diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index 8feee654ce1..aaeba82e3b1 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -19,6 +19,14 @@ Avro 1.3.3 (Unreleased)
 
     AVRO-450. HTTP IPC for ruby. (jmhodges)
 
+    AVRO-508. Use page-backed buffers for C++ serialization input or
+    output. (sbanacho)
+
+    AVRO-516. Removing unnecessary ruby StringIO calls. (jmhodges)
+
+    AVRO-516. Ruby socket RPC should use big endian buffer lengths.
+    (jmhodges)
+
   BUG FIXES
     AVRO-461. Skipping primitives in the ruby side (jmhodges)
 
diff --git a/lang/ruby/lib/avro/ipc.rb b/lang/ruby/lib/avro/ipc.rb
index 0ff05c3dd6e..141e644f06f 100644
--- a/lang/ruby/lib/avro/ipc.rb
+++ b/lang/ruby/lib/avro/ipc.rb
@@ -239,8 +239,7 @@ def initialize(local_protocol)
     # Called by a server to deserialize a request, compute and serialize
     # a response or error. Compare to 'handle()' in Thrift.
     def respond(call_request)
-      buffer_reader = StringIO.new(call_request)
-      buffer_decoder = Avro::IO::BinaryDecoder.new(StringIO.new(call_request))
+      buffer_decoder = Avro::IO::BinaryDecoder.new(call_request)
       buffer_writer = StringIO.new('', 'w+')
       buffer_encoder = Avro::IO::BinaryEncoder.new(buffer_writer)
       error = nil
@@ -422,7 +421,7 @@ def write_buffer(chunk)
     end
 
     def write_buffer_length(n)
-      bytes_sent = sock.write([n].pack('I'))
+      bytes_sent = sock.write([n].pack('N'))
       if bytes_sent == 0
         raise ConnectionClosedException.new("socket sent 0 bytes")
       end
@@ -433,7 +432,7 @@ def read_buffer_length
       if read == '' || read == nil
         raise ConnectionClosedException.new("Socket read 0 bytes.")
       end
-      read.unpack('I')[0]
+      read.unpack('N')[0]
     end
 
     def close
diff --git a/lang/ruby/test/sample_ipc_client.rb b/lang/ruby/test/sample_ipc_client.rb
index 1f6f1d74c49..0a25e58f976 100644
--- a/lang/ruby/test/sample_ipc_client.rb
+++ b/lang/ruby/test/sample_ipc_client.rb
@@ -66,8 +66,7 @@ def make_requestor(server_address, port, protocol)
     'body' => ARGV[2]
   }
 
-  num_messages = ARGV[3].to_i
-  num_message = 1 if num_messages == 0
+  num_messages = (ARGV[3] || 1).to_i
 
   # build the parameters for the request
   params = {'message' => message}
@@ -83,4 +82,4 @@ def make_requestor(server_address, port, protocol)
   requestor = make_requestor('localhost', 9090, MAIL_PROTOCOL)
   result = requestor.request('replay', {})
   puts("Replay Result: " + result)
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/lang/ruby/test/sample_ipc_server.rb b/lang/ruby/test/sample_ipc_server.rb
index 144caac1ef5..c36ea051e7d 100644
--- a/lang/ruby/test/sample_ipc_server.rb
+++ b/lang/ruby/test/sample_ipc_server.rb
@@ -81,11 +81,12 @@ class MailHandler < RequestHandler
   def handle(request)
     responder = MailResponder.new()
     transport = Avro::IPC::SocketTransport.new(request)
-    transport.write_framed_message(responder.respond(transport))
+    str = StringIO.new(transport.read_framed_message)
+    transport.write_framed_message(responder.respond(str))
   end
 end
 
 if $0 == __FILE__
   handler = MailHandler.new('localhost', 9090)
   handler.run
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/lang/ruby/test/test_socket_transport.rb b/lang/ruby/test/test_socket_transport.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..78c40ebd9c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lang/ruby/test/test_socket_transport.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+require 'test_help'
+
+class TestSocketTransport < Test::Unit::TestCase
+  def test_buffer_writing
+    io = StringIO.new
+    st = Avro::IPC::SocketTransport.new(io)
+    buffer_length = "\000\000\000\006"  # 6 in big-endian
+    message = 'abcdef'
+    null_ending = "\000\000\000\000" # 0 in big-endian
+    full = buffer_length + message + null_ending
+    st.write_framed_message('abcdef')
+    assert_equal full, io.string
+  end
+
+  def test_buffer_reading
+    buffer_length = "\000\000\000\005" # 5 in big-endian
+    message = "hello"
+    null_ending = "\000\000\000\000" # 0 in big-endian
+    full = buffer_length + message + null_ending
+    io = StringIO.new(full)
+    st = Avro::IPC::SocketTransport.new(io)
+    assert_equal 'hello', st.read_framed_message
+  end
+end