diff --git a/confluent/console.py b/confluent/console.py
index 84e20b54..0d3d94ab 100644
--- a/confluent/console.py
+++ b/confluent/console.py
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 #we track nodes that are actively being logged, watched, or have attached
 #there should be no more than one handler per node
 import confluent.pluginapi as plugin
+import confluent.util as util
+
 _handled_consoles = {}
 
 class _ConsoleHandler(object):
@@ -15,16 +17,26 @@ class _ConsoleHandler(object):
         self._console = plugin.handle_path("/node/%s/_console/session" % node,
             "create", configmanager)
         self._console.connect(self.get_console_output)
+        self.rcpts = []
+
+    def register_rcpt(self, callback):
+        self.rcpts.append(callback)
 
     def get_console_output(self, data):
         #TODO: logging, forwarding, etc
-        print "huzzah"
-        print data
+        for rcpt in self.rcpts:
+            rcpt(data)
+
+    def write(self, data):
+        #TODO.... take note of data coming in from audit/log perspective?
+        #or just let echo take care of it and then we can skip this stack
+        #level?
+        self._console.write(data)
 
 #this represents some api view of a console handler.  This handles things like
 #holding the caller specific queue data, for example, when http api should be
 #sending data, but there is no outstanding POST request to hold it, 
-# this object has the job of halding the data
+# this object has the job of holding the data
 class ConsoleSession(object):
     """Create a new socket to converse with node console
 
@@ -36,10 +48,31 @@ class ConsoleSession(object):
     """
 
     def __init__(self, node, configmanager):
+        self.databuffer = ""
         if node not in _handled_consoles:
             _handled_consoles[node] = _ConsoleHandler(node, configmanager)
-        pass
-    # TODO(jbjohnso): actually do the cool stuff
+        self.conshdl = _handled_consoles[node]
+        self.write = _handled_consoles[node].write
+        _handled_consoles[node].register_rcpt(self.got_data)
+
+    def got_data(self, data):
+        self.databuffer += data
+
+    def get_next_output(self, timeout=45):
+        """Poll for next available output on this console.
+
+        Ideally purely event driven scheme is perfect.  AJAX over HTTP is
+        at least one case where we don't have that luxury
+        """
+        currtime = util.monotonic_time()
+        deadline = currtime + 45
+        while len(self.databuffer) == 0 and currtime < deadline:
+            timeo = deadline - currtime
+            self.conshdl.wait_for_data(timeout=timeo)
+            currtime = util.monotonic_time()
+        retval = self.databuffer
+        self.databuffer = ""
+        return retval
 
 
 def handle_request(request=None, connection=None, releaseconnection=False):
diff --git a/confluent/httpapi.py b/confluent/httpapi.py
index 43573074..b8e3d7b6 100644
--- a/confluent/httpapi.py
+++ b/confluent/httpapi.py
@@ -19,14 +19,14 @@ consolesessions = {}
 
 def _get_query_dict(qstring, reqbody, reqtype):
     qdict = {}
-    if not qstring:
-        return qdict
-    for qpair in qstring.split('&'):
-        qkey, qvalue = qpair.split('=')
-        qdict[qkey] = qvalue
+    if qstring:
+        for qpair in qstring.split('&'):
+            qkey, qvalue = qpair.split('=')
+            qdict[qkey] = qvalue
     if reqbody is not None:
-        if reqtype == "application/x-www-form-urlencoded":
+        if "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" in reqtype:
             print reqbody
+            raise(Exception("TODO: must actually do url form encode parse here"))
     return qdict
 
 
@@ -120,6 +120,21 @@ def resourcehandler(env, start_response):
             start_response('200 OK', [('Content-Type',
                 'application/json; charset=utf-8')])
             return ['{"session":"%s","data":""}' % sessid]
+        elif 'keys' in querydict.keys():
+            # client wishes to push some keys into the remote console
+            input = ""
+            for idx in xrange(0, len(querydict['keys'])):
+                input += chr(int(querydict['keys'][idx:idx+2]))
+            print "taking in "+input
+            sessid = querydict['session']
+            consolesessions[sessid].write(input)
+            start_response('200 OK', [('Content-Type',
+                'application/json; charset=utf-8')])
+            return # client has requests to send or receive, not both...
+        else: #no keys, but a session, means it's hooking to receive data
+             outdata = consolesessions[sessid].get_next_output(timeout=45)
+             json = '{"session":"%s","data":"%s"}'%(querydict['session'],
+                                                    outdata)
     start_response('404 Not Found', [])
     return ["Unrecognized directive (404)"]
 
diff --git a/plugins/ipmi.py b/plugins/ipmi.py
index ddeb3473..411d20a5 100644
--- a/plugins/ipmi.py
+++ b/plugins/ipmi.py
@@ -72,6 +72,20 @@ class Console(object):
     def write(self, data):
         self.solconnection.send_data(data)
 
+    def wait_for_data(self, timeout=600):
+        """Wait for some network event.
+
+        This is currently not guaranteed to actually have data when
+        return.  This is supposed to be something more appropriate
+        than sleep(0), but only marginally so.
+        """
+        # reason for this is that we currently nicely pass through the callback
+        # straight to ipmi library.  To implement this accurately, easiest path
+        # would be to add a layer through the callback.  IMO there isn't enough
+        # value in assuring data coming back to bother with making the stack
+        # taller than it has to be
+        console.session.Session.wait_for_rsp(timeout=timeout)
+
 
 def create(nodes, element, configmanager):
     if element == '_console/session':