diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/process.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/process.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c07f2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/process.py
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+import logging
+import signal
+import subprocess
+import errno
+import select
+
+logger = logging.getLogger('BitBake.Process')
+
+def subprocess_setup():
+    # Python installs a SIGPIPE handler by default. This is usually not what
+    # non-Python subprocesses expect.
+    signal.signal(signal.SIGPIPE, signal.SIG_DFL)
+
+class CmdError(RuntimeError):
+    def __init__(self, command, msg=None):
+        self.command = command
+        self.msg = msg
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        if not isinstance(self.command, basestring):
+            cmd = subprocess.list2cmdline(self.command)
+        else:
+            cmd = self.command
+
+        msg = "Execution of '%s' failed" % cmd
+        if self.msg:
+            msg += ': %s' % self.msg
+        return msg
+
+class NotFoundError(CmdError):
+    def __str__(self):
+        return CmdError.__str__(self) + ": command not found"
+
+class ExecutionError(CmdError):
+    def __init__(self, command, exitcode, stdout = None, stderr = None):
+        CmdError.__init__(self, command)
+        self.exitcode = exitcode
+        self.stdout = stdout
+        self.stderr = stderr
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        message = ""
+        if self.stderr:
+            message += self.stderr
+        if self.stdout:
+            message += self.stdout
+        if message:
+            message = ":\n" + message
+        return (CmdError.__str__(self) +
+                " with exit code %s" % self.exitcode + message)
+
+class Popen(subprocess.Popen):
+    defaults = {
+        "close_fds": True,
+        "preexec_fn": subprocess_setup,
+        "stdout": subprocess.PIPE,
+        "stderr": subprocess.STDOUT,
+        "stdin": subprocess.PIPE,
+        "shell": False,
+    }
+
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        options = dict(self.defaults)
+        options.update(kwargs)
+        subprocess.Popen.__init__(self, *args, **options)
+
+def _logged_communicate(pipe, log, input, extrafiles):
+    if pipe.stdin:
+        if input is not None:
+            pipe.stdin.write(input)
+        pipe.stdin.close()
+
+    outdata, errdata = [], []
+    rin = []
+
+    if pipe.stdout is not None:
+        bb.utils.nonblockingfd(pipe.stdout.fileno())
+        rin.append(pipe.stdout)
+    if pipe.stderr is not None:
+        bb.utils.nonblockingfd(pipe.stderr.fileno())
+        rin.append(pipe.stderr)
+    for fobj, _ in extrafiles:
+        bb.utils.nonblockingfd(fobj.fileno())
+        rin.append(fobj)
+
+    def readextras(selected):
+        for fobj, func in extrafiles:
+            if fobj in selected:
+                try:
+                    data = fobj.read()
+                except IOError as err:
+                    if err.errno == errno.EAGAIN or err.errno == errno.EWOULDBLOCK:
+                        data = None
+                if data is not None:
+                    func(data)
+
+    try:
+        while pipe.poll() is None:
+            rlist = rin
+            try:
+                r,w,e = select.select (rlist, [], [], 1)
+            except OSError as e:
+                if e.errno != errno.EINTR:
+                    raise
+
+            if pipe.stdout in r:
+                data = pipe.stdout.read()
+                if data is not None:
+                    outdata.append(data)
+                    log.write(data)
+
+            if pipe.stderr in r:
+                data = pipe.stderr.read()
+                if data is not None:
+                    errdata.append(data)
+                    log.write(data)
+
+            readextras(r)
+
+    finally:    
+        log.flush()
+
+    readextras([fobj for fobj, _ in extrafiles])
+
+    if pipe.stdout is not None:
+        pipe.stdout.close()
+    if pipe.stderr is not None:
+        pipe.stderr.close()
+    return ''.join(outdata), ''.join(errdata)
+
+def run(cmd, input=None, log=None, extrafiles=None, **options):
+    """Convenience function to run a command and return its output, raising an
+    exception when the command fails"""
+
+    if not extrafiles:
+        extrafiles = []
+
+    if isinstance(cmd, basestring) and not "shell" in options:
+        options["shell"] = True
+
+    try:
+        pipe = Popen(cmd, **options)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        if exc.errno == 2:
+            raise NotFoundError(cmd)
+        else:
+            raise CmdError(cmd, exc)
+
+    if log:
+        stdout, stderr = _logged_communicate(pipe, log, input, extrafiles)
+    else:
+        stdout, stderr = pipe.communicate(input)
+
+    if pipe.returncode != 0:
+        raise ExecutionError(cmd, pipe.returncode, stdout, stderr)
+    return stdout, stderr