diff --git a/clients/roscpp/include/ros/node_handle.h b/clients/roscpp/include/ros/node_handle.h
index fcb6c783ab..d084e5e071 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/include/ros/node_handle.h
+++ b/clients/roscpp/include/ros/node_handle.h
@@ -2150,7 +2150,7 @@ if (service)  // Enter if advertised service is valid
    * or is an otherwise invalid graph resource name.
    */
   template<typename T>
-  T param(const std::string& param_name, const T& default_val)
+  T param(const std::string& param_name, const T& default_val) const
   {
       T param_val;
       param(param_name, param_val, default_val);
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/include/ros/timer.h b/clients/roscpp/include/ros/timer.h
index 2d5663e443..339313cf60 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/include/ros/timer.h
+++ b/clients/roscpp/include/ros/timer.h
@@ -71,8 +71,9 @@ class ROSCPP_DECL Timer
    */
   void setPeriod(const Duration& period, bool reset=true);
 
-  bool hasStarted() const { return impl_->hasStarted(); }
+  bool hasStarted() const { return impl_ && impl_->hasStarted(); }
   bool isValid() { return impl_ && impl_->isValid(); }
+  bool isValid() const { return impl_ && impl_->isValid(); }
   operator void*() { return isValid() ? (void*)1 : (void*)0; }
 
   bool operator<(const Timer& rhs)
@@ -101,6 +102,7 @@ class ROSCPP_DECL Timer
 
     bool hasStarted() const;
     bool isValid();
+    bool isValid() const;
     bool hasPending();
     void setPeriod(const Duration& period, bool reset=true);
 
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/connection.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/connection.cpp
index cb92aa7a25..fb97ecd21f 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/connection.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/connection.cpp
@@ -337,8 +337,8 @@ void Connection::drop(DropReason reason)
 
   if (did_drop)
   {
-    drop_signal_(shared_from_this(), reason);
     transport_->close();
+    drop_signal_(shared_from_this(), reason);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/init.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/init.cpp
index fa3a0430d8..d06eeaa07a 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/init.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/init.cpp
@@ -592,7 +592,8 @@ void shutdown()
   {
     g_internal_queue_thread.join();
   }
-
+  //ros::console::deregister_appender(g_rosout_appender);
+  delete g_rosout_appender;
   g_rosout_appender = 0;
 
   if (g_started)
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/node_handle.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/node_handle.cpp
index 67caeee7fe..82d094c9db 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/node_handle.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/node_handle.cpp
@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@ class NodeHandleBackingCollection
   V_SrvCImpl srv_cs_;
 
   boost::mutex mutex_;
+
+  // keep shared_ptrs to these managers to avoid assertions. Fixes #838
+  TopicManagerPtr keep_alive_topic_manager = TopicManager::instance();
+  ServiceManagerPtr keep_alive_service_manager = ServiceManager::instance();
 };
 
 NodeHandle::NodeHandle(const std::string& ns, const M_string& remappings)
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/poll_set.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/poll_set.cpp
index 50580ee806..065a607b40 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/poll_set.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/poll_set.cpp
@@ -191,7 +191,10 @@ void PollSet::update(int poll_timeout)
   boost::shared_ptr<std::vector<socket_pollfd> > ofds = poll_sockets(epfd_, &ufds_.front(), ufds_.size(), poll_timeout);
   if (!ofds)
   {
-    ROS_ERROR_STREAM("poll failed with error " << last_socket_error_string());
+    if (last_socket_error() != EINTR)
+    {
+      ROS_ERROR_STREAM("poll failed with error " << last_socket_error_string());
+    }
   }
   else
   {
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/publication.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/publication.cpp
index c51edf3d0c..0b30da9bc8 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/publication.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/publication.cpp
@@ -324,6 +324,8 @@ void Publication::dropAllConnections()
 
 void Publication::peerConnect(const SubscriberLinkPtr& sub_link)
 {
+  boost::mutex::scoped_lock lock(callbacks_mutex_);
+
   V_Callback::iterator it = callbacks_.begin();
   V_Callback::iterator end = callbacks_.end();
   for (; it != end; ++it)
@@ -339,6 +341,8 @@ void Publication::peerConnect(const SubscriberLinkPtr& sub_link)
 
 void Publication::peerDisconnect(const SubscriberLinkPtr& sub_link)
 {
+  boost::mutex::scoped_lock lock(callbacks_mutex_);
+
   V_Callback::iterator it = callbacks_.begin();
   V_Callback::iterator end = callbacks_.end();
   for (; it != end; ++it)
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/service.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/service.cpp
index c1efc4e510..495e49235d 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/service.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/service.cpp
@@ -88,7 +88,8 @@ bool service::waitForService(const std::string& service_name, ros::Duration time
 {
   std::string mapped_name = names::resolve(service_name);
 
-  Time start_time = Time::now();
+  const WallTime start_time = WallTime::now();
+  const WallDuration wall_timeout{timeout.toSec()};
 
   bool printed = false;
   bool result = false;
@@ -103,17 +104,17 @@ bool service::waitForService(const std::string& service_name, ros::Duration time
     {
       printed = true;
 
-      if (timeout >= Duration(0))
+      if (wall_timeout >= WallDuration(0))
       {
-        Time current_time = Time::now();
+        const WallTime current_time = WallTime::now();
 
-        if ((current_time - start_time) >= timeout)
+        if ((current_time - start_time) >= wall_timeout)
         {
           return false;
         }
       }
 
-      Duration(0.02).sleep();
+      WallDuration(0.02).sleep();
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/service_manager.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/service_manager.cpp
index 1f1e94a005..4b0c1edd9e 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/service_manager.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/service_manager.cpp
@@ -200,9 +200,7 @@ bool ServiceManager::unregisterService(const std::string& service)
            network::getHost().c_str(), connection_manager_->getTCPPort());
   args[2] = string(uri_buf);
 
-  master::execute("unregisterService", args, result, payload, false);
-
-  return true;
+  return master::execute("unregisterService", args, result, payload, false);
 }
 
 bool ServiceManager::isServiceAdvertised(const string& serv_name)
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/statistics.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/statistics.cpp
index a618936fa8..f5bb7e961c 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/statistics.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/statistics.cpp
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ void StatisticsLogger::callback(const boost::shared_ptr<M_string>& connection_he
   }
 
