diff --git a/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/imm.py b/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/imm.py
index a8468c19..9cabec9d 100644
--- a/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/imm.py
+++ b/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/imm.py
@@ -12,9 +12,11 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+import codecs
 import confluent.discovery.handlers.bmc as bmchandler
 import pyghmi.exceptions as pygexc
 import pyghmi.ipmi.private.util as pygutil
+import confluent.util as util
 import struct
 
 class NodeHandler(bmchandler.NodeHandler):
@@ -37,8 +39,9 @@ class NodeHandler(bmchandler.NodeHandler):
         if wronguuid:
             # we need to fix the first three portions of the uuid
             uuidprefix = wronguuid.split('-')[:3]
-            uuidprefix = struct.pack(
-                '<IHH', *[int(x, 16) for x in uuidprefix]).encode('hex')
+            uuidprefix = codecs.encode(struct.pack(
+                '<IHH', *[int(x, 16) for x in uuidprefix]), 'hex')
+            uuidprefix = util.stringify(uuidprefix)
             uuidprefix = uuidprefix[:8] + '-' + uuidprefix[8:12] + '-' + \
                          uuidprefix[12:16]
             self.info['uuid'] = uuidprefix + '-' + '-'.join(
diff --git a/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/smm.py b/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/smm.py
index fef6d042..02d43d33 100644
--- a/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/smm.py
+++ b/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/smm.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+import codecs
 import confluent.discovery.handlers.bmc as bmchandler
 import confluent.exceptions as exc
 import eventlet
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@ import struct
 import urllib
 import eventlet.support.greendns
 import confluent.netutil as netutil
+import confluent.util as util
 getaddrinfo = eventlet.support.greendns.getaddrinfo
 
 from xml.etree.ElementTree import fromstring
@@ -27,8 +29,9 @@ from xml.etree.ElementTree import fromstring
 def fixuuid(baduuid):
     # SMM dumps it out in hex
     uuidprefix = (baduuid[:8], baduuid[8:12], baduuid[12:16])
-    a = struct.pack('<IHH', *[int(x, 16) for x in uuidprefix]).encode(
+    a = codecs.encode(struct.pack('<IHH', *[int(x, 16) for x in uuidprefix]),
         'hex')
+    a = util.stringify(a)
     uuid = (a[:8], a[8:12], a[12:16], baduuid[16:20], baduuid[20:])
     return '-'.join(uuid).lower()
 
diff --git a/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/xcc.py b/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/xcc.py
index abc7232a..b7c269cd 100644
--- a/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/xcc.py
+++ b/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/handlers/xcc.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 import base64
+import codecs
 import confluent.discovery.handlers.imm as immhandler
 import confluent.netutil as netutil
 import confluent.util as util
@@ -31,7 +32,8 @@ getaddrinfo = eventlet.support.greendns.getaddrinfo
 def fixup_uuid(uuidprop):
     baduuid = ''.join(uuidprop.split())
     uuidprefix = (baduuid[:8], baduuid[8:12], baduuid[12:16])
-    a = struct.pack('<IHH', *[int(x, 16) for x in uuidprefix]).encode('hex')
+    a = codecs.encode(struct.pack('<IHH', *[int(x, 16) for x in uuidprefix]), 'hex')
+    a = util.stringify(a)
     uuid = (a[:8], a[8:12], a[12:16], baduuid[16:20], baduuid[20:])
     return '-'.join(uuid).upper()
 
diff --git a/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/protocols/slp.py b/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/protocols/slp.py
index 1a4fedd0..09d04691 100644
--- a/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/protocols/slp.py
+++ b/confluent_server/confluent/discovery/protocols/slp.py
@@ -247,27 +247,22 @@ def _grab_rsps(socks, rsps, interval, xidmap):
 def _parse_attrlist(attrstr):
     attribs = {}
     previousattrlen = None
+    attrstr = util.stringify(attrstr)
     while attrstr:
         if len(attrstr) == previousattrlen:
             raise Exception('Looping in attrstr parsing')
         previousattrlen = len(attrstr)
         if attrstr[0] == '(':
-            if b')' not in attrstr:
+            if ')' not in attrstr:
                 attribs['INCOMPLETE'] = True
                 return attribs
-            currattr = attrstr[1:attrstr.index(b')')]
-            if b'=' not in currattr:  # Not allegedly kosher, but still..
-                currattr = currattr.decode('utf-8')
+            currattr = attrstr[1:attrstr.index(')')]
+            if '=' not in currattr:  # Not allegedly kosher, but still..
                 attribs[currattr] = None
             else:
                 attrname, attrval = currattr.split('=', 1)
-                attrname = attrname.decode('utf-8')
                 attribs[attrname] = []
-                for val in attrval.split(b','):
-                    try:
-                        val = val.decode('utf-8')
-                    except UnicodeDecodeError:
-                        val = '*DECODEERROR*'
+                for val in attrval.split(','):
                     if val[:3] == '\\FF':  # we should make this bytes
                         finalval = bytearray([])
                         for bnum in attrval[3:].split('\\'):
@@ -287,12 +282,12 @@ def _parse_attrlist(attrstr):
                             ).lower()
                     attribs[attrname].append(val)
             attrstr = attrstr[attrstr.index(')'):]
-        elif attrstr[0] == b','[0]:
+        elif attrstr[0] == ','[0]:
             attrstr = attrstr[1:]
-        elif b',' in attrstr:
-            currattr = attrstr[:attrstr.index(b',')]
+        elif ',' in attrstr:
+            currattr = attrstr[:attrstr.index(',')]
             attribs[currattr] = None
-            attrstr = attrstr[attrstr.index(b','):]
+            attrstr = attrstr[attrstr.index(','):]
         else:
             currattr = attrstr
             attribs[currattr] = None
diff --git a/confluent_server/confluent/neighutil.py b/confluent_server/confluent/neighutil.py
index 5b5d2546..90f85c12 100644
--- a/confluent_server/confluent/neighutil.py
+++ b/confluent_server/confluent/neighutil.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 # Ultimately, this should use AF_NETLINK, but in the interest of time,
 # use ip neigh for the moment
 
+import confluent.util as util
 import eventlet.green.subprocess as subprocess
 import os
 
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ neightime = 0
 
 import re
 
-_validmac = re.compile(b'..:..:..:..:..:..')
+_validmac = re.compile('..:..:..:..:..:..')
 
 
 def update_neigh():
@@ -39,11 +40,12 @@ def update_neigh():
                                  stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
                                  stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
     (neighdata, err) = ipn.communicate()
-    for entry in neighdata.split(b'\n'):
-        entry = entry.split(b' ')
+    neighdata = util.stringify(neighdata)
+    for entry in neighdata.split('\n'):
+        entry = entry.split(' ')
         if len(entry) < 5 or not entry[4]:
             continue
-        if entry[0] in (b'192.168.0.100', b'192.168.70.100', b'192.168.70.125'):
+        if entry[0] in ('192.168.0.100', '192.168.70.100', '192.168.70.125'):
             # Note that these addresses are common static ip addresses
             # that are hopelessly ambiguous if there are many
             # so ignore such entries and move on