diff --git a/policy/bro.init b/policy/bro.init
index 3b3378c5ac..fbc5282a9b 100644
--- a/policy/bro.init
+++ b/policy/bro.init
@@ -1390,3 +1390,49 @@ const trace_output_file = "";
 # packets out before we actually process them, which can be helpful
 # for debugging in case the analysis triggers a crash.
 const record_all_packets = F &redef;
+
+
+# Some connections (e.g., SSH) retransmit the acknowledged last
+# byte to keep the connection alive. If ignore_keep_alive_rexmit
+# is set to T, such retransmissions will be excluded in the rexmit
+# counter in conn_stats.
+const ignore_keep_alive_rexmit = F &redef;
+
+# Skip HTTP data portions for performance considerations (the skipped
+# portion will not go through TCP reassembly).
+const skip_http_data = F &redef;
+
+# Whether the analysis engine parses IP packets encapsulated in
+# UDP tunnels. See also: udp_tunnel_port, policy/udp-tunnel.bro.
+const parse_udp_tunnels = F &redef;
+
+# Whether a commitment is required before writing the transformed
+# trace for a connection into the dump file.
+const requires_trace_commitment = F &redef;
+
+# Whether IP address anonymization is enabled.
+const anonymize_ip_addr = F &redef;
+
+# Whether to omit place holder packets when rewriting.
+const omit_rewrite_place_holder = T &redef;
+
+# Whether trace of various protocols is being rewritten.
+const rewriting_http_trace = F &redef;
+const rewriting_smtp_trace = F &redef;
+const rewriting_ftp_trace = F &redef;
+const rewriting_ident_trace = F &redef;
+const rewriting_finger_trace = F &redef;
+const rewriting_dns_trace = F &redef;
+const rewriting_smb_trace = F &redef;
+
+# Whether we dump selected original packets to the output trace.
+const dump_selected_source_packets = F &redef;
+
+# If true, we dump original packets to the output trace *if and only if*
+# the connection is not rewritten; if false, the policy script can decide
+# whether to dump a particular connection by calling dump_packets_of_connection.
+#
+# NOTE: DO NOT SET THIS TO TRUE WHEN ANONYMIZING A TRACE! 
+# (TODO: this variable should be disabled when using '-A' option)
+const dump_original_packets_if_not_rewriting = F &redef;
+
diff --git a/src/builtin-func.l b/src/builtin-func.l
index 782bbf5bb9..972f4aad8f 100644
--- a/src/builtin-func.l
+++ b/src/builtin-func.l
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ ESCSEQ	(\\([^\n]|[0-7]+|x[[:xdigit:]]+))
 D   [[:digit:]]+
 HEX	[0-9a-fA-F]+
 
+
 %option nodefault
 
 %%
diff --git a/src/builtin-func.y b/src/builtin-func.y
index 5b6aa0cec4..3fe67db1dd 100644
--- a/src/builtin-func.y
+++ b/src/builtin-func.y
@@ -159,6 +159,31 @@ const char* trace_rewriter_name = "trace_rewriter";
 
 #include "bif_arg.h"
 
+/* Map bif/bro type names to C types for use in const declaration */
+static struct {
+	const char* bif_type;
+	const char* bro_type;
+	const char* c_type;
+	const char* accessor;
+	const char* constructor;
+} builtin_types[] = {
+#define DEFINE_BIF_TYPE(id, bif_type, bro_type, c_type, accessor, constructor) \
+	{bif_type, bro_type, c_type, accessor, constructor},
+#include "bif_type.def"
+#undef DEFINE_BIF_TYPE
+};
+
+int get_type_index(const char *type_name)
+	{
+	for ( int i = 0; builtin_types[i].bif_type[0] != '\0'; ++i ) 
+		{
+		if (strcmp(builtin_types[i].bif_type, type_name) == 0)
+			return i;
+		}
+		return TYPE_OTHER;
+	}
+
+
 int var_arg; // whether the number of arguments is variable
 std::vector<BuiltinFuncArg*> args;
 
@@ -422,33 +447,33 @@ enum_list:	enum_list TOK_ID opt_ws ',' opt_ws
 	|	/* nothing */
 	;
 
-const_def:	const_def_1 const_init opt_attr ';'
-			{
-			fprintf(fp_bro_init, ";\n");
-			fprintf(fp_netvar_h, "%s extern int %s; %s\n", 
-					decl.c_namespace_start.c_str(), decl.bare_name.c_str(), decl.c_namespace_end.c_str());
-			fprintf(fp_netvar_def, "%s int %s; %s\n", 
-					decl.c_namespace_start.c_str(), decl.bare_name.c_str(), decl.c_namespace_end.c_str());
-			fprintf(fp_netvar_init, "\t%s = internal_val(\"%s\")->AsBool();\n",
-				decl.c_fullname.c_str(), decl.bro_fullname.c_str());
-			}
-	;
 
