diff --git a/src/libstd/net.rs b/src/libstd/net.rs
index 9d56bef657d..3707851bedd 100644
--- a/src/libstd/net.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/net.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 Top-level module for network-related functionality
 "];
 
+import tcp = net_tcp;
+export tcp;
 
 import ip = net_ip;
 export ip; 
diff --git a/src/libstd/net_tcp.rs b/src/libstd/net_tcp.rs
index 91ba225b770..af709387929 100644
--- a/src/libstd/net_tcp.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/net_tcp.rs
@@ -2,26 +2,212 @@
 High-level interface to libuv's TCP functionality
 "];
 
-#[cfg(ignore)]
+import ip = net_ip;
+
+export tcp_connect_result;
+export connect;
+
+enum tcp_socket {
+    valid_tcp_socket(@tcp_socket_data)
+}
+
+enum tcp_connect_result {
+    tcp_connected(tcp_socket),
+    tcp_connect_error(uv::ll::uv_err_data)
+}
+
+#[doc="
+Initiate a client connection over TCP/IP
+
+# Arguments
+
+* ip - The IP address (versions 4 or 6) of the remote host
+* port - the unsigned integer of the desired remote host port
+
+# Returns
+
+A `tcp_connect_result` that can be used to determine the connection and,
+if successful, send and receive data to/from the remote host
+"]
+fn connect(input_ip: ip::ip_addr, port: uint) -> tcp_connect_result unsafe {
+    let result_po = comm::port::<conn_attempt>();
+    let closed_signal_po = comm::port::<()>();
+    let conn_data = {
+        result_ch: comm::chan(result_po),
+        closed_signal_ch: comm::chan(closed_signal_po)
+    };
+    let conn_data_ptr = ptr::addr_of(conn_data);
+    let socket_data = @{
+        reader_port: comm::port::<[u8]>(),
+        stream_handle : uv::ll::tcp_t(),
+        connect_req : uv::ll::connect_t(),
+        write_req : uv::ll::write_t()
+    };
+    log(debug, #fmt("tcp_connect result_ch %?", conn_data.result_ch));
+    // get an unsafe representation of our stream_handle_ptr that
+    // we can send into the interact cb to be handled in libuv..
+    let socket_data_ptr: *tcp_socket_data =
+        ptr::addr_of(*socket_data);
+    // in we go!
+    let hl_loop = uv::global_loop::get();
+    log(debug, #fmt("stream_handl_ptr outside interact %?",
+        ptr::addr_of((*socket_data_ptr).stream_handle)));
+    uv::hl::interact(hl_loop) {|loop_ptr|
+        log(debug, "in interact cb for tcp client connect..");
+        let stream_handle_ptr =
+            ptr::addr_of((*socket_data_ptr).stream_handle);
+        log(debug, #fmt("stream_handl_ptr in interact %?",
+            stream_handle_ptr));
+        alt uv::ll::tcp_init( loop_ptr, stream_handle_ptr) {
+          0i32 {
+            log(debug, "tcp_init successful");
+            alt input_ip {
+              ipv4 {
+                log(debug, "dealing w/ ipv4 connection..");
+                let tcp_addr = ipv4_ip_addr_to_sockaddr_in(input_ip,
+                                                           port);
+                let tcp_addr_ptr = ptr::addr_of(tcp_addr);
+                let connect_req_ptr =
+                    ptr::addr_of((*socket_data_ptr).connect_req);
+                alt uv::ll::tcp_connect(
+                    connect_req_ptr,
+                    stream_handle_ptr,
+                    tcp_addr_ptr,
+                    tcp_connect_on_connect_cb) {
+                  0i32 {
+                    log(debug, "tcp_connect successful");
+                    // reusable data that we'll have for the
+                    // duration..
+                    uv::ll::set_data_for_uv_handle(stream_handle_ptr,
+                                               socket_data_ptr);
+                    // just so the connect_cb can send the
+                    // outcome..
+                    uv::ll::set_data_for_req(connect_req_ptr,
+                                             conn_data_ptr);
+                    log(debug, "leaving tcp_connect interact cb...");
+                    // let tcp_connect_on_connect_cb send on
+                    // the result_ch, now..
+                  }
+                  _ {
+                    // immediate connect failure.. probably a garbage
+                    // ip or somesuch
+                    let err_data = uv::ll::get_last_err_data(loop_ptr);
+                    comm::send((*conn_data_ptr).result_ch,
+                               conn_failure(err_data));
+                    uv::ll::set_data_for_uv_handle(stream_handle_ptr,
+                                                   conn_data_ptr);
+                    uv::ll::close(stream_handle_ptr, stream_error_close_cb);
+                  }
+                }
+              }
+            }
+        }
+          _ {
+            // failure to create a tcp handle
+            let err_data = uv::ll::get_last_err_data(loop_ptr);
+            comm::send((*conn_data_ptr).result_ch,
+                       conn_failure(err_data));
+          }
+        }
+    };
+    alt comm::recv(result_po) {
+      conn_success {
+        log(debug, "tcp::connect - received success on result_po");
+        tcp_connected(valid_tcp_socket(socket_data))
+      }
+      conn_failure(err_data) {
+        comm::recv(closed_signal_po);
+        log(debug, "tcp::connect - received failure on result_po");
+        tcp_connect_error(err_data)
+      }
+    }
+}
+// INTERNAL API
+type connect_req_data = {
+    result_ch: comm::chan<conn_attempt>,
+    closed_signal_ch: comm::chan<()>
+};
+
+crust fn stream_error_close_cb(handle: *uv::ll::uv_tcp_t) unsafe {
+    let data = uv::ll::get_data_for_uv_handle(handle) as
+        *connect_req_data;
+    comm::send((*data).closed_signal_ch, ());
+    log(debug, #fmt("exiting steam_error_close_cb for %?", handle));
+}
+
+crust fn tcp_connect_close_cb(handle: *uv::ll::uv_tcp_t) unsafe {
+    log(debug, #fmt("closed client tcp handle %?", handle));
+}
+
+crust fn tcp_connect_on_connect_cb(connect_req_ptr: *uv::ll::uv_connect_t,
+                                   status: libc::c_int) unsafe {
+    let conn_data_ptr = (uv::ll::get_data_for_req(connect_req_ptr)
+                      as *connect_req_data);
+    let result_ch = (*conn_data_ptr).result_ch;
+    log(debug, #fmt("tcp_connect result_ch %?", result_ch));
+    let tcp_stream_ptr =
+        uv::ll::get_stream_handle_from_connect_req(connect_req_ptr);
+    alt status {
+      0i32 {
+        log(debug, "successful tcp connection!");
+        comm::send(result_ch, conn_success);
+      }
+      _ {
+        log(debug, "error in tcp_connect_on_connect_cb");
+        let loop_ptr = uv::ll::get_loop_for_uv_handle(tcp_stream_ptr);
+        let err_data = uv::ll::get_last_err_data(loop_ptr);
+        log(debug, #fmt("err_data %? %?", err_data.err_name,
+                        err_data.err_msg));
+        comm::send(result_ch, conn_failure(err_data));
+        uv::ll::set_data_for_uv_handle(tcp_stream_ptr,
+                                       conn_data_ptr);
+        uv::ll::close(tcp_stream_ptr, stream_error_close_cb);
+      }
+    }
+    log(debug, "leaving tcp_connect_on_connect_cb");
+}
+
+enum conn_attempt {
+    conn_success,
+    conn_failure(uv::ll::uv_err_data)
+}
+
+
+type tcp_socket_data = {
+    reader_port: comm::port<[u8]>,
+    stream_handle: uv::ll::uv_tcp_t,
+    connect_req: uv::ll::uv_connect_t,
+    write_req: uv::ll::uv_write_t
+};
+
+// convert rust ip_addr to libuv's native representation
+fn ipv4_ip_addr_to_sockaddr_in(input: ip::ip_addr,
+                               port: uint) -> uv::ll::sockaddr_in unsafe {
+    uv::ll::ip4_addr(ip::format_addr(input), port as int)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
     #[test]
     fn test_gl_tcp_ipv4_request() {
-        let ip = "127.0.0.1";
+        let ip_str = "127.0.0.1";
         let port = 80u;
         let expected_read_msg = "foo";
         let actual_write_msg = "bar";
-        let addr = ipv4::address(ip, port);
+        let host_ip = ip::v4::parse_addr(ip_str);
 
