diff --git a/ompi/mca/mtl/ofi/Makefile.am b/ompi/mca/mtl/ofi/Makefile.am
index 7312ba4fdf0..6e8a4caaac0 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/mtl/ofi/Makefile.am
+++ b/ompi/mca/mtl/ofi/Makefile.am
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 EXTRA_DIST = post_configure.sh
 
-AM_CPPFLAGS = $(ompi_mtl_ofi_CPPFLAGS)
+AM_CPPFLAGS = $(ompi_mtl_ofi_CPPFLAGS) $(opal_common_libfabric_CPPFLAGS)
 
 dist_ompidata_DATA = help-mtl-ofi.txt
 
@@ -43,8 +43,10 @@ mca_mtl_ofi_la_SOURCES = $(mtl_ofi_sources)
 mca_mtl_ofi_la_LDFLAGS = \
         $(ompi_mtl_ofi_LDFLAGS) \
         -module -avoid-version
-mca_mtl_ofi_la_LIBADD = $(ompi_mtl_ofi_LIBS)
+mca_mtl_ofi_la_LIBADD = $(ompi_mtl_ofi_LIBS) \
+        $(OPAL_TOP_BUILDDIR)/opal/mca/common/libfabric/lib@OPAL_LIB_PREFIX@mca_common_libfabric.la
 
 noinst_LTLIBRARIES = $(component_noinst)
 libmca_mtl_ofi_la_SOURCES = $(mtl_ofi_sources)
 libmca_mtl_ofi_la_LDFLAGS = -module -avoid-version
+
diff --git a/ompi/mca/mtl/ofi/configure.m4 b/ompi/mca/mtl/ofi/configure.m4
index 39bf83ad99a..436083ea66d 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/mtl/ofi/configure.m4
+++ b/ompi/mca/mtl/ofi/configure.m4
@@ -23,7 +23,10 @@ AC_DEFUN([MCA_ompi_mtl_ofi_POST_CONFIG], [
 AC_DEFUN([MCA_ompi_mtl_ofi_CONFIG],[
     AC_CONFIG_FILES([ompi/mca/mtl/ofi/Makefile])
 
