diff --git a/libdap2/env b/libdap2/env
index 01b0fb64d..66cdaed86 100644
--- a/libdap2/env
+++ b/libdap2/env
@@ -10,17 +10,7 @@ PROG="$TOP/ncdump/ncdump"
 
 P=`pwd`
 
-#T="1990-S1700101.HDF.WVC_Lat"
-T="synth10"
-
-F="file://$TOP/ncdap_test/testdata3/$T"
-#F="http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8081/dts/$T?f64"
-#F="http://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov:9090/dods/gfs_hd/gfs_hd20120801/gfs_hd_00z"
-#F="http://hycom.coaps.fsu.edu/thredds/dodsC/atl_ops"
-#F="http://testbedapps-dev.sura.org/thredds/dodsC/auto/in.usf.fvcom.ike.ultralite.vardrag.nowave.2d"
-#F="http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8081/dts/test.06"
-#F="http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8081/thredds/dodsC/testdods/nametest3.nc"
-#F="http://ingrid.ldeo.columbia.edu/SOURCES/.USTOPO/dods"
+F="http://motherlode.ucar.edu:9080/thredds/dodsC/grib/NCEP/NAM/CONUS_12km/best"
 
 #CON="OneD.amp,TwoD.amp,ThreeD.amp"
 
@@ -104,6 +94,14 @@ F="http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8080/thredds/dodsC/station/metar/Surface_METAR_201
 CON="weather[0:10]"
 F="http://nomad1.ncep.noaa.gov:9090/dods/reanalyses/reanalysis-1/6hr/pgb/pgb"
 VAR=hgtprs
+F="file://$TOP/ncdap_test/testdata3/$T"
+#F="http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8081/dts/$T?f64"
+#F="http://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov:9090/dods/gfs_hd/gfs_hd20120801/gfs_hd_00z"
+#F="http://hycom.coaps.fsu.edu/thredds/dodsC/atl_ops"
+#F="http://testbedapps-dev.sura.org/thredds/dodsC/auto/in.usf.fvcom.ike.ultralite.vardrag.nowave.2d"
+#F="http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8081/dts/test.06"
+#F="http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8081/thredds/dodsC/testdods/nametest3.nc"
+#F="http://ingrid.ldeo.columbia.edu/SOURCES/.USTOPO/dods"
 fi
 
 
diff --git a/libdispatch/nclog.c b/libdispatch/nclog.c
index babb217bf..6bb5f214a 100644
--- a/libdispatch/nclog.c
+++ b/libdispatch/nclog.c
@@ -43,13 +43,16 @@ static char* nctagname(int tag);
 void
 ncloginit(void)
 {
-    const char* file = getenv(NCENVFLAG);
+    const char* file;
+    if(nclogginginitialized)
+	return;
     nclogginginitialized = 1;
     ncsetlogging(0);
     nclogfile = NULL;
     nclogstream = NULL;
     /* Use environment variables to preset nclogging state*/
     /* I hope this is portable*/
+    file = getenv(NCENVFLAG);
     if(file != NULL && strlen(file) > 0) {
         if(nclogopen(file)) {
 	    ncsetlogging(1);
diff --git a/oc2/oc.c b/oc2/oc.c
index ab27a2d27..3b2437e7d 100644
--- a/oc2/oc.c
+++ b/oc2/oc.c
@@ -554,7 +554,6 @@ oc_dds_fieldbyname(OCobject link, OCobject ddsnode, const char* name, OCobject*
     size_t count,i;
     OCVERIFY(OC_Node,ddsnode);
     OCDEREF(OCnode*,node,ddsnode);
-    
 
     if(!iscontainer(node->octype))
 	return OC_EBADTYPE;
diff --git a/oc2/ocinternal.c b/oc2/ocinternal.c
index 28d4b8118..2891ea5ac 100644
--- a/oc2/ocinternal.c
+++ b/oc2/ocinternal.c
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@
 #define TMPPATH2 "./"
 #endif
 
+#define CLBRACE '{'
+#define CRBRACE '}'
+
+
 /* Define default rc files and aliases*/
 static char* rcfilenames[4] = {".daprc",".dodsrc",".ocrc",NULL};
 
