diff --git a/examples/popen.py b/examples/popen.py
index d9ddd7a..332822f 100755
--- a/examples/popen.py
+++ b/examples/popen.py
@@ -1,30 +1,36 @@
 #!/usr/bin/python
 
 """
-This example tests the Host.popen()/pexec() interface
+This example monitors a number of hosts using host.popen() and
+pmonitor()
 """
 
 from mininet.net import Mininet
 from mininet.node import CPULimitedHost
 from mininet.topo import SingleSwitchTopo
 from mininet.log import setLogLevel
-# from mininet.cli import CLI
-from mininet.util import custom
+from mininet.util import custom, pmonitor
 
-def testpopen(sched='cfs'):
-    "Test popen() interface"
-    host = custom( CPULimitedHost, cpu=.2, sched=sched )
-    net = Mininet( SingleSwitchTopo( 2 ), host=host )
+def monitorhosts( hosts=5, sched='cfs' ):
+    "Start a bunch of pings and monitor them using popen"
+    mytopo = SingleSwitchTopo( hosts )
+    cpu = .5 / hosts
+    myhost = custom( CPULimitedHost, cpu=cpu, sched=sched )
+    net = Mininet( topo=mytopo, host=myhost )
     net.start()
-    h1 = net.get( 'h1' )
-    # CLI(net)
-    out, err, code = h1.pexec( 'ifconfig' )
-    print 'stdout:', out.strip()
-    print 'stderr:', err.strip()
-    print 'exit code:', code
+    # Start a bunch of pings
+    popens = {}
+    last = net.hosts[ -1 ]
+    for host in net.hosts:
+        popens[ host ] = host.popen( "ping -c5 %s" % last.IP() )
+        last = host
+    # Monitor them and print output
+    for host, line in pmonitor( popens ):
+        if host:
+            print "<%s>: %s" % ( host.name, line.strip() )
+    # Done
     net.stop()
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     setLogLevel( 'info' )
-    testpopen('rt')
-    testpopen('cfs')
+    monitorhosts( hosts=5 )
diff --git a/mininet/util.py b/mininet/util.py
index 6016cd3..e6ede1f 100644
--- a/mininet/util.py
+++ b/mininet/util.py
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 "Utility functions for Mininet."
 
+from mininet.log import output, info, error
+
 from time import sleep
 from resource import setrlimit, RLIMIT_NPROC, RLIMIT_NOFILE
 from select import poll, POLLIN
 from subprocess import call, check_call, Popen, PIPE, STDOUT
-from mininet.log import output, info, error
 import re
+from fcntl import fcntl, F_GETFL, F_SETFL
+from os import O_NONBLOCK
 
 # Command execution support
 
@@ -300,6 +303,49 @@ def makeNumeric( s ):
     else:
         return s
 
+# Popen support
+
+def pmonitor(popens, timeoutms=500, readline=True,
+             readmax=1024 ):
+    """Monitor dict of hosts to popen objects
+       a line at a time
+       timeoutms: timeout for poll()
+       readline: return single line of output
+       yields: host, line/output (if any)
+       terminates: when all EOFs received"""
+    poller = poll()
+    fdToHost = {}
+    for host, popen in popens.iteritems():
+        fd = popen.stdout.fileno()
+        fdToHost[ fd ] = host
+        poller.register( fd, POLLIN )
+        if not readline:
+            # Use non-blocking reads
+            flags = fcntl( fd, F_GETFL )
+            fcntl( fd, F_SETFL, flags | O_NONBLOCK )
+    while True:
+        fds = poller.poll( timeoutms )
+        if fds:
+            for fd, _event in fds:
+                host = fdToHost[ fd ]
+                popen = popens[ host ]
+                if readline:
+                    # Attempt to read a line of output
+                    # This blocks until we receive a newline!
+                    line = popen.stdout.readline()
+                else:
+                    line = popen.stdout.read( readmax )
+                yield host, line
+                # Check for EOF
+                if not line:
+                    popen.poll()
+                    if popen.returncode is not None:
+                        poller.unregister( fd )
+                        del popens[ host ]
+                        if not popens:
+                            return
+        else:
+            yield None, ''
 
 # Other stuff we use