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be6a173
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/packager/test_toscameta.py
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2017 GigaSpaces Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.
+#
+# 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 at
+#
+#      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.
+#
+import copy
+import os
+import pytest
+import shutil
+import tempfile
+
+from vnfsdk_pkgtools.packager import toscameta
+from vnfsdk_pkgtools import util
+
+
+ROOT_DIR = util.get_project_root()
+
+CSAR_RESOURCE_DIR = os.path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'tests', 'resources', 'csar')
+CSAR_ENTRY_FILE = 'test_entry.yaml'
+CSAR_OUTPUT_FILE = 'output.csar'
+
+ARGS_MANIFEST = {
+            'base_dir': CSAR_RESOURCE_DIR,
+            'entry': CSAR_ENTRY_FILE,
+            'manifest': 'test_entry.mf',
+            'changelog': 'ChangeLog.txt',
+            'licenses': 'Licenses',
+            'tests': 'Tests',
+            'certificate': None,
+        }
+
+ARGS_MANIFEST_CERTIFICATE = {
+            'base_dir': CSAR_RESOURCE_DIR,
+            'entry': CSAR_ENTRY_FILE,
+            'manifest': 'test_entry.mf',
+            'changelog': 'ChangeLog.txt',
+            'licenses': 'Licenses',
+            'tests': 'Tests',
+            'certificate': 'test.crt',
+        }
+
+ARGS_NO_MANIFEST = {
+            'base_dir': CSAR_RESOURCE_DIR,
+            'entry': CSAR_ENTRY_FILE,
+            'manifest': None,
+            'changelog': None,
+            'licenses': None,
+            'tests': None,
+            'certificate': None,
+        }
+
+
+def _validate_metadata(cls, expected):
+    metadata = cls(**expected)
+    assert toscameta.META_CREATED_BY_VALUE == metadata.created_by
+    assert toscameta.META_CSAR_VERSION_VALUE == metadata.csar_version
+    assert toscameta.META_FILE_VERSION_VALUE == metadata.meta_file_version
+    assert expected['entry'] == metadata.entry_definitions
+    assert expected['manifest'] == metadata.entry_manifest_file
+    assert expected['changelog'] == metadata.entry_history_file
+    assert expected['licenses'] == metadata.entry_licenses_dir
+    assert expected['tests'] == metadata.entry_tests_dir
+    assert expected['certificate'] == metadata.entry_certificate_file
+    return metadata
+
+
+def test_261():
+    metadata = _validate_metadata(toscameta.ToscaMeta261, ARGS_MANIFEST)
+    assert "ETSI-Entry-Change-Log: ChangeLog.txt\n" in metadata.dump_as_string()
+
+
+def test_241():
+    metadata = _validate_metadata(toscameta.ToscaMeta241, ARGS_MANIFEST_CERTIFICATE)
+    assert "Entry-Certificate: test.crt\n" in metadata.dump_as_string()
+
+
+def test_261_no_manifest():
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        toscameta.ToscaMeta261(**ARGS_NO_MANIFEST)
+
+
+def test_241_no_manifest():
+    metadata = _validate_metadata(toscameta.ToscaMeta241, ARGS_NO_MANIFEST)
+    assert "Entry-Definitions: test_entry.yaml\n" in metadata.dump_as_string()
+
+
+def test_invalid_entry():
+    args = copy.copy(ARGS_MANIFEST)
+    args['entry'] = 'test_entry.mf'
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        toscameta.ToscaMeta261(**args)
+
+
+def test_invalid_csar_version():
+    args = copy.copy(ARGS_MANIFEST)
+    args['meta_csar_version'] = '1.2'
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        toscameta.ToscaMeta241(**args)
+
+
+FROM_FILE_CASES = ['TOSCA.meta.sol261', 'TOSCA.meta.sol241']
+
+def _prepare(target, metafile_path):
+    shutil.copytree(CSAR_RESOURCE_DIR, target)
+    os.mkdir(os.path.join(target, 'TOSCA-Metadata'))
+    shutil.copy(metafile_path, os.path.join(target,
+                                            'TOSCA-Metadata',
+                                            'TOSCA.meta'))
+
+def test_create_from_file():
+    for case in FROM_FILE_CASES:
+        target = tempfile.mkdtemp()
+        base_dir = os.path.join(target, 'mytest')
+        _prepare(base_dir,
+                 os.path.join(ROOT_DIR,
+                              'tests',
+                              'resources',
+                              case))
+        try:
+            toscameta.create_from_file(base_dir)
+        finally:
+            shutil.rmtree(target, ignore_errors=True)
diff --git a/tests/packager/test_utils.py b/tests/packager/test_utils.py
index 7456302..450a526 100644
--- a/tests/packager/test_utils.py
+++ b/tests/packager/test_utils.py
@@ -62,4 +62,70 @@
     
