diff --git a/fail2ban/client/csocket.py b/fail2ban/client/csocket.py
index ab3e294b..88795674 100644
--- a/fail2ban/client/csocket.py
+++ b/fail2ban/client/csocket.py
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ class CSocket:
 	def send(self, msg, nonblocking=False, timeout=None):
 		# Convert every list member to string
 		obj = dumps(map(CSocket.convert, msg), HIGHEST_PROTOCOL)
-		self.__csock.send(obj + CSPROTO.END)
+		self.__csock.send(obj)
+		self.__csock.send(CSPROTO.END)
 		return self.receive(self.__csock, nonblocking, timeout)
 
 	def settimeout(self, timeout):
@@ -81,9 +82,12 @@ class CSocket:
 		msg = CSPROTO.EMPTY
 		if nonblocking: sock.setblocking(0)
 		if timeout: sock.settimeout(timeout)
-		while msg.rfind(CSPROTO.END) == -1:
-			chunk = sock.recv(512)
-			if chunk in ('', b''): # python 3.x may return b'' instead of ''
-				raise RuntimeError("socket connection broken")
+		bufsize = 1024
+		while msg.rfind(CSPROTO.END, -32) == -1:
+			chunk = sock.recv(bufsize)
+			if not len(chunk):
+				raise socket.error(104, 'Connection reset by peer')
+			if chunk == CSPROTO.END: break
 			msg = msg + chunk
+			if bufsize < 32768: bufsize <<= 1
 		return loads(msg)
diff --git a/fail2ban/client/fail2bancmdline.py b/fail2ban/client/fail2bancmdline.py
index 8936e03f..03683cad 100644
--- a/fail2ban/client/fail2bancmdline.py
+++ b/fail2ban/client/fail2bancmdline.py
@@ -27,13 +27,17 @@ import sys
 
 from ..version import version, normVersion
 from ..protocol import printFormatted
-from ..helpers import getLogger, str2LogLevel, getVerbosityFormat
+from ..helpers import getLogger, str2LogLevel, getVerbosityFormat, BrokenPipeError
 
 # Gets the instance of the logger.
 logSys = getLogger("fail2ban")
 
 def output(s): # pragma: no cover
-	print(s)
+	try:
+		print(s)
+	except (BrokenPipeError, IOError) as e: # pragma: no cover
+		if e.errno != 32: # closed / broken pipe
+			raise
 
 # Config parameters required to start fail2ban which can be also set via command line (overwrite fail2ban.conf),
 CONFIG_PARAMS = ("socket", "pidfile", "logtarget", "loglevel", "syslogsocket")
@@ -310,12 +314,16 @@ class Fail2banCmdLine():
 	def _exit(code=0):
 		# implicit flush without to produce broken pipe error (32):
 		sys.stderr.close()
-		sys.stdout.close()
-		# exit:
-		if hasattr(os, '_exit') and os._exit:
-			os._exit(code)
-		else:
-			sys.exit(code)
+		try:
+			sys.stdout.flush()
+			# exit:
+			if hasattr(sys, 'exit') and sys.exit:
+				sys.exit(code)
+			else:
+				os._exit(code)
+		except (BrokenPipeError, IOError) as e: # pragma: no cover
+			if e.errno != 32: # closed / broken pipe
+				raise
 
 	@staticmethod
 	def exit(code=0):
diff --git a/fail2ban/helpers.py b/fail2ban/helpers.py
index f381576e..c45be849 100644
--- a/fail2ban/helpers.py
+++ b/fail2ban/helpers.py
@@ -224,9 +224,10 @@ def __stopOnIOError(logSys=None, logHndlr=None): # pragma: no cover
 		sys.exit(0)
 
 try:
-    BrokenPipeError
+	BrokenPipeError = BrokenPipeError
 except NameError: # pragma: 3.x no cover
-    BrokenPipeError = IOError
+	BrokenPipeError = IOError
+
 __origLog = logging.Logger._log
 def __safeLog(self, level, msg, args, **kwargs):
 	"""Safe log inject to avoid possible errors by unsafe log-handlers, 
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/actions.py b/fail2ban/server/actions.py
index 3308d4b2..f14d8d7b 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/actions.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/actions.py
@@ -661,13 +661,19 @@ class Actions(JailThread, Mapping):
 		"""Status of current and total ban counts and current banned IP list.
 		"""
 		# TODO: Allow this list to be printed as 'status' output
-		supported_flavors = ["basic", "cymru"]
+		supported_flavors = ["short", "basic", "cymru"]
 		if flavor is None or flavor not in supported_flavors:
 			logSys.warning("Unsupported extended jail status flavor %r. Supported: %s" % (flavor, supported_flavors))
 		# Always print this information (basic)
-		ret = [("Currently banned", self.__banManager.size()),
-			   ("Total banned", self.__banManager.getBanTotal()),
-			   ("Banned IP list", self.__banManager.getBanList())]
+		if flavor != "short":
+			banned = self.__banManager.getBanList()
+			cnt = len(banned)
+		else:
+			cnt = self.__banManager.size()
+		ret = [("Currently banned", cnt),
+			   ("Total banned", self.__banManager.getBanTotal())]
+		if flavor != "short":
+			ret += [("Banned IP list", banned)]
 		if flavor == "cymru":
 			cymru_info = self.__banManager.getBanListExtendedCymruInfo()
 			ret += \
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/banmanager.py b/fail2ban/server/banmanager.py
index 479ba26f..fe38dec6 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/banmanager.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/banmanager.py
@@ -66,8 +66,7 @@ class BanManager:
 	# @param value the time
 	
 	def setBanTime(self, value):
-		with self.__lock:
-			self.__banTime = int(value)
+		self.__banTime = int(value)
 	
