diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 582694a79a..41e41b72de 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 
+2.2-72 | 2013-12-12 07:12:47 -0800
+
+  * Improve the core.when-interpreter-exceptions unit test to prevent
+    it from occasionally timing out. (Jon Siwek)
+
 2.2-70 | 2013-12-10 15:02:50 -0800
 
   * Fix (harmless) uninitialized field in basename/dirname util
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 066d37e8c2..7075b6878a 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-2.2-70
+2.2-72
diff --git a/testing/btest/Baseline/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/bro.output b/testing/btest/Baseline/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/bro.output
index 154734f6d3..6d7ae52baf 100644
--- a/testing/btest/Baseline/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/bro.output
+++ b/testing/btest/Baseline/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/bro.output
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
-1386110869.157209 expression error in /Users/jon/Projects/bro/bro/testing/btest/.tmp/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro, line 96: field value missing [p$ip]
-1386110869.157209 expression error in /Users/jon/Projects/bro/bro/testing/btest/.tmp/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro, line 63: field value missing [p$ip]
-1386110869.157209 expression error in /Users/jon/Projects/bro/bro/testing/btest/.tmp/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro, line 79: field value missing [p$ip]
-1386110869.157209 expression error in /Users/jon/Projects/bro/bro/testing/btest/.tmp/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro, line 36: field value missing [p$ip]
-1386110869.157209 received termination signal
+expression error in /Users/jon/Projects/bro/bro/testing/btest/.tmp/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro, line 48: field value missing [myrecord$notset]
+expression error in /Users/jon/Projects/bro/bro/testing/btest/.tmp/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro, line 92: field value missing [myrecord$notset]
+expression error in /Users/jon/Projects/bro/bro/testing/btest/.tmp/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro, line 73: field value missing [myrecord$notset]
+expression error in /Users/jon/Projects/bro/bro/testing/btest/.tmp/core.when-interpreter-exceptions/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro, line 104: field value missing [myrecord$notset]
+received termination signal
+[f(F)]
+f() done, no exception, T
+[f(T)]
+[bro_init()]
+timeout g(), T
 timeout
 timeout g(), F
-timeout g(), T
 g() done, no exception, T
-localhost resolved
-localhost resolved from f(), T
-localhost resolved from f(), F
-f() done, no exception, T
diff --git a/testing/btest/core/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro b/testing/btest/core/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro
index 5918f80ab5..151d8d2f57 100644
--- a/testing/btest/core/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro
+++ b/testing/btest/core/when-interpreter-exceptions.bro
@@ -1,10 +1,19 @@
-# @TEST-EXEC: btest-bg-run bro "bro -b --pseudo-realtime -r $TRACES/rotation.trace %INPUT >output 2>&1"
+# @TEST-EXEC: btest-bg-run bro "bro -b %INPUT >output 2>&1"
 # @TEST-EXEC: btest-bg-wait 15
 # @TEST-EXEC: TEST_DIFF_CANONIFIER="$SCRIPTS/diff-remove-abspath | $SCRIPTS/diff-remove-timestamps | $SCRIPTS/diff-sort" btest-diff bro/output
 
 # interpreter exceptions in "when" blocks shouldn't cause termination
 
-global p: pkt_hdr;
+@load base/utils/exec
+@load base/frameworks/communication # let network-time run. otherwise there are no heartbeats...
+redef exit_only_after_terminate = T;
+
+type MyRecord: record {
+	a: bool &default=T;
+	notset: bool &optional;
+};
+
+global myrecord: MyRecord;
 
 global c = 0;
 
@@ -26,22 +35,21 @@ event termination_check()
 
 function f(do_exception: bool): bool
 	{
-	return when ( local addrs = lookup_hostname("localhost") )
+	local cmd = Exec::Command($cmd=fmt("echo 'f(%s)'",
+	                          do_exception));
+
+	return when ( local result = Exec::run(cmd) )
 		{
-		print "localhost resolved from f()", do_exception;
+		print result$stdout;
 
 		if ( do_exception )
 			{
 			event termination_check();
-			print p$ip;
+			print myrecord$notset;
 			}
 
 		return T;
 		}
-	timeout 10 sec
-		{
-		print "lookup_hostname in f() timed out unexpectedly";
-		}
 
 	check_term_condition();
 	return F;
@@ -49,9 +57,11 @@ function f(do_exception: bool): bool
 
 function g(do_exception: bool): bool
 	{
-	return when ( local addrs = lookup_hostname("localhost") )
+	local stall = Exec::Command($cmd="sleep 30");
+
+	return when ( local result = Exec::run(stall) )
 		{
-		print "shouldn't get here, g()", do_exception;
+		print "shouldn't get here, g()", do_exception, result;
 		}
 	timeout 0 sec
 		{
@@ -60,7 +70,7 @@ function g(do_exception: bool): bool
 		if ( do_exception )
 			{
 			event termination_check();
-			print p$ip;
+			print myrecord$notset;
 			}
 
 		return T;
@@ -72,28 +82,26 @@ function g(do_exception: bool): bool
 
 event bro_init()
 	{
-	when ( local addrs = lookup_hostname("localhost") )
+	local cmd = Exec::Command($cmd="echo 'bro_init()'");
+	local stall = Exec::Command($cmd="sleep 30");
+
+	when ( local result = Exec::run(cmd) )
 		{
-		print "localhost resolved";
+		print result$stdout;
 		event termination_check();
-		print p$ip;
-		}
-	timeout 10 sec
-		{
-		print "lookup_hostname timed out unexpectedly";
-		check_term_condition();
+		print myrecord$notset;
 		}
 
-	when ( local addrs2 = lookup_hostname("localhost") )
+	when ( local result2 = Exec::run(stall) )
 		{
-		print "shouldn't get here";
+		print "shouldn't get here", result2;
 		check_term_condition();
 		}
 	timeout 0 sec
 		{
 		print "timeout";
 		event termination_check();
-		print p$ip;
+		print myrecord$notset;
 		}
 
 	when ( local b = f(T) )