diff --git a/zipline/protocol.py b/zipline/protocol.py
index 22e2547b..7286ce1d 100644
--- a/zipline/protocol.py
+++ b/zipline/protocol.py
@@ -118,94 +118,13 @@ import msgpack
 import numbers
 import datetime
 import pytz
-import copy
 from collections import namedtuple
 
-import zipline.util as qutil
+from protocol_utils import Enum, FrameExceptionFactory, namedict
+
 #import ujson
 #import ultrajson_numpy
 
-from ctypes import Structure, c_ubyte
-
-def Enum(*options):
-    """
-    Fast enums are very important when we want really tight zmq
-    loops. These are probably going to evolve into pure C structs
-    anyways so might as well get going on that.
-    """
-    class cstruct(Structure):
-        _fields_ = [(o, c_ubyte) for o in options]
-    return cstruct(*range(len(options)))
-
-def FrameExceptionFactory(name):
-    """
-    Exception factory with a closure around the frame class name.
-    """
-    class InvalidFrame(Exception):
-        def __init__(self, got):
-            self.got = got
-
-        def __str__(self):
-            return "Invalid {framecls} Frame: {got}".format(
-                framecls = name,
-                got = self.got,
-            )
-
-    return InvalidFrame
-
-class namedict(object):
-    """
-    So that you can use::
-
-        foo.BAR
-        -- or --
-        foo['BAR']
-
-    For more complex structs use collections.namedtuple:
-    """
-
-    def __init__(self, dct=None):
-        if(dct):
-            self.__dict__.update(dct)
-
-    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
-        """
-        Required for use by pymongo as_class parameter to find.
-        """
-        if(key == '_id'):
-            self.__dict__['id'] = value
-        else:
-            self.__dict__[key] = value
-
-    def __getitem__(self, key):
-        return self.__dict__[key]
-
-    def keys(self):
-        return self.__dict__.keys()
-
-    def as_dict(self):
-        # shallow copy is O(n)
-        return copy.copy(self.__dict__)
-
-    def delete(self, key):
-        del(self.__dict__[key])
-
-    def merge(self, other_nd):
-        assert isinstance(other_nd, namedict)
-        self.__dict__.update(other_nd.__dict__)
-
-    def __repr__(self):
-        return "namedict: " + str(self.__dict__)
-
-    def __eq__(self, other):
-        # !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-        # !!!! DANGEROUS !!!!!
-        # !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-        return other != None and self.__dict__ == other.__dict__
-
-    def has_attr(self, name):
-        return self.__dict__.has_key(name)
-
 # ================
 # Control Protocol
 # ================
diff --git a/zipline/protocol_utils.py b/zipline/protocol_utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e6cb858
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zipline/protocol_utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+import copy
+from ctypes import Structure, c_ubyte
+
+def Enum(*options):
+    """
+    Fast enums are very important when we want really tight zmq
+    loops. These are probably going to evolve into pure C structs
+    anyways so might as well get going on that.
+    """
+    class cstruct(Structure):
+        _fields_ = [(o, c_ubyte) for o in options]
+    return cstruct(*range(len(options)))
+
+def FrameExceptionFactory(name):
+    """
+    Exception factory with a closure around the frame class name.
+    """
+    class InvalidFrame(Exception):
+        def __init__(self, got):
+            self.got = got
+
+        def __str__(self):
+            return "Invalid {framecls} Frame: {got}".format(
+                framecls = name,
+                got = self.got,
+            )
+
+    return InvalidFrame
+
+class namedict(object):
+    """
+
+    Namedicts are dict like objects that have fields accessible by attribute lookup
+    as well as being indexable and iterable::
+
+        HEARTBEAT_PROTOCOL = namedict({
+            'REQ' : b'\x01',
+            'REP' : b'\x02',
+        })
+
+        HEARTBEAT_PROTOCOL.REQ # syntactic sugar
+        HEARTBEAT_PROTOCOL.REP # oh suga suga
+
+    For more complex structs use collections.namedtuple:
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, dct=None):
+        if(dct):
+            self.__dict__.update(dct)
+
+    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
+        """
+        Required for use by pymongo as_class parameter to find.
+        """
+        if(key == '_id'):
+            self.__dict__['id'] = value
+        else:
+            self.__dict__[key] = value
+
+    def __getitem__(self, key):
+        return self.__dict__[key]
+
+    def keys(self):
+        return self.__dict__.keys()
+
+    def as_dict(self):
+        # shallow copy is O(n)
+        return copy.copy(self.__dict__)
+
+    def delete(self, key):
+        del(self.__dict__[key])
+
+    def merge(self, other_nd):
+        assert isinstance(other_nd, namedict)
+        self.__dict__.update(other_nd.__dict__)
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return "namedict: " + str(self.__dict__)
+
+    def __eq__(self, other):
+        # !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+        # !!!! DANGEROUS !!!!!
+        # !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+        return other != None and self.__dict__ == other.__dict__
+
+    def has_attr(self, name):
+        return self.__dict__.has_key(name)