   // should publish new statistics?
-  if (stats.last_publish + ros::Duration(pub_frequency_) < received_time)
+  if (stats.last_publish + ros::Duration(1 / pub_frequency_) < received_time)
   {
     ros::Time window_start = stats.last_publish;
     stats.last_publish = received_time;
@@ -132,13 +132,13 @@ void StatisticsLogger::callback(const boost::shared_ptr<M_string>& connection_he
     // not all message types have this
     if (stats.age_list.size() > 0)
     {
-      msg.stamp_age_mean = ros::Duration(0);
+      double stamp_age_sum = 0.0;
       msg.stamp_age_max = ros::Duration(0);
 
       for(std::list<ros::Duration>::iterator it = stats.age_list.begin(); it != stats.age_list.end(); it++)
       {
         ros::Duration age = *it;
-        msg.stamp_age_mean += age;
+        stamp_age_sum += age.toSec();
 
         if (age > msg.stamp_age_max)
         {
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ void StatisticsLogger::callback(const boost::shared_ptr<M_string>& connection_he
         }
       }
 
-      msg.stamp_age_mean *= 1.0 / stats.age_list.size();
+      msg.stamp_age_mean = ros::Duration(stamp_age_sum / stats.age_list.size());
 
       double stamp_age_variance = 0.0;
       for(std::list<ros::Duration>::iterator it = stats.age_list.begin(); it != stats.age_list.end(); it++)
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/timer.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/timer.cpp
index a063bc480c..13ff569654 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/timer.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/timer.cpp
@@ -52,6 +52,11 @@ bool Timer::Impl::isValid()
   return !period_.isZero();
 }
 
+bool Timer::Impl::isValid() const
+{
+  return !period_.isZero();
+}
+
 void Timer::Impl::start()
 {
   if (!started_)
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/topic_manager.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/topic_manager.cpp
index 363fb05e10..1c106f65be 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/topic_manager.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/topic_manager.cpp
@@ -97,9 +97,10 @@ void TopicManager::shutdown()
   }
 
   {
-    boost::recursive_mutex::scoped_lock lock1(advertised_topics_mutex_);
-    boost::mutex::scoped_lock lock2(subs_mutex_);
+    boost::lock(subs_mutex_, advertised_topics_mutex_);
     shutting_down_ = true;
+    subs_mutex_.unlock();
+    advertised_topics_mutex_.unlock();
   }
 
   // actually one should call poll_manager_->removePollThreadListener(), but the connection is not stored above
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport/transport_tcp.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport/transport_tcp.cpp
index e3e152813b..cfdc406eeb 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport/transport_tcp.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport/transport_tcp.cpp
@@ -138,6 +138,10 @@ bool TransportTCP::initializeSocket()
   {
     ROS_DEBUG("Adding tcp socket [%d] to pollset", sock_);
     poll_set_->addSocket(sock_, boost::bind(&TransportTCP::socketUpdate, this, _1), shared_from_this());
+#if defined(POLLRDHUP) // POLLRDHUP is not part of POSIX!
+    // This is needed to detect dead connections. #1704
+    poll_set_->addEvents(sock_, POLLRDHUP);
+#endif
   }
 
   if (!(flags_ & SYNCHRONOUS))
@@ -270,7 +274,7 @@ bool TransportTCP::connect(const std::string& host, int port)
 
     bool found = false;
     struct addrinfo* it = addr;
-    char namebuf[128];
+    char namebuf[128] = {};
     for (; it; it = it->ai_next)
     {
       if (!s_use_ipv6_ && it->ai_family == AF_INET)
@@ -282,7 +286,7 @@ bool TransportTCP::connect(const std::string& host, int port)
         address->sin_family = it->ai_family;
         address->sin_port = htons(port);
 	
-        strcpy(namebuf, inet_ntoa(address->sin_addr));
+        strncpy(namebuf, inet_ntoa(address->sin_addr), sizeof(namebuf)-1);
         found = true;
         break;
       }
@@ -383,7 +387,7 @@ bool TransportTCP::listen(int port, int backlog, const AcceptCallback& accept_cb
     sa_len_ = sizeof(sockaddr_in);
   }
 
-  if (sock_ <= 0)
+  if (sock_ == ROS_INVALID_SOCKET)
   {
     ROS_ERROR("socket() failed with error [%s]", last_socket_error_string());
     return false;
@@ -690,6 +694,9 @@ void TransportTCP::socketUpdate(int events)
 
   if((events & POLLERR) ||
      (events & POLLHUP) ||
+#if defined(POLLRDHUP) // POLLRDHUP is not part of POSIX!
+     (events & POLLRDHUP) ||
+#endif
      (events & POLLNVAL))
   {
     uint32_t error = -1;
@@ -728,14 +735,14 @@ std::string TransportTCP::getClientURI()
   sockaddr_in *sin = (sockaddr_in *)&sas;
   sockaddr_in6 *sin6 = (sockaddr_in6 *)&sas;
 
-  char namebuf[128];
+  char namebuf[128] = {};
   int port;
 
   switch (sas.ss_family)
   {
     case AF_INET:
       port = ntohs(sin->sin_port);
-      strcpy(namebuf, inet_ntoa(sin->sin_addr));
+      strncpy(namebuf, inet_ntoa(sin->sin_addr), sizeof(namebuf)-1);
       break;
     case AF_INET6:
       port = ntohs(sin6->sin6_port);
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport/transport_udp.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport/transport_udp.cpp
index 47d969eea4..ec497d7c8d 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport/transport_udp.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport/transport_udp.cpp
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ bool TransportUDP::createIncoming(int port, bool is_server)
 
   sock_ = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, 0);
 
-  if (sock_ <= 0)
+  if (sock_ == ROS_INVALID_SOCKET)
   {
     ROS_ERROR("socket() failed with error [%s]", last_socket_error_string());
     return false;
@@ -710,9 +710,9 @@ std::string TransportUDP::getClientURI()
 
   sockaddr_in *sin = (sockaddr_in *)&sas;
 
