diff --git a/source/Makefile.in b/source/Makefile.in
index 765c705d861..9cd035ae718 100644
--- a/source/Makefile.in
+++ b/source/Makefile.in
@@ -705,7 +705,14 @@ REG_API_OBJ = registry/reg_api.o \
 	      $(UTIL_REG_API_OBJ) \
 	      $(UTIL_REG_SMBCONF_OBJ)
 
-NETAPI_OBJ = lib/netapi/joindomain.o
+
+LIBNETAPI_OBJ1 = lib/netapi/netapi.o lib/netapi/joindomain.o
+LIBNETAPI_OBJ  = $(LIBNETAPI_OBJ1) $(LIBNET_OBJ) \
+		 $(REG_API_OBJ) \
+		 $(PARAM_OBJ) $(LIB_NONSMBD_OBJ) \
+		 $(LIBSMB_OBJ) $(KRBCLIENT_OBJ) \
+		 $(LIBMSRPC_OBJ) $(LIBMSRPC_GEN_OBJ) $(RPC_PARSE_OBJ) \
+		 $(SECRETS_OBJ) $(PASSDB_OBJ) $(SMBLDAP_OBJ) $(GROUPDB_OBJ) $(LDB_OBJ)
 
 LIBNET_OBJ = libnet/libnet_conf.o libnet/libnet_join.o
 
@@ -728,7 +735,7 @@ NET_OBJ = $(NET_OBJ1) $(PARAM_WITHOUT_REG_OBJ) $(SECRETS_OBJ) $(LIBSMB_OBJ) \
 	  $(SMBLDAP_OBJ) $(DCUTIL_OBJ) $(SERVER_MUTEX_OBJ) \
 	  $(AFS_OBJ) $(AFS_SETTOKEN_OBJ) $(REGFIO_OBJ) $(READLINE_OBJ) \
 	  $(LDB_OBJ) $(LIBGPO_OBJ) @BUILD_INIPARSER@ $(DISPLAY_SEC_OBJ) \
-	  $(REG_API_OBJ) $(DISPLAY_DSDCINFO_OBJ) $(NETAPI_OBJ) $(LIBNET_OBJ)
+	  $(REG_API_OBJ) $(DISPLAY_DSDCINFO_OBJ) $(LIBNETAPI_OBJ1) $(LIBNET_OBJ)
 
 CUPS_OBJ = client/smbspool.o $(PARAM_OBJ) $(LIBSMB_OBJ) \
 	  $(LIB_NONSMBD_OBJ) $(KRBCLIENT_OBJ) $(SECRETS_OBJ) $(POPT_LIB_OBJ)
@@ -1355,15 +1362,15 @@ bin/libaddns.a: $(BINARY_PREREQS) $(LIBADDNS_OBJ)
 	@echo Linking non-shared library $@
 	@-$(AR) -rc $@ $(LIBADDNS_OBJ)
 
-bin/netapi.@SHLIBEXT@: $(BINARY_PREREQS) $(NETAPI_OBJ)
+bin/libnetapi.@SHLIBEXT@: $(BINARY_PREREQS) $(LIBNETAPI_OBJ)
 	@echo Linking shared library $@
-	@$(SHLD_DSO) $(NETAPI_OBJ) $(LIBS) \
+	@$(SHLD_DSO) $(LIBNETAPI_OBJ) $(LIBS) \
 		$(LDAP_LIBS) $(KRB5LIBS) $(NSCD_LIBS) \
 		@SONAMEFLAG@`basename $@`.$(SONAME_VER)
 
-bin/netapi.a: $(BINARY_PREREQS) $(NETAPI_OBJ)
+bin/libnetapi.a: $(BINARY_PREREQS) $(LIBNETAPI_OBJ)
 	@echo Linking non-shared library $@
-	@-$(AR) -rc $@ $(NETAPI_OBJ)
+	@-$(AR) -rc $@ $(LIBNETAPI_OBJ)
 
 bin/libsmbclient.@SHLIBEXT@: $(BINARY_PREREQS) $(LIBSMBCLIENT_OBJ)
 	@echo Linking shared library $@
diff --git a/source/exports/libnetapi.syms b/source/exports/libnetapi.syms
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..eb34bfc012a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/exports/libnetapi.syms
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+	global: *;
+};
diff --git a/source/lib/netapi/netapi.c b/source/lib/netapi/netapi.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3da492bbe7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/lib/netapi/netapi.c
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+/*
+ *  Unix SMB/CIFS implementation.
+ *  NetApi Support
+ *  Copyright (C) Guenther Deschner 2007
+ *
+ *  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ *  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ *  the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
+ *  (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ *  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ *  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ *  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ *  GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ *  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ *  along with this program; if not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+#include "includes.h"
+#include "lib/netapi/netapi.h"
+
+extern bool AllowDebugChange;
+
+static bool libnetapi_initialized = false;
+
+WERROR libnetapi_init(struct libnetapi_ctx **context)
+{
+	struct libnetapi_ctx *ctx = NULL;
+	TALLOC_CTX *frame = NULL;
+
+	if (libnetapi_initialized) {
+		return WERR_OK;
+	}
+
+	frame = talloc_stackframe();
+
+	ctx = talloc_zero(frame, struct libnetapi_ctx);
+	if (!ctx) {
+		TALLOC_FREE(frame);
+		return WERR_NOMEM;
+	}
+
+	DEBUGLEVEL = 0;
+	DEBUGLEVEL_CLASS[DBGC_ALL] = 0;
+	dbf = x_stderr;
+	x_setbuf(x_stderr, NULL);
+	AllowDebugChange = false;
+
+	load_case_tables();
+
+	setup_logging("libnetapi", true);
+
+	if (!lp_load(get_dyn_CONFIGFILE(), true, false, false, false)) {
+		TALLOC_FREE(frame);
+		return WERR_GENERAL_FAILURE;
+	}
+
+	init_names();
+	load_interfaces();
+	reopen_logs();
+
+	BlockSignals(True, SIGPIPE);
+
+	libnetapi_initialized = true;
+
+	*context = ctx;
+
+	return WERR_OK;
+}
+
+WERROR libnetapi_free(struct libnetapi_ctx *ctx)
+{
+	TALLOC_FREE(ctx);
+	return WERR_OK;
+}
diff --git a/source/lib/netapi/netapi.h b/source/lib/netapi/netapi.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ad9fbe42097
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/lib/netapi/netapi.h
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+/*
+ *  Unix SMB/CIFS implementation.
+ *  NetApi Support
+ *  Copyright (C) Guenther Deschner 2007
+ *
+ *  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ *  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ *  the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
+ *  (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ *  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ *  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ *  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ *  GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ *  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ *  along with this program; if not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+struct libnetapi_ctx {
+	int debuglevel;
+};
+
+WERROR libnetapi_init(struct libnetapi_ctx **ctx);
+
+#include "joindomain.h"