diff --git a/include/lighttpd/angel_log.h b/include/lighttpd/angel_log.h
index ac4198b..cd4971f 100644
--- a/include/lighttpd/angel_log.h
+++ b/include/lighttpd/angel_log.h
@@ -7,14 +7,6 @@
 
 /* #include <lighttpd/valgrind/valgrind.h> */
 
-#define LI_REMOVE_PATH_FROM_FILE 1
-#if LI_REMOVE_PATH_FROM_FILE
-LI_API const char *li_remove_path(const char *path);
-#define LI_REMOVE_PATH(file) li_remove_path(file)
-#else
-#define LI_REMOVE_PATH(file) file
-#endif
-
 #define SEGFAULT(srv, fmt, ...) \
 	do { \
 		li_log_write_(srv, LI_LOG_LEVEL_ABORT, LI_LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(crashing) %s.%d: "fmt, LI_REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__); \
diff --git a/include/lighttpd/log.h b/include/lighttpd/log.h
index bb7206b..b5f3212 100644
--- a/include/lighttpd/log.h
+++ b/include/lighttpd/log.h
@@ -7,37 +7,29 @@
 
 /* #include <lighttpd/valgrind/valgrind.h> */
 
-#define REMOVE_PATH_FROM_FILE 1
-#if REMOVE_PATH_FROM_FILE
-LI_API const char *li_remove_path(const char *path);
-#define REMOVE_PATH(file) li_remove_path(file)
-#else
-#define REMOVE_PATH(file) file
-#endif
-
 #define _SEGFAULT(srv, vr, fmt, ...) \
 	do { \
-		li_log_write_(srv, NULL, LI_LOG_LEVEL_ABORT, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(crashing) %s.%d: "fmt, REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__); \
+		li_log_write_(srv, NULL, LI_LOG_LEVEL_ABORT, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(crashing) %s.%d: "fmt, LI_REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__); \
 		/* VALGRIND_PRINTF_BACKTRACE(fmt, __VA_ARGS__); */\
 		abort();\
 	} while(0)
 
 #define _ERROR(srv, vr, fmt, ...) \
-	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(error) %s.%d: "fmt, REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
+	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(error) %s.%d: "fmt, LI_REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
 
 #define _WARNING(srv, vr, fmt, ...) \
-	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(warning) %s.%d: "fmt, REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
+	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(warning) %s.%d: "fmt, LI_REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
 
 #define _INFO(srv, vr, fmt, ...) \
-	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_INFO, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(info) %s.%d: "fmt, REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
+	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_INFO, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(info) %s.%d: "fmt, LI_REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
 
 #define _DEBUG(srv, vr, fmt, ...) \
-	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(debug) %s.%d: "fmt, REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
+	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(debug) %s.%d: "fmt, LI_REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
 
 #define _BACKEND(srv, vr, fmt, ...) \
-	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_BACKEND, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(backend) %s.%d: "fmt, REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
+	li_log_write_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_BACKEND, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, "(backend) %s.%d: "fmt, LI_REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
 #define _BACKEND_LINES(srv, vr, txt, fmt, ...) \
-	li_log_split_lines_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_BACKEND, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, txt, "(backend) %s.%d: "fmt, REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
+	li_log_split_lines_(srv, vr, LI_LOG_LEVEL_BACKEND, LOG_FLAG_TIMESTAMP, txt, "(backend) %s.%d: "fmt, LI_REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
 
 
 #define VR_SEGFAULT(vr, fmt, ...) _SEGFAULT(vr->wrk->srv, vr, fmt, __VA_ARGS__)
diff --git a/include/lighttpd/utils.h b/include/lighttpd/utils.h
index 2a3ae9b..ca982c4 100644
--- a/include/lighttpd/utils.h
+++ b/include/lighttpd/utils.h
@@ -67,4 +67,21 @@ LI_API void li_string_append_int(GString *dest, gint64 val);
 
 LI_API gsize li_dirent_buf_size(DIR * dirp);
 
+/* error log helper functions */
+#define LI_REMOVE_PATH_FROM_FILE 1
+#if LI_REMOVE_PATH_FROM_FILE
+LI_API const char *li_remove_path(const char *path);
+#define LI_REMOVE_PATH(file) li_remove_path(file)
+#else
+#define LI_REMOVE_PATH(file) file
+#endif
+
+#define LI_SYS_ERROR li_sys_error_quark()
+LI_API GQuark li_sys_error_quark();
+
+#define LI_SET_SYS_ERROR(error, msg) \
+	_li_set_sys_error(error, msg, REMOVE_PATH(__FILE__), __LINE__);
+
+LI_API gboolean _li_set_sys_error(GError **error, const gchar *msg, const gchar *file, int lineno);
+
 #endif
diff --git a/src/angel/angel_log.c b/src/angel/angel_log.c
index 6bc4c67..cf35a6b 100644
--- a/src/angel/angel_log.c
+++ b/src/angel/angel_log.c
@@ -1,16 +1,6 @@
 
 #include <lighttpd/angel_base.h>
 
-#if LI_REMOVE_PATH_FROM_FILE
-const char *li_remove_path(const char *path) {
-	char *p = strrchr(path, DIR_SEPERATOR);
-	if (NULL != p && *(p) != '\0') {
-		return (p + 1);
-	}
-	return path;
-}
-#endif
-
 void log_init(liServer *srv) {
 	srv->log.type = LI_LOG_TYPE_STDERR;
 
diff --git a/src/common/utils.c b/src/common/utils.c
index 7578862..38d8014 100644
--- a/src/common/utils.c
+++ b/src/common/utils.c
@@ -724,3 +724,23 @@ gsize li_dirent_buf_size(DIR * dirp) {
 
     return (name_end > sizeof(struct dirent) ? name_end : sizeof(struct dirent));
 }
+
+#if LI_REMOVE_PATH_FROM_FILE
+const char *li_remove_path(const char *path) {
+	char *p = strrchr(path, DIR_SEPERATOR);
+	if (NULL != p && *(p) != '\0') {
+		return (p + 1);
+	}
+	return path;
+}
+#endif
+
+GQuark li_sys_error_quark() {
+	return g_quark_from_static_string("li-sys-error-quark");
+}
+
+gboolean _li_set_sys_error(GError **error, const gchar *msg, const gchar *file, int lineno) {
+	int code = errno;
+	g_set_error(error, LI_SYS_ERROR, code, "(%s:%d): %s: %s", file, lineno, msg, g_strerror(code));
+	return FALSE;
+}
diff --git a/src/main/log.c b/src/main/log.c
index deab8e1..9b0b0a0 100644
--- a/src/main/log.c
+++ b/src/main/log.c
@@ -11,16 +11,6 @@
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 
-#if REMOVE_PATH_FROM_FILE
-const char *li_remove_path(const char *path) {
-	char *p = strrchr(path, DIR_SEPERATOR);
-	if (NULL != p && *(p) != '\0') {
-		return (p + 1);
-	}
-	return path;
-}
-#endif
-
 void li_log_write(liServer *srv, liLog *log, GString *msg) {
 	liLogEntry *log_entry;