diff --git a/lib/appenders/multiprocess.js b/lib/appenders/multiprocess.js
index 668bc87..7feebbe 100644
--- a/lib/appenders/multiprocess.js
+++ b/lib/appenders/multiprocess.js
@@ -1,75 +1,133 @@
-var log4js = require('../log4js');
-var layouts = require('../layouts');
-var net = require('net');
-var util = require('util');
+var log4js = require('../log4js'),
+    net = require('net'),
+    END_MSG = '__LOG4JS__';
 
-var LogServer = function createLogServer(config) {
-  var actualAppender = config.actualAppender;
-  var server = net.createServer(function serverCreated(clientSocket) {
-    clientSocket.on('connect', function clientConnected() {
-      var logMessage = '';
-      clientSocket.on('data', function chunkReceived(chunk) {
-        logMessage += chunk;
-      });
-      clientSocket.on('end', function gotChunks() {
+/**
+ * Creates a server, listening on config.loggerPort, config.loggerHost.
+ * Output goes to config.actualAppender (config.appender is used to
+ * set up that appender).
+ */
+function logServer(config) {
+
+    /**
+     * Takes a utf-8 string, returns an object with
+     * the correct log properties.
+     */
+    function deserializeLoggingEvent(clientSocket, msg) {
+        var loggingEvent;
         try {
-          var loggingEvent = JSON.parse(logMessage);
-          deserializeLoggingEvent(loggingEvent);
-          actualAppender(loggingEvent);
+            loggingEvent = JSON.parse(msg);
+            loggingEvent.startTime = new Date(loggingEvent.startTime);
+            loggingEvent.level.toString = function levelToString() {
+                return loggingEvent.level.levelStr;
+            };
         } catch (e) {
-          // JSON.parse failed, just log the contents probably a naughty.
-          actualAppender(createLoggingEvent('ERROR', 'Unable to parse log: ' + logMessage));
+            // JSON.parse failed, just log the contents probably a naughty.
+            loggingEvent = {
+                startTime: new Date(),
+                categoryName: 'log4js',
+                level: { toString: function () {
+                             return 'ERROR';
+                         }
+                       },
+                data: [ 'Unable to parse log:', msg ]
+            };
         }
-      });
-    });
-  });
-  server.listen(config.loggerPort || 5000, config.loggerHost || 'localhost');
-}
 
-function createLoggingEvent(level, message) {
-  return {
-    startTime: new Date(),
-    categoryName: 'log4js',
-    level: { toString: function () {
-      return level;
-    }},
-    data: [ message ]
-  };
-}
+        loggingEvent.remoteAddress = clientSocket.remoteAddress;
+        loggingEvent.remotePort = clientSocket.remotePort;
 
-function deserializeLoggingEvent(loggingEvent) {
-  loggingEvent.startTime = new Date(loggingEvent.startTime);
-  loggingEvent.level.toString = function levelToString() {
-    return loggingEvent.level.levelStr;
-  };
+        return loggingEvent;
+    }
+
+    var actualAppender = config.actualAppender,
+        server = net.createServer(function serverCreated(clientSocket) {
+            clientSocket.setEncoding('utf8');
+            clientSocket.on('connect', function clientConnected() {
+                var logMessage = '';
+
+                function logTheMessage(msg) {
+                    if (logMessage.length > 0) {
+                        actualAppender(deserializeLoggingEvent(clientSocket, msg));
+                    }
+                }
+
+                function chunkReceived(chunk) {
+                    var event;
+                    logMessage += chunk || '';
+                    if (logMessage.indexOf(END_MSG) > -1) {
+                        event = logMessage.substring(0, logMessage.indexOf(END_MSG));
+                        logTheMessage(event);
+                        logMessage = logMessage.substring(event.length + END_MSG.length) || '';
+                        //check for more, maybe it was a big chunk
+                        chunkReceived();
+                    }
+                }
+
+                clientSocket.on('data', chunkReceived);
+                clientSocket.on('end', chunkReceived);
+            });
+        });
+    server.listen(config.loggerPort || 5000, config.loggerHost || 'localhost');
+
+    return actualAppender;
 }
 
