diff --git a/conf/receiver.conf b/conf/receiver.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7c22fc16000b41e3519c0d88781f78340ae71267
--- /dev/null
+++ b/conf/receiver.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# where incoming data will be stored to
+targetDir         = /space/projects/live-viewer/data/target
+
+# local ip to connect dataStream to
+dataStreamIp      = 131.169.185.121     # zitpcx19282.desy.de
+# tcp port of data pipe"
+dataStreamPort    = 6061
+
+# path where logfile will be created
+logfilePath       = /space/projects/live-viewer/logs
+# filename used for logging
+logfileName       = zmq_receiver.log
diff --git a/src/receiver.py b/src/receiver.py
index a37bebe9ce79f05470f103f0b53d36cb1703b326..1bd93c1c45d4d9abf895a52c4e02acb96ad0c854 100644
--- a/src/receiver.py
+++ b/src/receiver.py
@@ -5,28 +5,40 @@ import sys
 import argparse
 import logging
 import os
-
-BASE_PATH   = os.path.dirname ( os.path.dirname ( os.path.realpath ( __file__ ) ) )
-CONFIG_PATH = BASE_PATH + os.sep + "conf"
-
-sys.path.append ( CONFIG_PATH )
+import ConfigParser
 
 import shared.helperScript as helperScript
 from receiver.FileReceiver import FileReceiver
 
-from receiverConf import defaultConfig
+BASE_PATH   = os.path.dirname ( os.path.dirname ( os.path.realpath ( __file__ ) ) )
+CONFIG_PATH = BASE_PATH + os.sep + "conf"
 
 
 def argumentParsing():
-    defConf = defaultConfig()
+    configFile = CONFIG_PATH + os.sep + "receiver.conf"
+
+    config = ConfigParser.RawConfigParser()
+    config.readfp(helperScript.FakeSecHead(open(configFile)))
+
+    logfilePath    = config.get('asection', 'logfilePath')
+    logfileName    = config.get('asection', 'logfileName')
+    targetDir      = config.get('asection', 'targetDir')
+    dataStreamIp   = config.get('asection', 'dataStreamIp')
+    dataStreamPort = config.get('asection', 'dataStreamPort')
 
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
-    parser.add_argument("--logfilePath"          , type=str, default=defConf.logfilePath          , help="path where logfile will be created (default=" + str(defConf.logfilePath) + ")")
-    parser.add_argument("--logfileName"          , type=str, default=defConf.logfileName          , help="filename used for logging (default=" + str(defConf.logfileName) + ")")
-    parser.add_argument("--targetDir"            , type=str, default=defConf.targetDir            , help="where incoming data will be stored to (default=" + str(defConf.targetDir) + ")")
-    parser.add_argument("--dataStreamIp"         , type=str, default=defConf.dataStreamIp         , help="ip of dataStream-socket to pull new files from (default=" + str(defConf.dataStreamIp) + ")")
-    parser.add_argument("--dataStreamPort"       , type=str, default=defConf.dataStreamPort       , help="port number of dataStream-socket to pull new files from (default=" + str(defConf.dataStreamPort) + ")")
-    parser.add_argument("--verbose"              ,           action="store_true"                  , help="more verbose output")
+    parser.add_argument("--logfilePath"          , type=str, default=logfilePath,
+                                                   help="path where logfile will be created (default=" + str(logfilePath) + ")")
+    parser.add_argument("--logfileName"          , type=str, default=logfileName,
+                                                   help="filename used for logging (default=" + str(logfileName) + ")")
+    parser.add_argument("--targetDir"            , type=str, default=targetDir,
+                                                   help="where incoming data will be stored to (default=" + str(targetDir) + ")")
+    parser.add_argument("--dataStreamIp"         , type=str, default=dataStreamIp,
+                                                   help="ip of dataStream-socket to pull new files from (default=" + str(dataStreamIp) + ")")
+    parser.add_argument("--dataStreamPort"       , type=str, default=dataStreamPort,
+                                                   help="port number of dataStream-socket to pull new files from (default=" + str(dataStreamPort) + ")")
+    parser.add_argument("--verbose"              , action="store_true",
+                                                   help="more verbose output")
 
     arguments = parser.parse_args()