diff --git a/common/CMakeLists.txt b/common/CMakeLists.txt
index 7a069a0f3b9c87722cf34cf54ef9fa0c5b0b5e41..fa925b25d52b083578c2c1976bff0a819e5cecc4 100644
--- a/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ set (COMMON_LIB_SRC_FILES
   exception/NoPortInRange.cpp
   exception/NotAnOwner.cpp
   exception/OutOfMemory.cpp
+  exception/TimeOut.cpp
   log/DummyLogger.cpp
   log/LogContext.cpp
   log/Logger.cpp
diff --git a/tapeserver/castor/exception/TimeOut.cpp b/common/exception/TimeOut.cpp
similarity index 93%
rename from tapeserver/castor/exception/TimeOut.cpp
rename to common/exception/TimeOut.cpp
index 6a03b57aaf15459ef87b8536c39565a72a984c7b..4769e17b496030a184f9405986bfdbf12e532ddb 100644
--- a/tapeserver/castor/exception/TimeOut.cpp
+++ b/common/exception/TimeOut.cpp
@@ -22,10 +22,10 @@
  * @author Castor Dev team, castor-dev@cern.ch
  *****************************************************************************/
 
-#include "castor/exception/TimeOut.hpp"
+#include "common/exception/TimeOut.hpp"
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Constructor
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-castor::exception::TimeOut::TimeOut() :
+cta::exception::TimeOut::TimeOut() :
   cta::exception::Exception() {}
diff --git a/tapeserver/castor/exception/TimeOut.hpp b/common/exception/TimeOut.hpp
similarity index 96%
rename from tapeserver/castor/exception/TimeOut.hpp
rename to common/exception/TimeOut.hpp
index d767c719aa432e56eb009f017731c8236bb5a59f..8690bb4498682f694c549f252825fdf79d3485ed 100644
--- a/tapeserver/castor/exception/TimeOut.hpp
+++ b/common/exception/TimeOut.hpp
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 // Include Files
 #include "common/exception/Exception.hpp"
 
-namespace castor {
+namespace cta {
 
   namespace exception {
 
@@ -47,5 +47,5 @@ namespace castor {
       
   } // end of namespace exception
 
-} // end of namespace castor
+} // end of namespace cta
 
diff --git a/tapeserver/castor/io/io.cpp b/tapeserver/castor/io/io.cpp
index b82307b9d528dc1f7c4fe11bae905d01f89dbf96..c10b8d55399780f54f0a4e32ce89d178d66f4641 100644
--- a/tapeserver/castor/io/io.cpp
+++ b/tapeserver/castor/io/io.cpp
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ int castor::io::acceptConnection(const int listenSocketFd)
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 int castor::io::acceptConnection(const int listenSocketFd,
   const time_t timeout) throw(
-    castor::exception::TimeOut,
+    cta::exception::TimeOut,
     cta::exception::AcceptConnectionInterrupted,
     cta::exception::Exception) {
 
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ int castor::io::acceptConnection(const int listenSocketFd,
   switch(pollRc) {
   case 0: // poll() timed out
     {
-      castor::exception::TimeOut ex;
+      cta::exception::TimeOut ex;
       ex.getMessage() <<
            "Failed to accept connection: poll() timed out after " << timeout
         << " seconds whilst trying to accept a connection";
@@ -843,7 +843,7 @@ int castor::io::connectWithTimeout(
   const std::string    &hostName,
   const unsigned short port,
   const int            timeout)
-  throw(castor::exception::TimeOut, cta::exception::Exception) {
+  throw(cta::exception::TimeOut, cta::exception::Exception) {
   try {
     std::ostringstream portStream;
     portStream << port;
@@ -906,7 +906,7 @@ int castor::io::connectWithTimeout(
   const struct sockaddr *address,
   const socklen_t       address_len,
   const int             timeout)
-  throw(castor::exception::TimeOut, cta::exception::Exception) {
+  throw(cta::exception::TimeOut, cta::exception::Exception) {
 
   // Create the socket for the new connection
   utils::SmartFd smartSock(socket(sockDomain, sockType, sockProtocol));
@@ -980,7 +980,7 @@ int castor::io::connectWithTimeout(
 
   // Throw a timed-out exception if poll() timed-out
   if(0 == pollRc) {
-    castor::exception::TimeOut ex;
+    cta::exception::TimeOut ex;
     ex.getMessage() <<
       "Failed to connect"
       ": poll() timed out after " << timeout << " seconds";
diff --git a/tapeserver/castor/io/io.hpp b/tapeserver/castor/io/io.hpp
index b37f556f0c0a01c602b16f0c4537bff53d5a93b4..34af4174e4e734fc701c26d8962a09acc9c3e852 100644
--- a/tapeserver/castor/io/io.hpp
+++ b/tapeserver/castor/io/io.hpp
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 #include "common/exception/AcceptConnectionInterrupted.hpp"
 #include "common/exception/InvalidArgument.hpp"
 #include "common/exception/NoPortInRange.hpp"
-#include "castor/exception/TimeOut.hpp"
+#include "common/exception/TimeOut.hpp"
 #include "castor/io/Constants.hpp"
 #include "castor/io/IpAndPort.hpp"
 #include "common/exception/Exception.hpp"
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ int acceptConnection(const int listenSockFd)
 int acceptConnection(
   const int    listenSockFd,
   const time_t timeout)
-  throw(castor::exception::TimeOut,
+  throw(cta::exception::TimeOut,
     cta::exception::AcceptConnectionInterrupted,
     cta::exception::Exception);
 
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ int connectWithTimeout(
   const std::string    &hostName,
   const unsigned short port,
   const int            timeout)
-  throw(castor::exception::TimeOut, cta::exception::Exception);
+  throw(cta::exception::TimeOut, cta::exception::Exception);
 
 /**
  * Creates the specified socket and uses it to connect to the specified
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ int connectWithTimeout(
   const struct sockaddr *address,
   const socklen_t       address_len,
   const int             timeout)
-  throw(castor::exception::TimeOut, cta::exception::Exception);
+  throw(cta::exception::TimeOut, cta::exception::Exception);
 
 /**
  * Marshals the specified src value into the specified destination buffer.
diff --git a/tapeserver/castor/utils/CMakeLists.txt b/tapeserver/castor/utils/CMakeLists.txt
index bad107984d4bbe2a76561d77056d8628addfa409..c547de49215bb59cbe99f14718b562ebab078c62 100644
--- a/tapeserver/castor/utils/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tapeserver/castor/utils/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ set (UTILS_LIB_SRC_FILES
   utils.cpp
   ../common/CastorConfiguration.cpp
   ../exception/Errnum.cpp
-  ../exception/TimeOut.cpp
   ../BaseObject.cpp
   ../Services.cpp
   ../Factories.cpp