diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index fda27ce..9d71675 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 # -*- mode: python; -*-
 
+
+# --- options ----
+AddOption('--test-server',
+          dest='test_server',
+          default='127.0.0.1',
+          type='string',
+          nargs=1,
+          action='store',
+          help='IP address of server to use for testing')
+
 import os
 import sys
 
@@ -25,6 +35,7 @@ env.Default( env.Alias( "lib" , [ m[0] , b[0] ] ) )
 testEnv = env.Clone()
 testEnv.Append( LIBS=["json"] )
 testEnv.Append( LIBS=["mongoc","bson"] )
+testEnv.Append( CFLAGS=['-DTEST_SERVER=\\"%s\\"'%GetOption('test_server')] )
 testEnv.Prepend( LIBPATH=["."] )
 
 testCoreFiles = [ "test/md5.c" ]
diff --git a/src/mongo.c b/src/mongo.c
index 4cc13d3..17f8fcf 100644
--- a/src/mongo.c
+++ b/src/mongo.c
@@ -70,17 +70,14 @@ mongo_message * mongo_message_create( int len , int id , int responseTo , int op
 
 int mongo_connect( mongo_connection * conn , mongo_connection_options * options ){
     int x = 1;
-    conn->options.port = 27017;
     conn->connected = 0;
 
     if ( options ){
         memcpy( &(conn->options) , options , sizeof( mongo_connection_options ) );
-        printf( "can't handle options to mongo_connect yet" );
-        exit(-2);
-        return -2;
     }
     else {
         strcpy( conn->options.host , "127.0.0.1" );
+        conn->options.port = 27017;
     }
 
     /* setup */
diff --git a/test/simple.c b/test/simple.c
index 40dc38b..9746cb3 100644
--- a/test/simple.c
+++ b/test/simple.c
@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@
 
 #include "mongo.h"
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
 
 int main(){
     mongo_connection conn;
+    mongo_connection_options opts;
     bson_buffer bb;
     bson b;
 
@@ -12,7 +14,11 @@ int main(){
     bson_append_double( &bb , "a" , 17 );
     bson_init( &b , bson_finish( &bb ) , 1 );
     
-    mongo_exit_on_error( mongo_connect( &conn , 0 ) );
+    strncpy(opts.host, TEST_SERVER, 255);
+    opts.host[254] = '\0';
+    opts.port = 27017;
+
+    mongo_exit_on_error( mongo_connect( &conn , &opts ) );
     mongo_exit_on_error( mongo_insert( &conn , "test.cc" , &b ) );
     
     mongo_query( &conn , "test.cc" , &b , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 );