diff --git a/Makefile.buildtests b/Makefile.buildtests
index 1ca6e4188b..16a1ee969b 100644
--- a/Makefile.buildtests
+++ b/Makefile.buildtests
@@ -193,4 +193,11 @@ buildinfo:
 	@echo 'DEBUGGER:       $(DEBUGGER)'
 	@echo 'DEBUGGER_FLAGS: $(DEBUGGER_FLAGS)'
 	@echo ''
+	@echo 'DEBUGSERVER:       $(DEBUGSERVER)'
+	@echo 'DEBUGSERVER_FLAGS: $(DEBUGSERVER_FLAGS)'
+	@echo ''
+	@echo 'RESET:       $(RESET)'
+	@echo 'RESET_FLAGS: $(RESET_FLAGS)'
+	@echo ''
 	@echo -e 'MAKEFILE_LIST:$(patsubst %, \n\t%, $(abspath $(MAKEFILE_LIST)))'
+
diff --git a/Makefile.include b/Makefile.include
index c2867acfe5..1ac1b589b2 100644
--- a/Makefile.include
+++ b/Makefile.include
@@ -157,6 +157,12 @@ doc:
 debug:
 	$(DEBUGGER) $(DEBUGGER_FLAGS)
 
+debug-server:
+	$(DEBUGSERVER) $(DEBUGSERVER_FLAGS)
+
+reset:
+	$(RESET) $(RESET_FLAGS)
+
 # Extra make goals for testing and comparing changes.
 include $(RIOTBASE)/Makefile.buildtests
 
diff --git a/Makefile.vars b/Makefile.vars
index 2f895fdede..c91f33b7c1 100644
--- a/Makefile.vars
+++ b/Makefile.vars
@@ -40,3 +40,9 @@ export TERMPROG              # The command to call on "make term".
 export PORT                  # The parameters to supply to TERMPROG.
 export ELFFILE               # The unstripped result of the compilation.
 export HEXFILE               # The stripped result of the compilation.
+export DEBUGGER              # The command to call on "make debug", usually a script starting the GDB front-end
+export DEBUGGER_FLAGS        # The parameters to supply to DEBUGGER
+export DEBUGSERVER           # The command to call on "make debug-server", usually a script starting the GDB server
+export DEBUGSERVER_FLAGS     # The parameters to supply to DEBUGSERVER
+export RESET                 # The command to call on "make reset", this command resets/reboots the target
+export RESET_FLAGS           # The parameters to supply to RESET
diff --git a/boards/msb-430-common/Makefile.include b/boards/msb-430-common/Makefile.include
index 149f9fd07e..68bdb30fe7 100644
--- a/boards/msb-430-common/Makefile.include
+++ b/boards/msb-430-common/Makefile.include
@@ -18,13 +18,17 @@ TERMPROG = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/pyterm/pyterm
 export FLASHER ?= mspdebug
 export PORT ?= /dev/ttyUSB0
 export PROGRAMMER ?= olimex
-export FFLAGS += -j $(PROGRAMMER)
+export MSPDEBUGFLAGS += -j $(PROGRAMMER)
 ifeq ($(strip $(PROGRAMMER)),uif)
-	export FFLAGS += -d $(PORT)
+	export MSPDEBUGFLAGS += -d $(PORT)
 endif
+export DEBUGSERVER = $(FLASHER)
+export DEBUGSERVER_FLAGS = $(MSPDEBUGFLAGS) gdb
+export DEBUGGER = $(PREFIX)gdb
+export DEBUGGER_FLAGS = --tui --ex="target remote localhost:2000" --ex "monitor reset halt" --ex load -ex "monitor reset halt"  $(ELFFILE)
 export TERMFLAGS += -p
 
-export FFLAGS += "prog $(HEXFILE)"
+export FFLAGS = $(MSPDEBUGFLAGS) "prog $(HEXFILE)"
 
 export USEMODULE += msp430_common
 export INCLUDES += -I$(RIOTCPU)/msp430-common/include/ -I$(RIOTBOARD)/msb-430-common/include -I$(RIOTBOARD)/msb-430-common/drivers/include
diff --git a/boards/stm32f0discovery/Makefile.include b/boards/stm32f0discovery/Makefile.include
index 2de34acfa4..94058251a9 100644
--- a/boards/stm32f0discovery/Makefile.include
+++ b/boards/stm32f0discovery/Makefile.include
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export OBJCOPY = $(PREFIX)objcopy
 export TERMPROG = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/pyterm/pyterm
 export FLASHER = st-flash
 export DEBUGGER = $(RIOTBOARD)/$(BOARD)/dist/debug.sh
+export DEBUGSERVER = st-util
 
 # define build specific options
 CPU_USAGE = -mcpu=cortex-m0
diff --git a/boards/stm32f3discovery/Makefile.include b/boards/stm32f3discovery/Makefile.include
index 2a16151d01..60a9ea884d 100644
--- a/boards/stm32f3discovery/Makefile.include
+++ b/boards/stm32f3discovery/Makefile.include
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export OBJCOPY = $(PREFIX)objcopy
 export TERMPROG = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/pyterm/pyterm
 export FLASHER = st-flash
 export DEBUGGER = $(RIOTBOARD)/$(BOARD)/dist/debug.sh
+export DEBUGSERVER = st-util
 
 # define build specific options
 CPU_USAGE = -mcpu=cortex-m4
diff --git a/boards/stm32f4discovery/Makefile.include b/boards/stm32f4discovery/Makefile.include
index 45aa0ad92b..6919759a3a 100644
--- a/boards/stm32f4discovery/Makefile.include
+++ b/boards/stm32f4discovery/Makefile.include
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export OBJCOPY = $(PREFIX)objcopy
 export TERMPROG = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/pyterm/pyterm
 export FLASHER = st-flash
 export DEBUGGER = $(RIOTBOARD)/$(BOARD)/dist/debug.sh
+export DEBUGSERVER = st-util
 
 # define build specific options
 CPU_USAGE = -mcpu=cortex-m4