diff --git a/src/pkg/exp/ssh/client.go b/src/pkg/exp/ssh/client.go
index 9223b6c3cf2..fe76db16c4b 100644
--- a/src/pkg/exp/ssh/client.go
+++ b/src/pkg/exp/ssh/client.go
@@ -258,51 +258,71 @@ func (c *ClientConn) openChan(typ string) (*clientChan, os.Error) {
 // mainloop reads incoming messages and routes channel messages
 // to their respective ClientChans.
 func (c *ClientConn) mainLoop() {
+	// TODO(dfc) signal the underlying close to all channels
+	defer c.Close()
 	for {
 		packet, err := c.readPacket()
 		if err != nil {
-			// TODO(dfc) signal the underlying close to all channels
-			c.Close()
-			return
+			break
 		}
 		// TODO(dfc) A note on blocking channel use. 
 		// The msg, win, data and dataExt channels of a clientChan can 
 		// cause this loop to block indefinately if the consumer does 
 		// not service them. 
-		switch msg := decode(packet).(type) {
-		case *channelOpenMsg:
-			c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
-		case *channelOpenConfirmMsg:
-			c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
-		case *channelOpenFailureMsg:
-			c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
-		case *channelCloseMsg:
-			ch := c.getChan(msg.PeersId)
-			close(ch.win)
-			close(ch.data)
-			close(ch.dataExt)
-			c.chanlist.remove(msg.PeersId)
-		case *channelEOFMsg:
-			c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
-		case *channelRequestSuccessMsg:
-			c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
-		case *channelRequestFailureMsg:
-			c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
-		case *channelRequestMsg:
-			c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
-		case *windowAdjustMsg:
-			c.getChan(msg.PeersId).win <- int(msg.AdditionalBytes)
-		case *channelData:
-			c.getChan(msg.PeersId).data <- msg.Payload
-		case *channelExtendedData:
-			// RFC 4254 5.2 defines data_type_code 1 to be data destined 
-			// for stderr on interactive sessions. Other data types are
-			// silently discarded.
-			if msg.Datatype == 1 {
-				c.getChan(msg.PeersId).dataExt <- msg.Payload
+		switch packet[0] {
+		case msgChannelData:
+			if len(packet) < 9 {
+				// malformed data packet
+				break
+			}
+			peersId := uint32(packet[1])<<24 | uint32(packet[2])<<16 | uint32(packet[3])<<8 | uint32(packet[4])
+			if length := int(packet[5])<<24 | int(packet[6])<<16 | int(packet[7])<<8 | int(packet[8]); length > 0 {
+				packet = packet[9:]
+				c.getChan(peersId).data <- packet[:length]
+			}
+		case msgChannelExtendedData:
+			if len(packet) < 13 {
+				// malformed data packet
+				break
+			}
+			peersId := uint32(packet[1])<<24 | uint32(packet[2])<<16 | uint32(packet[3])<<8 | uint32(packet[4])
+			datatype := uint32(packet[5])<<24 | uint32(packet[6])<<16 | uint32(packet[7])<<8 | uint32(packet[8])
+			if length := int(packet[9])<<24 | int(packet[10])<<16 | int(packet[11])<<8 | int(packet[12]); length > 0 {
+				packet = packet[13:]
+				// RFC 4254 5.2 defines data_type_code 1 to be data destined 
+				// for stderr on interactive sessions. Other data types are
+				// silently discarded.
+				if datatype == 1 {
+					c.getChan(peersId).dataExt <- packet[:length]
+				}
 			}
 		default:
-			fmt.Printf("mainLoop: unhandled %#v\n", msg)
+			switch msg := decode(packet).(type) {
+			case *channelOpenMsg:
+				c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
+			case *channelOpenConfirmMsg:
+				c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
+			case *channelOpenFailureMsg:
+				c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
+			case *channelCloseMsg:
+				ch := c.getChan(msg.PeersId)
+				close(ch.win)
+				close(ch.data)
+				close(ch.dataExt)
+				c.chanlist.remove(msg.PeersId)
+			case *channelEOFMsg:
+				c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
+			case *channelRequestSuccessMsg:
+				c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
+			case *channelRequestFailureMsg:
+				c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
+			case *channelRequestMsg:
+				c.getChan(msg.PeersId).msg <- msg
+			case *windowAdjustMsg:
+				c.getChan(msg.PeersId).win <- int(msg.AdditionalBytes)
+			default:
+				fmt.Printf("mainLoop: unhandled %#v\n", msg)
+			}
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/pkg/exp/ssh/messages.go b/src/pkg/exp/ssh/messages.go
index 7771f2b242e..5f2c447142a 100644
--- a/src/pkg/exp/ssh/messages.go
+++ b/src/pkg/exp/ssh/messages.go
@@ -144,19 +144,6 @@ type channelOpenFailureMsg struct {
 	Language string
 }
 
-// See RFC 4254, section 5.2.
-type channelData struct {
-	PeersId uint32
-	Payload []byte `ssh:"rest"`
-}
-
-// See RFC 4254, section 5.2.
