diff --git a/tools/regression_test.sh b/tools/regression_test.sh
index 44625f989baf3d89764db2f4e52aad2872acb980..ff702155cfb4b2142472b56490df48d29d0a16d8 100755
--- a/tools/regression_test.sh
+++ b/tools/regression_test.sh
@@ -3,12 +3,13 @@
 
 function main {
   commit=${1:-"origin/master"}
-  test_root_dir=${2:-"/tmp/rocksdb/regression_test"}
+  test_root_dir=${TEST_PATH:-"/tmp/rocksdb/regression_test"}
 
-  init_arguments
+  init_arguments $test_root_dir
 
   checkout_rocksdb $commit
   build_db_bench
+
   setup_test_directory
 
   # an additional dot indicates we share same env variables
@@ -31,12 +32,18 @@ function init_arguments {
   G=$((1024 * M))
 
   current_time=$(date +"%F-%H:%M:%S")
-  RESULT_PATH=${4:-"/tmp/rocksdb/regression/results/$current_time"}
+  RESULT_PATH=${2:-"$1/results/$current_time"}
   COMMIT_ID=`git log | head -n1 | cut -c 8-`
   SUMMARY_FILE="$RESULT_PATH/SUMMARY.csv"
 
-  DB_PATH=${2:-"/tmp/rocksdb/regression/db/"}
-  WAL_PATH=${3:-"/tmp/rocksdb/regression/wal/"}
+  DB_PATH=${3:-"$1/db/"}
+  WAL_PATH=${4:-"$1/wal/"}
+  if [ -z "$REMOTE_HOST_USER" ]; then
+    DB_BENCH_DIR=${5:-"."}
+  else
+    DB_BENCH_DIR=${5:-"$1/db_bench"}
+  fi
+
   NUM_THREADS=${NUM_THREADS:-16}
   NUM_KEYS=${NUM_KEYS:-$((1 * G))}
   KEY_SIZE=${KEY_SIZE:-100}
@@ -56,6 +63,9 @@ function init_arguments {
 # $1 --- benchmark name
 # $2 --- use_existing_db (optional)
 function run_db_bench {
+  # this will terminate all currently-running db_bench
+  find_db_bench_cmd="ps aux | grep db_bench | grep -v grep | grep -v aux | awk '{print \$2}'"
+
   USE_EXISTING_DB=${2:-1}
   echo ""
   echo "======================================================================="
@@ -63,7 +73,8 @@ function run_db_bench {
   echo "======================================================================="
   echo ""
   db_bench_error=0
-  cmd="(./db_bench --benchmarks=$1 --db=$DB_PATH --wal_dir=$WAL_PATH \
+  db_bench_cmd="$DB_BENCH_DIR/db_bench \
+      --benchmarks=$1 --db=$DB_PATH --wal_dir=$WAL_PATH \
       --use_existing_db=$USE_EXISTING_DB \
       --threads=$NUM_THREADS \
       --num=$NUM_KEYS \
@@ -78,8 +89,40 @@ function run_db_bench {
       --stats_interval_seconds=$STATS_INTERVAL_SECONDS \
       --max_background_flushes=$MAX_BACKGROUND_FLUSHES \
       --max_background_compactions=$MAX_BACKGROUND_COMPACTIONS \
-      --seed=$SEED \
-      2>&1 || db_bench_error=1) | tee -a $RESULT_PATH/$1"
+      --seed=$SEED 2>&1"
+  kill_db_bench_cmd="pkill db_bench"
+  ps_cmd="ps aux"
+  if ! [ -z "$REMOTE_HOST_USER" ]; then
+    kill_db_bench_cmd="$SSH $REMOTE_HOST_USER $kill_db_bench_cmd"
+    db_bench_cmd="$SSH $REMOTE_HOST_USER $db_bench_cmd"
+    ps_cmd="$SSH $REMOTE_HOST_USER $ps_cmd"
+  fi
+
+  ## kill existing db_bench processes
+  eval "$kill_db_bench_cmd"
+  if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo "Killed all currently running db_bench"
+  fi
+
+  ## make sure no db_bench is running
+  # The following statement is necessary make sure "eval $ps_cmd" will success.
+  # Otherwise, if we simply check whether "$(eval $ps_cmd | grep db_bench)" is
+  # successful or not, then it will always be false since grep will return
+  # non-zero status when there's no matching output.
+  ps_output="$(eval $ps_cmd)"
+  exit_on_error $? "$ps_cmd"
+
+  # perform the actual command to check whether db_bench is running
+  grep_output="$(eval $ps_cmd | grep db_bench)"
+  if [ "$grep_output" != "" ]; then
+    echo "Stopped regression_test.sh as there're still db_bench processes running:"
+    echo $grep_output
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  ## run the db_bench
+  cmd="($db_bench_cmd || db_bench_error=1) | tee -a $RESULT_PATH/$1"
+  exit_on_error $?
   echo $cmd
   eval $cmd
   exit_on_error $db_bench_error
@@ -91,7 +134,9 @@ function run_db_bench {
 # $2 --- the filename of the output log of db_bench
 function update_report {
   main_result=`cat $2 | grep $1`
+  exit_on_error $?
   perc_statement=`cat $2 | grep Percentile`
+  exit_on_error $?
 