-    OPAL_CHECK_LIBFABRIC([ompi_mtl_ofi],
+    # ensure we already ran the common libfabric config
+    AC_REQUIRE([MCA_opal_common_libfabric_CONFIG])
+    
+    AS_IF([test "$opal_common_libfabric_happy" = "yes"],
           [$1],
           [$2])
 ])dnl
diff --git a/opal/mca/common/libfabric/Makefile.am b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/Makefile.am
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5da6be35cd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/Makefile.am
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Trustees of Indiana University and Indiana
+#                         University Research and Technology
+#                         Corporation.  All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2004-2013 The University of Tennessee and The University
+#                         of Tennessee Research Foundation.  All rights
+#                         reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2004-2009 High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart,
+#                         University of Stuttgart.  All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Regents of the University of California.
+#                         All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2011-2013 NVIDIA Corporation.  All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2014      Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2015      Intel, Inc. All rights reserved.
+# $COPYRIGHT$
+#
+# Additional copyrights may follow
+#
+# $HEADER$
+#
+# A word of explanation...
+#
+# This library is linked against various MCA components because the
+# support for libfabrics is needed in various places.
+#
+# Note that building this common component statically and linking
+# against other dynamic components is *not* supported!
+
+AM_CPPFLAGS = $(opal_common_libfabric_CPPFLAGS)
+
+# Header files
+
+headers = \
+        common_libfabric.h
+
+# Source files
+
+sources = \
+        common_libfabric.c
+
+# As per above, we'll either have an installable or noinst result.
+# The installable one should follow the same MCA prefix naming rules
+# (i.e., libmca_<type>_<name>.la).  The noinst one can be named
+# whatever it wants, although libmca_<type>_<name>_noinst.la is
+# recommended.
+
+# To simplify components that link to this library, we will *always*
+# have an output libtool library named libmca_<type>_<name>.la -- even
+# for case 2) described above (i.e., so there's no conditional logic
+# necessary in component Makefile.am's that link to this library).
+# Hence, if we're creating a noinst version of this library (i.e.,
+# case 2), we sym link it to the libmca_<type>_<name>.la name
+# (libtool will do the Right Things under the covers).  See the
+# all-local and clean-local rules, below, for how this is effected.
+
+lib_LTLIBRARIES =
+noinst_LTLIBRARIES =
+comp_inst = lib@OPAL_LIB_PREFIX@mca_common_libfabric.la
+comp_noinst = lib@OPAL_LIB_PREFIX@mca_common_libfabric_noinst.la
+
+if MCA_BUILD_opal_common_libfabric_DSO
+lib_LTLIBRARIES += $(comp_inst)
+else
+noinst_LTLIBRARIES += $(comp_noinst)
+endif
+
+lib@OPAL_LIB_PREFIX@mca_common_libfabric_la_SOURCES = $(headers) $(sources)
+lib@OPAL_LIB_PREFIX@mca_common_libfabric_la_LDFLAGS = \
+        $(opal_common_libfabric_LDFLAGS) \
+        -version-info $(libmca_opal_common_libfabric_so_version)
+lib@OPAL_LIB_PREFIX@mca_common_libfabric_la_LIBADD = $(opal_common_libfabric_LIBS)
+
+lib@OPAL_LIB_PREFIX@mca_common_libfabric_noinst_la_SOURCES = $(headers) $(sources)
+lib@OPAL_LIB_PREFIX@mca_common_libfabric_noinst_la_LDFLAGS = $(opal_common_libfabric_LDFLAGS)
+lib@OPAL_LIB_PREFIX@mca_common_libfabric_noinst_la_LIBADD = $(opal_common_libfabric_LIBS)
+
+# Conditionally install the header files
+
+if WANT_INSTALL_HEADERS
+opaldir = $(opalincludedir)/$(subdir)
+opal_HEADERS = $(headers)
+endif
+
+# These two rules will sym link the "noinst" libtool library filename
+# to the installable libtool library filename in the case where we are
+# compiling this component statically (case 2), described above).
+
+V=0
+OMPI_V_LN_SCOMP = $(ompi__v_LN_SCOMP_$V)
+ompi__v_LN_SCOMP_ = $(ompi__v_LN_SCOMP_$AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY)
+ompi__v_LN_SCOMP_0 = @echo "  LN_S    " `basename $(comp_inst)`;
+
+all-local:
+	$(OMPI_V_LN_SCOMP) if test -z "$(lib_LTLIBRARIES)"; then \
+	  rm -f "$(comp_inst)"; \
+	  $(LN_S) "$(comp_noinst)" "$(comp_inst)"; \
+	fi
+
+clean-local:
+	if test -z "$(lib_LTLIBRARIES)"; then \
+	  rm -f "$(comp_inst)"; \
+	fi
diff --git a/opal/mca/common/libfabric/common_libfabric.c b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/common_libfabric.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cb989af93c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/common_libfabric.c
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2015      Intel, Inc.  All rights reserved.
+ * $COPYRIGHT$
+ *
+ * Additional copyrights may follow
+ *
+ * $HEADER$
+ */
+
+#include "opal_config.h"
+#include "opal/constants.h"
+
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include "common_libfabric.h"
+
+int mca_common_libfabric_register_mca_variables(void)
+{
+    return OPAL_SUCCESS;
+}
diff --git a/opal/mca/common/libfabric/common_libfabric.h b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/common_libfabric.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..10bc05598f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/common_libfabric.h
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/* -*- Mode: C; c-basic-offset:4 ; indent-tabs-mode:nil -*- */
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2015      Intel, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * $COPYRIGHT$
+ *
+ * Additional copyrights may follow
+ *
+ * $HEADER$
+ */
+
+#ifndef OPAL_MCA_COMMON_LIBFABRIC_H
+#define OPAL_MCA_COMMON_LIBFABRIC_H
+
+OPAL_DECLSPEC int mca_common_libfabric_register_mca_variables(void);
+
+#endif /* OPAL_MCA_COMMON_LIBFABRIC_H */
diff --git a/opal/mca/common/libfabric/configure.m4 b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/configure.m4
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..911e2a9300a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/configure.m4
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# -*- shell-script -*-
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2011-2013 NVIDIA Corporation.  All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2013      The University of Tennessee and The University
+#                         of Tennessee Research Foundation.  All rights
+#                         reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2015      Intel, Inc. All rights reserved.
+# $COPYRIGHT$
+#
+# Additional copyrights may follow
+#
+# $HEADER$
+#
+
+#
+# If LIBFABRIC support was requested, then build the LIBFABRIC support library.
+# This code checks just makes sure the check was done earlier by the
+# opal_check_libfabric.m4 code.
+#
+
+AC_DEFUN([MCA_opal_common_libfabric_CONFIG],[
+    AC_CONFIG_FILES([opal/mca/common/libfabric/Makefile])
+
+    # check for libfabric request
+    OPAL_CHECK_LIBFABRIC([opal_common_libfabric],
+                         [opal_common_libfabric_happy=yes
+                          $1],
+                         [opal_common_libfabric_happy=no
+                          $2])
+
+])dnl
diff --git a/opal/mca/common/libfabric/owner.txt b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/owner.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5fe87e2d40c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opal/mca/common/libfabric/owner.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#
+# owner/status file
+# owner: institution that is responsible for this package
+# status: e.g. active, maintenance, unmaintained
+#
+owner: Intel
+status:active