diff --git a/cxx/dbenv.cpp b/cxx/dbenv.cpp
index ec83c96ef44..1f6b33423ff 100644
--- a/cxx/dbenv.cpp
+++ b/cxx/dbenv.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <db_cxx.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
 
 DbEnv::DbEnv (u_int32_t flags)
     : do_no_exceptions((flags&DB_CXX_NO_EXCEPTIONS)!=0)
@@ -67,6 +68,21 @@ int DbEnv::maybe_throw_error(int err) {
     if (err==0) return 0;
     if (do_no_exceptions) return err;
     DbException e(err);
-    e.set_env(the_env);
+    e.set_env(this);
     throw e;
 }
+
+extern "C" {
+    void toku_db_env_err_vararg(const DB_ENV * env, int error, const char *fmt, va_list ap);
+};
+
+void DbEnv::err(int error, const char *fmt, ...) {
+    va_list ap;
+    va_start(ap, fmt);
+    toku_db_env_err_vararg(the_env, error, fmt, ap);
+    va_end(ap);
+}
+
+void DbEnv::set_errfile(FILE *errfile) {
+    the_env->set_errfile(the_env, errfile);
+}
diff --git a/cxx/exception.cpp b/cxx/exception.cpp
index 4d4f7bbe813..8f8fc5f47bc 100644
--- a/cxx/exception.cpp
+++ b/cxx/exception.cpp
@@ -36,3 +36,8 @@ DbEnv *DbException::get_env() const
 {
     return the_env;
 }
+
+void DbException::set_env(DbEnv *new_env)
+{
+    the_env = new_env;
+}
diff --git a/cxx/tests/test1.cpp b/cxx/tests/test1.cpp
index 202a19edd19..1a8ca932cc7 100644
--- a/cxx/tests/test1.cpp
+++ b/cxx/tests/test1.cpp
@@ -27,7 +27,10 @@ int cmp(DB *db, const DBT *dbt1, const DBT *dbt2) {
 }
 
 void test_db(void) {
-    Db db(NULL, 0);
+    DbEnv env(DB_CXX_NO_EXCEPTIONS);
+    env.open(NULL, DB_PRIVATE, 0666);
+    Db db(&env, 0);
+    
     int r;
     
     r = db.set_bt_compare(cmp);                 assert(r == 0);
@@ -35,13 +38,15 @@ void test_db(void) {
 }
 
 void test_db_env(void) {
-    DbEnv dbenv(0);
+    DbEnv dbenv(DB_CXX_NO_EXCEPTIONS);
     int r;
     
     r = dbenv.set_data_dir(".");    assert(r == 0);
     r = dbenv.set_data_dir("..");   assert(r == 0);
     r = dbenv.set_data_dir(NULL);   assert(r == EINVAL);
     dbenv.set_errpfx("Prefix");
+    dbenv.set_errfile(stdout);
+    dbenv.err(0, "Hello %s!\n", "Name");
 }
 
 int main()
diff --git a/include/db_cxx.h b/include/db_cxx.h
index 3bac879b838..f4dc833dba6 100644
--- a/include/db_cxx.h
+++ b/include/db_cxx.h
@@ -99,6 +99,8 @@ class DbEnv {
     int txn_begin(DbTxn *, DbTxn **, u_int32_t);
     int set_data_dir(const char *dir);
     void set_errpfx(const char *errpfx);
+    void err(int error, const char *fmt, ...);
+    void set_errfile(FILE *errfile);
 
  private:
     int do_no_exceptions;
@@ -146,6 +148,6 @@ class DbException : public std::exception
     int   the_err;
     DbEnv *the_env;
     void FillTheWhat(void);
-    void set_env(DB_ENV *);
+    void set_env(DbEnv *);
 };
 
diff --git a/src/ydb.c b/src/ydb.c
index b88284fe713..961eda6bcc4 100644
--- a/src/ydb.c
+++ b/src/ydb.c
@@ -59,12 +59,17 @@ static void do_error (DB_ENV *dbenv, const char *string) {
 	fprintf(dbenv->i->errfile, "%s\n", string);
 }
 
+void toku_db_env_err_vararg(const DB_ENV * env, int error, const char *fmt, va_list ap) {
+    FILE* ferr = env->i->errfile ? env->i->errfile : stderr;
+    if (env->i->errpfx && env->i->errpfx[0] != '\0') fprintf(stderr, "%s: ", env->i->errpfx);
+    fprintf(ferr, "YDB Error %d: ", error);
+    vfprintf(ferr, fmt, ap);
+}
+
 static void toku_db_env_err(const DB_ENV * env, int error, const char *fmt, ...) {
     va_list ap;
     va_start(ap, fmt);
-    if (env->i->errpfx && env->i->errpfx[0] != '\0') fprintf(stderr, "%s: ", env->i->errpfx);
-    fprintf(stderr, "YDB Error %d: ", error);
-    vfprintf(stderr, fmt, ap);
+    toku_db_env_err_vararg(env, error, fmt, ap);
     va_end(ap);
 }