diff --git a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
index 2faf69083..301e85543 100644
--- a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
+++ b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
@@ -14,6 +13,14 @@
+New test for environment variables
+
+A new test program epicsEnvTest has been added to the libCom tests which
+checks environment variable APIs. It was written to confirm that threads see
+environment variable values that have been set in their parent thread. VxWorks
+6.x boot images must be configured with ENV_VAR_USE_HOOKS set to FALSE for the
+correct behaviour to occur (a test failure on VxWorks explains this).
+
Inclusion of <top>/cfg/* files refined
The way the build system includes files installed in the <top>/cfg/*
diff --git a/src/libCom/test/Makefile b/src/libCom/test/Makefile
index 0d6ab1487..e8e94a3e6 100644
--- a/src/libCom/test/Makefile
+++ b/src/libCom/test/Makefile
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ epicsEllTest_SRCS += epicsEllTest.c
testHarness_SRCS += epicsEllTest.c
TESTS += epicsEllTest
+TESTPROD_HOST += epicsEnvTest
+epicsEnvTest_SRCS += epicsEnvTest.c
+testHarness_SRCS += epicsEnvTest.c
+TESTS += epicsEnvTest
+
TESTPROD_HOST += epicsErrlogTest
epicsErrlogTest_SRCS += epicsErrlogTest.c
testHarness_SRCS += epicsErrlogTest.c
diff --git a/src/libCom/test/epicsEnvTest.c b/src/libCom/test/epicsEnvTest.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bbce4b749
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libCom/test/epicsEnvTest.c
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/*************************************************************************\
+* Copyright (c) 2013 UChicago Argonne LLC, as Operator of Argonne
+* National Laboratory.
+* EPICS BASE is distributed subject to a Software License Agreement found
+* in file LICENSE that is included with this distribution.
+\*************************************************************************/
+/* epicsEnvTest.c */
+
+/* Author: Andrew Johnson
+ * Date: 2013-12-13
+ */
+
+/* Check environment variable APIs.
+ * TODO: Add tests for envDefs.h routines.
+ *
+ * The thread test is needed on VxWorks 6.x, where the OS can be
+ * configured to maintain separate, totally independent sets
+ * of environment variables for each thread. This configuration
+ * is not supported by EPICS which expects child threads to at
+ * least inherit the partent thread's environment variables.
+ */
+
+#include
+#include
+
+#include "envDefs.h"
+#include "epicsThread.h"
+#include "epicsUnitTest.h"
+#include "testMain.h"
+
+#define PARENT "Parent"
+#define CHILD "Child"
+
+static void child(void *arg)
+{
+ const char *value = getenv(PARENT);
+
+ if (!testOk(value && (strcmp(value, PARENT) == 0),
+ "Child thread sees parent environment values")) {
+#ifdef vxWorks
+ testDiag("VxWorks image needs ENV_VAR_USE_HOOKS configured as FALSE");
+#else
+ testDiag("Check OS configuration, environment inheritance needed");
+#endif
+ }
+
+ epicsEnvSet(CHILD, CHILD);
+}
+
+MAIN(epicsEnvTest)
+{
+ unsigned int stackSize = epicsThreadGetStackSize(epicsThreadStackSmall);
+ const char *value;
+
+ testPlan(3);
+
+ epicsEnvSet(PARENT, PARENT);
+
+ value = getenv(PARENT);
+ if (!testOk(value && (strcmp(value, PARENT) == 0),
+ "epicsEnvSet correctly modifies environment"))
+ testAbort("environment variables not working");
+
+ epicsThreadCreate("child", 50, stackSize, child, NULL);
+ epicsThreadSleep(0.1);
+
+ value = getenv(CHILD);
+ if (value && (strcmp(value, CHILD) == 0))
+ testDiag("Child and parent threads share a common environment");
+
+ value = getenv(PARENT);
+ testOk(value && (strcmp(value, PARENT) == 0),
+ "PARENT environment variable not modified");
+
+ testDone();
+ return 0;
+}
+
diff --git a/src/libCom/test/epicsRunLibComTests.c b/src/libCom/test/epicsRunLibComTests.c
index 7a6da1e66..e49c10166 100644
--- a/src/libCom/test/epicsRunLibComTests.c
+++ b/src/libCom/test/epicsRunLibComTests.c
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ int epicsThreadTest(void);
int epicsTimerTest(void);
int epicsAlgorithm(void);
int epicsEllTest(void);
+int epicsEnvTest(void);
int epicsErrlogTest(void);
int epicsCalcTest(void);
int epicsEventTest(void);
@@ -60,6 +61,8 @@ void epicsRunLibComTests(void)
runTest(epicsEllTest);
+ runTest(epicsEnvTest);
+
runTest(epicsErrlogTest);
runTest(epicsCalcTest);