     with pytest.raises(subprocess.CalledProcessError):
         utils.verify(str(p), CERT_FILE, cms, no_verify_cert=True)
-    
+
+
+CHECK_FILE_CASES = [
+        {
+            'negative': False,
+            'params': {'root': RESOURCES_DIR,
+                       'entry': 'test.key',
+                       'msg': '',
+                       'check_for_non': False,
+                       'check_dir': False,
+                      }
+        },
+        {
+            'negative': False,
+            'params': {'root': RESOURCES_DIR,
+                       'entry': 'non-existing-file',
+                       'msg': '',
+                       'check_for_non': True,
+                       'check_dir': False,
+                      }
+        },
+        {
+            'negative': True,
+            'params': {'root': RESOURCES_DIR,
+                       'entry': 'non-existing-file',
+                       'msg': '',
+                       'check_for_non': False,
+                       'check_dir': False,
+                      }
+        },
+        {
+            'negative': False,
+            'params': {'root': ROOT_DIR,
+                       'entry': 'tests',
+                       'msg': '',
+                       'check_for_non': False,
+                       'check_dir': True,
+                      }
+        },
+        {
+            'negative': False,
+            'params': {'root': ROOT_DIR,
+                       'entry': 'non-existing-dir',
+                       'msg': '',
+                       'check_for_non': True,
+                       'check_dir': True,
+                      }
+        },
+        {
+            'negative': True,
+            'params': {'root': ROOT_DIR,
+                       'entry': 'non-existing-dir',
+                       'msg': '',
+                       'check_for_non': False,
+                       'check_dir': True,
+                      }
+        },
+        ]
+
+
+def test_check_file_dir():
+    for case in CHECK_FILE_CASES:
+        if case['negative']:
+            with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+                utils.check_file_dir(**case['params'])
+        else:
+            utils.check_file_dir(**case['params'])
diff --git a/tests/resources/TOSCA.meta.sol241 b/tests/resources/TOSCA.meta.sol241
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e3adef9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/resources/TOSCA.meta.sol241
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+TOSCA-Meta-File-Version: 1.0
+CSAR-Version: 1.1
+Created-By: ONAP VNFSDK pkgtools
+Entry-Definitions: test_entry.yaml
+Entry-Manifest: test_entry.mf
+Entry-Change-Log: ChangeLog.txt
+Entry-Licenses: Licenses
+Entry-Tests: Tests
+Entry-Certificate: test.crt
diff --git a/tests/resources/TOSCA.meta.sol261 b/tests/resources/TOSCA.meta.sol261
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d34e51e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/resources/TOSCA.meta.sol261
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+TOSCA-Meta-File-Version: 1.0
+CSAR-Version: 1.1
+Created-By: ONAP VNFSDK pkgtools
+Entry-Definitions: test_entry.yaml
+ETSI-Entry-Manifest: test_entry.mf
+ETSI-Entry-Change-Log: ChangeLog.txt
+ETSI-Entry-Licenses: Licenses
+ETSI-Entry-Tests: Tests
+ETSI-Entry-Certificate: test.crt
diff --git a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/cli/__main__.py b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/cli/__main__.py
index 175fcb2..c5653d7 100644
--- a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/cli/__main__.py
+++ b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/cli/__main__.py
@@ -88,16 +88,19 @@
         required=True)
     csar_create.add_argument(
         '--manifest',
-        help='Manifest file relative to service template directory')
+        help='Manifest file relative to service template directory',
+        required=True)
     csar_create.add_argument(
         '--history',
-        help='Change history file relative to service template directory')
+        help='Change history file relative to service template directory',
+        required=True)
     csar_create.add_argument(
         '--tests',
         help='Directory containing test information, relative to service template directory')
     csar_create.add_argument(
         '--licenses',
-        help='Directory containing license information, relative to service template directory')
+        help='Directory containing license information, relative to service template directory',
+        required=True)
     csar_create.add_argument(
         '--digest',
         choices=manifest.SUPPORTED_HASH_ALGO,
@@ -108,6 +111,10 @@
     csar_create.add_argument(
         '--privkey',
         help='Private key file for certification, absoluate or relative path')
+    csar_create.add_argument(
+        '--sol241',
+        action='store_true',
+        help='Generate SOL004 v2.4.1 csar for backward compatilibity')
 
