diff --git a/client/tests/kvm/tests/qmp_basic.py b/client/tests/kvm/tests/qmp_basic.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..89dbe6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/tests/kvm/tests/qmp_basic.py
@@ -0,0 +1,268 @@
+import logging, json
+from autotest_lib.client.common_lib import error
+import kvm_subprocess, kvm_test_utils, kvm_utils
+
+def run_qmp_basic(test, params, env):
+    """
+    QMP Specification test-suite: this checks if the *basic* protocol conforms
+    to its specification.
+
+    Please, check it suite for details.
+    """
+    def fail_no_key(qmp_dict, key):
+        if not isinstance(qmp_dict, dict):
+            raise error.TestFail("qmp_dict is not a dict (it's '%s')" % type(qmp_dict))
+        if not key in qmp_dict:
+            raise error.TestFail("'%s' key doesn't exist in dict ('%s')"
+                                 % (key, str(qmp_dict)))
+
+    def check_dict_key(qmp_dict, key, keytype):
+        """
+        Performs the following checks on a QMP dict key:
+
+        1. qmp_dict is a dict
+        2. key exists in qmp_dict
+        3. key is of type keytype
+        
+        If any of these checks fails, error.TestFail is raised.
+        """
+        fail_no_key(qmp_dict, key)
+        if not isinstance(qmp_dict[key], keytype):
+            raise error.TestFail("'%s' key is not of type '%s', it's '%s'"
+                                 % (key, keytype, type(qmp_dict[key])))
+
+    def check_key_is_dict(qmp_dict, key):
+        check_dict_key(qmp_dict, key, dict)
+
+    def check_key_is_list(qmp_dict, key):
+        check_dict_key(qmp_dict, key, list)
+
+    def check_key_is_str(qmp_dict, key):
+        check_dict_key(qmp_dict, key, unicode)
+
+    def check_str_key(qmp_dict, keyname, value=None):
+        check_dict_key(qmp_dict, keyname, unicode)
+        if value and value != qmp_dict[keyname]:
+            raise error.TestFail("'%s' key value '%s' should be '%s'"
+                                 % (keyname, str(qmp_dict[keyname]), str(value)))
+
+    def check_key_is_int(qmp_dict, key):
+        fail_no_key(qmp_dict, key)
+        try:
+            value = int(qmp_dict[key])
+        except:
+            raise error.TestFail("'%s' key is not of type int, it's '%s'"
+                                 % (key, type(qmp_dict[key])))
+
+    def check_bool_key(qmp_dict, keyname, value=None):
+        check_dict_key(qmp_dict, keyname, bool)
+        if value and value != qmp_dict[keyname]:
+            raise error.TestFail("'%s' key value '%s' should be '%s'"
+                                 % (keyname, str(qmp_dict[keyname]), str(value)))
+
+    def check_success_resp(resp, empty=False):
+        check_key_is_dict(resp, "return")
+        if empty and len(resp["return"]) > 0:
+            raise error.TestFail("success response is not empty ('%s')"
+                                 % str(resp))
+
+    def check_error_resp(resp, classname=None, datadict=None):
+        check_key_is_dict(resp, "error")
+        check_key_is_str(resp["error"], "class")
+        if classname and resp["error"]["class"] != classname:
+            raise error.TestFail("error class is '%s' but should be '%s'"
+                                 % (resp["error"]["class"], classname))
+        check_key_is_dict(resp["error"], "data")
+        if datadict and resp["error"]["data"] != datadict:
+            raise error.TestFail("data dict is '%s' but should be '%s'"
+                                 % (resp["error"]["data"], datadict))
+
+    def test_version(version):
+        """
+        Test QMP greeting message's version key which, according to QMP's
+        documentation, should be:
+
+        { "qemu": { "major": json-int, "minor": json-int, "micro": json-int }
+          "package": json-string }
+        """
+        check_key_is_dict(version, "qemu")
+        for key in [ "major", "minor", "micro" ]:
+            check_key_is_int(version["qemu"], key)
+        check_key_is_str(version, "package")
+
+    def test_greeting(greeting):
+        check_key_is_dict(greeting, "QMP")
+        check_key_is_dict(greeting["QMP"], "version")
+        check_key_is_list(greeting["QMP"], "capabilities")
+
+    def greeting_suite(monitor):
+        """
+        Check QMP's greeting message which, according to QMP's spec section
+        '2.2 Server Greeting', is:
+
+        { "QMP": { "version": json-object, "capabilities": json-array } }
+        """
+        greeting = monitor.get_greeting()
+        test_greeting(greeting)
+        test_version(greeting["QMP"]["version"])
+
+
+    def json_parsing_suite(monitor):
+        """
+        Check the QMP's parser conforms to the JSON's spec (RFC 4627).
+        """
+        # We're quite simple right now and the focus is parsing problems
+        # that have already biten us in the past.
+        #
+        # However, the following test-cases are missing:
+        #
+        #   - JSON numbers, strings and arrays
+        #   - More invalid characters or malformed structures
+        #   - Valid, but not obvious syntax (like zillion of spaces or
+        #     strings with unicode chars)
+        bad_json = []
+        
+        # A JSON value MUST be an object, array, number, string, or true,
+        # false, null
+        #
+        # NOTE: QMP seems to ignore a number of chars, like: | and ?
+        bad_json.append(":")
+        bad_json.append(",")
+
+        # Malformed json-objects
+        #
+        # NOTE: sending only "}" seems to break QMP
+        # NOTE: Duplicate keys are accepted (should it?)
