diff --git a/lib/py/src/transport/TSocket.py b/lib/py/src/transport/TSocket.py
index 0b44344..146820d 100644
--- a/lib/py/src/transport/TSocket.py
+++ b/lib/py/src/transport/TSocket.py
@@ -13,11 +13,21 @@
 
   """Socket implementation of TTransport base."""
 
-  def __init__(self, host='localhost', port=9090):
+  def __init__(self, host='localhost', port=9090, unix_socket=None):
+    """Initialize a TSocket
+
+    @param host(str)  The host to connect to.
+    @param port(int)  The (TCP) port to connect to.
+    @param unix_socket(str)  The filename of a unix socket to connect to.
+                             (host and port will be ignored.)
+    """
+
     self.host = host
     self.port = port
     self.handle = None
-
+    self._unix_socket = unix_socket
+    self._timeout = None
+    
   def setHandle(self, h):
     self.handle = h
 
@@ -25,16 +35,26 @@
     return self.handle != None
 
   def setTimeout(self, ms):
-    if (self.handle != None):
-      self.handle.settimeout(ms/1000.00)
+    if ms is None:
+      self._timeout = None
     else:
-      raise TTransportException(TTransportException.NOT_OPEN, 'No handle yet in TSocket')
+      self._timeout = ms/1000.0
+    
+    if (self.handle != None):
+      self.handle.settimeout(self._timeout)
 
+  def _resolveAddr(self):
+    if self._unix_socket is not None:
+      return [(socket.AF_UNIX, socket.SOCK_STREAM, None, None, self._unix_socket)]
+    else:
+      return socket.getaddrinfo(self.host, self.port, socket.AF_UNSPEC, socket.SOCK_STREAM, 0, socket.AI_PASSIVE | socket.AI_ADDRCONFIG)
+    
   def open(self):
     try:
-      res0 = socket.getaddrinfo(self.host, self.port, socket.AF_UNSPEC, socket.SOCK_STREAM, 0, socket.AI_PASSIVE | socket.AI_ADDRCONFIG)
+      res0 = self._resolveAddr()
       for res in res0:
         self.handle = socket.socket(res[0], res[1])
+        self.handle.settimeout(self._timeout)
         try:
           self.handle.connect(res[4])
         except socket.error, e:
diff --git a/test/py/TestSocket.py b/test/py/TestSocket.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7cbdf5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/py/TestSocket.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+import sys, glob
+sys.path.insert(0, './gen-py')
+sys.path.insert(0, glob.glob('../../lib/py/build/lib.*')[0])
+
+from ThriftTest import ThriftTest
+from ThriftTest.ttypes import *
+from thrift.transport import TTransport
+from thrift.transport import TSocket
+from thrift.protocol import TBinaryProtocol
+import unittest
+import time
+import socket
+import random
+from optparse import OptionParser
+
+class TimeoutTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        for i in xrange(50):
+            try:
+                # find a port we can use
+                self.listen_sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
+                self.port = random.randint(10000, 30000)
+                self.listen_sock.bind(('localhost', self.port))
+                self.listen_sock.listen(5)
+                break
+            except:
+                if i == 49:
+                    raise
+
+    def testConnectTimeout(self):
+        starttime = time.time()
+        
+        try:
+            leaky = []
+            for i in xrange(100):
+                socket = TSocket.TSocket('localhost', self.port)
+                socket.setTimeout(10)
+                socket.open()
+                leaky.append(socket)
+        except:
+            assert time.time() - starttime < 5.0
+
+    def testWriteTimeout(self):
+        starttime = time.time()
+        
+        try:
+            socket = TSocket.TSocket('localhost', self.port)
+            socket.setTimeout(10)
+            socket.open()
+            lsock = self.listen_sock.accept()
+            while True:
+                socket.write("hi" * 100)
+            
+        except:
+            assert time.time() - starttime < 5.0
+            
+suite = unittest.TestSuite()
+loader = unittest.TestLoader()
+
+suite.addTest(loader.loadTestsFromTestCase(TimeoutTest))
+
+testRunner = unittest.TextTestRunner(verbosity=2)
+testRunner.run(suite)