diff --git a/unit_tests/check_clamd.sh b/unit_tests/check_clamd.sh
index f42cc6d43..1ff2819bc 100755
--- a/unit_tests/check_clamd.sh
+++ b/unit_tests/check_clamd.sh
@@ -10,49 +10,105 @@ killclamd() {
 	fi
 	kill -0 $pid 2>/dev/null || return
 	kill $pid
-	timeout=10
-	(sleep $timeout && kill -0 $pid 2>/dev/null && kill -KILL $pid) &
-	sleeperpid=$!
-	kill -0 $pid 2>/dev/null && wait $pid
-	kill $sleeperpid 2>/dev/null
+	pippo=0
+	while kill -0 $pid 2>/dev/null; do
+		sleep 1
+		pippo=$((pippo+1))
+		if test $pippo -gt 9; then
+			kill -KILL $pid
+		fi
+	done
 	rm -f /tmp/clamd-test.pid
 }
+
 die() {
 	killclamd
-	rm -rf test-db test-clamd-viraction.conf test-clamd.log	test-clamd-heur-pred.conf clamd-test.socket
+	rm -rf test-db test-clamd1.conf test-clamd2.conf test-clamd.log	clamd-test.socket reload-testfile
 	exit $1
 }
-run_clamd_test() {
+
+error()
+{
+	echo >&2
+	echo "***" >&2
+	echo "*** $1" >&2
+	echo "***" >&2
+}
+
+start_clamd()
+{
+	rm -f /tmp/clamd-test.log
+	../libtool --mode=execute $CLAMD_WRAPPER ../clamd/clamd -c $1 || 
+		{ error "Failed to start clamd!"; die 1;}
+}
+
+run_clamdscan() {
 	conf_file=$1
 	shift
 	rm -f clamdscan.log clamdscan-multiscan.log
-	../libtool --mode=execute $CLAMD_WRAPPER ../clamd/clamd -c $conf_file || { echo "Failed to start clamd!" >&2; die 1;}
-	../clamdscan/clamdscan --version --config-file $conf_file 2>&1|grep "^ClamAV" >/dev/null || { echo "clamdscan can't get version of clamd!" >&2; die 2;}
+	../clamdscan/clamdscan --version --config-file $conf_file 2>&1|grep "^ClamAV" >/dev/null || 
+		{ error "clamdscan can't get version of clamd!"; die 2;}
 	../clamdscan/clamdscan --quiet --config-file $conf_file $* --log=clamdscan.log
-	../clamdscan/clamdscan --quiet --config-file $conf_file $* -m --log=clamdscan-multiscan.log
-	if test -x /bin/nc; then
-		echo RELOAD | nc -q 0 -n 127.0.0.1 3311
+	if test $? = 2; then 
+		error "Failed to run clamdscan!"
+		cat clamdscan.log
+		die 3;	
 	fi
+	../clamdscan/clamdscan --quiet --config-file $conf_file $* -m --log=clamdscan-multiscan.log
 	if test $? = 2; then 
-		echo "Failed to run clamdscan!" >&2;
+		error "Failed to run clamdscan (multiscan)!"
 		die 3;	
 	fi
-	killclamd
 }
 
-run_clamd_fdpass_test() {
+run_reload_test()
+{
+	# TODO consider using clamdscan when it'll have a reload feature
+	if test ! -x /bin/nc; then
+		echo "*** Netcat (nc) is not installed, skipping reload test"
+		return
+	fi
+	rm -f reload-testfile
+	echo "ClamAV-RELOAD-Test" >reload-testfile
+	run_clamdscan test-clamd1.conf reload-testfile
+	grep "ClamAV-RELOAD-TestFile" clamdscan.log >/dev/null 2>/dev/null;
+	if test $? -eq 0; then
+		# it is not supposed to detect until we actually put the
+		# signature there and reload!
+		error "RELOAD test failed!"
+		cat clamdscan.log
+		die 7;
+	fi
+	echo "ClamAV-RELOAD-TestFile:0:0:436c616d41562d52454c4f41442d54657374" >test-db/new.ndb
+	echo RELOAD | nc -q 0 -n 127.0.0.1 3311
+	run_clamdscan test-clamd1.conf reload-testfile
+	grep "ClamAV-RELOAD-TestFile" clamdscan.log >/dev/null 2>/dev/null;
+	if test $? -ne 0; then
+		error "RELOAD test failed! (after reload)"
+		cat clamdscan.log
+		die 8;
+	fi
+	grep "ClamAV-RELOAD-TestFile" clamdscan-multiscan.log >/dev/null 2>/dev/null;
+	if test $? -ne 0; then
+		error "RELOAD test failed! (after reload, multiscan)"
+		die 9;
+	fi
+	rm -f reload-testfile
+}
+
+run_clamdscan_fdpass() {
 	conf_file=$1
 	shift
 	rm -f clamdscan.log
-	../libtool --mode=execute $CLAMD_WRAPPER ../clamd/clamd -c $conf_file || { echo "Failed to start clamd!" >&2; die 1;}
 	../clamdscan/clamdscan --quiet --fdpass --config-file $conf_file - <$1 --log=clamdscan.log
 	if test $? = 2; then
-		echo "Failed to run clamdscan!" >&2;
-		die 3;
+		error "Failed to run clamdscan!"
+		die 9;
 	fi
-	killclamd
 }
 
+# Set up test DBdir
+rm -rf test-db
 mkdir -p test-db
 cat <<EOF >test-db/test.hdb
 aa15bcf478d165efd2065190eb473bcb:544:ClamAV-Test-File
@@ -60,62 +116,79 @@ EOF
 cp $srcdir/input/daily.ftm test-db/
 cp $srcdir/input/daily.pdb test-db/
 
