diff --git a/include/villas/memory.h b/include/villas/memory.h
index 9a3084544..bcf96a5a1 100644
--- a/include/villas/memory.h
+++ b/include/villas/memory.h
@@ -13,8 +13,10 @@
 
 #define HUGEPAGESIZE	(1 << 21)
 
-typedef void *(*memzone_allocator_t)(size_t len, size_t alignment);
-typedef int (*memzone_deallocator_t)(void *ptr, size_t len);
+struct memtype;
+
+typedef void *(*memzone_allocator_t)(struct memtype *mem, size_t len, size_t alignment);
+typedef int (*memzone_deallocator_t)(struct memtype *mem, void *ptr, size_t len);
 
 enum memtype_flags {
 	MEMORY_MMAP	= (1 << 0),
@@ -33,6 +35,26 @@ struct memtype {
 	memzone_deallocator_t free;
 };
 
+enum memblock_flags {
+  MEMBLOCK_USED = 1,
+};
+
+// Descriptor of a memory block. Associated block always starts at
+// &m + sizeof(struct memblock).
+struct memblock {
+  struct memblock* prev;
+  struct memblock* next;
+  size_t len;
+  int flags;
+};
+
+struct memtype_managed {
+  struct memtype mt;
+  void *base;
+  size_t len;
+  struct memblock *first;
+};
+
 /** @todo Unused for now */
 struct memzone {
 	struct memtype * const type;
@@ -50,13 +72,15 @@ int memory_init();
  * @retval NULL If allocation failed.
  * @retval <>0  If allocation was successful.
  */
-void * memory_alloc(const struct memtype *m, size_t len);
+void * memory_alloc(struct memtype *m, size_t len);
 
-void * memory_alloc_aligned(const struct memtype *m, size_t len, size_t alignment);
+void * memory_alloc_aligned(struct memtype *m, size_t len, size_t alignment);
 
-int memory_free(const struct memtype *m, void *ptr, size_t len);
+int memory_free(struct memtype *m, void *ptr, size_t len);
 
-extern const struct memtype memtype_heap;
-extern const struct memtype memtype_hugepage;
+struct memtype* memtype_managed_init(void *ptr, size_t len);
 
-#endif /* _MEMORY_H_ */
\ No newline at end of file
+extern struct memtype memtype_heap;
+extern struct memtype memtype_hugepage;
+
+#endif /* _MEMORY_H_ */
diff --git a/include/villas/pool.h b/include/villas/pool.h
index 38b017a7f..13f0e5d7b 100644
--- a/include/villas/pool.h
+++ b/include/villas/pool.h
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 /** A thread-safe memory pool */
 struct pool {
 	void *buffer;		/**< Address of the underlying memory area */
-	const struct memtype *mem;
+	struct memtype *mem;
 	
 	size_t len;		/**< Length of the underlying memory area */
 	
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ struct pool {
 #define INLINE static inline __attribute__((unused)) 
 
 /** Initiazlize a pool */
-int pool_init(struct pool *p, size_t cnt, size_t blocksz, const struct memtype *mem);
+int pool_init(struct pool *p, size_t cnt, size_t blocksz, struct memtype *mem);
 
 /** Destroy and release memory used by pool. */
 int pool_destroy(struct pool *p);
@@ -61,4 +61,4 @@ INLINE int pool_put(struct pool *p, void *buf)
 	return queue_push(&p->queue, buf);
 }
 
-#endif /* _POOL_H_ */
\ No newline at end of file
+#endif /* _POOL_H_ */
diff --git a/include/villas/queue.h b/include/villas/queue.h
index 50fa5aff9..17a76724b 100644
--- a/include/villas/queue.h
+++ b/include/villas/queue.h
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ typedef char cacheline_pad_t[CACHELINE_SIZE];
 struct queue {
 	cacheline_pad_t _pad0;	/**< Shared area: all threads read */
 
-	struct memtype const * mem;
+	struct memtype * mem;
 	size_t buffer_mask;
 	struct queue_cell {
 		atomic_size_t sequence;
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ struct queue {
 };
 
 /** Initialize MPMC queue */
-int queue_init(struct queue *q, size_t size, const struct memtype *mem);
+int queue_init(struct queue *q, size_t size, struct memtype *mem);
 
