diff --git a/lib/puppet/provider/network_device.rb b/lib/puppet/provider/network_device.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..58865fddc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/puppet/provider/network_device.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+
+# This is the base class of all prefetched network device provider
+class Puppet::Provider::NetworkDevice < Puppet::Provider
+
+  def self.lookup(url, name)
+    raise "This provider doesn't implement the necessary lookup method"
+  end
+
+  def self.prefetch(resources)
+    resources.each do |name, resource|
+      if result = lookup(resource[:device_url], name)
+        result[:ensure] = :present
+        resource.provider = new(result)
+      else
+        resource.provider = new(:ensure => :absent)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  def exists?
+    @property_hash[:ensure] != :absent
+  end
+
+  def initialize(*args)
+    super
+
+    # Make a duplicate, so that we have a copy for comparison
+    # at the end.
+    @properties = @property_hash.dup
+  end
+
+  def create
+    @property_hash[:ensure] = :present
+    self.class.resource_type.validproperties.each do |property|
+      if val = resource.should(property)
+        @property_hash[property] = val
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  def destroy
+    @property_hash[:ensure] = :absent
+  end
+
+  def flush
+    @property_hash.clear
+  end
+
+  def self.instances
+  end
+
+  def former_properties
+    @properties.dup
+  end
+
+  def properties
+    @property_hash.dup
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/unit/provider/network_device_spec.rb b/spec/unit/provider/network_device_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3e6d382ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/unit/provider/network_device_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby
+
+require File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../../spec_helper'
+
+require 'puppet/provider/network_device'
+
+Puppet::Type.type(:vlan).provide :test, :parent => Puppet::Provider::NetworkDevice do
+  mk_resource_methods
+  def self.lookup(device_url, name)
+  end
+end
+
+provider_class = Puppet::Type.type(:vlan).provider(:test)
+
+describe provider_class do
+  before do
+    @resource = stub("resource", :name => "test")
+    @provider = provider_class.new(@resource)
+  end
+
+  it "should be able to prefetch instances from the device" do
+    provider_class.should respond_to(:prefetch)
+  end
+
+  it "should have an instances method" do
+    provider_class.should respond_to(:instances)
+  end
+
+  describe "when prefetching" do
+    before do
+      @resource = stub_everything 'resource'
+      @resources = {"200" => @resource}
+      provider_class.stubs(:lookup)
+    end
+
+    it "should lookup an entry for each passed resource" do
+      provider_class.expects(:lookup).with(nil, "200").returns nil
+
+      provider_class.stubs(:new)
+      @resource.stubs(:provider=)
+      provider_class.prefetch(@resources)
+    end
+
+    describe "resources that do not exist" do
+      it "should create a provider with :ensure => :absent" do
+        provider_class.stubs(:lookup).returns(nil)
+        provider_class.expects(:new).with(:ensure => :absent).returns "myprovider"
+        @resource.expects(:provider=).with("myprovider")
+        provider_class.prefetch(@resources)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe "resources that exist" do
+      it "should create a provider with the results of the find and ensure at present" do
+        provider_class.stubs(:lookup).returns({ :name => "200", :description => "myvlan"})
+
+        provider_class.expects(:new).with(:name => "200", :description => "myvlan", :ensure => :present).returns "myprovider"
+        @resource.expects(:provider=).with("myprovider")
+
+        provider_class.prefetch(@resources)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "when being initialized" do
+    describe "with a hash" do
+      before do
+        @resource_class = mock 'resource_class'
+        provider_class.stubs(:resource_type).returns @resource_class
+
+        @property_class = stub 'property_class', :array_matching => :all, :superclass => Puppet::Property
+        @resource_class.stubs(:attrclass).with(:one).returns(@property_class)
+        @resource_class.stubs(:valid_parameter?).returns true
+      end
+
+      it "should store a copy of the hash as its vlan_properties" do
+        instance = provider_class.new(:one => :two)
+        instance.former_properties.should == {:one => :two}
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "when an instance" do
+    before do
+      @instance = provider_class.new
+
+      @property_class = stub 'property_class', :array_matching => :all, :superclass => Puppet::Property
+      @resource_class = stub 'resource_class', :attrclass => @property_class, :valid_parameter? => true, :validproperties => [:description]
+      provider_class.stubs(:resource_type).returns @resource_class
+    end
+
+    it "should have a method for creating the instance" do
+      @instance.should respond_to(:create)
+    end
+
+    it "should have a method for removing the instance" do
+      @instance.should respond_to(:destroy)
+    end
+
+    it "should indicate when the instance already exists" do
+      @instance = provider_class.new(:ensure => :present)
+      @instance.exists?.should be_true
+    end
+
+    it "should indicate when the instance does not exist" do
+      @instance = provider_class.new(:ensure => :absent)
+      @instance.exists?.should be_false
+    end
+
+    describe "is being flushed" do
+      it "should flush properties" do
+        @instance = provider_class.new(:ensure => :present, :name => "200", :description => "myvlan")
+        @instance.flush
+        @instance.properties.should be_empty
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe "is being created" do
+      before do
+        @rclass = mock 'resource_class'
+        @rclass.stubs(:validproperties).returns([:description])
+        @resource = stub_everything 'resource'
+        @resource.stubs(:class).returns @rclass
+        @resource.stubs(:should).returns nil
+        @instance.stubs(:resource).returns @resource
+      end
+
+      it "should set its :ensure value to :present" do
+        @instance.create
+        @instance.properties[:ensure].should == :present
+      end
+
+      it "should set all of the other attributes from the resource" do
+        @resource.expects(:should).with(:description).returns "myvlan"
+
+        @instance.create
+        @instance.properties[:description].should == "myvlan"
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe "is being destroyed" do
+      it "should set its :ensure value to :absent" do
+        @instance.destroy
+        @instance.properties[:ensure].should == :absent
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end