 
     csar_open = subparsers.add_parser('csar-open')
diff --git a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/csar.py b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/csar.py
index 1bf5c20..5fcbec7 100644
--- a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/csar.py
+++ b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/csar.py
@@ -20,83 +20,43 @@
 import zipfile
 
 import requests
-from ruamel import yaml # @UnresolvedImport
 
 from vnfsdk_pkgtools.packager import manifest
+from vnfsdk_pkgtools.packager import toscameta
 from vnfsdk_pkgtools.packager import utils
 
 LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-META_FILE = 'TOSCA-Metadata/TOSCA.meta'
-META_FILE_VERSION_KEY = 'TOSCA-Meta-File-Version'
-META_FILE_VERSION_VALUE = '1.0'
-META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY = 'CSAR-Version'
-META_CSAR_VERSION_VALUE = '1.1'
-META_CREATED_BY_KEY = 'Created-By'
-META_CREATED_BY_VALUE = 'ONAP'
-META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY = 'Entry-Definitions'
-META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY = 'Entry-Manifest'
-META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY = 'Entry-Change-Log'
-META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY = 'Entry-Tests'
-META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY = 'Entry-Licenses'
-META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY = 'Entry-Certificate'
-
-BASE_METADATA = {
-    META_FILE_VERSION_KEY: META_FILE_VERSION_VALUE,
-    META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY: META_CSAR_VERSION_VALUE,
-    META_CREATED_BY_KEY: META_CREATED_BY_VALUE,
-}
-
-
-def check_file_dir(root, entry, msg, check_for_non=False, check_dir=False):
-    path = os.path.join(root, entry)
-    if check_for_non:
-        ret = not os.path.exists(path)
-        error_msg = '{0} already exists. ' + msg
-    elif check_dir:
-        ret = os.path.isdir(path)
-        error_msg = '{0} is not an existing directory. ' + msg
-    else:
-        ret = os.path.isfile(path)
-        error_msg = '{0} is not an existing file. ' + msg
-    if not ret:
-        raise ValueError(error_msg.format(path))
-
 
 def write(source, entry, destination, args):
     source = os.path.expanduser(source)
     destination = os.path.expanduser(destination)
-    metadata = BASE_METADATA.copy()
 
-    check_file_dir(root=source,
-                   entry='',
-                   msg='Please specify the service template directory.',
-                   check_dir=True)
+    utils.check_file_dir(root=source,
+                         entry='',
+                         msg='Please specify the service template directory.',
+                         check_dir=True)
 
-    check_file_dir(root=source,
-                   entry=entry,
-                   msg='Please specify a valid entry point.',
-                   check_dir=False)
-    metadata[META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY] = entry
+    utils.check_file_dir(root='',
+                         entry=destination,
+                         msg='Please provide a path to where the CSAR should be created.',
+                         check_for_non=True)
 
