diff --git a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/CommonMessages.java b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/CommonMessages.java
index c899272678b..807a94aacdc 100644
--- a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/CommonMessages.java
+++ b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/CommonMessages.java
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ public class CommonMessages extends NLS {
 	public static String MSG_OPERATION_UNSUPPORTED;
 	public static String MSG_OPERATION_SECURITY_VIOLATION;
 
+	public static String MSG_ELEMENT_NOT_FOUND;
+
 	public static String MSG_RESOLVE_PROGRESS;
 
 	public static String MSG_QUERY_PROGRESS;
diff --git a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/CommonMessages.properties b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/CommonMessages.properties
index 4a4d77ba93f..5a10a076407 100644
--- a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/CommonMessages.properties
+++ b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/CommonMessages.properties
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ MSG_OPERATION_CANCELLED   = Operation cancelled.
 MSG_OPERATION_UNSUPPORTED = Operation not supported: ''{0}''
 MSG_OPERATION_SECURITY_VIOLATION=Operation failed. Security violation on ''{0}''
 
+MSG_ELEMENT_NOT_FOUND = Missing element for {0}: \''{1}\''
 
 # messages 
 MSG_CONNECT_PROGRESS    = Connecting to {0} 
diff --git a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/ICommonMessageIds.java b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/ICommonMessageIds.java
index 32f6abfb7b9..488ec5b916f 100644
--- a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/ICommonMessageIds.java
+++ b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/ICommonMessageIds.java
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ public interface ICommonMessageIds {
 	public static final String MSG_EXCEPTION_RENAMING = "RSEG1064"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	public static final String MSG_EXCEPTION_MOVING   = "RSEG1065"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 
+	public static final String MSG_ELEMENT_NOT_FOUND = "RSEG9999";//FIXME //$NON-NLS-1$
+
 	public static final String MSG_ERROR_UNEXPECTED   = "RSEG8002"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	public static final String MSG_LOCK_TIMEOUT = "RSEG9999";//FIXME //$NON-NLS-1$
 
diff --git a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/SystemElementNotFoundException.java b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/SystemElementNotFoundException.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a6c78adb560
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.services/clientserver/org/eclipse/rse/services/clientserver/messages/SystemElementNotFoundException.java
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+ * Copyright (c) 2008 Wind River Systems, Inc. and others.
+ * All rights reserved. This program and the accompanying materials
+ * are made available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0
+ * which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
+ * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
+ *
+ * Contributors:
+ * Martin Oberhuber (Wind River) - initial API and implementation
+ *******************************************************************************/
+
+package org.eclipse.rse.services.clientserver.messages;
+
+import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
+import org.eclipse.osgi.util.NLS;
+
+import org.eclipse.rse.services.clientserver.IClientServerConstants;
+
+/**
+ * Exception thrown when an operation was requested on a given remote element,
+ * but that element did not exist. Like trying to delete a file that does not
+ * exist. The framework may treat such an exception differently than other kinds
+ * of exceptions.
+ * 
+ * @since 3.0
+ */
+public class SystemElementNotFoundException extends SystemMessageException {
+	/**
+	 * A serialVersionUID is recommended for all serializable classes. This
+	 * trait is inherited from Throwable. This should be updated if there is a
+	 * schema change for this class.
+	 */
+	private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+
+	/**
+	 * Constructor.
+	 *
+	 * @param element an Absolute Path for the element that could not be found.
+	 */
+	public SystemElementNotFoundException(String element, String operation) {
+		super(getMyMessage(element, operation));
+	}
+
+	private static SystemMessage getMyMessage(String element, String operation) {
+		//TODO generate an internal backtrace and attach to the message
+		String msgText = NLS.bind(CommonMessages.MSG_ELEMENT_NOT_FOUND, operation, element);
+		SystemMessage msg = new SimpleSystemMessage(IClientServerConstants.PLUGIN_ID,
+				ICommonMessageIds.MSG_ELEMENT_NOT_FOUND, IStatus.ERROR, msgText);
+		return msg;
+	}
+
+}