diff --git a/interface/lib/classes/db_mysql.inc.php b/interface/lib/classes/db_mysql.inc.php
index 6384882ecc739cde9a0cb29dfd069c310d40e81e..b0ae61ef36398a431d5f9b73f1b7cde3f2a7e4a4 100644
--- a/interface/lib/classes/db_mysql.inc.php
+++ b/interface/lib/classes/db_mysql.inc.php
@@ -52,8 +52,7 @@ class db
 	private $dbClientFlags = 0; // MySQL Client falgs
 	/**#@-*/
 
-	public $show_error_messages = false; // false in server, true in interface
-
+	public $show_error_messages = false; // false in server, interface sets true when generating templates
 
 	/* old things - unused now ////
 	private $linkId = 0;  // last result of mysqli_connect()
@@ -80,7 +79,7 @@ class db
 		$this->dbUser = $user ? $user : $conf['db_user'];
 		$this->dbPass = $pass ? $pass : $conf['db_password'];
 		$this->dbCharset = $conf['db_charset'];
-		$this->dbClientFlags = $flags ? $flags : $conf['db_client_flags'];
+		$this->dbClientFlags = ($flags !== NULL) ? $flags : $conf['db_client_flags'];
 		$this->_iConnId = mysqli_init();
 
 		mysqli_real_connect($this->_iConnId, $this->dbHost, $this->dbUser, $this->dbPass, '', (int)$this->dbPort, NULL, $this->dbClientFlags);
@@ -117,6 +116,18 @@ class db
 		$this->_iConnId = null;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * Test mysql connection.
+	 *
+	 * @return boolean returns true if db connection is good.
+	 */
+	public function testConnection() {
+		if(mysqli_connect_errno()) {
+			return false;
+		}
+		return (boolean)(is_object($this->_iConnId) && mysqli_ping($this->_iConnId));
+	}
+
 	/* This allows our private variables to be "read" out side of the class */
 	public function __get($var) {
 		return isset($this->$var) ? $this->$var : NULL;
@@ -435,13 +446,14 @@ class db
 	 * @return int id of last inserted row or 0 if none
 	 */
 	public function insert_id() {
-		$iRes = mysqli_query($this->_iConnId, 'SELECT LAST_INSERT_ID() as `newid`');
-		if(!is_object($iRes)) return false;
-
-		$aReturn = mysqli_fetch_assoc($iRes);
-		mysqli_free_result($iRes);
-
-		return $aReturn['newid'];
+		$oResult = $this->query('SELECT LAST_INSERT_ID() as `newid`');
+		if(!$oResult) {
+			$this->_sqlerror('Unable to select last_insert_id()');
+			return false;
+		}
+		$aReturn = $oResult->get();
+		$oResult->free();
+		return isset($aReturn['newid']) ? $aReturn['newid'] : 0;
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/server/lib/classes/db_mysql.inc.php b/server/lib/classes/db_mysql.inc.php
index 6384882ecc739cde9a0cb29dfd069c310d40e81e..b0ae61ef36398a431d5f9b73f1b7cde3f2a7e4a4 100644
--- a/server/lib/classes/db_mysql.inc.php
+++ b/server/lib/classes/db_mysql.inc.php
@@ -52,8 +52,7 @@ class db
 	private $dbClientFlags = 0; // MySQL Client falgs
 	/**#@-*/
 
-	public $show_error_messages = false; // false in server, true in interface
-
+	public $show_error_messages = false; // false in server, interface sets true when generating templates
 
 	/* old things - unused now ////
 	private $linkId = 0;  // last result of mysqli_connect()
@@ -80,7 +79,7 @@ class db
 		$this->dbUser = $user ? $user : $conf['db_user'];
 		$this->dbPass = $pass ? $pass : $conf['db_password'];
 		$this->dbCharset = $conf['db_charset'];
-		$this->dbClientFlags = $flags ? $flags : $conf['db_client_flags'];
+		$this->dbClientFlags = ($flags !== NULL) ? $flags : $conf['db_client_flags'];
 		$this->_iConnId = mysqli_init();
 
 		mysqli_real_connect($this->_iConnId, $this->dbHost, $this->dbUser, $this->dbPass, '', (int)$this->dbPort, NULL, $this->dbClientFlags);
@@ -117,6 +116,18 @@ class db
 		$this->_iConnId = null;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * Test mysql connection.
+	 *
+	 * @return boolean returns true if db connection is good.
+	 */
+	public function testConnection() {
+		if(mysqli_connect_errno()) {
+			return false;
+		}
+		return (boolean)(is_object($this->_iConnId) && mysqli_ping($this->_iConnId));
+	}
+
 	/* This allows our private variables to be "read" out side of the class */
 	public function __get($var) {
 		return isset($this->$var) ? $this->$var : NULL;
@@ -435,13 +446,14 @@ class db
 	 * @return int id of last inserted row or 0 if none
 	 */
 	public function insert_id() {
-		$iRes = mysqli_query($this->_iConnId, 'SELECT LAST_INSERT_ID() as `newid`');
-		if(!is_object($iRes)) return false;
-
-		$aReturn = mysqli_fetch_assoc($iRes);
-		mysqli_free_result($iRes);
-
-		return $aReturn['newid'];
+		$oResult = $this->query('SELECT LAST_INSERT_ID() as `newid`');
+		if(!$oResult) {
+			$this->_sqlerror('Unable to select last_insert_id()');
+			return false;
+		}
+		$aReturn = $oResult->get();
+		$oResult->free();
+		return isset($aReturn['newid']) ? $aReturn['newid'] : 0;
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/server/server.php b/server/server.php
index 689cb174901017229d480e1f3dc920375303507a..106d3edc654f4dd9974b76fca0f183d1dd2d56cd 100644
--- a/server/server.php
+++ b/server/server.php
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ $conf['server_id'] = intval($conf['server_id']);
 /*
  * Try to Load the server configuration from the master-db
  */
-if ($app->dbmaster->connect_error == NULL) {
+if ($app->dbmaster->testConnection()) {
 	$server_db_record = $app->dbmaster->queryOneRecord("SELECT * FROM server WHERE server_id = ?", $conf['server_id']);
 
 	if(!is_array($server_db_record)) die('Unable to load the server configuration from database.');
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ $needStartCore = true;
 /*
  * Next we try to process the datalog
  */
-if ($app->db->connect_error == NULL && $app->dbmaster->connect_error == NULL) {
+if ($app->db->testConnection() && $app->dbmaster->testConnection()) {
 
 	// Check if there is anything to update
 	if ($conf['mirror_server_id'] > 0) {
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ if ($app->db->connect_error == NULL && $app->dbmaster->connect_error == NULL) {
 	$needStartCore = false;
 
 } else {
-	if ($app->db->connect->connect_error == NULL) {
+	if (!$app->db->connect->testConnection()) {
 		$app->log('Unable to connect to local server.' . $app->db->errorMessage, LOGLEVEL_WARN);
 	} else {
 		$app->log('Unable to connect to master server.' . $app->dbmaster->errorMessage, LOGLEVEL_WARN);