+# Prepare for clamd #1
+# Use absolute path to dbdir, so that RELOAD works
+cat <$srcdir/test-clamd.conf >test-clamd1.conf
+echo "DatabaseDirectory `pwd`/test-db" >>test-clamd1.conf
+
+# Start clamd #1
+start_clamd test-clamd1.conf
+
 # Test that all testfiles are detected
 FILES=../test/clam*
-run_clamd_test $srcdir/test-clamd.conf $FILES
+run_clamdscan test-clamd1.conf $FILES
 NFILES=`ls -1 $FILES | wc -l`
 NINFECTED=`grep "Infected files" clamdscan.log | cut -f2 -d:|sed -e 's/ //g'`
 NINFECTED_MULTI=`grep "Infected files" clamdscan-multiscan.log | cut -f2 -d:|sed -e 's/ //g'`
 if test "$NFILES" -ne "0$NINFECTED"; then
-	echo "clamd did not detect all testfiles correctly!" >&2;
-	grep OK clamdscan.log >&2;
+	error "clamd did not detect all testfiles correctly!"
+	grep OK clamdscan.log
 	die 4;
 fi
 if test "$NFILES" -ne "0$NINFECTED_MULTI"; then
-	echo "clamd did not detect all testfiles correctly in multiscan mode!" >&2;
-	grep OK clamdscan-multiscan.log >&2;
-	die 4;
+	error "clamd did not detect all testfiles correctly in multiscan mode!"
+	grep OK clamdscan-multiscan.log
+	die 5;
+fi
+
+# Test HeuristicScanPrecedence off feature
+run_clamdscan test-clamd1.conf clam-phish-exe
+grep "ClamAV-Test-File" clamdscan.log >/dev/null 2>/dev/null;
+if test $? -ne 0; then
+	error "HeuristicScanPrecedence off test failed!"
+	cat clamdscan.log
+	die 6;
 fi
 
+# Test RELOAD command
+run_reload_test
+killclamd 
+
+# Prepare configuration for clamd #2
+cat <test-clamd1.conf >test-clamd2.conf
+echo "VirusEvent `pwd`/$srcdir/virusaction-test.sh `pwd` \"Virus found: %v\"" >>test-clamd2.conf
+echo "HeuristicScanPrecedence yes" >>test-clamd2.conf
+
+# Start clamd #2
+start_clamd test-clamd2.conf
+
 # Test VirusEvent feature
-cat <$srcdir/test-clamd.conf >test-clamd-viraction.conf
-echo "VirusEvent `pwd`/$srcdir/virusaction-test.sh `pwd` \"Virus found: %v\"" >>test-clamd-viraction.conf
-rm -f test-clamd.log
-run_clamd_test test-clamd-viraction.conf ../test/clam.exe
+run_clamdscan test-clamd2.conf ../test/clam.exe
 grep "Virus found: ClamAV-Test-File.UNOFFICIAL" test-clamd.log >/dev/null 2>/dev/null; 
-if test ! $? ; then
-	echo "Virusaction test failed!" 
+if test $? -ne 0; then
+	error "Virusaction test failed!" 
 	cat test-clamd.log
-	die 5;
+	die 10;
 fi
 
 # Test HeuristicScanPrecedence feature
-cat <$srcdir/test-clamd.conf >test-clamd-heur-pred.conf
-run_clamd_test test-clamd-heur-pred.conf clam-phish-exe
-grep "ClamAV-Test-File" clamdscan.log >/dev/null 2>/dev/null;
-if test ! $?; then
-	echo "HeuristicScanPrecedence off test failed!" >&2;
-	cat clamdscan.log;
-	die 6;
-fi
-echo "HeuristicScanPrecedence yes" >>test-clamd-heur-pred.conf
-run_clamd_test test-clamd-heur-pred.conf clam-phish-exe
+run_clamdscan test-clamd2.conf clam-phish-exe
 grep "Phishing.Heuristics.Email.SpoofedDomain" clamdscan.log >/dev/null 2>/dev/null;
-if test ! $?; then
-	echo "HeuristicScanPrecedence on test failed!" >&2;
-	cat clamdscan.log;
-	die 6;
+if test $? -ne 0; then
+	error "HeuristicScanPrecedence on test failed!"
+	cat clamdscan.log
+	die 11;
 fi
 
 if grep "^#define HAVE_FD_PASSING 1" ../clamav-config.h >/dev/null; then
-	run_clamd_fdpass_test $srcdir/test-clamd.conf ../test/clam.exe
+	run_clamdscan_fdpass test-clamd2.conf ../test/clam.exe
 	grep "ClamAV-Test-File" clamdscan.log >/dev/null 2>/dev/null;
-	if test ! $?; then
-		echo "FDpassing test failed!" >&2;
+	if test $? -ne 0; then
+		error "FDpassing test failed!"
 		cat clamdscan.log;
-		die 7;
+		die 12;
 	fi
 else
-	echo "No FD passing support, skipping test"
+	echo "*** No file descriptor passing support, skipping test"
 fi
 die 0;
diff --git a/unit_tests/test-clamd.conf b/unit_tests/test-clamd.conf
index 375446980..efc40eb00 100644
--- a/unit_tests/test-clamd.conf
+++ b/unit_tests/test-clamd.conf
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ LogTime yes
 LogClean yes
 LogVerbose yes
 PidFile /tmp/clamd-test.pid
-DatabaseDirectory test-db
+# We need to use absolute path for RELOAD, the script will fill this in
+# DatabaseDirectory test-db
 LocalSocket clamd-test.socket
 TCPAddr 127.0.0.1
 # using different port here to avoid conflicts with system clamd daemon