-    check_file_dir(root='',
-                   entry=destination,
-                   msg='Please provide a path to where the CSAR should be created.',
-                   check_for_non=True)
+    utils.check_file_dir(root=source,
+                         entry=toscameta.META_FILE,
+                         msg='This commands generates a meta file for you.'
+                             'Please remove the existing metafile.',
+                         check_for_non=True)
+    if args.sol241:
+        metadatacls = toscameta.ToscaMeta241
+    else:
+        metadatacls = toscameta.ToscaMeta261
+    metadata = metadatacls(source, args.entry, args.manifest,
+                           args.history, args.licenses,
+                           args.tests, args.certificate)
 
-    check_file_dir(root=source,
-                   entry=META_FILE,
-                   msg='This commands generates a meta file for you. Please '
-                       'remove the existing metafile.',
-                   check_for_non=True)
-
-    if(args.manifest):
-        check_file_dir(root=source,
-                       entry=args.manifest,
-                       msg='Please specify a valid manifest file.',
-                       check_dir=False)
-        metadata[META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY] = args.manifest
-        manifest_file = manifest.Manifest(source, args.manifest) 
+    if args.manifest:
+        manifest_file = manifest.Manifest(source, args.manifest)
         manifest_file_full_path = os.path.join(source, args.manifest)
     elif args.certificate or args.digest:
         raise ValueError("Must specify manifest file if certificate or digest is specified")
@@ -104,40 +64,13 @@
         manifest_file = None
         manifest_file_full_path = None
 
-
-    if(args.history):
-        check_file_dir(root=source,
-                       entry=args.history,
-                       msg='Please specify a valid change history file.',
-                       check_dir=False)
-        metadata[META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY] = args.history
-
     if args.certificate:
-        check_file_dir(root=source,
-                       entry=args.certificate,
-                       msg='Please specify a valid certificate file.',
-                       check_dir=False)
-        metadata[META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY] = args.certificate
         if not args.privkey:
             raise ValueError('Need private key file for signing')
-        check_file_dir(root='',
-                       entry=args.privkey,
-                       msg='Please specify a valid private key file.',
-                       check_dir=False)
-
-    if(args.tests):
-        check_file_dir(root=source,
-                       entry=args.tests,
-                       msg='Please specify a valid test directory.',
-                       check_dir=True)
-        metadata[META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY] = args.tests
-
-    if(args.licenses):
-        check_file_dir(root=source,
-                       entry=args.licenses,
-                       msg='Please specify a valid license directory.',
-                       check_dir=True)
-        metadata[META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY] = args.licenses
+        utils.check_file_dir(root='',
+                             entry=args.privkey,
+                             msg='Please specify a valid private key file.',
+                             check_dir=False)
 
     LOG.debug('Compressing root directory to ZIP')
     with zipfile.ZipFile(destination, 'w', zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as f:
@@ -152,14 +85,13 @@
             for file in files:
                 file_full_path = os.path.join(root, file)
                 # skip manifest file here in case we need to generate digest
-                if file_full_path!=manifest_file_full_path:
+                if file_full_path != manifest_file_full_path:
                     file_relative_path = os.path.relpath(file_full_path, source)
                     LOG.debug('Writing to archive: {0}'.format(file_relative_path))
                     f.write(file_full_path, file_relative_path)
                     if manifest_file and args.digest:
                         LOG.debug('Update file digest: {0}'.format(file_relative_path))
                         manifest_file.add_file(file_relative_path, args.digest)
-
         if manifest_file:
             LOG.debug('Update manifest file to temporary file')
             manifest_file_full_path = manifest_file.update_to_file(True)
@@ -173,8 +105,8 @@
             LOG.debug('Writing to archive: {0}'.format(args.manifest))
             f.write(manifest_file_full_path, args.manifest)
 
