diff --git a/src/ioc/db/dbUnitTest.c b/src/ioc/db/dbUnitTest.c
index 432cac852..634993e20 100644
--- a/src/ioc/db/dbUnitTest.c
+++ b/src/ioc/db/dbUnitTest.c
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ void testdbCleanup(void)
 
 union anybuf {
     epicsAny val;
+    char valStr[MAX_STRING_SIZE];
     char bytes[sizeof(epicsAny)];
 };
 
@@ -73,16 +74,17 @@ long testdbVPutField(const char* pv, short dbrType, va_list ap)
     DBADDR addr;
     union anybuf pod;
 
-    if(dbNameToAddr(pv, &addr))
-        testAbort("Missing PV %s", pv);
+    if(dbNameToAddr(pv, &addr)) {
+        testFail("Missing PV %s", pv);
+        return S_dbLib_recNotFound;
+    }
 
     switch(dbrType) {
     case DBR_STRING: {
         const char *uarg = va_arg(ap,char*);
-        epicsOldString buffer;
-        strncpy(buffer, uarg, sizeof(buffer));
-        buffer[sizeof(buffer)-1] = '\0';
-        return dbPutField(&addr, dbrType, buffer, 1);
+        strncpy(pod.valStr, uarg, sizeof(pod.valStr));
+        pod.valStr[sizeof(pod.valStr)-1] = '\0';
+        return dbPutField(&addr, dbrType, pod.valStr, 1);
     }
 
     /* The Type parameter takes into consideration
@@ -101,8 +103,9 @@ long testdbVPutField(const char* pv, short dbrType, va_list ap)
     OP(DBR_ENUM, int, enum16);
 #undef OP
     default:
-        testAbort("invalid DBR: dbPutField(%s, %d, ...)",
+        testFail("invalid DBR: dbPutField(\"%s\", %d, ...)",
                   addr.precord->name, dbrType);
+        return S_db_badDbrtype;
     }
 
     return dbPutField(&addr, dbrType, pod.bytes, 1);
@@ -130,9 +133,61 @@ void testdbPutFieldFail(long status, const char* pv, short dbrType, ...)
     va_end(ap);
 
     if(ret==status)
-        testPass("dbPutField(%s, %d, ...) == %ld", pv, dbrType, status);
+        testPass("dbPutField(\"%s\", %d, ...) == %ld", pv, dbrType, status);
     else
-        testFail("dbPutField(%s, %d, ...) != %ld (%ld)", pv, dbrType, status, ret);
+        testFail("dbPutField(\"%s\", %d, ...) != %ld (%ld)", pv, dbrType, status, ret);
+}
+
+void testdbGetFieldEqual(const char* pv, short dbrType, ...)
+{
+    va_list ap;
+
+    va_start(ap, dbrType);
+    testdbVGetFieldEqual(pv, dbrType, ap);
+    va_end(ap);
+}
+
+void testdbVGetFieldEqual(const char* pv, short dbrType, va_list ap)
+{
+    DBADDR addr;
+    long nReq = 1;
+    union anybuf pod;
+    long status;
+
+    if(dbNameToAddr(pv, &addr)) {
+        testFail("Missing PV %s", pv);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    status = dbGetField(&addr, dbrType, pod.bytes, NULL, &nReq, NULL);
+    if(status) {
+        testFail("dbGetField(\"%s\",%d,...) returns %ld", pv, dbrType, status);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    switch(dbrType) {
+    case DBR_STRING: {
+        const char *expect = va_arg(ap, char*);
+        testOk(strcmp(expect, pod.valStr)==0,
+               "dbGetField(\"%s\", %d) -> \"%s\" == \"%s\"",
+               pv, dbrType, expect, pod.valStr);
+        break;
+    }
+#define OP(DBR,Type,mem,pat) case DBR: {Type expect = va_arg(ap,Type); \
+    testOk(expect==pod.val.mem, "dbGetField(\"%s\", %d) -> " pat " == " pat, \
+        pv, dbrType, expect, (Type)pod.val.mem); break;}
+
+    OP(DBR_CHAR, int, int8, "%d");
+    OP(DBR_UCHAR, int, uInt8, "%d");
+    OP(DBR_SHORT, int, int16, "%d");
+    OP(DBR_USHORT, int, uInt16, "%d");
+    OP(DBR_LONG, int, int32, "%d");
+    OP(DBR_ULONG, unsigned int, uInt32, "%u");
+    OP(DBR_FLOAT, double, float32, "%e");
+    OP(DBR_DOUBLE, double, float64, "%e");
+    OP(DBR_ENUM, int, enum16, "%d");
+#undef OP
+    }
 }
 
 dbCommon* testdbRecordPtr(const char* pv)
diff --git a/src/ioc/db/dbUnitTest.h b/src/ioc/db/dbUnitTest.h
index e4a76ec2e..80867dc9d 100644
--- a/src/ioc/db/dbUnitTest.h
+++ b/src/ioc/db/dbUnitTest.h
@@ -33,9 +33,7 @@ epicsShareFunc void testIocInitOk(void);
 epicsShareFunc void testIocShutdownOk(void);
 epicsShareFunc void testdbCleanup(void);
 
-/* Scalar only version.
- *
- * Correct argument types must be used with this var-arg function!
+/* Correct argument types must be used with this var-arg function!
  * Doing otherwise will result in corruption of argument values!
  *
  * int for DBR_UCHAR, DBR_CHAR, DBR_USHORT, DBR_SHORT, DBR_LONG
@@ -49,11 +47,14 @@ epicsShareFunc void testdbCleanup(void);
  * testdbPutFieldOk("pvname", DBF_STRING, "hello world");
  */
 epicsShareFunc void testdbPutFieldOk(const char* pv, short dbrType, ...);
-/* the inverse of testdbPutFieldOk().  Tests for put failure */
+/* Tests for put failure */
 epicsShareFunc void testdbPutFieldFail(long status, const char* pv, short dbrType, ...);
 
 epicsShareFunc long testdbVPutField(const char* pv, short dbrType, va_list ap);
 
+epicsShareFunc void testdbGetFieldEqual(const char* pv, short dbrType, ...);
+epicsShareFunc void testdbVGetFieldEqual(const char* pv, short dbrType, va_list ap);
+
 epicsShareFunc dbCommon* testdbRecordPtr(const char* pv);
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus