diff --git a/direct/src/distributed/DistributedObjectBase.py b/direct/src/distributed/DistributedObjectBase.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..d752b133f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/direct/src/distributed/DistributedObjectBase.py
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+
+from direct.showbase.PandaObject import PandaObject
+#from direct.directnotify.DirectNotifyGlobal import directNotify
+
+class DistributedObjectBase(PandaObject):
+    """
+    The Distributed Object class is the base class for all network based
+    (i.e. distributed) objects.  These will usually (always?) have a
+    dclass entry in a *.dc file.
+    """
+    notify = directNotify.newCategory("DistributedObjectBase")
+
+    def __init__(self, cr):
+        assert self.notify.debugStateCall(self)
+        self.cr = cr
+        self.children = {}
+        self.parentId = None
+        self.zoneId = None
+
+    if __debug__:
+        def status(self, indent=0):
+            """
+            print out "doId(parentId,zoneId) className"
+            """
+            spaces=' '*(indent+2)
+            try:
+                print "%s%s:"%(
+                    ' '*indent, self.__class__.__name__)
+                print "%sfrom DistributedObject doId:%s, parent:%s, zone:%s"%(
+                    spaces, 
+                    self.doId, self.parentId, self.zoneId),
+            except Exception, e: print "%serror printing status"%(spaces,), e
+
+    def getLocation(self):
+        try:
+            if self.parentId == 0 and self.zoneId == 0:
+                return None
+            # This is a -1 stuffed into a uint32
+            if self.parentId == 0xffffffff and self.zoneId == 0xffffffff:
+                return None
+            return (self.parentId, self.zoneId)
+        except AttributeError:
+            return None
+
+    def handleChildArrive(self, childObj, zoneId):
+        self.notify.debugCall()
+        # A new child has just setLocation beneath us.  Give us a
+        # chance to run code when a new child sets location to us. For
+        # example, we may want to scene graph reparent the child to
+        # some subnode we own.
+        ## zone=self.children.setdefault(zoneId, {})
+        ## zone[childObj.doId]=childObj
+
+        # Inheritors should override
+        pass
+
+    def handleChildLeave(self, childObj, zoneId):
+        self.notify.debugCall()
+        # A child is about to setLocation away from us.  Give us a
+        # chance to run code just before a child sets location away from us.
+        ## zone=self.children[zoneId]
+        ## del zone[childObj.doId]
+        ## if not len(zone):
+        ##     del self.children[zoneId]
+
+        # Inheritors should override
+        pass
+
+    def getParentObj(self):
+        if self.parentId is None:
+            return None
+        return self.cr.doId2do.get(self.parentId)