-  char namebuf[128];
+  char namebuf[128] = {};
   int port = ntohs(sin->sin_port);
-  strcpy(namebuf, inet_ntoa(sin->sin_addr));
+  strncpy(namebuf, inet_ntoa(sin->sin_addr), sizeof(namebuf)-1);
 
   std::string ip = namebuf;
   std::stringstream uri;
diff --git a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport_subscriber_link.cpp b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport_subscriber_link.cpp
index 898b9ec262..8e57adaa87 100644
--- a/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport_subscriber_link.cpp
+++ b/clients/roscpp/src/libros/transport_subscriber_link.cpp
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ void TransportSubscriberLink::enqueueMessage(const SerializedMessage& m, bool se
       if (!queue_full_)
       {
         ROS_DEBUG("Outgoing queue full for topic [%s].  "
-               "Discarding oldest message\n",
+               "Discarding oldest message",
                topic_.c_str());
       }
 
diff --git a/clients/rospy/src/rospy/__init__.py b/clients/rospy/src/rospy/__init__.py
index 337e8f780d..30f3e8fd18 100644
--- a/clients/rospy/src/rospy/__init__.py
+++ b/clients/rospy/src/rospy/__init__.py
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@
     'INFO',
     'WARN',
     'ERROR',
-    'FATAL'
+    'FATAL',
     'is_shutdown',
     'signal_shutdown',
     'get_node_uri',
@@ -107,7 +107,6 @@
     'logerr_throttle', 'logfatal_throttle',
     'parse_rosrpc_uri',
     'MasterProxy',
-    'NodeProxy',    
     'ROSException',
     'ROSSerializationException',
     'ROSInitException',
diff --git a/clients/rospy/src/rospy/impl/tcpros_base.py b/clients/rospy/src/rospy/impl/tcpros_base.py
index 7cb08686f1..34c4f8992a 100644
--- a/clients/rospy/src/rospy/impl/tcpros_base.py
+++ b/clients/rospy/src/rospy/impl/tcpros_base.py
@@ -157,7 +157,8 @@ def run(self):
                 (errno, msg) = e.args
                 if errno == 4: #interrupted system call
                     continue
-                raise
+                if not self.is_shutdown:
+                    raise
             if self.is_shutdown:
                 break
             try:
diff --git a/clients/rospy/src/rospy/topics.py b/clients/rospy/src/rospy/topics.py
index 4f2d8d76d7..124864cfac 100644
--- a/clients/rospy/src/rospy/topics.py
+++ b/clients/rospy/src/rospy/topics.py
@@ -1173,7 +1173,7 @@ def check_all(self):
         Check all registered publication and subscriptions.
         """
         with self.lock:
-            for t in chain(iter(self.pubs.values()), iter(self.subs.values())):
+            for t in chain(list(self.pubs.values()), list(self.subs.values())):
                 t.check()
         
     def _add(self, ps, rmap, reg_type):
@@ -1264,7 +1264,7 @@ def acquire_impl(self, reg_type, resolved_name, data_class):
             rmap = self.subs
             impl_class = _SubscriberImpl
         else:
-            raise TypeError("invalid reg_type: %s"%s)
+            raise TypeError("invalid reg_type: %s"%reg_type)
         with self.lock:
             impl = rmap.get(resolved_name, None)            
             if not impl:
diff --git a/test/test_roscpp/test/src/params.cpp b/test/test_roscpp/test/src/params.cpp
index a54888bd3b..c5ce066eaa 100644
--- a/test/test_roscpp/test/src/params.cpp
+++ b/test/test_roscpp/test/src/params.cpp
@@ -566,12 +566,23 @@ TEST(Params, getParamNames) {
   EXPECT_LT(10, test_params.size());
 }
 
+TEST(Params, getParamCachedSetParamLoop) {
+  NodeHandle nh;
+  const std::string name = "changeable_int";
+  for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
+    nh.setParam(name, i);
+    int v = 0;
+    ASSERT_TRUE(nh.getParamCached(name, v));
+    ASSERT_EQ(i, v);
+  }
+}
+
 int
 main(int argc, char** argv)
 {
   testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
-  ros::init( argc, argv, "params" );
-//  ros::NodeHandle nh;
+  ros::init(argc, argv, "params");
+  ros::NodeHandle nh;
 
   return RUN_ALL_TESTS();
 }
diff --git a/test/test_rospy/test/rostest/sub_to_multiple_pubs.test b/test/test_rospy/test/rostest/sub_to_multiple_pubs.test
index 3fe8362577..7c579d677e 100644
--- a/test/test_rospy/test/rostest/sub_to_multiple_pubs.test
+++ b/test/test_rospy/test/rostest/sub_to_multiple_pubs.test
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 <launch>
+  <node name="listener" pkg="test_rospy" type="listener.py" />
   <node name="talker1" pkg="test_rospy" type="talker.py" />
   <node name="talker2" pkg="test_rospy" type="talker.py" />
   <node name="talker3" pkg="test_rospy" type="talker.py" />
@@ -98,6 +99,5 @@
   <node name="talker97" pkg="test_rospy" type="talker.py" />
   <node name="talker98" pkg="test_rospy" type="talker.py" />
   <node name="talker99" pkg="test_rospy" type="talker.py" />
-  <node name="listener" pkg="test_rospy" type="listener.py" />
   <test test-name="sub_to_multiple_pubs" pkg="test_rospy" type="test_sub_to_multiple_pubs.py" />
 </launch>
diff --git a/tools/rosbag/scripts/fix_msg_defs.py b/tools/rosbag/scripts/fix_msg_defs.py
index 1ba056c323..0f5b2256a8 100755
--- a/tools/rosbag/scripts/fix_msg_defs.py
+++ b/tools/rosbag/scripts/fix_msg_defs.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 
 import sys
 import rosbag.migration
+import roslib.message
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     if len(sys.argv) != 3:
diff --git a/tools/rosbag/src/player.cpp b/tools/rosbag/src/player.cpp
index 76d6a81830..be7c143f5c 100644
--- a/tools/rosbag/src/player.cpp
+++ b/tools/rosbag/src/player.cpp
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ void Player::waitForSubscribers() const
         foreach(const PublisherMap::value_type& pub, publishers_) {
             all_topics_subscribed &= pub.second.getNumSubscribers() > 0;
         }
-        ros::Duration(0.1).sleep();
+        ros::WallDuration(0.1).sleep();
     }
     std::cout << "Finished waiting for subscribers." << std::endl;
 }
diff --git a/tools/rosbag/src/record.cpp b/tools/rosbag/src/record.cpp
index f6cbb2067f..d8739bc19a 100644
--- a/tools/rosbag/src/record.cpp
+++ b/tools/rosbag/src/record.cpp
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ rosbag::RecorderOptions parseOptions(int argc, char** argv) {
         ROS_WARN("Use of \"--split <MAX_SIZE>\" has been deprecated.  Please use --split --size <MAX_SIZE> or --split --duration <MAX_DURATION>");
         if (S < 0)
           throw ros::Exception("Split size must be 0 or positive");
-        opts.max_size = 1048576 * S;
+        opts.max_size = 1048576 * static_cast<uint64_t>(S);
       }
     }
     if(vm.count("max-splits"))
diff --git a/tools/rosbag/src/rosbag/bag.py b/tools/rosbag/src/rosbag/bag.py
index 3130b43b73..989297dc60 100644
--- a/tools/rosbag/src/rosbag/bag.py
+++ b/tools/rosbag/src/rosbag/bag.py
@@ -733,8 +733,11 @@ def __str__(self):
 