@@ -39,6 +43,7 @@ static int ocextractddsinfile(OCstate*,OCtree*,int);
 static char* constraintescape(const char* url);
 static OCerror createtempfile(OCstate*,OCtree*);
 static int createtempfile1(char*,char**);
+static int dataError(XXDR* xdrs, OCstate*);
 
 static void ocsetcurlproperties(OCstate*);
 
@@ -299,6 +304,17 @@ fprintf(stderr,"ocfetch.datadds.memory: datasize=%lu bod=%lu\n",
 		= xxdr_memcreate(tree->data.memory,tree->data.datasize,tree->data.bod);
 	}
         MEMCHECK(tree->data.xdrs,OC_ENOMEM);
+	/* Do a quick check to see if server returned an ERROR {}
+           at the beginning of the data
+         */
+	if(dataError(tree->data.xdrs,state)) {
+	    stat = OC_EDATADDS;
+	    oclog(OCLOGERR,"oc_open: server error retrieving url: code=%s message=\"%s\"",
+		  state->error.code,	
+		  (state->error.message?state->error.message:""));
+	    goto fail;
+	}
+
 	/* Compile the data into a more accessible format */
 	stat = occompile(state,tree->root);
 	if(stat != OC_NOERR)
@@ -589,3 +605,43 @@ ocsetuseragent(OCstate* state, const char* agent)
 	return OC_ENOMEM;
     return OC_NOERR;
 }
+
+static char* ERROR_TAG = "Error ";
+
+static int
+dataError(XXDR* xdrs, OCstate* state)
+{
+    int depth;
+    off_t ckp,avail,i;
+    char* errmsg;
+    char errortext[16]; /* bigger thant |ERROR_TAG|*/
+    avail = xxdr_getavail(xdrs);
+    if(avail < strlen(ERROR_TAG))
+	return 0; /* assume it is ok */
+    ckp = xxdr_getpos(xdrs);
+    /* Read enough characters to test for 'ERROR ' */
+    errortext[0] = '\0';
+    xxdr_getbytes(xdrs,errortext,(off_t)strlen(ERROR_TAG));
+    if(ocstrncmp(errortext,ERROR_TAG,strlen(ERROR_TAG)) != 0)
+	return 0; /* not an immediate error */
+    /* Try to locate the whole error body */
+    xxdr_setpos(xdrs,ckp);
+    for(depth=0,i=0;i<avail;i++) {
+	xxdr_getbytes(xdrs,errortext,1);
+	if(errortext[0] == CLBRACE) depth++;
+	else if(errortext[0] == CRBRACE) {
+	    depth--;
+	    if(depth == 0) {i++; break;}
+	}
+    }    
+    errmsg = (char*)malloc(i+1);
+    if(errmsg == NULL) return 1;
+    xxdr_setpos(xdrs,ckp);
+    xxdr_getbytes(xdrs,errmsg,i);
+    errmsg[i] = '\0';
+    state->error.message = errmsg;
+    state->error.code = strdup("?");
+    state->error.httpcode = 404;
+    xxdr_setpos(xdrs,ckp);
+    return 1;    
+}
diff --git a/oc2/oclog.c b/oc2/oclog.c
index cbb2f6ddc..5cd4e3f84 100644
--- a/oc2/oclog.c
+++ b/oc2/oclog.c
@@ -45,8 +45,11 @@ static char* octagname(int tag);
 void
 ocloginit(void)
 {
-    const char* file = getenv(OCENVFLAG);
+    const char* file;
+    if(oclogginginitialized)
+	return;
     oclogginginitialized = 1;
+    file = getenv(OCENVFLAG);
     ocsetlogging(0);
     oclogfile = NULL;
     oclogstream = NULL;
diff --git a/oc2/ocutil.c b/oc2/ocutil.c
index 1cbc203ac..42854e916 100644
--- a/oc2/ocutil.c
+++ b/oc2/ocutil.c
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@ ocstrndup(const char* s, size_t len)
     return dup;
 }
 
-/* Do not trust strncmp semantics */
+/* Do not trust strncmp semantics; this one
+   compares upto len chars or to null terminators */
 int
 ocstrncmp(const char* s1, const char* s2, size_t len)
 {