diff --git a/docs/configuration.rst b/docs/configuration.rst
index b598a33..e101b23 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.rst
+++ b/docs/configuration.rst
@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ Example:
     user_schedule = periodic(10, 15, 100)
     shared_schedule = 0
 
-Start 2 users every 0.1 seconds, maximum of 100 users. Each user will issue requests in batches of 10 requests, every 15 seconds, maximum
+Start 2 users every 0.1 seconds, 100 batches, maximum of 2 * 100 = 200 users. Each user will issue requests in batches of 10 requests, every 15 seconds, maximum
 of 100 requests. All users will read from one ammo source.
 
 Second schedule type is ``linear``. It is defined like this: ``linear(<start_rps>, <end_rps>, <time>). Example:
diff --git a/yandextank/plugins/Monitoring/agent/agent.py b/yandextank/plugins/Monitoring/agent/agent.py
index 49915b0..b36c1e0 100755
--- a/yandextank/plugins/Monitoring/agent/agent.py
+++ b/yandextank/plugins/Monitoring/agent/agent.py
@@ -650,6 +650,12 @@ class AgentWorker(Thread):
                 logger.debug("str: %s" % row)
                 sys.stdout.write(row + '\n')
                 sys.stdout.flush()
+            except IOError, e:
+                if e.errno==32:
+                    logger.error("Broken pipe, can't send data back, terminating")
+                    self.finished = True
+                else:
+                    logger.error('IOError while converting line: %s: %s', line, e)
             except Exception, e:
                 logger.error('Failed to convert line %s: %s', line, e)
 
diff --git a/yandextank/plugins/Monitoring/collector.py b/yandextank/plugins/Monitoring/collector.py
index 0890888..49e713e 100644
--- a/yandextank/plugins/Monitoring/collector.py
+++ b/yandextank/plugins/Monitoring/collector.py
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ class MonitoringCollector(object):
             listener.monitoring_data(self.send_data)
         self.send_data = ''
 
-    def get_host_config(self, host, names, target_hint):
+    def get_host_config(self, host, target_hint):
 
         default = {
             'System': 'csw,int',
@@ -406,6 +406,8 @@ class MonitoringCollector(object):
 
         default_metric = ['CPU', 'Memory', 'Disk', 'Net']
 
+        names = defaultdict()
+
         hostname = host.get('address').lower()
         if hostname == '[target]':
             if not target_hint:
@@ -492,12 +494,11 @@ class MonitoringCollector(object):
             raise RuntimeError("Can't read monitoring config %s" % filename)
 
         hosts = tree.findall('Host')
-        names = defaultdict()
         config = []
 
         filter_obj = defaultdict(str)
         for host in hosts:
-            host_config = self.get_host_config(host, names, target_hint)
+            host_config = self.get_host_config(host, target_hint)
             # XXX: why stats should be separated?
             filter_obj.update(host_config.pop('stats'))
             config.append(host_config)
diff --git a/yandextank/stepper/load_plan.py b/yandextank/stepper/load_plan.py
index 4ce53e1..3ed1c5c 100644
--- a/yandextank/stepper/load_plan.py
+++ b/yandextank/stepper/load_plan.py
@@ -134,8 +134,12 @@ class Stairway(Composite):
             Const(minrps + i * increment, duration)
             for i in xrange(0, n_steps + 1)
         ]
-        if (n_steps + 1) * increment < maxrps:
-            steps.append(Const(maxrps, duration))
+        if increment > 0:
+            if (minrps + n_steps * increment) < maxrps:
+                steps.append(Const(maxrps, duration))
+        elif increment < 0:
+            if (minrps + n_steps * increment) > maxrps:
+                steps.append(Const(maxrps, duration))
         logging.info(steps)
         super(Stairway, self).__init__(steps)