                     msg_count = 0
                     for connection in connections:
-                        for chunk in self._chunks:
-                            msg_count += chunk.connection_counts.get(connection.id, 0)
+                        if self._chunks:
+                            for chunk in self._chunks:
+                                msg_count += chunk.connection_counts.get(connection.id, 0)
+                        else:
+                            msg_count += len(self._connection_indexes.get(connection.id, []))
                     topic_msg_counts[topic] = msg_count
 
                     if self._connection_indexes_read:
diff --git a/tools/rosbag/src/rosbag/migration.py b/tools/rosbag/src/rosbag/migration.py
index 19ea6b1b2a..211454ed70 100644
--- a/tools/rosbag/src/rosbag/migration.py
+++ b/tools/rosbag/src/rosbag/migration.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 import os
 import string
 import sys
+import traceback
 
 import genmsg.msgs
 import genpy
@@ -257,6 +258,9 @@ class MessageUpdateRule(object):
 
     valid = False
 
+    class EmptyType(Exception):
+        pass
+
     ## Initialize class
     def __init__(self, migrator, location):
         # Every rule needs to hang onto the migrator so we can potentially use it
@@ -271,23 +275,26 @@ def __init__(self, migrator, location):
         # Instantiate types dynamically based on definition
         try:
             if self.old_type == "":
-                raise Exception
+                raise self.EmptyType
             self.old_types = genpy.dynamic.generate_dynamic(self.old_type, self.old_full_text)
             self.old_class = self.old_types[self.old_type]
             self.old_md5sum = self.old_class._md5sum
-        except:
-            self.old_types = []
+        except Exception as e:
+            if not isinstance(e, self.EmptyType):
+                traceback.print_exc(file=sys.stderr)
+            self.old_types = {}
             self.old_class = None
             self.old_md5sum = ""
-
         try:
             if self.new_type == "":
-                raise Exception
+                raise self.EmptyType
             self.new_types = genpy.dynamic.generate_dynamic(self.new_type, self.new_full_text)
             self.new_class = self.new_types[self.new_type]
             self.new_md5sum = self.new_class._md5sum
-        except:
-            self.new_types = []
+        except Exception as e:
+            if not isinstance(e, self.EmptyType):
+                traceback.print_exc(file=sys.stderr)
+            self.new_types = {}
             self.new_class = None
             self.new_md5sum = ""
 
@@ -830,7 +837,7 @@ def scaffold_range(self, old_type, new_type):
                 if (tmp_sn != first_sn):
                     sn_range.append(tmp_sn)
                 if (tmp_sn.new_class._type == new_type):
-                    found_new_type == True
+                    found_new_type = True
                 if (found_new_type and tmp_sn.new_class._type != new_type):
                     break
 
diff --git a/tools/rosbag_storage/include/rosbag/structures.h b/tools/rosbag_storage/include/rosbag/structures.h
index ad75b1ee95..d78d1b9903 100644
--- a/tools/rosbag_storage/include/rosbag/structures.h
+++ b/tools/rosbag_storage/include/rosbag/structures.h
@@ -59,25 +59,25 @@ struct ROSBAG_DECL ConnectionInfo
 
 struct ChunkInfo
 {
-    ros::Time   start_time;    //! earliest timestamp of a message in the chunk
-    ros::Time   end_time;      //! latest timestamp of a message in the chunk
-    uint64_t    pos;           //! absolute byte offset of chunk record in bag file
+    ros::Time   start_time;    //!< earliest timestamp of a message in the chunk
+    ros::Time   end_time;      //!< latest timestamp of a message in the chunk
+    uint64_t    pos;           //!< absolute byte offset of chunk record in bag file
 
-    std::map<uint32_t, uint32_t> connection_counts;   //! number of messages in each connection stored in the chunk
+    std::map<uint32_t, uint32_t> connection_counts;   //!< number of messages in each connection stored in the chunk
 };
 
 struct ROSBAG_DECL ChunkHeader
 {
-    std::string compression;          //! chunk compression type, e.g. "none" or "bz2" (see constants.h)
-    uint32_t    compressed_size;      //! compressed size of the chunk in bytes
-    uint32_t    uncompressed_size;    //! uncompressed size of the chunk in bytes
+    std::string compression;          //!< chunk compression type, e.g. "none" or "bz2" (see constants.h)
+    uint32_t    compressed_size;      //!< compressed size of the chunk in bytes
+    uint32_t    uncompressed_size;    //!< uncompressed size of the chunk in bytes
 };
 
 struct ROSBAG_DECL IndexEntry
 {
-    ros::Time time;            //! timestamp of the message
-    uint64_t  chunk_pos;       //! absolute byte offset of the chunk record containing the message
-    uint32_t  offset;          //! relative byte offset of the message record (either definition or data) in the chunk
+    ros::Time time;            //!< timestamp of the message
+    uint64_t  chunk_pos;       //!< absolute byte offset of the chunk record containing the message
+    uint32_t  offset;          //!< relative byte offset of the message record (either definition or data) in the chunk
 
     bool operator<(IndexEntry const& b) const { return time < b.time; }
 };
diff --git a/tools/rosbag_storage/src/buffer.cpp b/tools/rosbag_storage/src/buffer.cpp
index f51e624cad..cb19977ff1 100644
--- a/tools/rosbag_storage/src/buffer.cpp
+++ b/tools/rosbag_storage/src/buffer.cpp
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <utility>
+#include <limits>
 
 #include "rosbag/buffer.h"
 
