diff --git a/go/gorm/server.go b/go/gorm/server.go
index f959b89..9f58ea7 100644
--- a/go/gorm/server.go
+++ b/go/gorm/server.go
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ func (s *Server) RegisterRouter(router *httprouter.Router) {
 }
 
 func (s *Server) ping(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, _ httprouter.Params) {
-	writeTextResult(w, "pong")
+	writeTextResult(w, "go/gorm")
 }
 
 func (s *Server) getCustomers(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, _ httprouter.Params) {
diff --git a/java/hibernate/Makefile b/java/hibernate/Makefile
index 6e96e8c..ce4df1b 100644
--- a/java/hibernate/Makefile
+++ b/java/hibernate/Makefile
@@ -30,4 +30,4 @@ start:
 
 .PHONY: deps
 deps:
-	$(GRADLE) assemble
+	$(GRADLE) assemble --stacktrace
diff --git a/java/hibernate/src/main/java/com/cockroachlabs/services/PingService.java b/java/hibernate/src/main/java/com/cockroachlabs/services/PingService.java
index fedaad9..9df849d 100644
--- a/java/hibernate/src/main/java/com/cockroachlabs/services/PingService.java
+++ b/java/hibernate/src/main/java/com/cockroachlabs/services/PingService.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ public class PingService {
     @GET
     @Produces("text/plain")
     public String ping() {
-        return "pong";
+        return "java/hibernate";
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/testing/api_handler.go b/testing/api_handler.go
index 7c4df9e..7f0edca 100644
--- a/testing/api_handler.go
+++ b/testing/api_handler.go
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"io/ioutil"
+	"net"
 	"net/http"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 
@@ -12,12 +14,13 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	applicationAddr = "http://localhost:6543"
+	applicationAddr = "localhost:6543"
+	applicationURL  = "http://" + applicationAddr
 
-	pingPath      = applicationAddr + "/ping"
-	customersPath = applicationAddr + "/customer"
-	ordersPath    = applicationAddr + "/order"
-	productsPath  = applicationAddr + "/product"
+	pingPath      = applicationURL + "/ping"
+	customersPath = applicationURL + "/customer"
+	ordersPath    = applicationURL + "/order"
+	productsPath  = applicationURL + "/product"
 
 	jsonContentType = "application/json"
 )
@@ -27,8 +30,28 @@ const (
 // across all ORMs.
 type apiHandler struct{}
 
-func (apiHandler) ping() error {
-	_, err := http.Get(pingPath)
+func (apiHandler) canDial() bool {
+	conn, err := net.Dial("tcp", applicationAddr)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	conn.Close()
+	return true
+}
+
+func (apiHandler) ping(expected string) error {
+	resp, err := http.Get(pingPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		return errors.Errorf("HTTP error %s", resp.Status)
+	}
+	b, err := ioutil.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+	if body := strings.TrimSpace(string(b)); body != expected {
+		return errors.Errorf("ping response %s != expected %s", body, expected)
+	}
 	return err
 }
 
diff --git a/testing/main_test.go b/testing/main_test.go
index 55e006c..0d523e9 100644
--- a/testing/main_test.go
+++ b/testing/main_test.go
@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"database/sql"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"log"
 	"net/url"
+	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"strings"
 	"syscall"
@@ -25,8 +27,12 @@ type application struct {
 	orm      string
 }
 
+func (app application) name() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", app.language, app.orm)
+}
+
 func (app application) dir() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("../%s/%s", app.language, app.orm)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("../%s", app.name())
 }
 
 func (app application) dbName() string {
@@ -85,20 +91,19 @@ func initORMApp(t *testing.T, app application, dbURL *url.URL) (killFunc, restar
 
 	cmd := exec.Command(args[0], args[1:]...)
 
-	// Set up stderr so we can later verify that it's clean.
+	// Set up stderr to display to console and store in a buffer, so we can later
+	// verify that it's clean.
 	stderr := new(bytes.Buffer)
-	cmd.Stderr = stderr
+	cmd.Stderr = io.MultiWriter(stderr, os.Stderr)
 
 	// make will launch the application in a child process, and this is the most
 	// straightforward way to kill all ancestors.
 	cmd.SysProcAttr = &syscall.SysProcAttr{Setpgid: true}
 	killed := false
 	killCmd := func() {
-		if s := stderr.String(); len(s) > 0 {
-			log.Print("app error:", s)
-		}
 		if !killed {
 			syscall.Kill(-cmd.Process.Pid, syscall.SIGKILL)
+			waitForAppExit()
 		}
 		killed = true
 	}
@@ -111,13 +116,12 @@ func initORMApp(t *testing.T, app application, dbURL *url.URL) (killFunc, restar
 		log.Printf("process %d started: %s", cmd.Process.Pid, strings.Join(args, " "))
 	}
 
-	if err := waitForInit(); err != nil {
+	if err := waitForInit(app); err != nil {
 		killCmd()
 		t.Fatalf("error waiting for http server initialization: %v stderr=%s", err, stderr.String())
 	}
 	if s := stderr.String(); len(s) > 0 {
 		killCmd()
-		t.Fatalf("stderr=%s", s)
 	}
 
 	restartCmd := func() (killFunc, restartFunc) {
@@ -129,7 +133,7 @@ func initORMApp(t *testing.T, app application, dbURL *url.URL) (killFunc, restar
 }
 
 // waitForInit retries until a connection is successfully established.
-func waitForInit() error {
+func waitForInit(app application) error {
 	const maxWait = 3 * time.Minute
 	const waitDelay = 250 * time.Millisecond
 	const maxWaitLoops = int(maxWait / waitDelay)
@@ -137,7 +141,7 @@ func waitForInit() error {
 	var err error
 	var api apiHandler
 	for i := 0; i < maxWaitLoops; i++ {
-		if err = api.ping(); err == nil {
+		if err = api.ping(app.name()); err == nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		log.Printf("waitForInit: %v", err)
@@ -146,6 +150,20 @@ func waitForInit() error {
 	return err
 }
 
+// waitForExit waits indefinitely for the HTTP port of the ORM to stop
+// listening.
+func waitForAppExit() {
+	const waitDelay = time.Second
+	var api apiHandler
+	for {
+		if !api.canDial() {
+			break
+		}
+		log.Print("waiting for app to exit")
+		time.Sleep(waitDelay)
+	}
+}
+
 func testORM(t *testing.T, language, orm string) {
 	app := application{
 		language: language,