diff --git a/src/core/comm/SocketComm.cc b/src/core/comm/SocketComm.cc
index 092748c9..0ae632e9 100644
--- a/src/core/comm/SocketComm.cc
+++ b/src/core/comm/SocketComm.cc
@@ -9,17 +9,16 @@ bool SocketComm::sendMsg(int sockfd, google::protobuf::Message& msg)
 {
 #ifdef USE_SIZE_PREFIX
     int size = htonl(msg.ByteSize());
-    if (safe_write(sockfd, &size, sizeof(size)) == -1) {
-        return false;
-    }
     std::string buf;
-    msg.SerializeToString(&buf);
-    if (safe_write(sockfd, buf.c_str(), buf.size()) == -1) {
+    if (safe_write(sockfd, &size, sizeof(size)) == -1
+	 || !msg.SerializeToString(&buf)
+	 || safe_write(sockfd, buf.c_str(), buf.size()) == -1) {
         return false;
     }
 #else
     char c = 0;
-    if (!msg.SerializeToFileDescriptor(sockfd) || safe_write(sockfd, &c, 1) == -1) {
+    if (!msg.SerializeToFileDescriptor(sockfd)
+	 || safe_write(sockfd, &c, 1) == -1) {
         return false;
     }
 #endif
@@ -41,8 +40,7 @@ bool SocketComm::rcvMsg(int sockfd, google::protobuf::Message& msg)
     }
     std::string st(buf, size);
     delete [] buf;
-    msg.ParseFromString(st);
-    return true;
+    return msg.ParseFromString(st);
 #else
     return msg.ParseFromFileDescriptor(sockfd);
 #endif
@@ -77,10 +75,13 @@ ssize_t SocketComm::safe_read(int fd, void *buf, size_t count)
 				continue;
 			}
 			return -1;
+		} else if (ret == 0) {
+			// this deliberately deviates from read(2)
+			return -1;
 		}
 		count -= ret;
 		cbuf += ret;
-	} while (ret && count);
+	} while (count);
 	return cbuf - (const char *) buf;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/cpn/JobServer.cc b/src/core/cpn/JobServer.cc
index dba6ecc3..44ad5210 100644
--- a/src/core/cpn/JobServer.cc
+++ b/src/core/cpn/JobServer.cc
@@ -254,8 +254,9 @@ void CommThread::sendPendingExperimentData(Minion& minion)
 		ctrlmsg.set_workloadid(workloadID); // set workload id
 		//cout << ">>[Server] Sending workload [" << workloadID << "]" << endl;
 		cout << ">>[" << workloadID << "] " << flush;
-		SocketComm::sendMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), ctrlmsg);
-		SocketComm::sendMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), exp->getMessage());
+		if (SocketComm::sendMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), ctrlmsg)) {
+			SocketComm::sendMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), exp->getMessage());
+		}
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -280,8 +281,9 @@ void CommThread::sendPendingExperimentData(Minion& minion)
 		ctrlmsg.set_workloadid(workloadID); // set workload id
 		//cout << ">>[Server] Re-sending workload [" << workloadID << "]" << endl;
 		cout << ">>R[" << workloadID << "] " << flush;
-		SocketComm::sendMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), ctrlmsg);
-		SocketComm::sendMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), exp->getMessage());
+		if (SocketComm::sendMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), ctrlmsg)) {
+			SocketComm::sendMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), exp->getMessage());
+		}
 	} else if (m_js.noMoreExperiments() == false) { 
 		// Currently we have no workload (even the running-job-queue is empty!), but
 		// the campaign is not over yet. Minion can try again later.
@@ -302,8 +304,12 @@ void CommThread::receiveExperimentResults(Minion& minion, uint32_t workloadID)
 	//cout << "<<[Server] Received result for workload id [" << workloadID << "]" << endl;
 	cout << "<<[" << workloadID << "] " << flush;
 	if (m_js.m_runningJobs.remove(workloadID, exp)) { // ExperimentData* found
-		SocketComm::rcvMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), exp->getMessage() ); // deserialize results.
-		m_js.m_doneJobs.Enqueue(exp); // Put results in done queue..
+		// deserialize results, expect failures
+		if (!SocketComm::rcvMsg(minion.getSocketDescriptor(), exp->getMessage())) {
+			m_js.m_runningJobs.insert(workloadID, exp);
+		} else {
+			m_js.m_doneJobs.Enqueue(exp); // Put results in done queue
+		}
 	  #ifdef SERVER_PERFORMANCE_MEASURE
 		++JobServer::m_DoneCount;
 	  #endif
diff --git a/src/core/efw/JobClient.cc b/src/core/efw/JobClient.cc
index 6c1587bc..42a36590 100644
--- a/src/core/efw/JobClient.cc
+++ b/src/core/efw/JobClient.cc
@@ -71,9 +71,9 @@ bool JobClient::getParam(ExperimentData& exp)
 	while (1) { // Here we try to acquire a parameter set
 		switch (tryToGetExperimentData(exp)) {
 			// Jobserver will sent workload, params are set in \c exp
-		case FailControlMessage_Command_WORK_FOLLOWS: return true;
+		case FailControlMessage::WORK_FOLLOWS: return true;
 			// Nothing to do right now, but maybe later
-		case FailControlMessage_Command_COME_AGAIN:
+		case FailControlMessage::COME_AGAIN:
 			sleep(1);
 			continue;
 		default:
@@ -84,29 +84,43 @@ bool JobClient::getParam(ExperimentData& exp)
 