@@ -65,7 +66,12 @@ void Buffer::ensureCapacity(uint32_t capacity) {
         capacity_ = capacity;
     else {
         while (capacity_ < capacity)
+        {
+          if (static_cast<uint64_t>(capacity) * 2 > std::numeric_limits<uint32_t>::max())
+            capacity_ = std::numeric_limits<uint32_t>::max();
+          else
             capacity_ *= 2;
+        }
     }
 
     buffer_ = (uint8_t*) realloc(buffer_, capacity_);
diff --git a/tools/rosbag_storage/src/chunked_file.cpp b/tools/rosbag_storage/src/chunked_file.cpp
index 9eb665826f..dd5e617c5f 100644
--- a/tools/rosbag_storage/src/chunked_file.cpp
+++ b/tools/rosbag_storage/src/chunked_file.cpp
@@ -100,7 +100,9 @@ void ChunkedFile::open(string const& filename, string const& mode) {
                 file_ = fopen(filename.c_str(), "w+b");
             #endif
         else {
-            fclose(file_);
+            if (fclose(file_) != 0)
+              throw BagIOException((format("Error closing file: %1%") % filename.c_str()).str());
+
             // open existing file for update
             #if defined(_MSC_VER) && (_MSC_VER >= 1400 )
                 fopen_s( &file_, filename.c_str(), "r+b" );
diff --git a/tools/roslaunch/resources/example.launch b/tools/roslaunch/resources/example.launch
index 0c389bf0ca..0b257092ea 100644
--- a/tools/roslaunch/resources/example.launch
+++ b/tools/roslaunch/resources/example.launch
@@ -70,4 +70,10 @@
     <include file="does/not/exist.launch" />
     <node pkg="doesnt_exist" type="nope" name="nope" />
   </group>
+
+  <!-- Pass over argument from commandline. Set to false should fail -->
+  <arg name="commandline_true_arg" default="true" />
+  <group unless="$(arg commandline_true_arg)">
+    <node pkg="doesnt_exist" type="nope" name="nope" />
+  </group>
 </launch>
diff --git a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/__init__.py b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/__init__.py
index 6f04d304eb..2c034408e1 100644
--- a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/__init__.py
+++ b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/__init__.py
@@ -205,8 +205,10 @@ def _validate_args(parser, options, args):
 
     elif len(args) == 0:
         parser.error("you must specify at least one input file")
-    elif [f for f in args if not (f == '-' or os.path.exists(f))]:
-        parser.error("The following input files do not exist: %s"%f)
+    else:
+        missing_files = [f for f in args if not (f == '-' or os.path.exists(f))]
+        if missing_files:
+            parser.error("The following input files do not exist: %s"%', '.join(missing_files))
 
     if args.count('-') > 1:
         parser.error("Only a single instance of the dash ('-') may be specified.")
diff --git a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/core.py b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/core.py
index a6d43e371e..0999da460c 100644
--- a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/core.py
+++ b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/core.py
@@ -208,9 +208,9 @@ def setup_env(node, machine, master_uri, env=None):
         if ns[-1] == '/':
             ns = ns[:-1]
         if ns:
-            d[rosgraph.ROS_NAMESPACE] = ns 
+            d[rosgraph.ROS_NAMESPACE] = str(ns)
         for name, value in node.env_args:
-            d[name] = value
+            d[str(name)] = str(value)
 
     return d
 
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ def __init__(self, name, address,
         self.name = name
         self.env_loader = env_loader
         self.user = user or None
-        self.password = password or None
+        self.password = password
         self.address = address
         self.ssh_port = ssh_port
         self.assignable = assignable
diff --git a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/depends.py b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/depends.py
index 7e3583770f..a3fbf7a418 100644
--- a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/depends.py
+++ b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/depends.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
 
 import rospkg
 
-from .loader import convert_value
+from .loader import convert_value, load_mappings
 from .substitution_args import resolve_args
 
 NAME="roslaunch-deps"
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ def _parse_subcontext(tags, context):
     return subcontext
 
 def _parse_launch(tags, launch_file, file_deps, verbose, context):
+    context['filename'] = os.path.abspath(launch_file)
     dir_path = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(launch_file))
     launch_file_pkg = rospkg.get_package_name(dir_path)
             
@@ -205,7 +206,7 @@ def parse_launch(launch_file, file_deps, verbose):
 
     file_deps[launch_file] = RoslaunchDeps()
     launch_tag = dom[0]
-    context = { 'arg': {}}
+    context = { 'arg': load_mappings(sys.argv) }
     _parse_launch(launch_tag.childNodes, launch_file, file_deps, verbose, context)
 
 def rl_file_deps(file_deps, launch_file, verbose=False):
diff --git a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/pmon.py b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/pmon.py
index b20a90485b..d3e3bab070 100644
--- a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/pmon.py
+++ b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/pmon.py
@@ -586,7 +586,9 @@ def _run(self):
                     break #stop polling
             for d in dead:
                 try:
-                    if d.should_respawn():
+                    # when should_respawn() returns 0.0, bool(0.0) evaluates to False
+                    # work around this by checking if the return value is False
+                    if d.should_respawn() is not False:
                         respawn.append(d)
                     else:
                         self.unregister(d)
diff --git a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/remoteprocess.py b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/remoteprocess.py
index 1f6d65eb02..46ac950c37 100644
--- a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/remoteprocess.py
+++ b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/remoteprocess.py
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ def _ssh_exec(self, command, address, port, username=None, password=None):
         if not err_msg:
             username_str = '%s@'%username if username else ''
             try:
-                if not password: #use SSH agent
+                if password is None: #use SSH agent
                     ssh.connect(address, port, username, timeout=TIMEOUT_SSH_CONNECT, key_filename=identity_file)
                 else: #use SSH with login/pass
                     ssh.connect(address, port, username, password, timeout=TIMEOUT_SSH_CONNECT)
diff --git a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/xmlloader.py b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/xmlloader.py
index ce50d441a4..40d627c656 100644
--- a/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/xmlloader.py
+++ b/tools/roslaunch/src/roslaunch/xmlloader.py
@@ -626,8 +626,9 @@ def _include_tag(self, tag, context, ros_config, default_machine, is_core, verbo
                 self._recurse_load(ros_config, launch.childNodes, child_ns, \
                                        default_machine, is_core, verbose)
 
