diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index f153cd0..ecbc19a 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 libndn_c_la_SOURCES = \
   config.h \
+  ndn-cpp/c/common.h \
   ndn-cpp/c/data.h \
   ndn-cpp/c/errors.c ndn-cpp/c/errors.h \
   ndn-cpp/c/forwarding-entry.h \
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@
 
 libndn_cpp_la_SOURCES = \
   config.h \
+  ndn-cpp/c/common.h \
   ndn-cpp/common.hpp ndn-cpp/common.cpp \
   ndn-cpp/data.cpp ndn-cpp/c/data.h ndn-cpp/data.hpp \
   ndn-cpp/face.cpp ndn-cpp/face.hpp \
diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index cfa2617..4200d9e 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -480,6 +480,7 @@
 lib_LTLIBRARIES = libndn-c.la libndn-cpp.la
 libndn_c_la_SOURCES = \
   config.h \
+  ndn-cpp/c/common.h \
   ndn-cpp/c/data.h \
   ndn-cpp/c/errors.c ndn-cpp/c/errors.h \
   ndn-cpp/c/forwarding-entry.h \
@@ -509,6 +510,7 @@
 
 libndn_cpp_la_SOURCES = \
   config.h \
+  ndn-cpp/c/common.h \
   ndn-cpp/common.hpp ndn-cpp/common.cpp \
   ndn-cpp/data.cpp ndn-cpp/c/data.h ndn-cpp/data.hpp \
   ndn-cpp/face.cpp ndn-cpp/face.hpp \
diff --git a/ndn-cpp/c/common.h b/ndn-cpp/c/common.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..23a604c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ndn-cpp/c/common.h
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (C) 2013 Regents of the University of California.
+ * @author: Jeff Thompson <jefft0@remap.ucla.edu>
+ * See COPYING for copyright and distribution information.
+ */
+
+#ifndef NDN_COMMON_H
+#define	NDN_COMMON_H
+
+#include "../../config.h"
+
+// Need to define uint8_t.  There may be no stdint.h because it is only part of the C standard since 1999.
+#if HAVE_STDINT
+#include <stdint.h>
+#else
+#endif
+#ifndef _UINT8_T
+#define _UINT8_T
+typedef unsigned char uint8_t;
+#endif
+
+#ifdef	__cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+
+
+#ifdef	__cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif
diff --git a/ndn-cpp/common.hpp b/ndn-cpp/common.hpp
index 8a23ad0..0ed219c 100644
--- a/ndn-cpp/common.hpp
+++ b/ndn-cpp/common.hpp
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@
 #define NDN_COMMON_HPP
 
 #include <vector>
-#include "../config.h"
+// common.h includes config.h.
+#include "c/common.h"
 
 // Depending on where ./configure found shared_ptr, define the ptr_lib namespace.
 // We always use ndn::ptr_lib.
@@ -49,15 +50,6 @@
 namespace ndn { namespace func_lib = ndnboost; }
 #endif
 
-// Need to define uint8_t.  There may be no stdint.h since since it is only part of the C standard since 1999.
-#if HAVE_STDINT
-#include <stdint.h>
-#else
-#endif
-#ifndef _UINT8_T
-#define _UINT8_T
-typedef unsigned char uint8_t;
-#endif
 namespace ndn {
    
 /**