-type channelExtendedData struct {
-	PeersId  uint32
-	Datatype uint32
-	Payload  []byte `ssh:"rest"`
-}
-
 type channelRequestMsg struct {
 	PeersId             uint32
 	Request             string
@@ -612,10 +599,6 @@ func decode(packet []byte) interface{} {
 		msg = new(channelOpenFailureMsg)
 	case msgChannelWindowAdjust:
 		msg = new(windowAdjustMsg)
-	case msgChannelData:
-		msg = new(channelData)
-	case msgChannelExtendedData:
-		msg = new(channelExtendedData)
 	case msgChannelEOF:
 		msg = new(channelEOFMsg)
 	case msgChannelClose:
diff --git a/src/pkg/exp/ssh/server.go b/src/pkg/exp/ssh/server.go
index 3a640fc081e..0dd24ecd6ee 100644
--- a/src/pkg/exp/ssh/server.go
+++ b/src/pkg/exp/ssh/server.go
@@ -581,75 +581,89 @@ func (s *ServerConn) Accept() (Channel, os.Error) {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		switch msg := decode(packet).(type) {
-		case *channelOpenMsg:
-			c := new(channel)
-			c.chanType = msg.ChanType
-			c.theirId = msg.PeersId
-			c.theirWindow = msg.PeersWindow
-			c.maxPacketSize = msg.MaxPacketSize
-			c.extraData = msg.TypeSpecificData
-			c.myWindow = defaultWindowSize
-			c.serverConn = s
-			c.cond = sync.NewCond(&c.lock)
-			c.pendingData = make([]byte, c.myWindow)
-
+		switch packet[0] {
+		case msgChannelData:
+			if len(packet) < 9 {
+				// malformed data packet
+				return nil, ParseError{msgChannelData}
+			}
+			peersId := uint32(packet[1])<<24 | uint32(packet[2])<<16 | uint32(packet[3])<<8 | uint32(packet[4])
 			s.lock.Lock()
-			c.myId = s.nextChanId
-			s.nextChanId++
-			s.channels[c.myId] = c
-			s.lock.Unlock()
-			return c, nil
-
-		case *channelRequestMsg:
-			s.lock.Lock()
-			c, ok := s.channels[msg.PeersId]
+			c, ok := s.channels[peersId]
 			if !ok {
+				s.lock.Unlock()
 				continue
 			}
-			c.handlePacket(msg)
-			s.lock.Unlock()
-
-		case *channelData:
-			s.lock.Lock()
-			c, ok := s.channels[msg.PeersId]
-			if !ok {
-				continue
+			if length := int(packet[5])<<24 | int(packet[6])<<16 | int(packet[7])<<8 | int(packet[8]); length > 0 {
+				packet = packet[9:]
+				c.handleData(packet[:length])
 			}
-			c.handleData(msg.Payload)
 			s.lock.Unlock()
-
-		case *channelEOFMsg:
-			s.lock.Lock()
-			c, ok := s.channels[msg.PeersId]
-			if !ok {
-				continue
-			}
-			c.handlePacket(msg)
-			s.lock.Unlock()
-
-		case *channelCloseMsg:
-			s.lock.Lock()
-			c, ok := s.channels[msg.PeersId]
-			if !ok {
-				continue
-			}
-			c.handlePacket(msg)
-			s.lock.Unlock()
-
-		case *globalRequestMsg:
-			if msg.WantReply {
-				if err := s.writePacket([]byte{msgRequestFailure}); err != nil {
-					return nil, err
-				}
-			}
-
-		case UnexpectedMessageError:
-			return nil, msg
-		case *disconnectMsg:
-			return nil, os.EOF
 		default:
-			// Unknown message. Ignore.
+			switch msg := decode(packet).(type) {
+			case *channelOpenMsg:
+				c := new(channel)
+				c.chanType = msg.ChanType
+				c.theirId = msg.PeersId
+				c.theirWindow = msg.PeersWindow
+				c.maxPacketSize = msg.MaxPacketSize
+				c.extraData = msg.TypeSpecificData
+				c.myWindow = defaultWindowSize
+				c.serverConn = s
+				c.cond = sync.NewCond(&c.lock)
+				c.pendingData = make([]byte, c.myWindow)
+
+				s.lock.Lock()
+				c.myId = s.nextChanId
+				s.nextChanId++
+				s.channels[c.myId] = c
+				s.lock.Unlock()
+				return c, nil
+
+			case *channelRequestMsg:
+				s.lock.Lock()
+				c, ok := s.channels[msg.PeersId]
+				if !ok {
+					s.lock.Unlock()
+					continue
+				}
+				c.handlePacket(msg)
+				s.lock.Unlock()
+
+			case *channelEOFMsg:
+				s.lock.Lock()
+				c, ok := s.channels[msg.PeersId]
+				if !ok {
+					s.lock.Unlock()
+					continue
+				}
+				c.handlePacket(msg)
+				s.lock.Unlock()
+
+			case *channelCloseMsg:
+				s.lock.Lock()
+				c, ok := s.channels[msg.PeersId]
+				if !ok {
+					s.lock.Unlock()
+					continue
+				}
+				c.handlePacket(msg)
+				s.lock.Unlock()
+
+			case *globalRequestMsg:
+				if msg.WantReply {
+					if err := s.writePacket([]byte{msgRequestFailure}); err != nil {
+						return nil, err
+					}
+				}
+
+			case UnexpectedMessageError:
+				return nil, msg
+			case *disconnectMsg:
+				return nil, os.EOF
+			default:
+				// Unknown message. Ignore.
+			}
 		}
 	}