-            # check for unused args
-            loader.post_process_include_args(child_ns)
+            if not pass_all_args:
+                # check for unused args
+                loader.post_process_include_args(child_ns)
 
         except ArgException as e:
             raise XmlParseException("included file [%s] requires the '%s' arg to be set"%(inc_filename, str(e)))
@@ -713,7 +714,7 @@ def _load_launch(self, launch, ros_config, is_core=False, filename=None, argv=No
             argv = sys.argv
 
         self._launch_tag(launch, ros_config, filename)
-        self.root_context = loader.LoaderContext(get_ros_namespace(), filename)
+        self.root_context = loader.LoaderContext(get_ros_namespace(argv=argv), filename)
         loader.load_sysargs_into_context(self.root_context, argv)
 
         if len(launch.getElementsByTagName('master')) > 0:
diff --git a/tools/roslaunch/test/xml/test-arg-valid-include.xml b/tools/roslaunch/test/xml/test-arg-valid-include.xml
index d3304239a5..a310183f77 100644
--- a/tools/roslaunch/test/xml/test-arg-valid-include.xml
+++ b/tools/roslaunch/test/xml/test-arg-valid-include.xml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 <launch>
+  <arg name="another_parameter_not_used" value="dummy"/>
   <arg name="grounded" value="not_set"/>
   <include file="$(find roslaunch)/test/xml/test-arg-invalid-included.xml" pass_all_args="true"/>
 </launch>
diff --git a/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/master_api.py b/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/master_api.py
index fc993692db..c5312618e9 100644
--- a/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/master_api.py
+++ b/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/master_api.py
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ def setParam(self, caller_id, key, value):
         @rtype: [int, str, int]
         """
         key = resolve_name(key, caller_id)
-        self.param_server.set_param(key, value, self._notify_param_subscribers)
+        self.param_server.set_param(key, value, self._notify_param_subscribers, caller_id)
         mloginfo("+PARAM [%s] by %s",key, caller_id)
         return 1, "parameter %s set"%key, 0
 
@@ -623,7 +623,7 @@ def registerService(self, caller_id, service, service_api, caller_api):
             self.ps_lock.release()
         return 1, "Registered [%s] as provider of [%s]"%(caller_id, service), 1
 
-    @apivalidate(0, (is_service('service'),))
+    @apivalidate('', (is_service('service'),))
     def lookupService(self, caller_id, service):
         """
         Lookup all provider of a particular service.
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ def unregisterService(self, caller_id, service, service_api):
     ##################################################################################
     # PUBLISH/SUBSCRIBE
 
-    @apivalidate(0, ( is_topic('topic'), valid_type_name('topic_type'), is_api('caller_api')))
+    @apivalidate([], ( is_topic('topic'), valid_type_name('topic_type'), is_api('caller_api')))
     def registerSubscriber(self, caller_id, topic, topic_type, caller_api):
         """
         Subscribe the caller to the specified topic. In addition to receiving
@@ -708,7 +708,7 @@ def registerSubscriber(self, caller_id, topic, topic_type, caller_api):
     @apivalidate(0, (is_topic('topic'), is_api('caller_api')))
     def unregisterSubscriber(self, caller_id, topic, caller_api):
         """
-        Unregister the caller as a publisher of the topic.
+        Unregister the caller as a subscriber of the topic.
         @param caller_id: ROS caller id
         @type  caller_id: str
         @param topic: Fully-qualified name of topic to unregister.
@@ -729,7 +729,7 @@ def unregisterSubscriber(self, caller_id, topic, caller_api):
         finally:
             self.ps_lock.release()
 
-    @apivalidate(0, ( is_topic('topic'), valid_type_name('topic_type'), is_api('caller_api')))
+    @apivalidate([], ( is_topic('topic'), valid_type_name('topic_type'), is_api('caller_api')))
     def registerPublisher(self, caller_id, topic, topic_type, caller_api):
         """
         Register the caller as a publisher the topic.
diff --git a/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/paramserver.py b/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/paramserver.py
index a686216c01..d29b4d302c 100644
--- a/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/paramserver.py
+++ b/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/paramserver.py
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ def get_param(self, key):
         finally:
             self.lock.release()
     
-    def set_param(self, key, value, notify_task=None):
+    def set_param(self, key, value, notify_task=None, caller_id=None):
         """
         Set the parameter in the parameter dictionary.
 
@@ -178,6 +178,8 @@ def set_param(self, key, value, notify_task=None):
         [(subscribers, param_key, param_value)*]. The empty dictionary
         represents an unset parameter.
         @type  notify_task: fn(updates)
+        @param caller_id: the caller id
+        @type caller_id: str
         """
         try:
             self.lock.acquire()
@@ -208,7 +210,7 @@ def set_param(self, key, value, notify_task=None):
 
             # ParamDictionary needs to queue updates so that the updates are thread-safe
             if notify_task:
-                updates = compute_param_updates(self.reg_manager.param_subscribers, key, value)
+                updates = compute_param_updates(self.reg_manager.param_subscribers, key, value, caller_id)
                 if updates:
                     notify_task(updates)
         finally:
@@ -332,7 +334,7 @@ def _compute_all_keys(param_key, param_value, all_keys=None):
             _compute_all_keys(new_k, v, all_keys)
     return all_keys
 
-def compute_param_updates(subscribers, param_key, param_value):
+def compute_param_updates(subscribers, param_key, param_value, caller_id_to_ignore=None):
     """
     Compute subscribers that should be notified based on the parameter update
     @param subscribers: parameter subscribers
@@ -341,6 +343,8 @@ def compute_param_updates(subscribers, param_key, param_value):
     @type  param_key: str
     @param param_value: parameter value
     @type  param_value: str
+    @param caller_id_to_ignore: the caller to ignore
+    @type caller_id_to_ignore: str
     """
     
     # logic correct for both updates and deletions
@@ -368,6 +372,11 @@ def compute_param_updates(subscribers, param_key, param_value):
             ns_key = sub_key + SEP
         if param_key.startswith(ns_key):
             node_apis = subscribers[sub_key]
+            if caller_id_to_ignore is not None:
+                node_apis = [
+                    (caller_id, caller_api)
+                    for (caller_id, caller_api) in node_apis
+                    if caller_id != caller_id_to_ignore]
             updates.append((node_apis, param_key, param_value))
         elif all_keys is not None and ns_key.startswith(param_key) \
              and not sub_key in all_keys:
diff --git a/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/util.py b/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/util.py
index ee3a4848a0..6f181ef6a8 100644
--- a/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/util.py
+++ b/tools/rosmaster/src/rosmaster/util.py
@@ -51,8 +51,9 @@
 
 import errno
 import socket
+import threading
 
-_proxies = {} #cache ServerProxys
+_proxies = threading.local() #cache ServerProxys
 def xmlrpcapi(uri):
     """
     @return: instance for calling remote server or None if not a valid URI
@@ -63,16 +64,16 @@ def xmlrpcapi(uri):
     uriValidate = urlparse(uri)
     if not uriValidate[0] or not uriValidate[1]:
         return None
-    if not uri in _proxies:
-        _proxies[uri] = ServerProxy(uri)
+    if not uri in _proxies.__dict__:
+        _proxies.__dict__[uri] = ServerProxy(uri)
     close_half_closed_sockets()
-    return _proxies[uri]
+    return _proxies.__dict__[uri]
 
