diff --git a/tools/run-centos b/tools/run-centos
index 9ca2c67e..59e7d2b3 100755
--- a/tools/run-centos
+++ b/tools/run-centos
@@ -5,11 +5,12 @@ set -ux
 
 VERBOSITY=0
 TEMP_D=""
+KEEP=false
+CONTAINER=""
 
 error() { echo "$@" 1>&2; }
-errorp() { printf "$@" 1>&2; }
 fail() { [ $# -eq 0 ] || error "$@"; exit 1; }
-failp() { [ $# -eq 0 ] || errorp "$@"; exit 1; }
+errorrc() { local r=$?; error "$@" "ret=$r"; return $r; }
 
 Usage() {
     cat <<EOF
@@ -29,10 +30,9 @@ EOF
 
 bad_Usage() { Usage 1>&2; [ $# -eq 0 ] || error "$@"; return 1; }
 cleanup() {
-    if [ ! -n "$keep" ]; then
-        delete_container
+    if [ -n "$CONTAINER" -a "$KEEP" = "false" ]; then
+        delete_container "$CONTAINER"
     fi
-
     [ -z "${TEMP_D}" -o ! -d "${TEMP_D}" ] || rm -Rf "${TEMP_D}"
 }
 
@@ -42,54 +42,79 @@ debug() {
     error "${@}"
 }
 
+
+inside_as() {
+    local name="$1" user="$2"
+    shift 2
+    if [ $# -gt 1 ]; then
+        error "inside_as only can take one arg. sorry."
+        return 1
+    fi
+    inside "$name" su "$user" -c "$1"
+}
+
+inside() {
+    local name="$1"
+    shift
+    lxc exec "$name" -- "$@"
+}
+
 inject_cloud_init(){
+    local name="$1"
     tarball_name='cloud-init.tar.gz'
-    top_d=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel) || 
+    top_d=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel) ||
         fail "failed to get top level"
-    cd "$top_d" || 
+    cd "$top_d" ||
         fail "failed to cd to git top dir"
     tar_folder=${PWD##*/}
     cd ..
-    tar -czf "$TEMP_D/$tarball_name" "$tar_folder" || 
+    tar -czf "$TEMP_D/$tarball_name" "$tar_folder" ||
         fail "failed: creating tarball_name"
     cd "$tar_folder" ||
         fail "failed: changing directory"
 
     user='centos'
     tarball="/home/$user/$tarball_name"
-    lxc exec "$name" -- useradd "$user"
+    inside "$name" useradd "$user"
     lxc file push "$TEMP_D/$tarball_name" "$name/home/$user"/
-    lxc exec "$name" -- chown "$user:$user" "$tarball"
-    lxc exec "$name" -- su "$user" -c "tar -C /home/$user -xzf $tarball" ||
+    inside chown "$user:$user" "$tarball"
+    inside su "$user" -c "tar -C /home/$user -xzf $tarball" ||
         fail "failed: extracting tarball"
 }
 
 start_container() {
-    name=cloud-init-centos-$(uuidgen -t | cut -c1-8)
-    lxc launch images:centos/"$version" "$name"
-
-    for i in {1..20}
-    do
-        lxc exec "$name" -- getent hosts mirrorlist.centos.org
-        rc=$?
-        if [ "$rc" == "0" ]; then
-            break
-        fi
-        sleep 5
-    done
+    local src="$1" name="$2"
+    lxc launch "$src" "$name" || {
+        errorrc "Failed to start container '$name' from '$src'";
+        return
+    }
+
+    local out="" ret=""
+    out=$(inside "$name" sh -c '
+        i=0
+        while [ $i -lt 60 ]; do
+            getent hosts mirrorlist.centos.org && exit 0
+            sleep 2
+        done' 2>&1)
+    ret=$?
+    if [ $ret -ne 0 ]; then
+        error "Waiting for network in container '$name' failed. [$ret]"
+        error "$out"
+        return $ret
+    fi
 