         let data_po = comm::port::<[u8]>();
         let data_ch = comm::chan(data_po);
         
-        alt connect(addr) {
-          tcp_connected(tcp_stream) {
+        alt connect(host_ip, port) {
+          tcp_connected(sock) {
+            log(debug, "successful tcp connect");
+            /*
             let write_data = str::as_buf(actual_write_msg);
-            alt write(tcp_stream, [write_data]) {
+            alt write(sock, [write_data]) {
               tcp_write_success {
-                let mut total_read_data: [u8] = []
-                let reader_po = read_start(tcp_stream);
+                let mut total_read_data: [u8] = [];
+                let reader_po = read_start(sock);nyw
                 loop {
                     alt comm::recv(reader_po) {
                       new_read_data(data) {
@@ -36,7 +222,8 @@ mod test {
                         break;
                       }
                       error {
-                        fail "erroring occured during read attempt.. FIXME need info";
+                        fail "erroring occured during read attempt.."
+                            + "FIXME need info";
                       }
                     }
                 }
@@ -46,9 +233,13 @@ mod test {
                 fail "error during write attempt.. FIXME need err info";
               }
             }
+            */
           }
-          tcp_connect_error {
-            fail "error during connection attempt.. FIXME need err info..";
+          tcp_connect_error(err_data) {
+            log(debug, "tcp_connect_error received..");
+            log(debug, #fmt("tcp connect error: %? %?", err_data.err_name,
+                           err_data.err_msg));
+            assert false;
           }
         }