diff --git a/src/librmb/Makefile.am b/src/librmb/Makefile.am
index 73736325..4a1d93fa 100644
--- a/src/librmb/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/librmb/Makefile.am
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ headers = \
 	rados-storage-impl.h \
 	rados-dictionary-impl.h \
 	rados-mail-object.h \
-	rados-util.h
+	rados-util.h \
+	rados-metadata.h \
+	rados-types.h
 
 librmb_la_SOURCES = \
     $(headers) \
diff --git a/src/librmb/rados-mail-object.h b/src/librmb/rados-mail-object.h
index ff1f83e2..3b70cb78 100644
--- a/src/librmb/rados-mail-object.h
+++ b/src/librmb/rados-mail-object.h
@@ -16,122 +16,16 @@
 #include <iostream>
 #include <sstream>
 #include <map>
-
+#include "rados-metadata.h"
+#include "rados-types.h"
 #include <rados/librados.hpp>
 
 #define GUID_128_SIZE 16
 
 namespace librmb {
 
-enum rbox_metadata_key {
-  /*
-   * mailbox global unique id the mail currently is in.
-   */
-  RBOX_METADATA_MAILBOX_GUID = 'M',
-  /* Globally unique identifier for the message. Preserved when
-     copying. */
-  RBOX_METADATA_GUID = 'G',
-  /* POP3 UIDL overriding the default format */
-  RBOX_METADATA_POP3_UIDL = 'P',
-  /* POP3 message ordering (for migrated mails) */
-  RBOX_METADATA_POP3_ORDER = 'O',
-  /* Received UNIX timestamp in hex */
-  RBOX_METADATA_RECEIVED_TIME = 'R',
-  /* Physical message size in hex. Necessary only if it differs from
-     the dbox_message_header.message_size_hex, for example because the
-     message is compressed. */
-  RBOX_METADATA_PHYSICAL_SIZE = 'Z',
-  /* Virtual message size in hex (line feeds counted as CRLF) */
-  RBOX_METADATA_VIRTUAL_SIZE = 'V',
-  /* Pointer to external message data. Format is:
-     1*(<start offset> <byte count> <options> <ref>) */
-  RBOX_METADATA_EXT_REF = 'X',
-  /* Mailbox name where this message was originally saved to.
-     When rebuild finds a message whose mailbox is unknown, it's
-     placed to this mailbox. */
-  RBOX_METADATA_ORIG_MAILBOX = 'B',
-
-  RBOX_METADATA_MAIL_UID = 'U',
-  RBOX_METADATA_VERSION = 'I',
-  /*
-   * Mails from envelope
-   */
-  RBOX_METADATA_FROM_ENVELOPE = 'A',
-  RBOX_METADATA_PVT_FLAGS = 'C',
-  /* metadata used by old Dovecot versions */
-  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_EXPUNGED = 'E',
-  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_FLAGS = 'F',
-  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_KEYWORDS = 'K',
-  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_SAVE_TIME = 'S',
-  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_SPACE = ' '
-};
-
-class RadosMetadata {
- public:
-
-  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const std::string& val) {
-    convert(_key, val);
-  }
-
-  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const time_t& val) {
-    convert(_key, val);
-  }
-
-  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const char* val) {
-    convert(_key, val);
-  }
-
-  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const uint& val) {
-    convert(_key, val);
-  }
 
-  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const size_t& val) {
-    convert(_key, val);
-  }
- public:
-  ceph::bufferlist &get_bl();
-  std::string &get_key();
 
-  void convert(const char* value, time_t* t) {
-    std::istringstream stream(value);
-    stream >> *t;
-  }
- public:
-  ceph::bufferlist bl;
-  std::string key;
-
- private:
-
-  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const std::string& val) {
-    key = enum_to_string(_key);
-    bl.append(val);
-  }
-
-  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const time_t& time) {
-    key = enum_to_string(_key);
-    bl.append(std::to_string(time));
-  }
-
-  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, char* value) {
-    key = enum_to_string(_key);
-    bl.append(value);
-  }
-
-  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const uint& value) {
-    key = enum_to_string(_key);
-    bl.append(std::to_string(value));
-  }
-
-  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const size_t& value) {
-    key = enum_to_string(_key);
-    bl.append(std::to_string(static_cast<int>(value)));
-  }
-
-  std::string enum_to_string(enum rbox_metadata_key _key) {
-    std::string k(1, static_cast<char>(_key));
-    return k;
-  }
-};
 