 FailControlMessage_Command JobClient::tryToGetExperimentData(ExperimentData& exp)
 {
+	FailControlMessage ctrlmsg;
+
 	// Connection failed, minion can die
-	if (!connectToServer())
-		return FailControlMessage_Command_DIE;
+	if (!connectToServer()) {
+		return FailControlMessage::DIE;
+	}
 
 	// Retrieve ExperimentData
-	FailControlMessage ctrlmsg;
-	ctrlmsg.set_command(FailControlMessage_Command_NEED_WORK);
+	ctrlmsg.set_command(FailControlMessage::NEED_WORK);
 	ctrlmsg.set_build_id(42);
 	ctrlmsg.set_run_id(m_server_runid);
 
-	SocketComm::sendMsg(m_sockfd, ctrlmsg);
+	if (!SocketComm::sendMsg(m_sockfd, ctrlmsg)) {
+		// Failed to send message?  Retry.
+		close(m_sockfd);
+		return FailControlMessage::COME_AGAIN;
+	}
 	ctrlmsg.Clear();
-	SocketComm::rcvMsg(m_sockfd, ctrlmsg);
+	if (!SocketComm::rcvMsg(m_sockfd, ctrlmsg)) {
+		// Failed to receive message?  Retry.
+		close(m_sockfd);
+		return FailControlMessage::COME_AGAIN;
+	}
 
 	// now we know the current run ID
 	m_server_runid = ctrlmsg.run_id();
 
 	switch (ctrlmsg.command()) {
-	case FailControlMessage_Command_WORK_FOLLOWS:
-		SocketComm::rcvMsg(m_sockfd, exp.getMessage());
+	case FailControlMessage::WORK_FOLLOWS:
+		if (!SocketComm::rcvMsg(m_sockfd, exp.getMessage())) {
+			// Failed to receive message?  Retry.
+			close(m_sockfd);
+			return FailControlMessage::COME_AGAIN;
+		}
 		exp.setWorkloadID(ctrlmsg.workloadid()); // Store workload id of experiment data
 		break;
-	case FailControlMessage_Command_COME_AGAIN:
+	case FailControlMessage::COME_AGAIN:
 		break;
 	default:
 		break;  
@@ -122,7 +136,7 @@ bool JobClient::sendResult(ExperimentData& result)
 
 	// Send back results
 	FailControlMessage ctrlmsg;
-	ctrlmsg.set_command(FailControlMessage_Command_RESULT_FOLLOWS);
+	ctrlmsg.set_command(FailControlMessage::RESULT_FOLLOWS);
 	ctrlmsg.set_build_id(42);
 	ctrlmsg.set_run_id(m_server_runid);
 	ctrlmsg.set_workloadid(result.getWorkloadID());