Index: setup.py
===================================================================
--- setup.py	(revision 74612)
+++ setup.py	(working copy)
@@ -438,6 +438,8 @@
         # static Unicode character database
         exts.append( Extension('unicodedata', ['unicodedata.c']) )
 
+        exts.append( Extension('_uuid', ['_uuid.c'], libraries=['uuid']) )
+
         # Modules with some UNIX dependencies -- on by default:
         # (If you have a really backward UNIX, select and socket may not be
         # supported...)
Index: Lib/uuid.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/uuid.py	(revision 74612)
+++ Lib/uuid.py	(working copy)
@@ -412,7 +412,16 @@
 # If ctypes is available, use it to find system routines for UUID generation.
 # XXX This makes the module non-thread-safe!
 _uuid_generate_random = _uuid_generate_time = _UuidCreate = None
+
+_uuid_generate_random_fast = _uuid_generate_time_fast = None
 try:
+    import _uuid
+    _uuid_generate_random_fast = _uuid.uuid4
+    _uuid_generate_time_fast = _uuid.uuid1
+except ImportError:
+    pass
+
+try:
     import ctypes, ctypes.util
 
     # The uuid_generate_* routines are provided by libuuid on at least
@@ -446,6 +455,8 @@
 
 def _unixdll_getnode():
     """Get the hardware address on Unix using ctypes."""
+    if _uuid_generate_random_fast:
+        return UUID(bytes=bytes_(_uuid_generate_random_fast())).node
     _buffer = ctypes.create_string_buffer(16)
     _uuid_generate_time(_buffer)
     return UUID(bytes=bytes_(_buffer.raw)).node
@@ -500,10 +511,13 @@
 
     # When the system provides a version-1 UUID generator, use it (but don't
     # use UuidCreate here because its UUIDs don't conform to RFC 4122).
-    if _uuid_generate_time and node is clock_seq is None:
-        _buffer = ctypes.create_string_buffer(16)
-        _uuid_generate_time(_buffer)
-        return UUID(bytes=bytes_(_buffer.raw))
+    if node is clock_seq is None:
+        if _uuid_generate_time_fast:
+            return UUID(bytes=bytes_(_uuid_generate_time_fast()))
+        if _uuid_generate_time:
+            _buffer = ctypes.create_string_buffer(16)
+            _uuid_generate_time(_buffer)
+            return UUID(bytes=bytes_(_buffer.raw))
 
     global _last_timestamp
     import time
@@ -537,6 +551,8 @@
     """Generate a random UUID."""
 
     # When the system provides a version-4 UUID generator, use it.
+    if _uuid_generate_random_fast:
+        return UUID(bytes=bytes_(_uuid_generate_random_fast()))
     if _uuid_generate_random:
         _buffer = ctypes.create_string_buffer(16)
         _uuid_generate_random(_buffer)
Index: Modules/_uuid.c
===================================================================
--- Modules/_uuid.c	(revision 0)
+++ Modules/_uuid.c	(revision 0)
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/* UUID (universally unique identifiers) generator
+
+   This is the faster version than the pure python implementation uuid.py.
+   It was suggested in issue 5885 by Wang Chun and implemented by Daniel Black
+
+This module should not be used directly. Usage should be through the uuid.py which
+will load this module if available.
+*/
+
+#include "Python.h"
+
+#include <uuid/uuid.h>
+
+static PyObject *
+uuid_uuid1(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
+{
+        uuid_t out;
+        uuid_generate_time(out);
+        return PyByteArray_FromStringAndSize((const char *) out,sizeof(out));
+}
+
+static PyObject *
+uuid_uuid4(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
+{
+        uuid_t out;
+        uuid_generate_random(out);
+        return PyByteArray_FromStringAndSize(out,sizeof(out));
+}
+
+static PyMethodDef uuidMethods[] = {
+        {"uuid1", uuid_uuid1, METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS},
+        {"uuid4", uuid_uuid4, METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS},
+        {NULL, NULL, 0, NULL}
+};
+
+static struct PyModuleDef uuidmodule = {
+        PyModuleDef_HEAD_INIT,
+        "_uuid",
+         NULL, /* doc */
+         -1,
+        uuidMethods
+};
+
+PyMODINIT_FUNC
+PyInit__uuid(void)
+{
+        return PyModule_Create(&uuidmodule);
+}