diff --git a/test/py/RunClientServer.py b/test/py/RunClientServer.py
index dced91a..633856f 100755
--- a/test/py/RunClientServer.py
+++ b/test/py/RunClientServer.py
@@ -30,9 +30,18 @@
 parser = OptionParser()
 parser.add_option("--port", type="int", dest="port", default=9090,
     help="port number for server to listen on")
+parser.add_option('-v', '--verbose', action="store_const", 
+    dest="verbose", const=2,
+    help="verbose output")
+parser.add_option('-q', '--quiet', action="store_const", 
+    dest="verbose", const=0,
+    help="minimal output")
+parser.set_defaults(verbose=1)
 options, args = parser.parse_args()
 
 FRAMED = ["TNonblockingServer"]
+SKIP_ZLIB = ['TNonblockingServer', 'THttpServer']
+SKIP_SSL = ['TNonblockingServer', 'THttpServer']
 EXTRA_DELAY = ['TProcessPoolServer']
 EXTRA_SLEEP = 3.5
 
@@ -58,6 +67,11 @@
   print 'Warning: the multiprocessing module is unavailable. Skipping tests for TProcessPoolServer'
   SERVERS.remove('TProcessPoolServer')
 
+try:
+  import ssl
+except:
+  print 'Warning, no ssl module available. Skipping all SSL tests.'
+  SKIP_SSL.extend(SERVERS)
 
 # commandline permits a single class name to be specified to override SERVERS=[...]
 if len(args) == 1:
@@ -71,41 +85,68 @@
 def relfile(fname):
     return os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), fname)
 
-def runTest(server_class, proto, port):
-    server_args = [sys.executable, # /usr/bin/python or similar
-      relfile('TestServer.py'), # ./TestServer.py
-      '--proto=%s' % proto, # accel, binary or compact
-      '--port=%d' % port, # usually 9090, given on cmdline
-      server_class] # name of class to test, from SERVERS[] or cmdline
-    print "Testing server %s: %s" % (server_class, ' '.join(server_args))
-    serverproc = subprocess.Popen(server_args)
-    time.sleep(0.25)
-    try:
-        argv = [sys.executable, relfile("TestClient.py"),
-           '--proto=%s' % (proto), '--port=%d' % (port) ]
-        if server_class in FRAMED:
-            argv.append('--framed')
-        if server_class == 'THttpServer':
-            argv.append('--http=/')
-        print 'Testing client %s: %s' % (server_class, ' '.join(argv))
-        ret = subprocess.call(argv)
-        if ret != 0:
-            raise Exception("subprocess %s failed, args: %s" % (server_class, ' '.join(argv)))
-    finally:
-        # check that server didn't die
-        time.sleep(0.05)
-        serverproc.poll()
-        if serverproc.returncode is not None:
-          print 'Server process (%s) failed with retcode %d' % (' '.join(server_args), serverproc.returncode)
-          raise Exception('subprocess %s died, args: %s' % (server_class, ' '.join(server_args)))
-        else:
-          if server_class in EXTRA_DELAY:
-            print 'Giving %s (proto=%s) an extra %d seconds for child processes to terminate via alarm' % (server_class, proto, EXTRA_SLEEP)
-            time.sleep(EXTRA_SLEEP)
-          os.kill(serverproc.pid, signal.SIGKILL)
-    # wait for shutdown
-    time.sleep(0.5)
+def runTest(server_class, proto, port, use_zlib, use_ssl):
+  # Build command line arguments
+  server_args = [sys.executable, relfile('TestServer.py') ]
+  cli_args = [sys.executable, relfile('TestClient.py') ]
+  for which in (server_args, cli_args):
+    which.append('--proto=%s' % proto) # accel, binary or compact
+    which.append('--port=%d' % port) # default to 9090
+    if use_zlib:
+      which.append('--zlib')
+    if use_ssl:
+      which.append('--ssl')
+    if options.verbose == 0:
+      which.append('-q')
+    if options.verbose == 2:
+      which.append('-v')
+  # server-specific option to select server class
+  server_args.append(server_class)
+  # client-specific cmdline options
+  if server_class in FRAMED:
+    cli_args.append('--framed')
+  if server_class == 'THttpServer':
+    cli_args.append('--http=/')
+  if options.verbose > 0:
+    print 'Testing server %s: %s' % (server_class, ' '.join(server_args))
+  serverproc = subprocess.Popen(server_args)
+  time.sleep(0.2)
+  try:
+    if options.verbose > 0:
+      print 'Testing client: %s' % (' '.join(cli_args))
+    ret = subprocess.call(cli_args)
+    if ret != 0:
+      raise Exception("Client subprocess failed, retcode=%d, args: %s" % (ret, ' '.join(cli_args)))
+  finally:
+    # check that server didn't die
+    serverproc.poll()
+    if serverproc.returncode is not None:
+      print 'FAIL: Server process (%s) failed with retcode %d' % (' '.join(server_args), serverproc.returncode)
+      raise Exception('Server subprocess %s died, args: %s' % (server_class, ' '.join(server_args)))
+    else:
+      if server_class in EXTRA_DELAY:
+        if options.verbose > 0:
+          print 'Giving %s (proto=%s,zlib=%s,ssl=%s) an extra %d seconds for child processes to terminate via alarm' % (server_class,
+                proto, use_zlib, use_ssl, EXTRA_SLEEP)
+        time.sleep(EXTRA_SLEEP)
+      os.kill(serverproc.pid, signal.SIGKILL)
+  # wait for shutdown
+  time.sleep(0.1)
 
+test_count = 0
 for try_server in SERVERS:
   for try_proto in PROTOS:
-    runTest(try_server, try_proto, options.port)
+    for with_zlib in (False, True):
+      # skip any servers that don't work with the Zlib transport
+      if with_zlib and try_server in SKIP_ZLIB:
+        continue
+      for with_ssl in (False, True):
+        # skip any servers that don't work with SSL
+        if with_ssl and try_server in SKIP_SSL:
+          continue
+        test_count += 1
+        if options.verbose > 0:
+          print '\nTest run #%d:  Server=%s,  Proto=%s,  zlib=%s,  SSL=%s' % (test_count, try_server, try_proto, with_zlib, with_ssl)
+        runTest(try_server, try_proto, options.port, with_zlib, with_ssl)
+        if options.verbose > 0:
+          print 'OK: Finished  %s / %s proto / zlib=%s / SSL=%s.   %d combinations tested.' % (try_server, try_proto, with_zlib, with_ssl, test_count)