diff --git a/src/config.c b/src/config.c
index ab49178ab0598b2a41db91ed37eb25eb936a5f2d..8dffe28873d509ab50fc6d5ca1f98301502e270a 100644
--- a/src/config.c
+++ b/src/config.c
@@ -627,6 +627,12 @@ void configSetCommand(redisClient *c) {
     } else if (!strcasecmp(c->argv[2]->ptr,"repl-timeout")) {
         if (getLongLongFromObject(o,&ll) == REDIS_ERR || ll <= 0) goto badfmt;
         server.repl_timeout = ll;
+    } else if (!strcasecmp(c->argv[2]->ptr,"watchdog-period")) {
+        if (getLongLongFromObject(o,&ll) == REDIS_ERR || ll < 0) goto badfmt;
+        if (ll)
+            enableWatchdog(ll);
+        else
+            disableWatchdog();
     } else {
         addReplyErrorFormat(c,"Unsupported CONFIG parameter: %s",
             (char*)c->argv[2]->ptr);
@@ -715,6 +721,7 @@ void configGetCommand(redisClient *c) {
     config_get_numerical_field("repl-ping-slave-period",server.repl_ping_slave_period);
     config_get_numerical_field("repl-timeout",server.repl_timeout);
     config_get_numerical_field("maxclients",server.maxclients);
+    config_get_numerical_field("watchdog-period",server.watchdog_period);
 
     /* Bool (yes/no) values */
     config_get_bool_field("no-appendfsync-on-rewrite",
diff --git a/src/debug.c b/src/debug.c
index 9c8b6ef97d1633bfb16d224172eb4a5d3ea83d0f..2df913b071d333a3aa764b0b46271c2f61936367 100644
--- a/src/debug.c
+++ b/src/debug.c
@@ -661,11 +661,72 @@ void sigsegvHandler(int sig, siginfo_t *info, void *secret) {
     /* Make sure we exit with the right signal at the end. So for instance
      * the core will be dumped if enabled. */
     sigemptyset (&act.sa_mask);
-    /* When the SA_SIGINFO flag is set in sa_flags then sa_sigaction
-     * is used. Otherwise, sa_handler is used */
     act.sa_flags = SA_NODEFER | SA_ONSTACK | SA_RESETHAND;
     act.sa_handler = SIG_DFL;
     sigaction (sig, &act, NULL);
     kill(getpid(),sig);
 }
 #endif /* HAVE_BACKTRACE */
+
+/* =========================== Software Watchdog ============================ */
+#include <sys/time.h>
+
+void watchdogSignalHandler(int sig, siginfo_t *info, void *secret) {
+    ucontext_t *uc = (ucontext_t*) secret;
+    REDIS_NOTUSED(info);
+    REDIS_NOTUSED(sig);
+
+    /* Log INFO and CLIENT LIST */
+    redisLog(REDIS_WARNING, "--- WATCHDOG TIMER EXPIRED ---"); 
+#ifdef HAVE_BACKTRACE
+    logStackTrace(uc);
+    redisLog(REDIS_WARNING, "------");
+#endif
+}
+
+/* Schedule a SIGALRM delivery after the specified period in milliseconds.
+ * If a timer is already scheduled, this function will re-schedule it to the
+ * specified time. If period is 0 the current timer is disabled. */
+void watchdogScheduleSignal(int period) {
+    struct itimerval it;
+
+    /* Will stop the timer if period is 0. */
+    it.it_value.tv_sec = period/1000;
+    it.it_value.tv_usec = period%1000;
+    /* Don't automatically restart. */
+    it.it_interval.tv_sec = 0;
+    it.it_interval.tv_usec = 0;
+    setitimer(ITIMER_REAL, &it, NULL);
+}
+
+/* Enable the software watchdong with the specified period in milliseconds. */
+void enableWatchdog(int period) {
+    if (server.watchdog_period == 0) {
+        struct sigaction act;
+
+        /* Watchdog was actually disabled, so we have to setup the signal
+         * handler. */
+        sigemptyset(&act.sa_mask);
+        act.sa_flags = SA_NODEFER | SA_ONSTACK | SA_SIGINFO;
+        act.sa_sigaction = watchdogSignalHandler;
+        sigaction(SIGALRM, &act, NULL);
+    }
+    if (period < 200) period = 200; /* We don't accept periods < 200 ms. */
+    watchdogScheduleSignal(period); /* Adjust the current timer. */
+    server.watchdog_period = period;
+}
+
+/* Disable the software watchdog. */
+void disableWatchdog(void) {
+    struct sigaction act;
+    if (server.watchdog_period == 0) return; /* Already disabled. */
+    watchdogScheduleSignal(0); /* Stop the current timer. */
+
+    /* Set the signal handler to SIG_IGN, this will also remove pending
+     * signals from the queue. */
+    sigemptyset(&act.sa_mask);
+    act.sa_flags = 0;
+    act.sa_handler = SIG_IGN;
+    sigaction(SIGALRM, &act, NULL);
+    server.watchdog_period = 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/redis.c b/src/redis.c
index e926fd9b63f1a49575cd5d0b1ae903a962b7ac42..88fb2fd8d3b087980291e74f192f7b34f0eb9e67 100644
--- a/src/redis.c
+++ b/src/redis.c
@@ -726,6 +726,10 @@ int serverCron(struct aeEventLoop *eventLoop, long long id, void *clientData) {
     REDIS_NOTUSED(id);
     REDIS_NOTUSED(clientData);
 
+    /* Software watchdog: deliver the SIGALRM that will reach the signal
+     * handler if we don't return here fast enough. */
+    if (server.watchdog_period) watchdogScheduleSignal(server.watchdog_period);
+
     /* We take a cached value of the unix time in the global state because
      * with virtual memory and aging there is to store the current time
      * in objects at every object access, and accuracy is not needed.
@@ -1086,11 +1090,12 @@ void initServerConfig() {
     server.slowlog_log_slower_than = REDIS_SLOWLOG_LOG_SLOWER_THAN;
     server.slowlog_max_len = REDIS_SLOWLOG_MAX_LEN;
 
-    /* Assert */
+    /* Debugging */
     server.assert_failed = "<no assertion failed>";
     server.assert_file = "<no file>";
     server.assert_line = 0;
     server.bug_report_start = 0;
+    server.watchdog_period = 0;
 }
 
 /* This function will try to raise the max number of open files accordingly to
diff --git a/src/redis.h b/src/redis.h
index e4fd47d3fb73dd78d5c1066468bbdd7891b03ee6..20e0ea981d67ac5b388dcee4d3533d977979a48d 100644
--- a/src/redis.h
+++ b/src/redis.h
@@ -722,6 +722,7 @@ struct redisServer {
     char *assert_file;
     int assert_line;
     int bug_report_start; /* True if bug report header was already logged. */
+    int watchdog_period;  /* Software watchdog period in ms. 0 = off */
 };
 
 typedef struct pubsubPattern {
@@ -1255,4 +1256,7 @@ void bugReportStart(void);
 void redisLogObjectDebugInfo(robj *o);
 void sigsegvHandler(int sig, siginfo_t *info, void *secret);
 sds genRedisInfoString(char *section);
+void enableWatchdog(int period);
+void disableWatchdog(void);
+void watchdogScheduleSignal(int period);
 #endif