diff -Nru /n/sources/plan9/sys/src/libc/port/getbe.c /sys/src/libc/port/getbe.c
--- /n/sources/plan9/sys/src/libc/port/getbe.c	Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
+++ /sys/src/libc/port/getbe.c	Mon Dec  5 00:00:00 2011
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+#include <u.h>
+#include <libc.h>
+
+static uvlong border = 0x0001020304050607ull;
+static uvlong lorder = 0x0706050403020100ull;
+
+uvlong
+getle(uchar *t, int w)
+{
+	uint i;
+	uvlong r;
+
+	r = 0;
+	for(i = w; i != 0; )
+		r = r<<8 | t[--i];
+	return r;
+}
+
+void
+putle(uchar *t, uvlong r, int w)
+{
+	uchar *o, *f;
+	uint i;
+
+	f = (uchar*)&r;
+	o = (uchar*)&lorder;
+	for(i = 0; i < w; i++)
+		t[o[i]] = f[i];
+}
+
+uvlong
+getbe(uchar *t, int w)
+{
+	uint i;
+	uvlong r;
+
+	r = 0;
+	for(i = 0; i < w; i++)
+		r = r<<8 | t[i];
+	return r;
+}
+
+void
+putbe(uchar *t, uvlong r, int w)
+{
+	uchar *o, *f;
+	uint i;
+
+	f = (uchar*)&r;
+	o = (uchar*)&border + (sizeof border-w);
+	for(i = 0; i < w; i++)
+		t[i] = f[o[i]];
+}
+
diff -Nru /n/sources/plan9/sys/src/libc/port/mkfile /sys/src/libc/port/mkfile
--- /n/sources/plan9/sys/src/libc/port/mkfile	Sat Nov  1 20:37:24 2003
+++ /sys/src/libc/port/mkfile	Sat Jan  5 00:00:00 2013
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 	fmod.c\
 	frand.c\
 	frexp.c\
+	getbe.c\
 	getcallerpc.c\
 	getfields.c\
 	getuser.c\
--- /n/sources/plan9/sys/include/libc.h	Fri Jun 29 18:22:31 2012
+++ /sys/include/libc.h	Sat Jan  5 00:00:00 2013
@@ -332,6 +332,14 @@
 extern	void	cycles(uvlong*);	/* 64-bit value of the cycle counter if there is one, 0 if there isn't */
 
 /*
+ * endian conversion
+ */
+extern	uvlong	getbe(uchar*, int);
+extern	void	putbe(uchar*, uvlong, int);
+extern	uvlong	getle(uchar*, int);
+extern	void	putle(uchar*, uvlong, int);
+
+/*
  * one-of-a-kind
  */
 enum
--- /n/sources/plan9/sys/src/9/port/lib.h	Mon Oct  4 22:16:43 2010
+++ /sys/src/9/port/lib.h	Sat Jan  5 00:00:00 2013
@@ -134,6 +134,10 @@
 extern	int	dec64(uchar*, int, char*, int);
 extern	int	encodefmt(Fmt*);
 extern	void	qsort(void*, long, long, int (*)(void*, void*));
+extern	uvlong	getle(uchar*, int);
+extern	void	putle(uchar*, uvlong, int);
+extern	uvlong	getbe(uchar*, int);
+extern	void	putbe(uchar*, uvlong, int);
 
 /*
  * Syscall data structures