diff --git a/net.c b/net.c
index 7195827..cca008a 100644
--- a/net.c
+++ b/net.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include "net/dump.h"
 #include "net/slirp.h"
 #include "net/vde.h"
+#include "net/util.h"
 #include "monitor.h"
 #include "sysemu.h"
 #include "qemu-common.h"
@@ -69,38 +70,6 @@
 }
 #endif
 
-static int parse_macaddr(uint8_t *macaddr, const char *p)
-{
-    int i;
-    char *last_char;
-    long int offset;
-
-    errno = 0;
-    offset = strtol(p, &last_char, 0);    
-    if (0 == errno && '\0' == *last_char &&
-            offset >= 0 && offset <= 0xFFFFFF) {
-        macaddr[3] = (offset & 0xFF0000) >> 16;
-        macaddr[4] = (offset & 0xFF00) >> 8;
-        macaddr[5] = offset & 0xFF;
-        return 0;
-    } else {
-        for(i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
-            macaddr[i] = strtol(p, (char **)&p, 16);
-            if (i == 5) {
-                if (*p != '\0')
-                    return -1;
-            } else {
-                if (*p != ':' && *p != '-')
-                    return -1;
-                p++;
-            }
-        }
-        return 0;    
-    }
-
-    return -1;
-}
-
 static int get_str_sep(char *buf, int buf_size, const char **pp, int sep)
 {
     const char *p, *p1;
@@ -858,7 +827,7 @@
     nd->macaddr[5] = 0x56 + idx;
 
     if (qemu_opt_get(opts, "macaddr") &&
-        parse_macaddr(nd->macaddr, qemu_opt_get(opts, "macaddr")) < 0) {
+        net_parse_macaddr(nd->macaddr, qemu_opt_get(opts, "macaddr")) < 0) {
         qemu_error("invalid syntax for ethernet address\n");
         return -1;
     }