diff --git a/tests/dbal/connect_test.php b/tests/dbal/connect_test.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4964f24ba2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/dbal/connect_test.php
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+<?php
+/**
+*
+* @package testing
+* @copyright (c) 2012 phpBB Group
+* @license http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.php GNU General Public License v2
+*
+*/
+
+require_once dirname(__FILE__) . '/../../phpBB/includes/functions.php';
+
+class phpbb_dbal_connect_test extends phpbb_database_test_case
+{
+	public function getDataSet()
+	{
+		return $this->createXMLDataSet(dirname(__FILE__) . '/../fixtures/empty.xml');
+	}
+
+	public function test_failing_connect()
+	{
+		global $phpbb_root_path, $phpEx;
+
+		$config = $this->get_database_config();
+
+		require_once dirname(__FILE__) . '/../../phpBB/includes/db/' . $config['dbms'] . '.php';
+		$dbal = 'dbal_' . $config['dbms'];
+		$db = new $dbal();
+
+		// Failure to connect results in a trigger_error call in dbal.
+		// phpunit converts triggered errors to exceptions.
+		// In particular there should be no fatals here.
+		try
+		{
+			$db->sql_connect($config['dbhost'], 'phpbbogus', 'phpbbogus', 'phpbbogus', $config['dbport']);
+			$this->assertFalse(true);
+		} catch (Exception $e)
+		{
+			// should have a legitimate message
+			$this->assertNotEmpty($e->getMessage());
+		}
+
+		return $db;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/empty.xml b/tests/fixtures/empty.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..96eb1ab483
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/empty.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
+<dataset>
+	<table name="phpbb_posts">
+	</table>
+</dataset>