-        LOG.debug('Writing new metadata file to {0}'.format(META_FILE))
-        f.writestr(META_FILE, yaml.dump(metadata, default_flow_style=False))
+        LOG.debug('Writing new metadata file to {0}'.format(toscameta.META_FILE))
+        f.writestr(toscameta.META_FILE, metadata.dump_as_string())
 
 
 class _CSARReader(object):
@@ -192,7 +124,7 @@
             source = download_target
         self.source = os.path.expanduser(source)
         self.destination = os.path.expanduser(destination)
-        self.metadata = {}
+        self.metadata = None
         self.manifest = None
         try:
             if not os.path.exists(self.source):
@@ -209,19 +141,19 @@
 
     @property
     def created_by(self):
-        return self.metadata.get(META_CREATED_BY_KEY)
+        return self.metadata.created_by
 
     @property
     def csar_version(self):
-        return self.metadata.get(META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY)
+        return self.metadata.csar_version
 
     @property
     def meta_file_version(self):
-        return self.metadata.get(META_FILE_VERSION_KEY)
+        return self.metadata.meta_file_version
 
     @property
     def entry_definitions(self):
-        return self.metadata.get(META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY)
+        return self.metadata.entry_definitions
 
     @property
     def entry_definitions_yaml(self):
@@ -230,23 +162,23 @@
 
     @property
     def entry_manifest_file(self):
-        return self.metadata.get(META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY)
+        return self.metadata.entry_manifest_file
 
     @property
     def entry_history_file(self):
-        return self.metadata.get(META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY)
+        return self.metadata.entry_history_file
 
     @property
     def entry_tests_dir(self):
-        return self.metadata.get(META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY)
+        return self.metadata.entry_tests_dir
 
     @property
     def entry_licenses_dir(self):
-        return self.metadata.get(META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY)
+        return self.metadata.entry_licenses_dir
 
     @property
     def entry_certificate_file(self):
-        return self.metadata.get(META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY)
+        return self.metadata.entry_certificate_file
 
     def _extract(self):
         LOG.debug('Extracting CSAR contents')
@@ -257,27 +189,9 @@
         LOG.debug('CSAR contents successfully extracted')
 
     def _read_metadata(self):
-        csar_metafile = os.path.join(self.destination, META_FILE)
-        if not os.path.exists(csar_metafile):
-            raise ValueError('Metadata file {0} is missing from the CSAR'.format(csar_metafile))
-        LOG.debug('CSAR metadata file: {0}'.format(csar_metafile))
-        LOG.debug('Attempting to parse CSAR metadata YAML')
-        with open(csar_metafile) as f:
-            self.metadata.update(yaml.safe_load(f))
-        LOG.debug('CSAR metadata:\n{0}'.format(pprint.pformat(self.metadata)))
+        self.metadata = toscameta.create_from_file(self.destination)
 
     def _validate(self, no_verify_cert):
-        def validate_key(key, expected=None):
-            if not self.metadata.get(key):
-                raise ValueError('{0} is missing from the metadata file.'.format(key))
-            actual = str(self.metadata[key])
-            if expected and actual != expected:
-                raise ValueError('{0} is expected to be {1} in the metadata file while it is in '
-                                 'fact {2}.'.format(key, expected, actual))
-        validate_key(META_FILE_VERSION_KEY, expected=META_FILE_VERSION_VALUE)
-        validate_key(META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY, expected=META_CSAR_VERSION_VALUE)
-        validate_key(META_CREATED_BY_KEY)
-        validate_key(META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY)
         LOG.debug('CSAR entry definitions: {0}'.format(self.entry_definitions))
         LOG.debug('CSAR manifest file: {0}'.format(self.entry_manifest_file))
         LOG.debug('CSAR change history file: {0}'.format(self.entry_history_file))
@@ -285,50 +199,11 @@
         LOG.debug('CSAR licenses directory: {0}'.format(self.entry_licenses_dir))
         LOG.debug('CSAR certificate file: {0}'.format(self.entry_certificate_file))
 
