diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index c4edd2f97..e09a8568c 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 2011-07-27  Wolfgang Sourdeau  <wsourdeau@inverse.ca>
 
+	* OpenChange/MAPIStoreContext.m (-getNewChangeNumber): new
+	utility method that returns a change number from the mapistore db
+	via the openchangedb API.
+
 	* OpenChange/SOGoMAPIFSMessage.m (-save): serialize the properties
 	dictionary in binary plist format to avoid GNUstep bugs where
 	high unsigned long long values are not parsed properly.
diff --git a/OpenChange/MAPIStoreContext.h b/OpenChange/MAPIStoreContext.h
index e9bdfba26..194223335 100644
--- a/OpenChange/MAPIStoreContext.h
+++ b/OpenChange/MAPIStoreContext.h
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@
 
 - (uint64_t) idForObjectWithKey: (NSString *) key
                     inFolderURL: (NSString *) folderURL;
+- (uint64_t) getNewChangeNumber;
 
 /* subclass methods */
 + (NSString *) MAPIModuleName;
diff --git a/OpenChange/MAPIStoreContext.m b/OpenChange/MAPIStoreContext.m
index 8110fcd12..2b48ba3d7 100644
--- a/OpenChange/MAPIStoreContext.m
+++ b/OpenChange/MAPIStoreContext.m
@@ -407,6 +407,17 @@ _prepareContextClass (Class contextClass,
   return mappingId;
 }
 
+- (uint64_t) getNewChangeNumber
+{
+  uint64_t newVersionNumber;
+
+  if (openchangedb_get_new_changeNumber (connInfo->oc_ctx, &newVersionNumber)
+      != MAPISTORE_SUCCESS)
+    abort ();
+
+  return newVersionNumber;
+}
+
 /* subclasses */
 
 + (NSString *) MAPIModuleName