diff --git a/src/mca/oob/base/base.h b/src/mca/oob/base/base.h
index e5961b42b9..1ba02f803a 100644
--- a/src/mca/oob/base/base.h
+++ b/src/mca/oob/base/base.h
@@ -113,6 +113,19 @@ int mca_oob_send(
     int tag,
     int flags);
 
+/*
+*  Similiar to unix send(2) and mca_oob_send.
+*
+* @param peer (IN)   Opaque name of peer process.
+* @param buffer (IN) Prepacked OMPI_BUFFER containing data to send
+* @param flags (IN)  Currently unused.
+* @return            OMPI error code (<0) on error or number of bytes actually sent.
+*/
+
+
+int mca_oob_send_packed (const ompi_process_name_t* peer, const ompi_buffer_t buffer, int tag, int flags);
+
+
 /**
 * Convert data (if required) to network byte order prior to sending to peer.
 *
diff --git a/src/mca/oob/base/oob_base_send.c b/src/mca/oob/base/oob_base_send.c
index b300cad8e1..6bc88c62bf 100644
--- a/src/mca/oob/base/oob_base_send.c
+++ b/src/mca/oob/base/oob_base_send.c
@@ -9,13 +9,42 @@
 * @param msg (IN)    Array of iovecs describing user buffers and lengths.
 * @param count (IN)  Number of elements in iovec array.
 * @param flags (IN)  Currently unused.
-* @return            OMPI error code (<0) on error number of bytes actually sent.
+* @return            OMPI error code (<0) on error or number of bytes actually sent.
 */
                                                                                                          
 int mca_oob_send(const ompi_process_name_t* peer, const struct iovec *msg, int count, int tag, int flags)
 {
     return(mca_oob.oob_send(peer, msg, count, tag, flags));
 }
+
+/*
+*  Similiar to unix send(2) and mca_oob_send.
+*
+* @param peer (IN)   Opaque name of peer process.
+* @param buffer (IN) Prepacked OMPI_BUFFER containing data to send
+* @param flags (IN)  Currently unused.
+* @return            OMPI error code (<0) on error or number of bytes actually sent.
+*/
+                                                                                                         
+int mca_oob_send_packed (const ompi_process_name_t* peer, const ompi_buffer_t buffer, int tag, int flags)
+{
+void *dataptr;
+size_t datalen;
+struct iovec msg[1];
+int rc;
+
+    /* first build iovec from buffer information */
+    rc = ompi_buffer_size (buffer, &datalen);
+    if (OMPI_ERROR==rc) { return (rc); }
+
+    rc = ompi_buffer_get_ptrs (buffer, NULL, NULL, &dataptr);
+    if (OMPI_ERROR==rc) { return (rc); }
+
+    msg[0].iov_base = dataptr;
+    msg[0].iov_len  = datalen;
+
+    return(mca_oob.oob_send(peer, msg, 1, tag, flags));
+}
  
 /*
  * Convert data (if required) to network byte order prior to sending to peer.