diff --git a/zipline/component.py b/zipline/component.py
index 3ffdc755..b644eb5a 100644
--- a/zipline/component.py
+++ b/zipline/component.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import socket
 import humanhash
 
 import zipline.util as qutil
-from zipline.protocol import CONTROL_PROTOCOL
+from zipline.protocol import CONTROL_PROTOCOL, COMPONENT_STATE
 
 class Component(object):
 
@@ -39,7 +39,10 @@ class Component(object):
         self.gevent_needed     = False
         self.killed            = False
         self.heartbeat_timeout = 2000
+        self.state_flag        = COMPONENT_STATE.OK # OK | DONE | EXCEPTION
 
+        # Humanhashes make this way easier to debug because they
+        # stick in your mind unlike a 32 byte string of random hex.
         self.guid = uuid.uuid4()
         self.huid = humanhash.humanize(self.guid.hex)
 
@@ -47,10 +50,6 @@ class Component(object):
     # Core Methods
     # ------------
 
-    @property
-    def get_id(self):
-        raise NotImplementedError
-
     def open(self):
         raise NotImplementedError
 
@@ -71,7 +70,7 @@ class Component(object):
         raise NotImplementedError
 
     def _run(self):
-        self.done       = False
+        self.done       = False # TODO: use state flag
         self.sockets    = []
 
         if self.gevent_needed:
@@ -95,19 +94,27 @@ class Component(object):
             sock.close()
 
     def run(self, catch_exceptions=False):
+        """
+        Run the component.
+
+        Optionally takes an argument to catch and log all exceptions raised
+        during execution ues this with care since it makes it very hard to
+        debug since it mucks up your stacktraces.
+        """
 
         fail = None
 
-        # Catching all exceptions makes this really hard to
-        # debug, is it with care.
         if catch_exceptions:
             try:
                 self._run()
-            except Exception as e:
-                qutil.LOGGER.exception("Unexpected error in run for {id}.".format(id=self.get_id))
-                fail = e
+            except Exception as exc:
+                # TODO, we want to do this grab the stack
+                # frame so we can preserve stacktraces when we
+                # reraise the exception.
+                self.signal_exception(exc)
+                fail = exc
             finally:
-                if(self.context != None):
+                if self.context:
                     self.context.destroy()
                 if fail:
                     raise fail
@@ -117,35 +124,61 @@ class Component(object):
                 self.context.destroy()
 
     def loop(self):
-        while not self.done:
+        """
+        Loop to do work while we still have work to do.
+        """
+        while not self.done: # TODO: use state flag
             self.confirm()
             self.do_work()
 
-    # -----------
-    #  Messaging
-    # -----------
-
-    def signal_done(self):
-        #notify down stream components that we're done
-        if(self.out_socket != None):
-            self.out_socket.send(str(CONTROL_PROTOCOL.DONE))
-        #notify host we're done
-
-        # TODO: proper framing
-        self.sync_socket.send(self.get_id + ":" + str(CONTROL_PROTOCOL.DONE))
-
-        self.receive_sync_ack()
-        #notify internal work look that we're done
-        self.done = True
-
     def confirm(self):
-        # send a synchronization request to the host
+        """
+        Send a synchronization request to the host.
+        """
 
         # TODO: proper framing
         self.sync_socket.send(self.get_id + ":RUN")
 
         self.receive_sync_ack() # blocking
 
+    # ----------------------
+    #  Internal Maintenance
+    # ----------------------
+
+    def signal_exception(self, exc=None):
+        self.state_flag = COMPONENT_STATE.EXCEPTION
+        qutil.LOGGER.exception("Unexpected error in run for {id}.".format(id=self.get_id))
+
+    def signal_done(self):
+        """
+        Notify down stream components that we're done.
+        """
+
+        self.state_flag = COMPONENT_STATE.DONE
+
+        if self.out_socket:
+            self.out_socket.send(str(CONTROL_PROTOCOL.DONE))
+
+        #notify host we're done
+        # TODO: proper framing
+        self.sync_socket.send(self.get_id + ":" + str(CONTROL_PROTOCOL.DONE))
+
+        self.receive_sync_ack()
+        #notify internal work look that we're done
+        self.done = True # TODO: use state flag
+
+    # -----------
+    #  Messaging
+    # -----------
+
+    def setup_poller(self):
+        """
+        Setup the poller used for multiplexing the incoming data
+        handling sockets.
+        """
+
+        self.poll = self.zmq.Poller()
+
     def receive_sync_ack(self):
         """
         Wait for synchronization reply from the host.
@@ -217,17 +250,9 @@ class Component(object):
 
         return sub_socket
 
-    def setup_poller(self):
-        """
-        Setup the poller used for multiplexing the incoming data
-        handling sockets.
-        """
-
-        self.poll = self.zmq.Poller()
-
     def setup_control(self):
         """
-        Set up the control socket. Used to monitor the the
+        Set up the control socket. Used to monitor the
         overall status of the simulation and to forcefully tear
         down the simulation in case of a failure.
         """
@@ -240,6 +265,10 @@ class Component(object):
         self.sockets.extend([self.control_in, self.control_out])
 
     def setup_sync(self):
+        """
+        Setup the sync socket and poller.
+        """
+
         qutil.LOGGER.debug("Connecting sync client for {id}".format(id=self.get_id))
 
         self.sync_socket = self.context.socket(self.zmq.REQ)
@@ -247,21 +276,42 @@ class Component(object):
         #self.sync_socket.setsockopt(self.zmq.LINGER,0)
 
         # Explictly, a different poller for obvious reasons.
+        # I'm not fond of having this poller init'd as a side
+        # effect of a method call. Still thinking about where to
+        # put it at the moment though...
         self.sync_poller = self.zmq.Poller()
         self.sync_poller.register(self.sync_socket, self.zmq.POLLIN)
 
         self.sockets.append(self.sync_socket)
 
+    # ---------------------
+    # Description and Debug
+    # ---------------------
+
+    @property
+    def get_id(self):
+        return 'UNKNOWN COMPONENT'
+
     def debug(self):
+        """
+        Debug information about the component.
+        """
         return (
             self.get_id          ,
             self.huid            ,
             socket.gethostname() ,
             os.getpid()          ,
             hex(id(self))        ,
+            self.sockets         ,
         )
 
     def __repr__(self):
+        """
+        Return a usefull string representation of the component
+        to indicate its type, unique identifier, and computational
+        context identifier name.
+        """
+
         return "<{name} {uuid} at {host} {pid} {pointer}>".format(
             name    = self.get_id          ,
             uuid    = self.huid            ,
diff --git a/zipline/protocol.py b/zipline/protocol.py
index ae11af04..7bde3fdf 100644
--- a/zipline/protocol.py
+++ b/zipline/protocol.py
@@ -124,9 +124,9 @@ def CONTORL_UNFRAME(msg):
     #except AssertionError:
         #raise INVALID_CONTROL_FRAME(msg)
 
-# ================
+# ==================
 # Heartbeat Protocol
-# ================
+# ==================
 
 # These encode the msgpack equivelant of 1 and 2. The heartbeat
 # frame should only be 1 byte on the wire.
@@ -135,3 +135,13 @@ HEARTBEAT_PROTOCOL = namedict({
     'REQ' : b'\x01',
     'REP' : b'\x02',
 })
+
+# ==================
+# Component State
+# ==================
+
+COMPONENT_STATE = Enum(
+    'OK'        , # 0
+    'DONE'      , # 1
+    'EXCEPTION' , # 2
+)