-        check_file_dir(self.destination,
-                       self.entry_definitions,
-                       'The entry definitions {0} referenced by the metadata '
-                       'file does not exist.'.format(self.entry_definitions),
-                       check_dir=False)
-
-        if(self.entry_manifest_file):
-             check_file_dir(self.destination,
-                            self.entry_manifest_file,
-                            'The manifest file {0} referenced by the metadata '
-                            'file does not exist.'.format(self.entry_manifest_file),
-                            check_dir=False)
-             self.manifest = manifest.Manifest(self.destination,
-                                               self.entry_manifest_file)
-
-
-        if(self.entry_history_file):
-             check_file_dir(self.destination,
-                            self.entry_history_file,
-                            'The change history file {0} referenced by the metadata '
-                            'file does not exist.'.format(self.entry_history_file),
-                            check_dir=False)
-
-        if(self.entry_tests_dir):
-             check_file_dir(self.destination,
-                            self.entry_tests_dir,
-                            'The test directory {0} referenced by the metadata '
-                            'file does not exist.'.format(self.entry_tests_dir),
-                            check_dir=True)
-
-        if(self.entry_licenses_dir):
-             check_file_dir(self.destination,
-                            self.entry_licenses_dir,
-                            'The license directory {0} referenced by the metadata '
-                            'file does not exist.'.format(self.entry_licenses_dir),
-                            check_dir=True)
+        if self.entry_manifest_file:
+            self.manifest = manifest.Manifest(self.destination,
+                                              self.entry_manifest_file)
 
