diff --git a/src/general/ipc_msg.c b/src/general/ipc_msg.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cbff705
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/general/ipc_msg.c
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+#ifndef _XOPEN_SOURCE
+#define _XOPEN_SOURCE 700
+#endif
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/msg.h>
+#include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include "test.h"
+
+static const char path[] = ".";
+static const int id = 'x';
+
+#define T(f) do{ \
+	if ((f)+1 == 0) \
+		error("%s failed: %s\n", #f, strerror(errno)); \
+}while(0)
+
+#define EQ(a,b,fmt) do{ \
+	if ((a) != (b)) \
+		error("%s == %s failed: " fmt "\n", #a, #b, a, b); \
+}while(0)
+
+static void snd()
+{
+	time_t t;
+	key_t k;
+	int qid;
+	struct msqid_ds qid_ds;
+	struct {
+		long type;
+		char data[20];
+	} msg = {1, "test message"};
+
+	T(t = time(0));
+	T(k = ftok(path, id));
+
+	/* make sure we get a clean message queue id */
+	T(qid = msgget(k, IPC_CREAT|0666));
+	T(msgctl(qid, IPC_RMID, 0));
+	T(qid = msgget(k, IPC_CREAT|IPC_EXCL|0666));
+
+	if (test_status)
+		exit(test_status);
+
+	/* check IPC_EXCL */
+	errno = 0;
+	if (msgget(k, IPC_CREAT|IPC_EXCL|0666) != -1 || errno != EEXIST)
+		error("msgget(IPC_CREAT|IPC_EXCL) should have failed with EEXIST, got %s\n", strerror(errno));
+
+	/* check if msgget initilaized the msqid_ds structure correctly */
+	T(msgctl(qid, IPC_STAT, &qid_ds));
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_perm.cuid, geteuid(), "got %d, want %d");
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_perm.uid, geteuid(), "got %d, want %d");
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_perm.cgid, getegid(), "got %d, want %d");
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_perm.gid, getegid(), "got %d, want %d");
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_perm.mode & 0x1ff, 0666, "got %o, want %o");
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_qnum, 0, "got %d, want %d");
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_lspid, 0, "got %d, want %d");
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_lrpid, 0, "got %d, want %d");
+	EQ((long)qid_ds.msg_stime, 0, "got %ld, want %ld");
+	EQ((long)qid_ds.msg_rtime, 0, "got %ld, want %ld");
+	if (qid_ds.msg_ctime < t)
+		error("qid_ds.msg_ctime >= t failed: got %ld, want %ld\n", (long)qid_ds.msg_ctime, (long)t);
+	if (qid_ds.msg_qbytes <= 0)
+		error("qid_ds.msg_qbytes > 0 failed: got %d, want 0\n", qid_ds.msg_ctime, t);
+
+	/* test send */
+	T(msgsnd(qid, &msg, sizeof msg.data, IPC_NOWAIT));
+	T(msgctl(qid, IPC_STAT, &qid_ds));
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_qnum, 1, "got %d, want %d");
+	EQ(qid_ds.msg_lspid, getpid(), "got %d, want %d");
+	if (qid_ds.msg_stime < t)
+		error("msg_stime is %ld want >= %ld\n", (long)qid_ds.msg_stime, (long)t);
+}
+
+static void rcv()
+{
+	key_t k;
+	int qid;
+	struct {
+		long type;
+		char data[20];
+	} msg;
+	long msgtyp = 0;
+
+	T(k = ftok(path, id));
+	T(qid = msgget(k, 0));
+
+	errno = 0;
+	if (msgrcv(qid, &msg, 0, msgtyp, 0) != -1 || errno != E2BIG)
+		error("msgrcv should have failed when msgsize==0 with E2BIG, got %s\n", strerror(errno));
+
+	/* test receive */
+	T(msgrcv(qid, &msg, sizeof msg.data, msgtyp, IPC_NOWAIT));
+	if (strcmp(msg.data,"test message") != 0)
+		error("received \"%s\" instead of \"%s\"\n", msg.data, "test message");
+
+	errno = 0;
+	if (msgrcv(qid, &msg, sizeof msg.data, msgtyp, MSG_NOERROR|IPC_NOWAIT) != -1 || errno != ENOMSG)
+		error("msgrcv should have failed when ther is no msg with ENOMSG, got %s\n", strerror(errno));
+}
+
+int main(void)
+{
+	int p;
+	int status;
+
+	snd();
+	p = fork();
+	if (p == -1)
+		error("fork failed: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+	else if (p == 0)
+		rcv();
+	else {
+		T(waitpid(p, &status, 0));
+		if (!WIFEXITED(status) || WEXITSTATUS(status) != 0)
+			error("child exit status: %d\n", status);
+	}
+	return test_status;
+}