 /** Desroy MPMC queue and release memory */
 int queue_destroy(struct queue *q);
@@ -84,4 +84,4 @@ int queue_push_many(struct queue *q, void *ptr[], size_t cnt);
 
 int queue_pull_many(struct queue *q, void *ptr[], size_t cnt);
 
-#endif /* _MPMC_QUEUE_H_ */
\ No newline at end of file
+#endif /* _MPMC_QUEUE_H_ */
diff --git a/lib/memory.c b/lib/memory.c
index f8f2ebe8a..a8b9d708a 100644
--- a/lib/memory.c
+++ b/lib/memory.c
@@ -30,31 +30,31 @@ int memory_init()
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void * memory_alloc(const struct memtype *m, size_t len)
+void * memory_alloc(struct memtype *m, size_t len)
 {
-	void *ptr = m->alloc(len, sizeof(void *));
+	void *ptr = m->alloc(m, len, sizeof(void *));
 		
 	debug(DBG_MEM | 2, "Allocated %#zx bytes of %s memory: %p", len, m->name, ptr);
 
 	return ptr;
 }
 
-void * memory_alloc_aligned(const struct memtype *m, size_t len, size_t alignment)
+void * memory_alloc_aligned(struct memtype *m, size_t len, size_t alignment)
 {
-	void *ptr = m->alloc(len, alignment);
+	void *ptr = m->alloc(m, len, alignment);
 	
 	debug(DBG_MEM | 2, "Allocated %#zx bytes of %#zx-byte-aligned %s memory: %p", len, alignment, m->name, ptr);
 	
 	return ptr;
 }
 
-int memory_free(const struct memtype *m, void *ptr, size_t len)
+int memory_free(struct memtype *m, void *ptr, size_t len)
 {
 	debug(DBG_MEM | 2, "Releasing %#zx bytes of %s memory", len, m->name);
-	return m->free(ptr, len);
+	return m->free(m, ptr, len);
 }
 
-static void * memory_heap_alloc(size_t len, size_t alignment)
+static void * memory_heap_alloc(struct memtype *m, size_t len, size_t alignment)
 {
 	void *ptr;
 	int ret;
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ static void * memory_heap_alloc(size_t len, size_t alignment)
 	return ret ? NULL : ptr;
 }
 
-int memory_heap_free(void *ptr, size_t len)
+int memory_heap_free(struct memtype *m, void *ptr, size_t len)
 {
 	free(ptr);
 	
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ int memory_heap_free(void *ptr, size_t len)
 }
 
 /** Allocate memory backed by hugepages with malloc() like interface */
-static void * memory_hugepage_alloc(size_t len, size_t alignment)
+static void * memory_hugepage_alloc(struct memtype *m, size_t len, size_t alignment)
 {
 	int prot = PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE;
 	int flags = MAP_PRIVATE | MAP_ANONYMOUS;
@@ -96,15 +96,106 @@ static void * memory_hugepage_alloc(size_t len, size_t alignment)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static int memory_hugepage_free(void *ptr, size_t len)
+static int memory_hugepage_free(struct memtype *m, void *ptr, size_t len)
 {
 	len = ALIGN(len, HUGEPAGESIZE); /* ugly see: https://lkml.org/lkml/2015/3/27/171 */
 
