diff --git a/src/common.rs b/src/common.rs
index 810d1d29f9a313a7005336f337ad784916cfee61..633372524b6c50ed005f0ddf0263f79bf8b427cd 100644
--- a/src/common.rs
+++ b/src/common.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 ///////////////////// PRELUDE /////////////////////
 
+pub use crate::protocol::{ComponentState, ProtocolDescription};
+pub use crate::runtime::{NonsyncContext, SyncContext};
+
 pub use core::{
     cmp::Ordering,
     fmt::{Debug, Formatter},
@@ -16,6 +19,7 @@ pub use mio::{
 pub use std::{
     collections::{hash_map::Entry, BTreeMap, HashMap, HashSet},
     convert::TryInto,
+    io::{Read, Write},
     net::SocketAddr,
     sync::Arc,
     time::Instant,
@@ -25,98 +29,53 @@ pub use Polarity::*;
 ///////////////////// DEFS /////////////////////
 
 pub type ControllerId = u32;
-pub type ChannelIndex = u32;
+pub type PortSuffix = u32;
 
-#[derive(Debug, Copy, Clone, Eq, PartialEq, Ord, Hash, PartialOrd)]
+// globally unique
+#[derive(
+    Copy, Clone, Eq, PartialEq, Ord, Hash, PartialOrd, serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize,
+)]
 pub struct PortId {
     pub(crate) controller_id: ControllerId,
-    pub(crate) port_index: u32,
+    pub(crate) port_index: PortSuffix,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Eq, PartialEq, Ord, PartialOrd)]
 pub struct Payload(Arc<Vec<u8>>);
 
-/// This is a unique identifier for a channel (i.e., port).
-#[derive(Debug, Eq, PartialEq, Clone, Hash, Copy, Ord, PartialOrd)]
-pub struct ChannelId {
-    pub(crate) controller_id: ControllerId,
-    pub(crate) channel_index: ChannelIndex,
-}
-
-#[derive(Debug, Eq, PartialEq, Clone, Hash, Copy, Ord, PartialOrd)]
+#[derive(
+    Debug, Eq, PartialEq, Clone, Hash, Copy, Ord, PartialOrd, serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize,
+)]
 pub enum Polarity {
     Putter, // output port (from the perspective of the component)
     Getter, // input port (from the perspective of the component)
 }
 
-#[derive(
-    Eq, PartialEq, Ord, PartialOrd, Hash, Copy, Clone, serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize,
-)]
-#[repr(C)]
-pub struct Port(pub u32); // ports are COPY
-
 #[derive(Eq, PartialEq, Copy, Clone, Debug)]
-pub enum MainComponentErr {
+pub enum AddComponentError {
     NoSuchComponent,
     NonPortTypeParameters,
-    CannotMovePort(Port),
+    CannotMovePort(PortId),
     WrongNumberOfParamaters { expected: usize },
-    UnknownPort(Port),
-    WrongPortPolarity { param_index: usize, port: Port },
-    DuplicateMovedPort(Port),
-}
-pub trait ProtocolDescription: Sized {
-    type S: ComponentState<D = Self>;
-
-    fn parse(pdl: &[u8]) -> Result<Self, String>;
-    fn component_polarities(&self, identifier: &[u8]) -> Result<Vec<Polarity>, MainComponentErr>;
-    fn new_main_component(&self, identifier: &[u8], ports: &[Port]) -> Self::S;
-}
-
-pub trait ComponentState: Sized + Clone {
-    type D: ProtocolDescription;
-    fn pre_sync_run<C: MonoContext<D = Self::D, S = Self>>(
-        &mut self,
-        runtime_ctx: &mut C,
-        protocol_description: &Self::D,
-    ) -> MonoBlocker;
-
-    fn sync_run<C: PolyContext<D = Self::D>>(
-        &mut self,
-        runtime_ctx: &mut C,
-        protocol_description: &Self::D,
-    ) -> PolyBlocker;
+    UnknownPort(PortId),
+    WrongPortPolarity { port: PortId, expected_polarity: Polarity },
+    DuplicateMovedPort(PortId),
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
-pub enum MonoBlocker {
+pub enum NonsyncBlocker {
     Inconsistent,
     ComponentExit,
     SyncBlockStart,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
-pub enum PolyBlocker {
+pub enum SyncBlocker {
     Inconsistent,
     SyncBlockEnd,
-    CouldntReadMsg(Port),
-    CouldntCheckFiring(Port),
-    PutMsg(Port, Payload),
-}
-
-pub trait MonoContext {
-    type D: ProtocolDescription;
-    type S: ComponentState<D = Self::D>;
-
-    fn new_component(&mut self, moved_ports: HashSet<Port>, init_state: Self::S);
-    fn new_channel(&mut self) -> [Port; 2];
-    fn new_random(&mut self) -> u64;
-}
-pub trait PolyContext {
-    type D: ProtocolDescription;
-
-    fn is_firing(&mut self, port: Port) -> Option<bool>;
-    fn read_msg(&mut self, port: Port) -> Option<&Payload>;
+    CouldntReadMsg(PortId),
+    CouldntCheckFiring(PortId),
+    PutMsg(PortId, Payload),
 }
 
 ///////////////////// IMPL /////////////////////
@@ -176,22 +135,8 @@ impl From<Vec<u8>> for Payload {
         Self(s.into())
     }
 }
-impl Debug for Port {
+impl Debug for PortId {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter) -> std::fmt::Result {
-        write!(f, "Port({})", self.0)
-    }
-}
-impl Port {
-    pub fn from_raw(raw: u32) -> Self {
-        Self(raw)
-    }
-    pub fn to_raw(self) -> u32 {
-        self.0
-    }
-    pub fn to_token(self) -> mio::Token {
-        mio::Token(self.0.try_into().unwrap())
-    }
-    pub fn from_token(t: mio::Token) -> Self {
-        Self(t.0.try_into().unwrap())
+        write!(f, "PortId({},{})", self.controller_id, self.port_index)
     }
 }