diff --git a/elements/userlevel/fromdevice.cc b/elements/userlevel/fromdevice.cc
index 212fafe257..132c4ce8ca 100644
--- a/elements/userlevel/fromdevice.cc
+++ b/elements/userlevel/fromdevice.cc
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include "fakepcap.hh"
+#include <linux/sockios.h>
 
 #if FROMDEVICE_ALLOW_LINUX
 # include <sys/socket.h>
diff --git a/elements/userlevel/khandlerproxy.cc b/elements/userlevel/khandlerproxy.cc
index 86208c07fd..1a372af5ba 100644
--- a/elements/userlevel/khandlerproxy.cc
+++ b/elements/userlevel/khandlerproxy.cc
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <sys/ioctl.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 CLICK_DECLS
 
diff --git a/elements/userlevel/rawsocket.cc b/elements/userlevel/rawsocket.cc
index 40e9ce25eb..1e4fb25f36 100644
--- a/elements/userlevel/rawsocket.cc
+++ b/elements/userlevel/rawsocket.cc
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 #include <sys/socket.h>
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
+#include <linux/sockios.h>
 
 #ifndef __sun
 #include <sys/ioctl.h>
diff --git a/elements/userlevel/socket.cc b/elements/userlevel/socket.cc
index 83e38f2c86..4148267321 100644
--- a/elements/userlevel/socket.cc
+++ b/elements/userlevel/socket.cc
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
 #include <netinet/tcp.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
+#include <click/timer.hh>
+#include <click/handlercall.hh>
 #include "socket.hh"
 
 #ifdef HAVE_PROPER
@@ -40,12 +42,12 @@
 CLICK_DECLS
 
 Socket::Socket()
-  : _task(this),
+  : _task(this), _timer(this),
     _fd(-1), _active(-1), _rq(0), _wq(0),
     _local_port(0), _local_pathname(""),
     _timestamp(true), _sndbuf(-1), _rcvbuf(-1),
     _snaplen(2048), _headroom(Packet::default_headroom), _nodelay(1),
-    _verbose(false), _client(false), _proper(false), _allow(0), _deny(0)
+    _verbose(false), _client(false), _proper(false), _allow(0), _deny(0), _reconnect_call_h(0)
 {
 }
 
@@ -53,6 +55,19 @@ Socket::~Socket()
 {
 }
 
+void Socket::run_timer(Timer *) {
+
+  ErrorHandler *errh = new ErrorHandler();
+
+  if (_active == -1) {
+    initialize(errh);
+  }
+
+  _timer.reschedule_after_sec(2);
+  return;
+
+}
+
 int
 Socket::configure(Vector<String> &conf, ErrorHandler *errh)
 {
@@ -63,6 +78,7 @@ Socket::configure(Vector<String> &conf, ErrorHandler *errh)
     return -1;
   socktype = socktype.upper();
 
+  String reconnect_call;
   // remove keyword arguments
   Element *allow = 0, *deny = 0;
   if (args.read("VERBOSE", _verbose)
@@ -74,11 +90,15 @@ Socket::configure(Vector<String> &conf, ErrorHandler *errh)
       .read("NODELAY", _nodelay)
       .read("CLIENT", _client)
       .read("PROPER", _proper)
+      .read("RECONNECT_CALL", AnyArg(), reconnect_call)
       .read("ALLOW", allow)
       .read("DENY", deny)
       .consume() < 0)
     return -1;
 
+  if (reconnect_call)
+    _reconnect_call_h = new HandlerCall(reconnect_call);
+
   if (allow && !(_allow = (IPRouteTable *)allow->cast("IPRouteTable")))
     return errh->error("%s is not an IPRouteTable", allow->name().c_str());
 
@@ -134,12 +154,24 @@ Socket::initialize_socket_error(ErrorHandler *errh, const char *syscall)
     _fd = -1;
   }
 
-  return errh->error("%s: %s", syscall, strerror(e));
+  click_chatter("%s: %s: %s", declaration().c_str(), syscall, strerror(e));
+
+  return 0;
+
 }
 
 int
 Socket::initialize(ErrorHandler *errh)
 {
+
+  // initialize timer
+  _timer.initialize(this);
+  _timer.reschedule_after_sec(2);
+
+  // initialize callback
+  if (_reconnect_call_h && (_reconnect_call_h->initialize_write(this, errh) < 0))
+    return initialize_socket_error(errh, "callback");
+
   // open socket, set options
   _fd = socket(_family, _socktype, _protocol);
   if (_fd < 0)
@@ -250,6 +282,9 @@ Socket::initialize(ErrorHandler *errh)
     add_select(_fd, SELECT_WRITE);
   }
 
+  if (_reconnect_call_h)
+    (void) _reconnect_call_h->call_write();
+
   return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/elements/userlevel/socket.hh b/elements/userlevel/socket.hh
index 7fdd5d68aa..6c7a8e7844 100644
--- a/elements/userlevel/socket.hh
+++ b/elements/userlevel/socket.hh
@@ -4,9 +4,11 @@
 #include <click/element.hh>
 #include <click/string.hh>
 #include <click/task.hh>
+#include <click/timer.hh>
 #include <click/notifier.hh>
 #include "../ip/iproutetable.hh"
 #include <sys/un.h>
+#include <click/handlercall.hh>
 CLICK_DECLS
 
 /*
@@ -186,6 +188,7 @@ class Socket : public Element { public:
 
   void add_handlers() CLICK_COLD;
   bool run_task(Task *);
+  void run_timer(Timer *);
   void selected(int fd, int mask);
   void push(int port, Packet*);
 
@@ -195,6 +198,7 @@ class Socket : public Element { public:
 
 protected:
   Task _task;
+  Timer _timer;
 
 private:
   int _fd;	// socket descriptor
@@ -237,6 +241,8 @@ private:
 
   int initialize_socket_error(ErrorHandler *, const char *);
 
+  HandlerCall *_reconnect_call_h;
+
 };
 
 CLICK_ENDDECLS