 function workerAppender(config) {
-  return function log(loggingEvent) {
-    var socket = net.createConnection(config.loggerPort || 5000, config.loggerHost || 'localhost');
-    socket.on('connect', function socketConnected() {
-      socket.end(JSON.stringify(loggingEvent), 'utf8');
-    });
-  };
+    var canWrite = false,
+        buffer = [],
+        socket;
+
+    createSocket();
+
+    function createSocket() {
+        socket = net.createConnection(config.loggerPort || 5000, config.loggerHost || 'localhost');
+        socket.on('connect', function() {
+            emptyBuffer();
+            canWrite = true;
+        });
+        socket.on('timeout', socket.end.bind(socket));
+        //don't bother listening for 'error', 'close' gets called after that anyway
+        socket.on('close', createSocket);
+    }
+
+    function emptyBuffer() {
+        var evt;
+        while ((evt = buffer.shift())) {
+            write(evt);
+        }
+    }
+
+    function write(loggingEvent) {
+        socket.write(JSON.stringify(loggingEvent), 'utf8');
+        socket.write(END_MSG, 'utf8');
+    }
+
+    return function log(loggingEvent) {
+        if (canWrite) {
+            write(loggingEvent);
+        } else {
+            buffer.push(loggingEvent);
+        }
+    };
 }
 
 function createAppender(config) {
-  if (config.mode === 'master') {
-    var server = new LogServer(config);
-    return config.actualAppender;
-  } else {
-    return workerAppender(config);
-  }
+    if (config.mode === 'master') {
+        return logServer(config);
+    } else {
+        return workerAppender(config);
+    }
 }
 
 function configure(config) {
-  var actualAppender;
-  if (config.appender && config.mode === 'master') {
-    log4js.loadAppender(config.appender.type);
-    actualAppender = log4js.appenderMakers[config.appender.type](config.appender);
-    config.actualAppender = actualAppender;
-  }
-  return createAppender(config);
+    var actualAppender;
+    if (config.appender && config.mode === 'master') {
+        log4js.loadAppender(config.appender.type);
+        actualAppender = log4js.appenderMakers[config.appender.type](config.appender);
+        config.actualAppender = actualAppender;
+    }
+    return createAppender(config);
 }
 
 exports.appender = createAppender;
diff --git a/lib/layouts.js b/lib/layouts.js
index 0e688fe..d947b3e 100644
--- a/lib/layouts.js
+++ b/lib/layouts.js
@@ -1,32 +1,32 @@
 var dateFormat = require('./date_format')
-, util = require('util')
-, replacementRegExp = /%[sdj]/g
-, layoutMakers = {
-    "messagePassThrough": function() { return messagePassThroughLayout; }
-  , "basic": function() { return basicLayout; }
-  , "colored": function() { return colouredLayout; }
-  , "coloured": function() { return colouredLayout; }
-  , "pattern": function (config) {
-	var pattern = config.pattern || undefined;
-	return patternLayout(pattern);
-    }
-}
-, colours = {
-    ALL: "grey"
-  , TRACE: "blue"
-  , DEBUG: "cyan"
-  , INFO: "green"
-  , WARN: "yellow"
-  , ERROR: "red"
-  , FATAL: "magenta"
-  , OFF: "grey"
-};
+  , util = require('util')
+  , replacementRegExp = /%[sdj]/g
+  , layoutMakers = {
+      "messagePassThrough": function() { return messagePassThroughLayout; }
+    , "basic": function() { return basicLayout; }
+    , "colored": function() { return colouredLayout; }
+    , "coloured": function() { return colouredLayout; }
+    , "pattern": function (config) {
+	  var pattern = config.pattern || undefined;
+	  return patternLayout(pattern);
+      }
+  }
+  , colours = {
+      ALL: "grey"
+    , TRACE: "blue"
+    , DEBUG: "cyan"
+    , INFO: "green"
+    , WARN: "yellow"
+    , ERROR: "red"
+    , FATAL: "magenta"
+    , OFF: "grey"
+  };
 
 
 function formatLogData(logData) {
     var output = ""
-    , data = Array.isArray(logData) ? logData.slice() : Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments)
-    , format = data.shift();
+      , data = Array.isArray(logData) ? logData.slice() : Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments)
+      , format = data.shift();
 
     if (typeof format  === "string") {
         output = format.replace(replacementRegExp, function(match) {
@@ -257,4 +257,4 @@ module.exports = {
   , layout: function(name, config) {
         return layoutMakers[name] && layoutMakers[name](config);
     }
-};
\ No newline at end of file
+};
diff --git a/test/logging.js b/test/logging.js
index 990f630..b182732 100644
--- a/test/logging.js
+++ b/test/logging.js
@@ -576,5 +576,4 @@ vows.describe('log4js').addBatch({
             assert.equal(logEvents[1].data[0], 'info3');
         }
     }
-
 }).export(module);