diff --git a/lib/BasicsC/socket-utils.c b/lib/BasicsC/socket-utils.c
index 05b06bd11a..a6e59d7566 100644
--- a/lib/BasicsC/socket-utils.c
+++ b/lib/BasicsC/socket-utils.c
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ int TRI_closesocket (TRI_socket_t s) {
     if (s.fileDescriptor != TRI_INVALID_SOCKET) {
       res = close(s.fileDescriptor);
     }
-  #endif
+#endif
   return res;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/GeneralServer/GeneralSslServer.h b/lib/GeneralServer/GeneralSslServer.h
index bb520afa68..4d70ce2ace 100644
--- a/lib/GeneralServer/GeneralSslServer.h
+++ b/lib/GeneralServer/GeneralSslServer.h
@@ -230,20 +230,20 @@ namespace triagens {
           LOG_DEBUG("trying to establish secure connection");
 
           // convert in a SSL BIO structure
-          BIO * sbio = BIO_new_socket((int) TRI_get_fd_or_handle_of_socket(socket), BIO_NOCLOSE);
+          BIO* sbio = BIO_new_socket((int) TRI_get_fd_or_handle_of_socket(socket), BIO_NOCLOSE);
 
-          if (sbio == 0) {
+          if (sbio == nullptr) {
             LOG_WARNING("cannot build new SSL BIO: %s", triagens::basics::lastSSLError().c_str());
             TRI_CLOSE_SOCKET(socket);
             return;
           }
 
           // build a new connection
-          SSL * ssl = SSL_new(ctx);
+          SSL* ssl = SSL_new(ctx);
 
           info.sslContext = ssl;
 
-          if (ssl == 0) {
+          if (ssl == nullptr) {
             BIO_free_all(sbio);
             LOG_WARNING("cannot build new SSL connection: %s", triagens::basics::lastSSLError().c_str());
             TRI_CLOSE_SOCKET(socket);
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ namespace triagens {
 /// @brief verification callback
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-        int (*verificationCallback)(int, X509_STORE_CTX *);
+        int (*verificationCallback)(int, X509_STORE_CTX*);
     };
   }
 }
diff --git a/lib/Scheduler/ListenTask.cpp b/lib/Scheduler/ListenTask.cpp
index 8b4a26e376..678b181336 100644
--- a/lib/Scheduler/ListenTask.cpp
+++ b/lib/Scheduler/ListenTask.cpp
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ bool ListenTask::setup (Scheduler* scheduler, EventLoop loop) {
   // ..........................................................................
   LOG_TRACE("attempting to convert socket handle to socket descriptor");
 
-  if (!TRI_isvalidsocket(_listenSocket)) {
+  if (! TRI_isvalidsocket(_listenSocket)) {
     LOG_ERROR("In ListenTask::setup could not convert socket handle to socket descriptor -- invalid socket handle");
     return false;
   }
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ bool ListenTask::handleEvent (EventToken token, EventType revents) {
     TRI_socket_t connectionSocket;
     connectionSocket = TRI_accept(_listenSocket, (sockaddr*) &addr, &len);
 
-    if (!TRI_isvalidsocket(connectionSocket)) {
+    if (! TRI_isvalidsocket(connectionSocket)) {
       ++acceptFailures;
 
       if (acceptFailures < MAX_ACCEPT_ERRORS) {
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ bool ListenTask::handleEvent (EventToken token, EventType revents) {
 
     int res = TRI_getsockname(connectionSocket, (sockaddr*) &addr_out, &len_out);
 
-    if (res != 0) {
+    if (res != TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR) {
       TRI_CLOSE_SOCKET(connectionSocket);
 
       LOG_WARNING("getsockname failed with %d (%s)", errno, strerror(errno));
diff --git a/lib/SimpleHttpClient/GeneralClientConnection.h b/lib/SimpleHttpClient/GeneralClientConnection.h
index 223fbf9dc2..ecab4a25c4 100644
--- a/lib/SimpleHttpClient/GeneralClientConnection.h
+++ b/lib/SimpleHttpClient/GeneralClientConnection.h
@@ -134,6 +134,14 @@ namespace triagens {
           _numConnectRetries = 0;
         }
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief returns the number of configured connect retries
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+        
+        inline size_t connectRetries () const {
+           return _connectRetries;
+        }
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief connect
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/lib/SimpleHttpClient/SimpleHttpClient.cpp b/lib/SimpleHttpClient/SimpleHttpClient.cpp
index 6bcaaf8c6f..4107a4156c 100644
--- a/lib/SimpleHttpClient/SimpleHttpClient.cpp
+++ b/lib/SimpleHttpClient/SimpleHttpClient.cpp
@@ -113,6 +113,8 @@ namespace triagens {
 
       TRI_ASSERT(_state == IN_CONNECT || _state == IN_WRITE);
 
+      size_t const maxConnects = _connection->connectRetries();      
+      size_t connects = 0;
 
       double endTime = now() + _requestTimeout;
       double remainingTime = _requestTimeout;
@@ -120,6 +122,15 @@ namespace triagens {
       while (isWorking() && remainingTime > 0.0) {
         switch (_state) {
           case (IN_CONNECT): {
+            if (++connects > maxConnects) {
+              // too many connects
+              SimpleHttpResult* result = getResult();
+
+              _result = nullptr;
+              return result;
+            }
+
+
             handleConnect();
             break;
           }
@@ -191,7 +202,7 @@ namespace triagens {
         remainingTime = endTime - now();
       }
 
-      if (isWorking() && _errorMessage == "" ) {
+      if (isWorking() && _errorMessage.empty()) {
         setErrorMessage("Request timeout reached");
       }
 
@@ -248,29 +259,33 @@ namespace triagens {
       _pathToBasicAuth.push_back(make_pair(prefix, value));
     }
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief return the result
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
     SimpleHttpResult* SimpleHttpClient::getResult () {
       switch (_state) {
-        case (IN_CONNECT):
-          _result->setResultType(SimpleHttpResult::COULD_NOT_CONNECT);
-          break;
-
-        case (IN_WRITE):
+        case IN_WRITE:
           _result->setResultType(SimpleHttpResult::WRITE_ERROR);
           break;
 
-        case (IN_READ_HEADER):
-        case (IN_READ_BODY):
-        case (IN_READ_CHUNKED_HEADER):
-        case (IN_READ_CHUNKED_BODY):
+        case IN_READ_HEADER:
+        case IN_READ_BODY:
+        case IN_READ_CHUNKED_HEADER:
+        case IN_READ_CHUNKED_BODY:
           _result->setResultType(SimpleHttpResult::READ_ERROR);
           break;
 
-        case (FINISHED):
+        case FINISHED:
           _result->setResultType(SimpleHttpResult::COMPLETE);
           break;
 
-        default :
+        case IN_CONNECT:
+        default: {
           _result->setResultType(SimpleHttpResult::COULD_NOT_CONNECT);
+          setErrorMessage("Could not connect");
+          break;
+        }
       }
 
       return _result;