-    if [ ! -z "${http_proxy-}" ]; then
-        lxc exec "$name" -- sh -c "echo proxy=$http_proxy >> /etc/yum.conf"
+    if [ ! -z "${http_proxy}" ]; then
+        inside "$name" -- sh -c "echo proxy=$http_proxy >> /etc/yum.conf"
     fi
 
     # CentOS 6 does not come with tar
-    if [[ "$version" -eq "6" ]]; then
-        lxc exec "$name" -- yum install --assumeyes tar
+    if [ "$version" = "6" ]; then
+        inside "$name" yum install --assumeyes tar
     fi
 }
 
 delete_container() {
-    lxc delete --force "$name"
+    lxc delete --force "$1"
 }
 
 main() {
@@ -109,7 +134,7 @@ main() {
         case "$cur" in
             -a|--artifact) artifact=1;;
             -h|--help) Usage ; exit 0;;
-            -k|--keep) keep=1;;
+            -k|--keep) KEEP=true;;
             -r|--rpm) rpm=1;;
             -s|--srpm) srpm=1;;
             -u|--unittest) unittest=1;;
@@ -127,34 +152,38 @@ main() {
     trap cleanup EXIT
 
     # program starts here
-    start_container
-    inject_cloud_init
+    local uuid="" name=""
+    uuid=$(uuidgen -t) || { error "no uuidgen"; return 1; }
+    name="cloud-init-centos-${uuid%%-*}"
+
+    start_container "images:centos/$version" "$name"
+    inject_cloud_init "$name" || {
+        errorrc "injecting cloud-init into $name failed."
+        return
+    }
 
     # install dependencies
-    lxc exec "$name" -- /bin/sh <tools/setup-centos ||
+    inside "$name" -- /bin/sh <tools/setup-centos ||
         fail "failed: setting up container $name"
 
-    rc=0
-	if [ -n "$unittest" ]; then
-        lxc exec "$name" -- su "$user" -c \
-            "cd /home/$user/$tar_folder; nosetests tests/unittests"
-        rc=$((rc+$?))
-	fi
+    local errors=0 do_cd="cd /home/$user/$tar_folder"
+    inside_as "$name" "$user" "$do_cd; git checkout .; git status" ||
+            { errorrc "git checkout failed."; errors=$(($errors+1)); }
 
-    lxc exec "$name" -- su "$user" -c \
-        "cd /home/$user/$tar_folder; git checkout .; git status"
+    if [ -n "$unittest" ]; then
+        inside_as "$name" "$user" "$do_cd; nosetests tests/unittests" ||
+            { errorrc "nosetests failed."; errors=$(($errors+1)); }
+    fi
 
-	if [ -n "$srpm" ]; then
-        lxc exec "$name" -- su "$user" -c \
-            "cd /home/$user/$tar_folder; ./packages/brpm --srpm"
-        rc=$((rc+$?))
-	fi
+    if [ -n "$srpm" ]; then
+        inside_as "$name" "$user" "$do_cd; ./packages/brpm --srpm" ||
+            { errorrc "brpm --srpm."; errors=$(($errors+1)); }
+    fi
 
-	if [ -n "$rpm" ]; then
-        lxc exec "$name" -- su "$user" -c \
-            "cd /home/$user/$tar_folder; ./packages/brpm"
-        rc=$((rc+$?))
-	fi
+    if [ -n "$rpm" ]; then
+        inside_as "$name" "$user" "$do_cd; ./packages/brpm" ||
+            { errorrc "brpm failed."; errors=$(($errors+1)); }
+    fi
 
     if [ -n "$artifact" ]; then
         cmd="ls /home/$user/$tar_folder/*.rpm"
@@ -167,4 +196,4 @@ main() {
 }
 
 main "$@"
-# vi: ts=4 noexpandtab
+# vi: ts=4 expandtab