Index: jackrabbit-spi2dav/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/spi2dav/Spi2davRepositoryServiceFactory.java
===================================================================
--- jackrabbit-spi2dav/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/spi2dav/Spi2davRepositoryServiceFactory.java	(revision 1179240)
+++ jackrabbit-spi2dav/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/spi2dav/Spi2davRepositoryServiceFactory.java	(working copy)
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@
 
 import javax.jcr.RepositoryException;
 
+import org.apache.commons.httpclient.HttpConnectionManager;
+import org.apache.commons.httpclient.MultiThreadedHttpConnectionManager;
+import org.apache.commons.httpclient.params.HttpConnectionManagerParams;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.spi.IdFactory;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.spi.ItemInfoCache;
 import org.apache.jackrabbit.spi.NameFactory;
@@ -84,6 +87,18 @@
      */
     public static final String PARAM_MAX_CONNECTIONS = "org.apache.jackrabbit.spi2dav.MaxConnections";
 
+    /**
+     * Optional configuration parameter. It's value defines the
+     * connectionTimeout value on the HttpClient configuration and must be an int greater than zero.
+     */
+    public static final String PARAM_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT = "org.apache.jackrabbit.spi2dav.ConnectionTimeout";
+
+    /**
+     * Optional configuration parameter. It's value defines the
+     * soTimeOut value on the HttpClient configuration and must be an int greater than zero.
+     */
+    public static final String PARAM_SO_TIMEOUT = "org.apache.jackrabbit.spi2dav.SoTimeOut";
+
     public RepositoryService createRepositoryService(Map<?, ?> parameters) throws RepositoryException {
         if (parameters == null) {
             throw new RepositoryException("Parameter " + PARAM_REPOSITORY_URI + " missing");
@@ -140,7 +155,7 @@
         }
 
         // max connections config
-        int maximumHttpConnections = 0;
+        int maximumHttpConnections = RepositoryServiceImpl.MAX_CONNECTIONS_DEFAULT;
         param = parameters.get(PARAM_MAX_CONNECTIONS);
         if (param != null) {
             try {
@@ -149,11 +164,31 @@
                 // using default
             }
         }
-        
-        if (maximumHttpConnections > 0) {
-            return new RepositoryServiceImpl(uri, idFactory, nameFactory, pathFactory, vFactory, itemInfoCacheSize, maximumHttpConnections);
-        } else {
-            return new RepositoryServiceImpl(uri, idFactory, nameFactory, pathFactory, vFactory, itemInfoCacheSize);
+
+        // connection timeout
+        int connectionTimeOut = RepositoryServiceImpl.CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_DEFAULT;
+        param = parameters.get(PARAM_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT);
+        if (param != null) {
+            try {
+                connectionTimeOut = Integer.parseInt(param.toString());
+            } catch ( NumberFormatException e ) {
+                // using default
+            }
         }
+
+        // socket timeout
+        int soTimeout = RepositoryServiceImpl.SOCKET_TIMEOUT_DEFAULT;
+        param = parameters.get(PARAM_SO_TIMEOUT);
+        if (param != null) {
+            try {
+                soTimeout = Integer.parseInt(param.toString());
+            } catch ( NumberFormatException e ) {
+                // using default
+            }
+        }
+
+        return new RepositoryServiceImpl(uri, idFactory, nameFactory, pathFactory, vFactory, itemInfoCacheSize,
+                maximumHttpConnections, connectionTimeOut, soTimeout);
+
     }
 }
Index: jackrabbit-spi2dav/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/spi2dav/RepositoryServiceImpl.java
===================================================================
--- jackrabbit-spi2dav/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/spi2dav/RepositoryServiceImpl.java	(revision 1188038)
+++ jackrabbit-spi2dav/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/spi2dav/RepositoryServiceImpl.java	(working copy)
@@ -223,6 +223,16 @@
      */
     public static final int MAX_CONNECTIONS_DEFAULT = 20;
 
+    /**
+     * Default value for the connection timeout (5s)
+     */
+    public static final int CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_DEFAULT = 5000;
+
+    /**
+     * Default value for the socket timeout (60 seconds)
+     */
+    public static final int SOCKET_TIMEOUT_DEFAULT = 60000;
+
     private final IdFactory idFactory;
     private final NameFactory nameFactory;
     private final PathFactory pathFactory;
@@ -279,7 +289,7 @@
     public RepositoryServiceImpl(String uri, IdFactory idFactory,
                                  NameFactory nameFactory, PathFactory pathFactory,
                                  QValueFactory qValueFactory, int itemInfoCacheSize) throws RepositoryException {
-        this(uri, idFactory, nameFactory, pathFactory, qValueFactory, itemInfoCacheSize, MAX_CONNECTIONS_DEFAULT);
+        this(uri, idFactory, nameFactory, pathFactory, qValueFactory, itemInfoCacheSize, MAX_CONNECTIONS_DEFAULT, CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_DEFAULT, SOCKET_TIMEOUT_DEFAULT);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -299,7 +309,7 @@
     public RepositoryServiceImpl(String uri, IdFactory idFactory,
                                  NameFactory nameFactory, PathFactory pathFactory,
                                  QValueFactory qValueFactory, int itemInfoCacheSize,
-                                 int maximumHttpConnections ) throws RepositoryException {
+                                 int maximumHttpConnections, int connectionTimeOut, int soTimeout) throws RepositoryException {
         if (uri == null || "".equals(uri)) {
             throw new RepositoryException("Invalid repository uri '" + uri + "'.");
         }
@@ -334,6 +344,12 @@
             HttpConnectionManagerParams connectionParams = connectionManager.getParams();
             connectionParams.setDefaultMaxConnectionsPerHost(maximumHttpConnections);
         }
+        if (connectionTimeOut > 0) {
+            connectionManager.getParams().setConnectionTimeout(connectionTimeOut);
+        }
+        if (soTimeout > 0) {
+            connectionManager.getParams().setSoTimeout(soTimeout);
+        }
 
         // This configuration of the clients cache assumes that the level of
         // concurrency on this map will be equal to the default number of maximum