diff --git a/include/ircd/buffer.h b/include/ircd/buffer.h
index 0e4753a03..5c9977a35 100644
--- a/include/ircd/buffer.h
+++ b/include/ircd/buffer.h
@@ -48,9 +48,14 @@ namespace ircd::buffer
 	template<class it> struct buffer;
 	struct const_buffer;
 	struct mutable_buffer;
+	struct const_raw_buffer;
+	struct mutable_raw_buffer;
 	template<class buffer, size_t align> struct unique_buffer;
+
 	template<template<class> class I> using const_buffers = I<const_buffer>;
 	template<template<class> class I> using mutable_buffers = I<mutable_buffer>;
+	template<template<class> class I> using const_raw_buffers = I<const_raw_buffer>;
+	template<template<class> class I> using mutable_raw_buffers = I<mutable_raw_buffer>;
 
 	// Single buffer iteration of contents
 	template<class it> const it &begin(const buffer<it> &buffer);
@@ -87,6 +92,8 @@ namespace ircd
 {
 	using buffer::const_buffer;
 	using buffer::mutable_buffer;
+	using buffer::const_raw_buffer;
+	using buffer::mutable_raw_buffer;
 	using buffer::unique_buffer;
 	using buffer::null_buffer;
 
@@ -146,8 +153,6 @@ struct ircd::buffer::const_buffer
 	const_buffer(const string_view &s)
 	:buffer<const char *>{std::begin(s), std::end(s)}
 	{}
-
-	const_buffer() = default;
 };
 
 struct ircd::buffer::mutable_buffer
@@ -158,6 +163,22 @@ struct ircd::buffer::mutable_buffer
 	using buffer<char *>::buffer;
 };
 
+struct ircd::buffer::const_raw_buffer
+:buffer<const unsigned char *>
+{
+	operator boost::asio::const_buffer() const;
+
+	using buffer<const unsigned char *>::buffer;
+};
+
+struct ircd::buffer::mutable_raw_buffer
+:buffer<unsigned char *>
+{
+	operator boost::asio::mutable_buffer() const;
+
+	using buffer<unsigned char *>::buffer;
+};
+
 template<template<class>
          class buffers,
          class T>
diff --git a/include/ircd/lexical.h b/include/ircd/lexical.h
index ae4ad7020..bc577b6ce 100644
--- a/include/ircd/lexical.h
+++ b/include/ircd/lexical.h
@@ -91,17 +91,9 @@ namespace ircd
 	// Binary / Hex / Base64 conversion suite
 	//
 
-	// Binary buffer to null terminated string of hex (out must be 2*in + 1).
-	string_view u2a(const mutable_buffer &out, const uint8_t *const &in, const size_t &len);
-	string_view u2a(const mutable_buffer &out, const const_buffer &in);
-
-	// String of hex to binary buffer.
-	const_buffer a2u(uint8_t *const &out, const size_t &max, const const_buffer &in);
-	const_buffer a2u(const mutable_buffer &out, const const_buffer &in);
-
-	// Binary buffer to string of base64
-	string_view b64encode(const mutable_buffer &out, const uint8_t *const &in, const size_t &len);
-	string_view b64encode(const mutable_buffer &out, const const_buffer &in);
+	string_view u2a(const mutable_buffer &out, const const_raw_buffer &in);
+	const_raw_buffer a2u(const mutable_raw_buffer &out, const const_buffer &in);
+	string_view b64encode(const mutable_buffer &out, const const_raw_buffer &in);
 
 	//
 	// String tokenization.
diff --git a/ircd/lexical.cc b/ircd/lexical.cc
index c37945b5e..29a264be4 100644
--- a/ircd/lexical.cc
+++ b/ircd/lexical.cc
@@ -237,20 +237,7 @@ ircd::tokens(const string_view &str,
 
 ircd::string_view
 ircd::b64encode(const mutable_buffer &out,
-                const const_buffer &in)
-{
-	const auto ptr
-	{
-		reinterpret_cast<const uint8_t *>(data(in))
-	};
-
-	return b64encode(out, ptr, size(in));
-}
-
-ircd::string_view
-ircd::b64encode(const mutable_buffer &out,
-                const uint8_t *const &in,
-                const size_t &len)
+                const const_raw_buffer &in)
 {
 
 	using transform = boost::archive::iterators::transform_width<unsigned char *, 6, 8>;
@@ -258,26 +245,13 @@ ircd::b64encode(const mutable_buffer &out,
 	using ostream_iterator = boost::archive::iterators::ostream_iterator<char>;
 
 	std::stringstream ss;
-	std::copy(b64fb(in), b64fb(in + len), ostream_iterator(ss));
+	std::copy(b64fb(data(in)), b64fb(data(in) + size(in)), ostream_iterator(ss));
 	const auto outlen(ss.str().copy(data(out), size(out)));
 	return { data(out), outlen };
 }
 
-ircd::const_buffer
-ircd::a2u(const mutable_buffer &out,
-          const const_buffer &in)
-{
-	const auto ptr
-	{
-		reinterpret_cast<uint8_t *>(data(out))
-	};
-
-	return a2u(ptr, size(out), in);
-}
-
-ircd::const_buffer
-ircd::a2u(uint8_t *const &out,
-          const size_t &max,
+ircd::const_raw_buffer
+ircd::a2u(const mutable_raw_buffer &out,
           const const_buffer &in)
 {
 	const size_t len{size(in) / 2};
@@ -293,28 +267,15 @@ ircd::a2u(uint8_t *const &out,
 		out[i] = strtol(gl, nullptr, 16);
 	}
 
-	return { reinterpret_cast<const char *>(out), len };
+	return { data(out), len };
 }
 
 ircd::string_view
 ircd::u2a(const mutable_buffer &out,
-          const const_buffer &in)
-{
-	const auto ptr
-	{
-		reinterpret_cast<const uint8_t *>(data(in))
-	};
-
-	return u2a(out, ptr, size(in));
-}
-
-ircd::string_view
-ircd::u2a(const mutable_buffer &out,
-          const uint8_t *const &in,
-          const size_t &len)
+          const const_raw_buffer &in)
 {
 	char *p(data(out));
-	for(size_t i(0); i < len; ++i)
+	for(size_t i(0); i < size(in); ++i)
 		p += snprintf(p, size(out) - (p - data(out)), "%02x", in[i]);
 
 	return { data(out), size_t(p - data(out)) };
diff --git a/ircd/socket.cc b/ircd/socket.cc
index a95599c2a..aa3bb4f3b 100644
--- a/ircd/socket.cc
+++ b/ircd/socket.cc
@@ -520,7 +520,8 @@ ircd::buffer::null_buffers
     null_buffer
 }};
 
-ircd::buffer::mutable_buffer::operator boost::asio::mutable_buffer()
+ircd::buffer::mutable_buffer::operator
+boost::asio::mutable_buffer()
 const
 {
 	return boost::asio::mutable_buffer
@@ -529,7 +530,28 @@ const
 	};
 }
 
-ircd::buffer::const_buffer::operator boost::asio::const_buffer()
+ircd::buffer::const_buffer::operator
+boost::asio::const_buffer()
+const
+{
+	return boost::asio::const_buffer
+	{
+		data(*this), size(*this)
+	};
+}
+
+ircd::buffer::mutable_raw_buffer::operator
+boost::asio::mutable_buffer()
+const
+{
+	return boost::asio::mutable_buffer
+	{
+		data(*this), size(*this)
+	};
+}
+
+ircd::buffer::const_raw_buffer::operator
+boost::asio::const_buffer()
 const
 {
 	return boost::asio::const_buffer