diff --git a/libcloud/common/base.py b/libcloud/common/base.py
index 0ea9b3e..0d948c8 100644
--- a/libcloud/common/base.py
+++ b/libcloud/common/base.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ except:
 
 import libcloud
 
-from libcloud.utils.py3 import PY3
+from libcloud.utils.py3 import PY3, PY25
 from libcloud.utils.py3 import httplib
 from libcloud.utils.py3 import urlparse
 from libcloud.utils.py3 import urlencode
@@ -249,6 +249,7 @@ class LoggingConnection():
 
                 return cls(b(self.s))
         rr = r
+        original_data = body
         headers = lowercase_keys(dict(r.getheaders()))
 
         encoding = headers.get('content-encoding', None)
@@ -357,11 +358,12 @@ class Connection(object):
     connection = None
     host = '127.0.0.1'
     port = 443
+    timeout = None
     secure = 1
     driver = None
     action = None
 
-    def __init__(self, secure=True, host=None, port=None, url=None):
+    def __init__(self, secure=True, host=None, port=None, url=None, timeout=None):
         self.secure = secure and 1 or 0
         self.ua = []
         self.context = {}
@@ -383,6 +385,9 @@ class Connection(object):
             (self.host, self.port, self.secure,
              self.request_path) = self._tuple_from_url(url)
 
+        if timeout:
+            self.timeout = timeout
+
     def set_context(self, context):
         self.context = context
 
@@ -440,6 +445,10 @@ class Connection(object):
 
         kwargs = {'host': host, 'port': int(port)}
 
+        # Timeout is only supported in Python 2.6 and later
+        if self.timeout and not PY25:
+            kwargs.update({'timeout': self.timeout})
+
         connection = self.conn_classes[secure](**kwargs)
         # You can uncoment this line, if you setup a reverse proxy server
         # which proxies to your endpoint, and lets you easily capture
@@ -735,13 +744,13 @@ class ConnectionKey(Connection):
     """
     A Base Connection class to derive from, which includes a
     """
-    def __init__(self, key, secure=True, host=None, port=None, url=None):
+    def __init__(self, key, secure=True, host=None, port=None, url=None, timeout=None):
         """
         Initialize `user_id` and `key`; set `secure` to an C{int} based on
         passed value.
         """
         super(ConnectionKey, self).__init__(secure=secure, host=host,
-                                            port=port, url=url)
+                                            port=port, url=url, timeout=timeout)
         self.key = key
 
 
@@ -753,10 +762,10 @@ class ConnectionUserAndKey(ConnectionKey):
     user_id = None
 
     def __init__(self, user_id, key, secure=True,
-                 host=None, port=None, url=None):
+                 host=None, port=None, url=None, timeout=None):
         super(ConnectionUserAndKey, self).__init__(key, secure=secure,
                                                    host=host, port=port,
-                                                   url=url)
+                                                   url=url, timeout=timeout)
         self.user_id = user_id
 
 
diff --git a/libcloud/common/openstack.py b/libcloud/common/openstack.py
index a93b1e5..744832b 100644
--- a/libcloud/common/openstack.py
+++ b/libcloud/common/openstack.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import binascii
 import os
 
 from libcloud.utils.py3 import httplib
+from libcloud.utils.py3 import urlparse
 
 from libcloud.common.base import ConnectionUserAndKey, Response
 from libcloud.compute.types import (LibcloudError, InvalidCredsError,
@@ -79,14 +80,18 @@ class OpenStackAuthConnection(ConnectionUserAndKey):
 
     responseCls = OpenStackAuthResponse
     name = 'OpenStack Auth'
+    timeout = None
 
-    def __init__(self, parent_conn, auth_url, auth_version, user_id, key, tenant_name=None):
+    def __init__(self, parent_conn, auth_url, auth_version, user_id, key, tenant_name=None, timeout=None):
         self.parent_conn = parent_conn
         # enable tests to use the same mock connection classes.
         self.conn_classes = parent_conn.conn_classes
 
+        if timeout:
+            self.timeout = timeout
+
         super(OpenStackAuthConnection, self).__init__(
-            user_id, key, url=auth_url)
+            user_id, key, url=auth_url, timeout=self.timeout)
 
         self.auth_version = auth_version
         self.auth_url = auth_url
@@ -363,7 +368,7 @@ class OpenStackBaseConnection(ConnectionUserAndKey):
     service_region = None
 
     def __init__(self, user_id, key, secure=True,
-                 host=None, port=None,
+                 host=None, port=None, timeout=None,
                  ex_force_base_url=None,
                  ex_force_auth_url=None,
                  ex_force_auth_version=None,
@@ -392,7 +397,7 @@ class OpenStackBaseConnection(ConnectionUserAndKey):
             self._auth_version = AUTH_API_VERSION
 
         super(OpenStackBaseConnection, self).__init__(
-            user_id, key, secure=secure)
+            user_id, key, secure=secure, timeout=timeout)
 
     def get_endpoint(self):
         """
@@ -449,7 +454,9 @@ class OpenStackBaseConnection(ConnectionUserAndKey):
                                     'have auth_url set')
 
             osa = OpenStackAuthConnection(self, aurl, self._auth_version,
-                                          self.user_id, self.key, self._ex_tenant_name)
+                                          self.user_id, self.key,
+                                          tenant_name=self._ex_tenant_name,
+                                          timeout=self.timeout)
 
             # may throw InvalidCreds, etc
             osa.authenticate()