 class RadosMailObject {
  public:
diff --git a/src/librmb/rados-metadata.h b/src/librmb/rados-metadata.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e25023b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/librmb/rados-metadata.h
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+// -*- mode:C++; tab-width:8; c-basic-offset:2; indent-tabs-mode:t -*-
+// vim: ts=8 sw=2 smarttab
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2017 Tallence AG and the authors
+ *
+ * This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License version 2.1, as published by the Free Software
+ * Foundation.  See file COPYING.
+ */
+
+#ifndef SRC_LIBRMB_RADOS_METADATA_H_
+#define SRC_LIBRMB_RADOS_METADATA_H_
+
+#include "rados-types.h"
+#include <string>
+#include "time.h"
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <rados/librados.hpp>
+
+namespace librmb {
+
+class RadosMetadata {
+ public:  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const std::string& val) { convert(_key, val); }
+
+  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const time_t& val) { convert(_key, val); }
+
+  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const char* val) { convert(_key, val); }
+
+  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const uint& val) { convert(_key, val); }
+
+  RadosMetadata(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const size_t& val) { convert(_key, val); }
+
+ public:
+  ceph::bufferlist& get_bl();
+  std::string& get_key();
+
+  void convert(const char* value, time_t* t) {
+    std::istringstream stream(value);
+    stream >> *t;
+  }
+
+ public:
+  ceph::bufferlist bl;
+  std::string key;
+
+ private:
+  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const std::string& val) {
+    key = enum_to_string(_key);
+    bl.append(val);
+  }
+
+  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const time_t& time) {
+    key = enum_to_string(_key);
+    bl.append(std::to_string(time));
+  }
+
+  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, char* value) {
+    key = enum_to_string(_key);
+    bl.append(value);
+  }
+
+  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const uint& value) {
+    key = enum_to_string(_key);
+    bl.append(std::to_string(value));
+  }
+
+  void convert(enum rbox_metadata_key _key, const size_t& value) {
+    key = enum_to_string(_key);
+    bl.append(std::to_string(static_cast<int>(value)));
+  }
+
+  std::string enum_to_string(enum rbox_metadata_key _key) {
+    std::string k(1, static_cast<char>(_key));
+    return k;
+  }
+};
+}  // end namespace
+#endif /* SRC_LIBRMB_RADOS_METADATA_H_ */
diff --git a/src/librmb/rados-types.h b/src/librmb/rados-types.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3dce2785
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/librmb/rados-types.h
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+// -*- mode:C++; tab-width:8; c-basic-offset:2; indent-tabs-mode:t -*-
+// vim: ts=8 sw=2 smarttab
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2017 Tallence AG and the authors
+ *
+ * This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License version 2.1, as published by the Free Software
+ * Foundation.  See file COPYING.
+ */
+
+#ifndef SRC_LIBRMB_RADOS_TYPES_H_
+#define SRC_LIBRMB_RADOS_TYPES_H_
+
+namespace librmb {
+
+enum rbox_metadata_key {
+  /*
+   * mailbox global unique id the mail currently is in.
+   */
+  RBOX_METADATA_MAILBOX_GUID = 'M',
+  /* Globally unique identifier for the message. Preserved when
+     copying. */
+  RBOX_METADATA_GUID = 'G',
+  /* POP3 UIDL overriding the default format */
+  RBOX_METADATA_POP3_UIDL = 'P',
+  /* POP3 message ordering (for migrated mails) */
+  RBOX_METADATA_POP3_ORDER = 'O',
+  /* Received UNIX timestamp in hex */
+  RBOX_METADATA_RECEIVED_TIME = 'R',
+  /* Physical message size in hex. Necessary only if it differs from
+     the dbox_message_header.message_size_hex, for example because the
+     message is compressed. */
+  RBOX_METADATA_PHYSICAL_SIZE = 'Z',
+  /* Virtual message size in hex (line feeds counted as CRLF) */
+  RBOX_METADATA_VIRTUAL_SIZE = 'V',
+  /* Pointer to external message data. Format is:
+     1*(<start offset> <byte count> <options> <ref>) */
+  RBOX_METADATA_EXT_REF = 'X',
+  /* Mailbox name where this message was originally saved to.
+     When rebuild finds a message whose mailbox is unknown, it's
+     placed to this mailbox. */
+  RBOX_METADATA_ORIG_MAILBOX = 'B',
+
+  RBOX_METADATA_MAIL_UID = 'U',
+  RBOX_METADATA_VERSION = 'I',
+  /*
+   * Mails from envelope
+   */
+  RBOX_METADATA_FROM_ENVELOPE = 'A',
+  RBOX_METADATA_PVT_FLAGS = 'C',
+  /* metadata used by old Dovecot versions */
+  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_EXPUNGED = 'E',
+  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_FLAGS = 'F',
+  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_KEYWORDS = 'K',
+  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_SAVE_TIME = 'S',
+  RBOX_METADATA_OLDV1_SPACE = ' '
+};
+}  // namespace
+#endif /* SRC_LIBRMB_RADOS_TYPES_H_ */
diff --git a/src/librmb/rados-util.h b/src/librmb/rados-util.h
index 67657e6c..f76a9955 100644
--- a/src/librmb/rados-util.h
+++ b/src/librmb/rados-util.h
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 #include <string>
 #include "time.h"
 #include <stdlib.h>
-#include "rados-mail-object.h"
+#include "rados-types.h"
 
 namespace librmb {