         if(self.entry_certificate_file):
-            # check certificate
-            check_file_dir(self.destination,
-                           self.entry_certificate_file,
-                           'The certificate file {0} referenced by the metadata '
-                           'file does not exist.'.format(self.entry_certificate_file),
-                           check_dir=False)
             tmp_manifest = self.manifest.save_to_temp_without_cms()
             utils.verify(tmp_manifest,
                          os.path.join(self.destination, self.entry_certificate_file),
diff --git a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/toscameta.py b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/toscameta.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fc51f3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/toscameta.py
@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2019 Intel Corp. All rights reserved.
+#
+# Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+# contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+# this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+# The ASF licenses this file to You 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 at
+#
+#     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.
+
+import logging
+import os
+import pprint
+
+from ruamel import yaml # @UnresolvedImport
+import six
+
+from vnfsdk_pkgtools.packager import utils
+
+LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+META_FILE = 'TOSCA-Metadata/TOSCA.meta'
+
+META_FILE_VERSION_KEY = 'TOSCA-Meta-File-Version'
+META_FILE_VERSION_VALUE = '1.0'
+META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY = 'CSAR-Version'
+META_CSAR_VERSION_VALUE = '1.1'
+META_CREATED_BY_KEY = 'Created-By'
+META_CREATED_BY_VALUE = 'ONAP VNFSDK pkgtools'
+
+META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY = 'Entry-Definitions'
+
+BASE_META = {
+    META_FILE_VERSION_KEY: META_FILE_VERSION_VALUE,
+    META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY: META_CSAR_VERSION_VALUE,
+}
+
+
+class ToscaMeta(object):
+    META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY = 'ETSI-Entry-Manifest'
+    META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY = 'ETSI-Entry-Change-Log'
+    META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY = 'ETSI-Entry-Tests'
+    META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY = 'ETSI-Entry-Licenses'
+    META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY = 'ETSI-Entry-Certificate'
+    REQUIRED_KEYS = [ META_FILE_VERSION_KEY, META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY,
+                      META_CREATED_BY_KEY, META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY,
+                      META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY, META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY,
+                      META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY,
+                    ]
+    OPTIONAL_KEYS = [META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY, META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY]
+
+    def __init__(self, base_dir, entry, manifest=None, changelog=None,
+                 licenses=None, tests=None, certificate=None,
+                 meta_file_version=META_FILE_VERSION_VALUE,
+                 meta_csar_version=META_CSAR_VERSION_VALUE,
+                 meta_created_by=META_CREATED_BY_VALUE):
+
+        self.base_dir = base_dir
+
+        metadata = {}
+        metadata[META_FILE_VERSION_KEY] = str(meta_file_version)
+        metadata[META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY] = str(meta_csar_version)
+        metadata[META_CREATED_BY_KEY] = meta_created_by
+        metadata[META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY] = entry
+        if manifest:
+            metadata[self.META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY] = manifest
+        if changelog:
+            metadata[self.META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY] = changelog
+        if licenses:
+            metadata[self.META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY] = licenses
+        if tests:
+            metadata[self.META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY] = tests
+        if certificate:
+            metadata[self.META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY] = certificate
+
+        self.metadata = self._validate(metadata)
+
+    def _validate(self, metadata):
+        for (key, value) in six.iteritems(BASE_META):
+            if metadata.get(key) != value:
+                raise ValueError('TOSCA.meta: {} must be {}'.format(key, value))
+
+        utils.check_file_dir(root=self.base_dir,
+                             entry=metadata.get(META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY),
+                             msg='Please specify a valid entry point.',
+                             check_dir=False)
+        entry_file = os.path.join(self.base_dir,
+                                  metadata.get(META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY))
+        try:
+            with open(entry_file) as f:
+                v = yaml.safe_load(f)['tosca_definitions_version']
+        except:
+            raise ValueError('Entry file {} is not a valid tosca simple yaml file'.format(entry_file))
+
+        if metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY):
+            utils.check_file_dir(root=self.base_dir,
+                                 entry=metadata[self.META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY],
+                                 msg='Please specify a valid manifest file.',
+                                 check_dir=False)
+        if metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY):
+            utils.check_file_dir(root=self.base_dir,
+                                 entry=metadata[self.META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY],
+                                 msg='Please specify a valid change history file.',
+                                 check_dir=False)
+        if metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY):
+            utils.check_file_dir(root=self.base_dir,
+                                 entry=metadata[self.META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY],
+                                 msg='Please specify a valid license directory.',
+                                 check_dir=True)
+        if metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY):
+            utils.check_file_dir(root=self.base_dir,
+                                 entry=metadata[self.META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY],
+                                 msg='Please specify a valid test directory.',
+                                 check_dir=True)
+        if metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY):
+            utils.check_file_dir(root=self.base_dir,
