diff --git a/js/x11/core/handshake.js b/js/x11/core/handshake.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd8ecc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js/x11/core/handshake.js
@@ -0,0 +1,231 @@
+var getAuthString = Require('x11/core/auth');
+var xutil = Require('x11/core/xutil');
+
+function readVisuals(bl, visuals, n_visuals, cb)
+{
+    if (n_visuals == 0)
+    {
+        cb();
+        return;
+    }
+
+    var visual = {};
+    bl.unpackTo( visual,
+    [
+        'L vid',
+        'C class',
+        'C bits_per_rgb',
+        'S map_ent',
+        'L red_mask',
+        'L green_mask',
+        'L blue_mask',
+        'xxxx'
+    ],
+    function() {
+         var vid = visual.vid;
+         // delete visual.vid;
+         visuals[visual.vid] = visual;
+         if (Object.keys(visuals).length == n_visuals)
+             cb()
+         else
+             readVisuals(bl, visuals, n_visuals, cb);
+    });
+}
+
+function readScreens(bl, display, cbDisplayReady)
+{
+     var numParsedDepths = 0;
+     var readDepths = function(bl, display, depths, n_depths, cb)
+     {
+         if (n_depths == 0)
+         {
+             cb();
+             return;
+         }
+
+         bl.unpack( 'CxSxxxx', function(res) {
+             var dep = res[0];
+             var n_visuals = res[1];
+             var visuals = {};
+             readVisuals(bl, visuals, n_visuals, function()
+             {
+                 if (dep in depths) {
+                     for (var visual in visuals) {
+                         depths[dep][visual] = visuals[visual];
+                     }
+                 } else {
+                     depths[dep] = visuals;
+                 }
+                 numParsedDepths++;
+                 if (numParsedDepths == n_depths)
+                     cb();
+                 else
+                     readDepths(bl, display, depths, n_depths, cb);
+             });  
+         });
+     }
+
+     // for (i=0; i < display.screen_num; ++i)
+     {
+         var scr = {};
+         bl.unpackTo( scr,
+         [
+             'L root',
+             'L default_colormap',
+             'L white_pixel',
+             'L black_pixel',
+             'L input_masks',
+             'S pixel_width',
+             'S pixel_height',
+             'S mm_width',
+             'S mm_height',
+             'S min_installed_maps',
+             'S max_installed_maps',
+             'L root_visual',
+             'C root_depth',
+             'C backing_stores',
+             'C root_depth',
+             'C num_depths'
+         ],
+         function () {
+             var depths = {};
+             readDepths(bl, display, depths, scr.num_depths, function() {
+
+                 scr.depths = depths;
+                 delete scr.num_depths;
+                 display.screen.push(scr);
+
+                 if (display.screen.length == display.screen_num)
+                 {
+                     delete display.screen_num;
+                     cbDisplayReady(null, display);
+                     return;
+                 } else {
+                     readScreens(bl, display, cbDisplayReady);
+                 }
+             });
+         });
+     }
+}
+
+function readServerHello(bl, cb)
+{
+
+bl.unpack('C', function(res) {
+
+     if (res[0] == 0)
+     {
+         // conection time error
+         // unpack error
+         bl.unpack('Cxxxxxx', function (rlen) {
+             bl.get(rlen[0], function (reason) {
+                 var err = new Error;
+                 err.message = 'X server connection failed: ' + reason.toString();
+                 cb(err);
+             });
+         });
+         // TODO: do we need to close stream from our side?
+         // TODO: api to close source stream via attached unpackstream
+         return;
+     }
+
+     var display = {};
+     bl.unpackTo(
+         display,
+         [
+          'x',
+          'S major',
+          'S minor',
+          'S xlen',
+          'L release',
+          'L resource_base',
+          'L resource_mask',
+          'L motion_buffer_size',
+          'S vlen',
+          'S max_request_length',
+          'C screen_num',
+          'C format_num',
+          'C image_byte_order',
+          'C bitmap_bit_order',
+          'C bitmap_scanline_unit',
+          'C bitmap_scanline_pad',
+          'C min_keycode',
+          'C max_keycode',
+          'xxxx'
+         ],
+
+         function()
+         {
+             var pvlen = xutil.padded_length(display.vlen);
+
+             // setup data to generate resource id
+             // TODO: cleaunup code here
+             var mask = display.resource_mask;
+             display.rsrc_shift = 0;
+             while (!( (mask >> display.rsrc_shift) & 1) )
+                 display.rsrc_shift++;
+             display.rsrc_id = 0;
+
+             bl.get(pvlen, function(vendor)
+             {
+                 display.vendor = vendor.toString().substr(0, display.vlen); // utf8 by default?
+
+                 display.format = {};
+                 for (var i=0; i < display.format_num; ++i)
+                 {
+                     bl.unpack('CCCxxxxx', function(fmt) {
+                         var depth = fmt[0];
+                         display.format[depth] = {};
+                         display.format[depth].bits_per_pixel = fmt[1];
+                         display.format[depth].scanline_pad = fmt[2];
+                         if (Object.keys(display.format).length == display.format_num)
+                         {
+                             delete display.format_num;
+                             display.screen = [];
+                             readScreens(bl, display, cb);
+                         }
+                     });
+                 }
+             });
+         }
+     );
+});
+
+}
+
+function getByteOrder() {
+    var isLittleEndian = ((new Uint32Array((new Uint8Array([1,2,3,4])).buffer))[0] === 0x04030201);
+    if (isLittleEndian) {
+        return 'l'.charCodeAt(0);
+    } else {
+        return 'B'.charCodeAt(0);
+    }
+}
+
+function writeClientHello(stream, displayNum, authHost, authFamily)
+{
+    getAuthString( displayNum, authHost, authFamily, function( err, cookie ) {
+        if (err) {
+            throw err;
+        }
+        var byte_order = getByteOrder();
+        var protocol_major = 11; // TODO: config? env?
+        var protocol_minor = 0;
+        stream.pack(
+            'CxSSSSxxpp',
+            [
+            byte_order,
+            protocol_major,
+            protocol_minor,
+            cookie.authName.length,
+            cookie.authData.length,
+            cookie.authName,
+            cookie.authData
+            ]
+        );
+        stream.flush();
+    });
+}
+
+module.exports.readServerHello = readServerHello;
+module.exports.writeClientHello = writeClientHello;