diff --git a/src/sn_utils.c b/src/sn_utils.c
index b2cc1c8..0de9f18 100644
--- a/src/sn_utils.c
+++ b/src/sn_utils.c
@@ -202,6 +202,19 @@ static int try_broadcast(n2n_sn_t * sss,
   return 0;
 }
 
+/** Initialise some fields of the community structure **/
+int comm_init(struct sn_community *comm, char *cmn){
+	
+	comm = (struct sn_community*)malloc(sizeof(struct sn_community));
+	memset(comm, 0, sizeof(struct sn_community));
+
+	strncpy((char*)comm->community, cmn, N2N_COMMUNITY_SIZE-1);
+	comm->community[N2N_COMMUNITY_SIZE-1] = '\0';
+	comm->is_federation = IS_NO_FEDERATION;
+
+	return 0; /* OK */
+}
+
 
 /** Initialise the supernode structure */
 int sn_init(n2n_sn_t *sss) {
@@ -969,11 +982,10 @@ static int process_udp(n2n_sn_t * sss,
       }
 
       if(!comm && (!sss->lock_communities || (match == 1))) {
-	comm = calloc(1, sizeof(struct sn_community));
+	      
+	comm_init(comm,(char *)cmn.community);
 
 	if(comm) {
-	  strncpy(comm->community, (char*)cmn.community, N2N_COMMUNITY_SIZE-1);
-	  comm->community[N2N_COMMUNITY_SIZE-1] = '\0';
 	  /* new communities introduced by REGISTERs could not have had encrypted header... */
 	  comm->header_encryption = HEADER_ENCRYPTION_NONE;
 	  comm->header_encryption_ctx = NULL;