diff --git a/testing/do-tests b/testing/do-tests
index 641529533..52d0d70eb 100755
--- a/testing/do-tests
+++ b/testing/do-tests
@@ -444,20 +444,22 @@ do
 			next
 		}
 		printf("cmd_err=\044(tempfile -p test -s err); ")
+		printf("cmd_out=\044(tempfile -p test -s out); ")
 		if (command == "tcpdump")
 		{
 			printf("if [ \044TDUP_%s == \"true\" ]; then stop_tcpdump %s; fi; \n", host, host)
-			printf("cmd_out=\044(ssh \044SSHCONF root@\044ipv4_%s cat /tmp/tcpdump.log | grep \"%s\"); ", host, pattern)
+			printf("ssh \044SSHCONF root@\044ipv4_%s cat /tmp/tcpdump.log > \044cmd_out; ", host)
 		}
 		else
 		{
-			printf("cmd_out=\044(ssh \044SSHCONF root@\044ipv4_%s %s 2>\044cmd_err | grep \"%s\"); ",  host, command, pattern)
+			printf("ssh \044SSHCONF root@\044ipv4_%s %s >\044cmd_out 2>\044cmd_err; ",  host, command)
 		}
+		printf("cmd_res=\044(cat \044cmd_out | grep \"%s\"); ", pattern)
 		printf("cmd_exit=\044?; ")
 		printf("cmd_fail=0; ")
 		if (hit ~ /^[0-9]+$/)
 		{
-			printf("if [ \044(echo \"\044cmd_out\" | wc -l) -ne %d ] ", hit)
+			printf("if [ \044(echo \"\044cmd_res\" | wc -l) -ne %d ] ", hit)
 		}
 		else
 		{
@@ -475,9 +477,14 @@ do
 		{
 			printf("echo \"$(print_time)%s# %s | grep \047%s\047  [%s]\"; ", host, command, pattern, hit)
 		}
-		printf("if [ -n \"\044cmd_out\" ]; then echo \"\044cmd_out\"; fi; \n")
-		printf("cat \044cmd_err; rm -f -- \044cmd_err; \n")
-		printf("if [ \044cmd_fail -ne 0 ]; then echo \"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\"; fi; \n")
+		printf("if [ -n \"\044cmd_res\" ]; then echo \"\044cmd_res\"; fi; \n")
+		printf("cat \044cmd_err; \n")
+		printf("if [ \044cmd_fail -ne 0 ]; then \n")
+		printf("if [ -s \044cmd_out ]; then echo \"~~ output ~~~~~~~~~~\"; \n")
+		printf("if [ \"\044verbose\" == \"YES\" ]; then cat \044cmd_out;\n")
+		printf("else cat \044cmd_out | head; fi; fi; \n")
+		printf("echo \"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\"; fi; \n")
+		printf("rm -f -- \044cmd_out \044cmd_err; \n")
 		printf("echo; ")
 	}' $TESTDIR/evaltest.dat` >> $CONSOLE_LOG 2>&1