+                                 entry=metadata[self.META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY],
+                                 msg='Please specify a valid certificate file.',
+                                 check_dir=False)
+        missing_keys = [key for key in self.REQUIRED_KEYS if key not in metadata]
+        if missing_keys:
+            raise ValueError('TOSCA.meta: missing keys: {}'.format(','.join(missing_keys)))
+        return metadata
+
+    def dump_as_string(self):
+        s = ""
+        for key in self.REQUIRED_KEYS + self.OPTIONAL_KEYS:
+            if self.metadata.get(key):
+                s += "{}: {}\n".format(key, self.metadata.get(key))
+        return s
+
+    @property
+    def created_by(self):
+        return self.metadata.get(META_CREATED_BY_KEY)
+
+    @property
+    def csar_version(self):
+        return self.metadata.get(META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY)
+
+    @property
+    def meta_file_version(self):
+        return self.metadata.get(META_FILE_VERSION_KEY)
+
+    @property
+    def entry_definitions(self):
+        return self.metadata.get(META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY)
+
+    @property
+    def entry_manifest_file(self):
+        return self.metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY)
+
+    @property
+    def entry_history_file(self):
+        return self.metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY)
+
+    @property
+    def entry_tests_dir(self):
+        return self.metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY)
+
+    @property
+    def entry_licenses_dir(self):
+        return self.metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY)
+
+    @property
+    def entry_certificate_file(self):
+        return self.metadata.get(self.META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY)
+
+
+class ToscaMeta241(ToscaMeta):
+    # SOL004 v2.4.1
+    META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY = 'Entry-Manifest'
+    META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY = 'Entry-Change-Log'
+    META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY = 'Entry-Tests'
+    META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY = 'Entry-Licenses'
+    META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY = 'Entry-Certificate'
+    REQUIRED_KEYS = [ META_FILE_VERSION_KEY, META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY,
+                      META_CREATED_BY_KEY, META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY,
+                    ]
+    OPTIONAL_KEYS = [ META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY, META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY,
+                      META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY,  META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY,
+                      META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY,
+                    ]
+
+
+class ToscaMeta261(ToscaMeta):
+    # SOL004 v2.6.1
+    pass
+
+
+def create_from_file(base_dir):
+    csar_metafile = os.path.join(base_dir, META_FILE)
+    if not os.path.exists(csar_metafile):
+        raise ValueError('Metadata file {0} is missing from the CSAR'.format(csar_metafile))
+    LOG.debug('CSAR metadata file: {0}'.format(csar_metafile))
+    LOG.debug('Attempting to parse CSAR metadata YAML')
+    with open(csar_metafile) as f:
+        metadata = yaml.safe_load(f)
+    LOG.debug('CSAR metadata:\n{0}'.format(pprint.pformat(metadata)))
+    # By default we assume it's SOL004 2.4.1
+    cls = ToscaMeta241
+    for key in metadata.keys():
+        if key.startswith('ETSI-'):
+            cls = ToscaMeta261
+            break
+    return cls(base_dir,
+               entry=metadata.get(META_ENTRY_DEFINITIONS_KEY),
+               manifest=metadata.get(cls.META_ENTRY_MANIFEST_FILE_KEY),
+               changelog=metadata.get(cls.META_ENTRY_HISTORY_FILE_KEY),
+               licenses=metadata.get(cls.META_ENTRY_LICENSES_DIR_KEY),
+               tests=metadata.get(cls.META_ENTRY_TESTS_DIR_KEY),
+               certificate=metadata.get(cls.META_ENTRY_CERT_FILE_KEY),
+               meta_file_version=metadata.get(META_FILE_VERSION_KEY),
+               meta_csar_version=metadata.get(META_CSAR_VERSION_KEY),
+               meta_created_by=metadata.get(META_CREATED_BY_KEY))
+
diff --git a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/utils.py b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/utils.py
index f16a961..539a242 100644
--- a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/utils.py
+++ b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/packager/utils.py
@@ -29,6 +29,21 @@
 LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+def check_file_dir(root, entry, msg, check_for_non=False, check_dir=False):
+    path = os.path.join(root, entry)
+    if check_for_non:
+        ret = not os.path.exists(path)
+        error_msg = '{0} already exists. ' + msg
+    elif check_dir:
+        ret = os.path.isdir(path)
+        error_msg = '{0} is not an existing directory. ' + msg
+    else:
+        ret = os.path.isfile(path)
+        error_msg = '{0} is not an existing file. ' + msg
+    if not ret:
+        raise ValueError(error_msg.format(path))
+
+
 def _hash_value_for_file(f, hash_function, block_size=2**20):
     while True:
         data = f.read(block_size)
diff --git a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/version.py b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/version.py
index f5708c4..00126b7 100644
--- a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/version.py
+++ b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/version.py
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 global __version__
 
-__version__='1.3.0'
+__version__='1.4.0pre'
diff --git a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/vnfreq/pkg_reqs.py b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/vnfreq/pkg_reqs.py
index b84e80a..4744eac 100644
--- a/vnfsdk_pkgtools/vnfreq/pkg_reqs.py
+++ b/vnfsdk_pkgtools/vnfreq/pkg_reqs.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 import six
 from stevedore import driver
 
-from vnfsdk_pkgtools.packager import csar
+from vnfsdk_pkgtools.packager import toscameta
 from vnfsdk_pkgtools.validator import toscaparser_validator as tv
 from vnfsdk_pkgtools import vnfreq
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
             for file in files:
                 full_path = os.path.join(root, file)
                 rel_path = os.path.relpath(full_path, reader.destination)
-                if rel_path not in (reader.entry_manifest_file, csar.META_FILE):
+                if rel_path not in (reader.entry_manifest_file, toscameta.META_FILE):
                     if rel_path not in reader.manifest.digests:
                         raise vnfreq.VnfRequirementError("Package component %s not found in manifest file" % rel_path)
         return 0