 	##
 	# Get the ban time.
@@ -76,8 +75,7 @@ class BanManager:
 	# @return the time
 	
 	def getBanTime(self):
-		with self.__lock:
-			return self.__banTime
+		return self.__banTime
 	
 	##
 	# Set the total number of banned address.
@@ -85,8 +83,7 @@ class BanManager:
 	# @param value total number
 	
 	def setBanTotal(self, value):
-		with self.__lock:
-			self.__banTotal = value
+		self.__banTotal = value
 	
 	##
 	# Get the total number of banned address.
@@ -94,8 +91,7 @@ class BanManager:
 	# @return the total number
 	
 	def getBanTotal(self):
-		with self.__lock:
-			return self.__banTotal
+		return self.__banTotal
 
 	##
 	# Returns a copy of the IP list.
@@ -103,8 +99,7 @@ class BanManager:
 	# @return IP list
 	
 	def getBanList(self):
-		with self.__lock:
-			return list(self.__banList.keys())
+		return list(self.__banList.keys())
 
 	##
 	# Returns a iterator to ban list (used in reload, so idle).
@@ -112,9 +107,8 @@ class BanManager:
 	# @return ban list iterator
 	
 	def __iter__(self):
-		# ensure iterator is safe (traverse over the list in snapshot created within lock):
-		with self.__lock:
-			return iter(list(self.__banList.values()))
+		# ensure iterator is safe - traverse over the list in snapshot created within lock (GIL):
+		return iter(list(self.__banList.values()))
 
 	##
 	# Returns normalized value
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/failmanager.py b/fail2ban/server/failmanager.py
index 3458aed5..3e81e8b5 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/failmanager.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/failmanager.py
@@ -47,12 +47,10 @@ class FailManager:
 		self.__bgSvc = BgService()
 	
 	def setFailTotal(self, value):
-		with self.__lock:
-			self.__failTotal = value
+		self.__failTotal = value
 		
 	def getFailTotal(self):
-		with self.__lock:
-			return self.__failTotal
+		return self.__failTotal
 	
 	def getFailCount(self):
 		# may be slow on large list of failures, should be used for test purposes only...
@@ -123,8 +121,7 @@ class FailManager:
 		return attempts
 	
 	def size(self):
-		with self.__lock:
-			return len(self.__failList)
+		return len(self.__failList)
 	
 	def cleanup(self, time):
 		with self.__lock:
diff --git a/fail2ban/tests/actionstestcase.py b/fail2ban/tests/actionstestcase.py
index d97d9921..532fe6ed 100644
--- a/fail2ban/tests/actionstestcase.py
+++ b/fail2ban/tests/actionstestcase.py
@@ -96,6 +96,8 @@ class ExecuteActions(LogCaptureTestCase):
 		self.assertLogged("stdout: %r" % 'ip flush', "stdout: %r" % 'ip stop')
 		self.assertEqual(self.__actions.status(),[("Currently banned", 0 ),
                ("Total banned", 0 ), ("Banned IP list", [] )])
+		self.assertEqual(self.__actions.status('short'),[("Currently banned", 0 ),
+               ("Total banned", 0 )])
 
 	def testAddActionPython(self):
 		self.__actions.add(
diff --git a/fail2ban/tests/sockettestcase.py b/fail2ban/tests/sockettestcase.py
index 8cd22a41..2d414e5c 100644
--- a/fail2ban/tests/sockettestcase.py
+++ b/fail2ban/tests/sockettestcase.py
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ class Socket(LogCaptureTestCase):
 		org_handler = RequestHandler.found_terminator
 		try:
 			RequestHandler.found_terminator = lambda self: self.close()
-			self.assertRaisesRegexp(RuntimeError, r"socket connection broken", 
+			self.assertRaisesRegexp(Exception, r"reset by peer|Broken pipe",
 				lambda: client.send(testMessage, timeout=unittest.F2B.maxWaitTime(10)))
 		finally:
 			RequestHandler.found_terminator = org_handler
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ class Socket(LogCaptureTestCase):
 		org_handler = RequestHandler.found_terminator
 		try:
 			RequestHandler.found_terminator = lambda self: TestMsgError()
-			#self.assertRaisesRegexp(RuntimeError, r"socket connection broken", client.send, testMessage)
+			#self.assertRaisesRegexp(Exception, r"reset by peer|Broken pipe", client.send, testMessage)
 			self.assertEqual(client.send(testMessage), 'ERROR: test unpickle error')
 		finally:
 			RequestHandler.found_terminator = org_handler