diff --git a/include/libtorrent/random.hpp b/include/libtorrent/random.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f45f1caf0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/libtorrent/random.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#include <boost/cstdint.hpp>
+
+namespace libtorrent
+{
+	void random_seed(boost::uint32_t v);
+	boost::uint32_t random();
+}
diff --git a/src/random.cpp b/src/random.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..84a817615
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/random.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+#include "libtorrent/random.hpp"
+
+namespace libtorrent
+{
+
+	namespace
+	{
+		uint32_t x = 123456789;
+	}
+
+	void random_seed(boost::uint32_t v)
+	{
+		x = v;
+	}
+
+	// this is an xorshift random number generator
+	// see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xorshift
+	boost::uint32_t random()
+	{
+		static uint32_t y = 362436069;
+		static uint32_t z = 521288629;
+		static uint32_t w = 88675123;
+		uint32_t t;
+
+		t = x ^ (x << 11);
+		x = y; y = z; z = w;
+		return w = w ^ (w >> 19) ^ (t ^ (t >> 8));
+	}
+}
+