diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 9921b4c5..56accfe1 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ pub mod api_schema;
 pub mod server {
 
     pub mod environment;
+    mod worker_task;
+    pub use worker_task::*;
     pub mod formatter;
     #[macro_use]
     pub mod rest;
diff --git a/src/server/worker_task.rs b/src/server/worker_task.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4452b253
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/server/worker_task.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+use failure::*;
+use lazy_static::lazy_static;
+use chrono::Local;
+
+use tokio::sync::oneshot;
+use futures::*;
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, AtomicUsize, Ordering, ATOMIC_USIZE_INIT};
+
+use crate::tools::{self, FileLogger};
+
+const PROXMOX_BACKUP_TASK_DIR: &str = "/var/log/proxmox-backup/tasks";
+
+lazy_static! {
+    static ref WORKER_TASK_LIST: Mutex<HashMap<usize, Arc<WorkerTask>>> = Mutex::new(HashMap::new());
+}
+
+static WORKER_TASK_NEXT_ID: AtomicUsize = ATOMIC_USIZE_INIT;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct UPID {
+    pub pid: libc::pid_t,
+    pub pstart: u64,
+    pub starttime: i64,
+    pub task_id: usize,
+    pub worker_type: String,
+    pub worker_id: Option<String>,
+    pub username: String,
+    pub node: String,
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for UPID {
+
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter) -> std::fmt::Result {
+
+        let wid = if let Some(ref id) = self.worker_id { id } else { "" };
+
+        // Note: pstart can be > 32bit if uptime > 497 days, so this can result in
+        // more that 8 characters for pstart
+
+        write!(f, "UPID:{}:{:08X}:{:08X}:{:08X}:{}:{}:{}:",
+               self.node, self.pid, self.pstart, self.starttime, self.worker_type, wid, self.username)
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct WorkerTaskInfo {
+    upid: UPID,
+    progress: f64, // 0..1
+    abort_requested: bool,
+}
+
+pub fn running_worker_tasks() -> Vec<WorkerTaskInfo> {
+
+    let mut list = vec![];
+
+    for (_task_id, worker) in WORKER_TASK_LIST.lock().unwrap().iter() {
+        let data = worker.data.lock().unwrap();
+        let info = WorkerTaskInfo {
+            upid: worker.upid.clone(),
+            progress: data.progress,
+            abort_requested: worker.abort_requested.load(Ordering::SeqCst),
+        };
+        list.push(info);
+    }
+
+    list
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct WorkerTask {
+    upid: UPID,
+    data: Mutex<WorkerTaskData>,
+    abort_requested: AtomicBool,
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for WorkerTask {
+
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        self.upid.fmt(f)
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+struct WorkerTaskData {
+    logger: FileLogger,
+    progress: f64, // 0..1
+}
+
+impl Drop for WorkerTask {
+
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        println!("unregister worker");
+    }
+}
+
+impl WorkerTask {
+
+    fn new(worker_type: &str, worker_id: Option<String>, username: &str, to_stdout: bool) -> Result<Arc<Self>, Error> {
+        println!("register worker");
+
+        let pid = unsafe { libc::getpid() };
+
+        let task_id = WORKER_TASK_NEXT_ID.fetch_add(1, Ordering::SeqCst);
+
+        let upid = UPID {
+            pid,
+            pstart: tools::procfs::read_proc_starttime(pid)?,
+            starttime: Local::now().timestamp(),
+            task_id,
+            worker_type: worker_type.to_owned(),
+            worker_id,
+            username: username.to_owned(),
+            node: tools::nodename().to_owned(),
+        };
+
+        let mut path = std::path::PathBuf::from(PROXMOX_BACKUP_TASK_DIR);
+        path.push(format!("{:02X}", upid.pstart % 256));
+
+        let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(&path); // ignore errors here
+
+        path.push(upid.to_string());
+
+        println!("FILE: {:?}", path);
+
+        let logger = FileLogger::new(path, to_stdout)?;
+
+        let worker = Arc::new(Self {
+            upid: upid,
+            abort_requested: AtomicBool::new(false),
+            data: Mutex::new(WorkerTaskData {
+                logger,
+                progress: 0.0,
+            }),
+        });
+
+        WORKER_TASK_LIST.lock().unwrap().insert(task_id, worker.clone());
+
+        Ok(worker)
+    }
+
+    pub fn spawn<F, T>(worker_type: &str, worker_id: Option<String>, username: &str, to_stdout: bool, f: F) -> Result<(), Error>
+        where F: Send + 'static + FnOnce(Arc<WorkerTask>) -> T,
+              T: Send + 'static + Future<Item=(), Error=()>,
+    {
+        let worker = WorkerTask::new(worker_type, worker_id, username, to_stdout)?;
+        let task_id = worker.upid.task_id;
+
+        tokio::spawn(f(worker).then(move |_| {
+            WORKER_TASK_LIST.lock().unwrap().remove(&task_id);
+            Ok(())
+        }));
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    pub fn new_thread<F>(worker_type: &str, worker_id: Option<String>, username: &str, to_stdout: bool, f: F) -> Result<(), Error>
+        where F: Send + 'static + FnOnce(Arc<WorkerTask>) -> ()
+    {
+        println!("register worker thread");
+
+        let (p, c) = oneshot::channel::<()>();
+
+        let worker = WorkerTask::new(worker_type, worker_id, username, to_stdout)?;
+        let task_id = worker.upid.task_id;
+
+        let _child = std::thread::spawn(move || {
+
+
+            println!("start worker thread");
+            f(worker);
+            println!("end worker thread");
+
+            WORKER_TASK_LIST.lock().unwrap().remove(&task_id);
+
+            p.send(()).unwrap();
+        });
+
+        tokio::spawn(c.then(|_| Ok(())));
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    pub fn log<S: AsRef<str>>(&self, msg: S) {
+        let mut data = self.data.lock().unwrap();
+        data.logger.log(msg);
+    }
+
+    pub fn progress(&self, progress: f64) {
+        if progress >= 0.0 && progress <= 1.0 {
+            let mut data = self.data.lock().unwrap();
+            data.progress = progress;
+        } else {
+           // fixme:  log!("task '{}': ignoring strange value for progress '{}'", self.upid, progress);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // request_abort
+    pub fn request_abort(self) {
+        self.abort_requested.store(true, Ordering::SeqCst);
+    }
+
+    pub fn abort_requested(&self) -> bool {
+        self.abort_requested.load(Ordering::SeqCst)
+    }
+
+    pub fn fail_on_abort(&self) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        if self.abort_requested() {
+            bail!("task '{}': abort requested - aborting task", self.upid);
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+}