 
 def close_half_closed_sockets():
     if not hasattr(socket, 'TCP_INFO'):
         return
-    for proxy in _proxies.values():
+    for proxy in _proxies.__dict__.values():
         transport = proxy("transport")
         if transport._connection and transport._connection[1] is not None and transport._connection[1].sock is not None:
             try:
@@ -86,5 +87,5 @@ def close_half_closed_sockets():
 
 
 def remove_server_proxy(uri):
-    if uri in _proxies:
-        del _proxies[uri]
+    if uri in _proxies.__dict__:
+        del _proxies.__dict__[uri]
diff --git a/tools/rosnode/src/rosnode/__init__.py b/tools/rosnode/src/rosnode/__init__.py
index 4c8322902f..dc42b25a03 100644
--- a/tools/rosnode/src/rosnode/__init__.py
+++ b/tools/rosnode/src/rosnode/__init__.py
@@ -333,6 +333,9 @@ def rosnode_ping(node_name, max_count=None, verbose=False):
                 if verbose:
                     print("xmlrpc reply from %s\ttime=%fms"%(node_api, dur))
                 # 1s between pings
+            except socket.timeout:
+                print("connection to [%s] timed out"%node_name, file=sys.stderr)
+                return False
             except socket.error as e:
                 # 3786: catch ValueError on unpack as socket.error is not always a tuple
                 try:
@@ -355,7 +358,7 @@ def rosnode_ping(node_name, max_count=None, verbose=False):
                             continue
                         print("ERROR: connection refused to [%s]"%(node_api), file=sys.stderr)
                     else:
-                        print("connection to [%s] timed out"%node_name, file=sys.stderr)
+                        print("connection to [%s] failed"%node_name, file=sys.stderr)
                     return False
                 except ValueError:
                     print("unknown network error contacting node: %s"%(str(e)))
diff --git a/tools/rosout/rosout.cpp b/tools/rosout/rosout.cpp
index 95fb328afd..ea45ac06df 100644
--- a/tools/rosout/rosout.cpp
+++ b/tools/rosout/rosout.cpp
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ class Rosout
       current_file_size_ += written;
       if (fflush(handle_))
       {
-        std::cerr << "Error flushing rosout log file '" << log_file_name_.c_str() << "': " << strerror(ferror(handle_));
+        std::cerr << "Error flushing rosout log file '" << log_file_name_.c_str() << "': " << strerror(errno);
       }
 
       // check for rolling
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ class Rosout
       {
         if (fclose(handle_))
         {
-          std::cerr << "Error closing rosout log file '" << log_file_name_.c_str() << "': " << strerror(ferror(handle_)) << std::endl;
+          std::cerr << "Error closing rosout log file '" << log_file_name_.c_str() << "': " << strerror(errno) << std::endl;
         }
         current_backup_index_++;
         if (current_backup_index_ <= max_backup_index_)
diff --git a/tools/rosservice/src/rosservice/__init__.py b/tools/rosservice/src/rosservice/__init__.py
index 88fa01da2e..27e0c9d883 100644
--- a/tools/rosservice/src/rosservice/__init__.py
+++ b/tools/rosservice/src/rosservice/__init__.py
@@ -322,7 +322,10 @@ def rosservice_find(service_type):
     try:
         _, _, services = master.getSystemState()
         for s, l in services:
-            t = get_service_type(s)
+            try:
+                t = get_service_type(s)
+            except ROSServiceIOException:
+                continue
             if t == service_type:
                 matches.append(s)
     except socket.error:
diff --git a/tools/rostopic/src/rostopic/__init__.py b/tools/rostopic/src/rostopic/__init__.py
index 4b11424f3e..e275a3e1a0 100644
--- a/tools/rostopic/src/rostopic/__init__.py
+++ b/tools/rostopic/src/rostopic/__init__.py
@@ -1172,11 +1172,11 @@ def build_map(master, state, uricache):
                 if not puri.hostname in tmap:
                     tmap[puri.hostname] = []
                 # recreate the system state data structure, but for a single host
-                matches = [l for x, l in tmap[puri.hostname] if x == topic]
+                matches = [l for x, _, l in tmap[puri.hostname] if x == topic]
                 if matches:
                     matches[0].append(p)
                 else:
-                    tmap[puri.hostname].append((topic, [p]))
+                    tmap[puri.hostname].append((topic, ttype, [p]))
         return tmap
         
     uricache = {}
diff --git a/tools/topic_tools/env-hooks/20.transform.bash b/tools/topic_tools/env-hooks/20.transform.bash
index d861b17e2f..3b0d174861 100644
--- a/tools/topic_tools/env-hooks/20.transform.bash
+++ b/tools/topic_tools/env-hooks/20.transform.bash
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ function _roscomplete_node_transform
     fi
 }
 
-_sav_transform_roscomplete_rosrun=$(complete | grep -w rosrun | awk '{print $3}')
+_sav_transform_roscomplete_rosrun=$(complete | { grep -w rosrun || test $? = 1; } | awk '{print $3}')
 
 function is_transform_node
 {
diff --git a/tools/topic_tools/scripts/transform b/tools/topic_tools/scripts/transform
index 326f28835e..3a1347efe4 100755
--- a/tools/topic_tools/scripts/transform
+++ b/tools/topic_tools/scripts/transform
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ class TopicOp:
 
         self.output_class = roslib.message.get_message_class(args.output_type)
 
-        self.sub = rospy.Subscriber(input_topic, input_class, self.callback)
         self.pub = rospy.Publisher(args.output_topic, self.output_class, queue_size=1)
+        self.sub = rospy.Subscriber(input_topic, input_class, self.callback)
 
     def callback(self, m):
         if self.input_fn is not None:
diff --git a/tools/topic_tools/src/mux.cpp b/tools/topic_tools/src/mux.cpp
index f6b0b43939..e13205d9dc 100644
--- a/tools/topic_tools/src/mux.cpp
+++ b/tools/topic_tools/src/mux.cpp
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ void in_cb(const boost::shared_ptr<ShapeShifter const>& msg,
     }
   }
   
-  if (s != g_selected->msg)
+  if (g_selected == g_subs.end() || s != g_selected->msg)
     return;
   