+        bad_json.append("{ \"execute\" }")
+        bad_json.append("{ \"execute\": \"query-version\", }")
+        bad_json.append("{ 1: \"query-version\" }")
+        bad_json.append("{ true: \"query-version\" }")
+        bad_json.append("{ []: \"query-version\" }")
+        bad_json.append("{ {}: \"query-version\" }")
+
+        for cmd in bad_json:
+            resp = monitor.send(cmd)
+            check_error_resp(resp, "JSONParsing")
+
+
+    def test_id_key(monitor):
+        """
+        Check if QMP's "id" key is handled correctly.
+        """
+        # The "id" key must be echoed back in error responses
+        id = "kvm-autotest"
+        resp = monitor.send_cmd({ "execute": "eject", "id": id,
+                                  "arguments": { "foobar": True }})
+        check_error_resp(resp)
+        check_str_key(resp, "id", id)
+
+        # The "id" key must be echoed back in success responses
+        resp = monitor.send_cmd({ "execute": "query-status", "id": id })
+        check_success_resp(resp)
+        check_str_key(resp, "id", id)
+
+        # The "id" key can be any json-object
+        for id in [ True, 1234, "string again!", [1, 2, 3, 4], { "key": {} } ]:
+            resp = monitor.send_cmd({ "execute": "query-status", "id": id })
+            check_success_resp(resp)
+            if resp["id"] != id:
+                raise error.TestFail("expected id '%s' but got '%s'"
+                                     % (str(id), str(resp["id"])))
+
+    def test_invalid_arg_key(monitor):
+        """
+        Currently, the only supported keys in the input object are: "execute",
+        "arguments" and "id". Although expansion is supported, invalid key
+        names must be detected.
+        """
+        resp = monitor.send_cmd({ "execute": "eject", "foobar": True })
+        check_error_resp(resp, "QMPExtraInputObjectMember",
+                         { "member": "foobar" })
+
+    def test_arguments_key(monitor):
+        """
+        The "arguments" key must be an json-object.
+        
+        We use the eject command to perform the tests, but that's a random
+        choice, any command that accepts arguments will do.
+        """
+        for item in [ True, [], 1, "foo" ]:
+            resp = monitor.send_cmd({ "execute": "eject", "arguments": item })
+            check_error_resp(resp, "QMPBadInputObjectMember",
+                             { "member": "arguments", "expected": "object" })
+
+    def test_execute_key_type(monitor):
+        """
+        The "execute" key must be a json-string.
+        """
+        for item in [ False, 1, {}, [] ]:
+            resp = monitor.send_cmd({ "execute": item })
+            check_error_resp(resp, "QMPBadInputObjectMember",
+                             { "member": "execute", "expected": "string" })
+
+    def test_no_execute_key(monitor):
+        """
+        The "execute" key must exist, we also test for some stupid parsing
+        errors.
+        """
+        for cmd in [ {}, { "execut": "qmp_capabilities" },
+                     { "executee": "qmp_capabilities" }, { "foo": "bar" }]:
+            resp = monitor.send_cmd(cmd)
+            check_error_resp(resp) # XXX: check class and data dict?
+
+    def test_input_obj_type(monitor):
+        """
+        The input object must be... an object.
+        """
+        for cmd in [ "foo", [], True, 1 ]:
+            resp = monitor.send_cmd(cmd)
+            check_error_resp(resp, "QMPBadInputObject", { "expected":"object" })
+
+    def input_object_suite(monitor):
+        """
+        Check QMP's input object which, according to QMP's spec section
+        '2.3 Issuing Commands', is:
+
+        { "execute": json-string, "arguments": json-object, "id": json-value }
+        """
+        test_input_obj_type(monitor)
+        test_no_execute_key(monitor)
+        test_execute_key_type(monitor)
+        test_arguments_key(monitor)
+        test_invalid_arg_key(monitor)
+        test_id_key(monitor)
+
+    def argument_checker_suite(monitor):
+        """
+        Checks if QMP's argument checker is detecting all possible errors.
+
+        We use a number of different commands to perform the checks, but most
+        of the time the command used doesn't matter because QMP performs the
+        argument checking _before_ calling the command.
+        """
+        # system_reset doesn't take arguments
+        resp = monitor.send_cmd({ "execute": "system_reset", "arguments": { "foo": 1 }})
+        check_error_resp(resp, "InvalidParameter", { "name": "foo" })
+
+    def unknown_commands_suite(monitor):
+        """
+        Check if QMP handles unknown commands correctly.
+        """
+        # We also call a HMP-only command, to be sure it will fail as expected
+        for cmd in [ "bar", "query-", "query-foo", "q", "help" ]:
+            resp = monitor.send_cmd({ "execute": cmd })
+            check_error_resp(resp, "CommandNotFound", { "name": cmd })
+
+
+    vm = kvm_test_utils.get_living_vm(env, params.get("main_vm"))
+
+    # Run all suites
+    greeting_suite(vm.monitor)
+    json_parsing_suite(vm.monitor)
+    input_object_suite(vm.monitor)
+    argument_checker_suite(vm.monitor)
+    unknown_commands_suite(vm.monitor)
+
+    # check if QMP is still alive
+    resp = vm.monitor.cmd("query-status")
+    check_bool_key(resp, "running", True)
diff --git a/client/tests/kvm/tests_base.cfg.sample b/client/tests/kvm/tests_base.cfg.sample
index 167e86d..8eaefca 100644
--- a/client/tests/kvm/tests_base.cfg.sample
+++ b/client/tests/kvm/tests_base.cfg.sample
@@ -456,6 +456,9 @@ variants:
             - fmt_raw:
                 image_format_stg = raw
 
+    - qmp_basic: install setup unattended_install.cdrom
+        type = qmp_basic
+
     - vlan_tag:  install setup unattended_install.cdrom
         type = vlan_tag
         # subnet should not be used by host