-const_def_1:	TOK_CONST opt_ws TOK_ID opt_ws
+const_def:	TOK_CONST opt_ws TOK_ID opt_ws ':' opt_ws TOK_ID opt_ws ';'
 			{
 			set_definition_type(CONST_DEF, 0);
 			set_decl_name($3);
-			fprintf(fp_bro_init, "const%s", $2);
-			fprintf(fp_bro_init, "%s: bool%s", decl.bro_name.c_str(), $4);
+			int typeidx = get_type_index($7);
+			char accessor[1024];
+
+			snprintf(accessor, sizeof(accessor), builtin_types[typeidx].accessor, "");
+
+
+			fprintf(fp_netvar_h, "%s extern %s %s; %s\n", 
+					decl.c_namespace_start.c_str(), 
+					builtin_types[typeidx].c_type, decl.bare_name.c_str(), 
+					decl.c_namespace_end.c_str());
+			fprintf(fp_netvar_def, "%s %s %s; %s\n", 
+					decl.c_namespace_start.c_str(), 
+					builtin_types[typeidx].c_type, decl.bare_name.c_str(), 
+					decl.c_namespace_end.c_str());
+			fprintf(fp_netvar_init, "\t%s = internal_val(\"%s\")%s;\n",
+				decl.c_fullname.c_str(), decl.bro_fullname.c_str(),
+				accessor);
 			}
-	;
-
-opt_const_init:	/* nothing */
-	|	const_init
-	;
-
+				
+			
 /* Currently support only boolean and string values */
-const_init:	'=' opt_ws TOK_BOOL opt_ws
+opt_attr_init:	'=' opt_ws TOK_BOOL opt_ws
 			{
 			fprintf(fp_bro_init, "=%s%c%s", $2, ($3) ? 'T' : 'F', $4);
 			}
@@ -458,7 +483,7 @@ const_init:	'=' opt_ws TOK_BOOL opt_ws
 
 opt_attr:	/* nothing */
 	|	opt_attr TOK_ATTR { fprintf(fp_bro_init, "%s", $2); }
-		opt_ws opt_const_init
+		opt_ws opt_attr_init
 	;
 
 func_prefix:	TOK_FUNCTION
@@ -533,7 +558,7 @@ head_1:		TOK_ID opt_ws arg_begin
 					decl.c_fullname.c_str(), decl.bro_fullname.c_str());
 
 				fprintf(fp_func_h,
-					"%sextern Val* %s(Frame* frame, val_list*);\n %s",
+					"%sextern Val* %s(Frame* frame, val_list*);%s\n",
 					decl.c_namespace_start.c_str(), decl.bare_name.c_str(), decl.c_namespace_end.c_str());
 
 				fprintf(fp_func_def,
diff --git a/src/const.bif b/src/const.bif
index f6aef299ea..6d757c1cd8 100644
--- a/src/const.bif
+++ b/src/const.bif
@@ -4,37 +4,37 @@
 # byte to keep the connection alive. If ignore_keep_alive_rexmit
 # is set to T, such retransmissions will be excluded in the rexmit
 # counter in conn_stats.
-const ignore_keep_alive_rexmit = F &redef;
+const ignore_keep_alive_rexmit: bool;
 
 # Skip HTTP data portions for performance considerations (the skipped
 # portion will not go through TCP reassembly).
-const skip_http_data = F &redef;
+const skip_http_data: bool;
 
 # Whether the analysis engine parses IP packets encapsulated in
 # UDP tunnels. See also: udp_tunnel_port, policy/udp-tunnel.bro.
-const parse_udp_tunnels = F &redef;
+const parse_udp_tunnels: bool;
 
 # Whether a commitment is required before writing the transformed
 # trace for a connection into the dump file.
-const requires_trace_commitment = F &redef;
+const requires_trace_commitment: bool;
 
 # Whether IP address anonymization is enabled.
-const anonymize_ip_addr = F &redef;
+const anonymize_ip_addr: bool;
 
 # Whether to omit place holder packets when rewriting.
-const omit_rewrite_place_holder = T &redef;
+const omit_rewrite_place_holder : bool ;
 
 # Whether trace of various protocols is being rewritten.
-const rewriting_http_trace = F &redef;
-const rewriting_smtp_trace = F &redef;
-const rewriting_ftp_trace = F &redef;
-const rewriting_ident_trace = F &redef;
-const rewriting_finger_trace = F &redef;
-const rewriting_dns_trace = F &redef;
-const rewriting_smb_trace = F &redef;
+const rewriting_http_trace :bool;
+const rewriting_smtp_trace: bool;
+const rewriting_ftp_trace: bool;
+const rewriting_ident_trace: bool;
+const rewriting_finger_trace: bool;
+const rewriting_dns_trace: bool;
+const rewriting_smb_trace: bool;
 
 # Whether we dump selected original packets to the output trace.
-const dump_selected_source_packets = F &redef;
+const dump_selected_source_packets: bool;
 
 # If true, we dump original packets to the output trace *if and only if*
 # the connection is not rewritten; if false, the policy script can decide
@@ -42,5 +42,5 @@ const dump_selected_source_packets = F &redef;
 #
 # NOTE: DO NOT SET THIS TO TRUE WHEN ANONYMIZING A TRACE! 
 # (TODO: this variable should be disabled when using '-A' option)
-const dump_original_packets_if_not_rewriting = F &redef;
+const dump_original_packets_if_not_rewriting: bool;