   // If we're in lazy subscribe mode, and nobody's listening, then unsubscribe
diff --git a/utilities/roslz4/src/lz4s.c b/utilities/roslz4/src/lz4s.c
index 8db1dfc9e1..2ae7b77667 100644
--- a/utilities/roslz4/src/lz4s.c
+++ b/utilities/roslz4/src/lz4s.c
@@ -247,6 +247,14 @@ int streamStateAlloc(roslz4_stream *str) {
   state->finished = 0;
 
   state->xxh32_state = XXH32_init(0);
+  if (state->xxh32_state == NULL) {
+    if (state->buffer != NULL) {
+      free(state->buffer);
+    }
+    free(state);
+    str->state = NULL;
+    return ROSLZ4_MEMORY_ERROR; // Allocation failed
+  }
   state->stream_checksum = 0;
   state->stream_checksum_read = 0;
 
diff --git a/utilities/roslz4/src/xxhash.c b/utilities/roslz4/src/xxhash.c
index 8304ec21c0..3edcfa8470 100644
--- a/utilities/roslz4/src/xxhash.c
+++ b/utilities/roslz4/src/xxhash.c
@@ -331,7 +331,10 @@ XXH_errorcode XXH32_resetState(void* state_in, U32 seed)
 void* XXH32_init (U32 seed)
 {
     void* state = XXH_malloc (sizeof(struct XXH_state32_t));
-    XXH32_resetState(state, seed);
+    if (state != NULL)
+    {
+      XXH32_resetState(state, seed);
+    }
     return state;
 }
 
diff --git a/utilities/roswtf/src/roswtf/plugins.py b/utilities/roswtf/src/roswtf/plugins.py
index f595b11927..27660c527b 100644
--- a/utilities/roswtf/src/roswtf/plugins.py
+++ b/utilities/roswtf/src/roswtf/plugins.py
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ def load_plugins():
             else:
                 print("Loaded plugin", p_module)
 
-        except Exception:
-            print("Unable to load plugin [%s] from package [%s]"%(p_module, pkg), file=sys.stderr)
+        except Exception as e:
+            print("Unable to load plugin [%s] from package [%s]. Exception thrown: [%s]"%(p_module, pkg, str(e)), file=sys.stderr)
     return static_plugins, online_plugins
 
diff --git a/utilities/roswtf/src/roswtf/roslaunchwtf.py b/utilities/roswtf/src/roswtf/roslaunchwtf.py
index 92cf89274a..45265dcccd 100644
--- a/utilities/roswtf/src/roswtf/roslaunchwtf.py
+++ b/utilities/roswtf/src/roswtf/roslaunchwtf.py
@@ -293,6 +293,8 @@ def _load_online_ctx(ctx):
     
 def wtf_check_online(ctx):
     _load_online_ctx(ctx)
+    if not ctx.roslaunch_uris:
+        return
     for r in online_roslaunch_warnings:
         warning_rule(r, r[0](ctx), ctx)
     for r in online_roslaunch_errors:
diff --git a/utilities/xmlrpcpp/include/xmlrpcpp/XmlRpcValue.h b/utilities/xmlrpcpp/include/xmlrpcpp/XmlRpcValue.h
index 50d3c478e8..0b9bc4abe6 100644
--- a/utilities/xmlrpcpp/include/xmlrpcpp/XmlRpcValue.h
+++ b/utilities/xmlrpcpp/include/xmlrpcpp/XmlRpcValue.h
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ namespace XmlRpc {
     typedef std::vector<XmlRpcValue> ValueArray;
     typedef std::map<std::string, XmlRpcValue> ValueStruct;
     typedef ValueStruct::iterator iterator;
-
+    typedef ValueStruct::const_iterator const_iterator;
 
     //! Constructors
     XmlRpcValue() : _type(TypeInvalid) { _value.asBinary = 0; }
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ namespace XmlRpc {
 
     // Operators
     XmlRpcValue& operator=(XmlRpcValue const& rhs);
+    XmlRpcValue& operator=(bool const& rhs) { return operator=(XmlRpcValue(rhs)); }
     XmlRpcValue& operator=(int const& rhs) { return operator=(XmlRpcValue(rhs)); }
     XmlRpcValue& operator=(double const& rhs) { return operator=(XmlRpcValue(rhs)); }
     XmlRpcValue& operator=(const char* rhs) { return operator=(XmlRpcValue(std::string(rhs))); }
@@ -97,12 +98,17 @@ namespace XmlRpc {
     XmlRpcValue const& operator[](int i) const { assertArray(i+1); return _value.asArray->at(i); }
     XmlRpcValue& operator[](int i)             { assertArray(i+1); return _value.asArray->at(i); }
 
+    XmlRpcValue& operator[](std::string const& k) const { assertStruct(); return (*_value.asStruct)[k]; }
     XmlRpcValue& operator[](std::string const& k) { assertStruct(); return (*_value.asStruct)[k]; }
+    XmlRpcValue& operator[](const char* k) const { assertStruct(); std::string s(k); return (*_value.asStruct)[s]; }
     XmlRpcValue& operator[](const char* k) { assertStruct(); std::string s(k); return (*_value.asStruct)[s]; }
 
     iterator begin() {assertStruct(); return (*_value.asStruct).begin(); }
     iterator end() {assertStruct(); return (*_value.asStruct).end(); }
 
+    const_iterator begin() const {assertStruct(); return (*_value.asStruct).begin(); }
+    const_iterator end() const {assertStruct(); return (*_value.asStruct).end(); }
+
     // Accessors
     //! Return true if the value has been set to something.
     bool valid() const { return _type != TypeInvalid; }
@@ -144,6 +150,7 @@ namespace XmlRpc {
     void assertTypeOrInvalid(Type t);
     void assertArray(int size) const;
     void assertArray(int size);
+    void assertStruct() const;
     void assertStruct();
 
     // XML decoding
diff --git a/utilities/xmlrpcpp/src/XmlRpcValue.cpp b/utilities/xmlrpcpp/src/XmlRpcValue.cpp
index ffbaad3354..9b526bf090 100644
--- a/utilities/xmlrpcpp/src/XmlRpcValue.cpp
+++ b/utilities/xmlrpcpp/src/XmlRpcValue.cpp
@@ -107,6 +107,12 @@ namespace XmlRpc {
       throw XmlRpcException("type error: expected an array");
   }
 
+  void XmlRpcValue::assertStruct() const
+  {
+    if (_type != TypeStruct)
+      throw XmlRpcException("type error: expected a struct");
+  }
+
   void XmlRpcValue::assertStruct()
   {
     if (_type == TypeInvalid) {