Index: Lib/SocketServer.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/SocketServer.py	(revision 61161)
+++ Lib/SocketServer.py	(working copy)
@@ -130,6 +130,7 @@
 
 
 import socket
+import select
 import sys
 import os
 
@@ -190,6 +191,7 @@
         """Constructor.  May be extended, do not override."""
         self.server_address = server_address
         self.RequestHandlerClass = RequestHandlerClass
+        self._serving = False
 
     def server_activate(self):
         """Called by constructor to activate the server.
@@ -199,11 +201,17 @@
         """
         pass
 
-    def serve_forever(self):
+    def serve_forever(self, timeout=0.5):
         """Handle one request at a time until doomsday."""
-        while 1:
-            self.handle_request()
+        self._serving = True
+        while self._serving:
+            r, w, e = select.select([self], [], [], timeout)
+            if r:
+                self.handle_request()
 
+    def shutdown(self):
+        self._serving = False
+
     # The distinction between handling, getting, processing and
     # finishing a request is fairly arbitrary.  Remember:
     #
@@ -237,7 +245,6 @@
         """
         if self.timeout is not None:
             # If timeout == 0, you're responsible for your own fd magic.
-            import select
             fd_sets = select.select([self], [], [], self.timeout)
             if not fd_sets[0]:
                 self.handle_timeout()
Index: Lib/test/test_socketserver.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/test/test_socketserver.py	(revision 61161)
+++ Lib/test/test_socketserver.py	(working copy)
@@ -79,7 +79,15 @@
                                (self.addr, svr.socket.getsockname()))
         self.ready.set()
         if verbose: print "thread: serving three times"
-        svr.serve_a_few()
+
+        if isinstance(svr, SocketServer.ForkingMixIn):
+            # counting handlers to serve NREQ and then shutdown
+            # don't work with forking...
+            svr.serve_a_few()
+        else:
+            svr.nreqs = 0
+            svr.serve_forever() # MyMixinHandler will call svr.shutdown()
+
         if verbose: print "thread: done"
 
 
@@ -145,6 +153,15 @@
                 line = self.rfile.readline()
                 self.wfile.write(line)
 
+                if not isinstance(self.server, SocketServer.ForkingMixIn):
+                    # Forking servers will use serve_a_few() to serve
+                    # NREQ requests instead of serve_forever() and
+                    # shutdown()
+                    self.server.nreqs += 1
+                    if self.server.nreqs >= NREQ:
+                        self.server.shutdown()
+                        print 'shutdown!'
+
         addr = self.pickaddr(svrcls.address_family)
         if verbose:
             print "ADDR =", addr