   # Obtain micros / op
   main_pattern="$1"'[[:blank:]]+:[[:blank:]]+([0-9\.]+)[[:blank:]]+micros/op'
@@ -117,8 +162,11 @@ function update_report {
 function exit_on_error {
   if [ $1 -ne 0 ]; then
     echo ""
-    echo "ERROR: Benchmark did not complete successfully. " \
-         "Partial results are output to $RESULT_PATH"
+    echo "ERROR: Benchmark did not complete successfully."
+    if ! [ -z "$2" ]; then
+      echo "Failure command: $2"
+    fi
+    echo "Partial results are output to $RESULT_PATH"
     echo "ERROR" >> $SUMMARY_FILE
     exit $1
   fi
@@ -144,26 +192,41 @@ function build_db_bench {
   exit_on_error $?
 }
 
-function setup_test_directory {
-  echo "Deleting old regression test directories and creating new ones"
-
-  rm -rf "$DB_PATH"
-  exit_on_error $?
-
-  rm -rf "$WAL_PATH"
-  exit_on_error $?
-
-  rm -rf "$RESULT_PATH"
-  exit_on_error $?
+function run_remote {
+  if ! [ -z "$REMOTE_HOST_USER" ]; then
+    cmd="$SSH $REMOTE_HOST_USER $1"
+  else
+    cmd="$1"
+  fi
+  
+  result=0
+  eval "($cmd) || result=1"
+  exit_on_error $result "$cmd"
+}
 
-  mkdir -p "$DB_PATH"
-  exit_on_error $?
+function run_local {
+  result=0
+  eval "($1 || result=1)"
+  exit_on_error $result
+}
 
-  mkdir -p "$WAL_PATH"
-  exit_on_error $?
+function setup_test_directory {
+  echo "Deleting old regression test directories and creating new ones"
 
-  mkdir -p "$RESULT_PATH"
-  exit_on_error $?
+  run_remote "rm -rf $DB_PATH"
+  run_remote "rm -rf $WAL_PATH"
+  if ! [ -z "$REMOTE_HOST_USER" ]; then
+    run_remote "rm -rf $DB_BENCH_DIR"
+  fi
+  run_remote "mkdir -p $DB_PATH"
+  run_remote "mkdir -p $WAL_PATH"
+  if ! [ -z "$REMOTE_HOST_USER" ]; then
+    run_remote "mkdir -p $DB_BENCH_DIR"
+    run_local "$SCP ./db_bench $REMOTE_HOST_USER:$DB_BENCH_DIR/db_bench"
+  fi
+  
+  run_local "rm -rf $RESULT_PATH"
+  run_local "mkdir -p $RESULT_PATH"
 
   printf "%40s, %30s, %10s, %10s, %10s, %10s, %10s, %10s\n" \
       "commit id" "benchmark" "ms-per-op" "p50" "p75" "p99" "p99.9" "p99.99" \