 	return munmap(ptr, len);
 }
 
+void* memory_managed_alloc(struct memtype *m, size_t len, size_t alignment) {
+    // Simple first-fit allocation.
+    struct memtype_managed* man = (struct memtype_managed*) m;
+    struct memblock* block;
+    for (block = man->first; block != NULL; block = block->next) {
+        if (block->flags & MEMBLOCK_USED)
+            continue;
+        char* cptr = (char*) block + sizeof(struct memblock);
+        size_t avail = block->len;
+        uintptr_t uptr = (uintptr_t) cptr;
+        // check alignment first
+        uintptr_t rem = uptr % alignment;
+        if (rem != 0) {
+            cptr += alignment - rem;
+            avail -= alignment - rem;
+        }
+        // TODO: if alignment is large, we may waste a lot of memory here.
+        if (avail > len + sizeof(struct memblock)) {
+            struct memblock *newblock = (struct memblock*) (cptr + len);
+            newblock->prev = block;
+            newblock->next = block->next;
+            block->next = newblock;
+            if (newblock->next)
+                newblock->next->prev = newblock;
+            newblock->flags = 0;
+            newblock->len = (char*) block + block->len - cptr - sizeof(struct memblock);
+            block->flags |= MEMBLOCK_USED;
+            return (void*) cptr;
+        }
+    }
+    // no suitable block found
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+int memory_managed_free(struct memtype *m, void *ptr, size_t len) {
+    struct memtype_managed* man = (struct memtype_managed*) m;
+    char* cptr = (char*) ptr;
+    struct memblock* block;
+    for (block = man->first; block != NULL; block = block->next) {
+        if (!(block->flags & MEMBLOCK_USED))
+            continue;
+        // since we may waste some memory at the start of a block to ensure
+        // alignment, ptr may not actually be the start of the block
+        if ((char*) block + sizeof(struct memblock) <= cptr &&
+            cptr < (char*) block + block->len) {
+            // try to merge it with a neighbouring free block
+            if (block->prev && !(block->prev->flags & MEMBLOCK_USED)) {
+                block->prev->len += block->len + sizeof(struct memblock);
+                block->prev->next = block->next;
+                if (block->next)
+                    block->next->prev = block->prev;
+            } else if (block->next && !(block->next->flags & MEMBLOCK_USED)) {
+                block->len += block->next->len + sizeof(struct memblock);
+                block->next = block->next->next;
+                if (block->next)
+                    block->next->prev = block;
+            } else {
+                block->flags &= (~MEMBLOCK_USED);
+            }
+            return 0;
+        }
+    }
+    return -1;
+}
+
+struct memtype* memtype_managed_init(void *ptr, size_t len) {
+    if (len < sizeof(struct memtype_managed) + sizeof(struct memblock)) {
+        info("memtype_managed: passed region too small");
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    struct memtype_managed *man = (struct memtype_managed*) ptr;
+    man->mt.name = "managed";
+    man->mt.flags = 0; // TODO
+    man->mt.alloc = memory_managed_alloc;
+    man->mt.free = memory_managed_free;
+    man->mt.alignment = 1;
+    man->base = ptr;
+    man->len = len;
+
+    char *cptr = (char*) ptr;
+    cptr += ALIGN(sizeof(struct memtype_managed), sizeof(void*));
+    man->first = (struct memblock*) ((void*) cptr);
+    man->first->prev = NULL;
+    man->first->next = NULL;
+    cptr += ALIGN(sizeof(struct memblock), sizeof(void*));
+    man->first->len = len - (cptr - (char*) ptr);
+    man->first->flags = 0;
+
+    return (struct memtype*) man;
+}
+
 /* List of available memory types */
-const struct memtype memtype_heap = {
+struct memtype memtype_heap = {
 	.name = "heap",
 	.flags = MEMORY_HEAP,
 	.alloc = memory_heap_alloc,
@@ -112,7 +203,7 @@ const struct memtype memtype_heap = {
 	.alignment = 1
 };
 
-const struct memtype memtype_hugepage = {
+struct memtype memtype_hugepage = {
 	.name = "mmap_hugepages",
 	.flags = MEMORY_MMAP | MEMORY_HUGEPAGE,
 	.alloc = memory_hugepage_alloc,
diff --git a/lib/pool.c b/lib/pool.c
index e2dc3f9c9..b9fe4482b 100644
--- a/lib/pool.c
+++ b/lib/pool.c
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 #include "memory.h"
 #include "kernel/kernel.h"
 
-int pool_init(struct pool *p, size_t cnt, size_t blocksz, const struct memtype *m)
+int pool_init(struct pool *p, size_t cnt, size_t blocksz, struct memtype *m)
 {
 	int ret;
 
@@ -39,4 +39,4 @@ int pool_destroy(struct pool *p)
 	queue_destroy(&p->queue);	
 
 	return memory_free(p->mem, p->buffer, p->len);
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/lib/queue.c b/lib/queue.c
index 20a7a6710..fdd1c09f3 100644
--- a/lib/queue.c
+++ b/lib/queue.c
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 #include "utils.h"
 
 /** Initialize MPMC queue */
-int queue_init(struct queue *q, size_t size, const struct memtype *mem)
+int queue_init(struct queue *q, size_t size, struct memtype *mem)
 {
 	
 	/* Queue size must be 2 exponent */