diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 06953e4..7ad026c 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ changes in.
 
 The average contribution flow is as follows:
 
-- Create a topic branch from where you want to base your work. This is usually master.
+- Create a topic branch from where you want to base your work. This is usually `develop`.
 - Make commits of logical units.
 - Make sure your commit messages are in the [proper format]
 - Push your changes to a topic branch in your fork of the repository.
diff --git a/Godeps/_workspace/src/golang.org/x/net/netutil/listen.go b/Godeps/_workspace/src/golang.org/x/net/netutil/listen.go
index b317ba2..a2591f8 100644
--- a/Godeps/_workspace/src/golang.org/x/net/netutil/listen.go
+++ b/Godeps/_workspace/src/golang.org/x/net/netutil/listen.go
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 // Package netutil provides network utility functions, complementing the more
 // common ones in the net package.
-package netutil // import "golang.org/x/net/netutil"
+package netutil
 
 import (
 	"net"
diff --git a/backend/backend.go b/backend/backend.go
index a643741..7ec60ea 100644
--- a/backend/backend.go
+++ b/backend/backend.go
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ type Conn interface {
 	// down the driver
 	Close() error
 
+	// Ping just checks to see if the database is still alive. This is typically
+	// used for health checks.
+	Ping() error
+
 	// RecordAnnounce is called once per announce, and is passed the delta in
 	// statistics for the client peer since its last announce.
 	RecordAnnounce(delta *models.AnnounceDelta) error
diff --git a/backend/noop/driver.go b/backend/noop/driver.go
index 8fc6fd1..ab6a57c 100644
--- a/backend/noop/driver.go
+++ b/backend/noop/driver.go
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import (
 
 type driver struct{}
 
+// NoOp is a backend driver for Chihaya that does nothing. This is used by
+// public trackers.
 type NoOp struct{}
 
 // New returns a new Chihaya backend driver that does nothing.
@@ -26,6 +28,11 @@ func (n *NoOp) Close() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// Ping returns nil.
+func (n *NoOp) Ping() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 // RecordAnnounce returns nil.
 func (n *NoOp) RecordAnnounce(delta *models.AnnounceDelta) error {
 	return nil
diff --git a/http/routes.go b/http/routes.go
index a7eae79..f2733d1 100644
--- a/http/routes.go
+++ b/http/routes.go
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ func handleError(err error) (int, error) {
 }
 
 func (s *Server) check(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, p httprouter.Params) (int, error) {
+	// Ping the backend if private tracker is enabled.
+	if err := s.tracker.Backend.Ping(); s.config.PrivateEnabled && err != nil {
+		return handleError(err)
+	}
 	_, err := w.Write([]byte("STILL-ALIVE"))
 	return handleError(err)
 }
diff --git a/tracker/storage.go b/tracker/storage.go
index b3d73e9..1ec59de 100644
--- a/tracker/storage.go
+++ b/tracker/storage.go
@@ -48,14 +48,14 @@ func (s *Storage) Len() int {
 	return int(atomic.LoadInt32(&s.size))
 }
 
-func (s *Storage) GetShardIndex(infohash string) uint32 {
+func (s *Storage) getShardIndex(infohash string) uint32 {
 	idx := fnv.New32()
 	idx.Write([]byte(infohash))
 	return idx.Sum32() % uint32(len(s.shards))
 }
 
-func (s *Storage) GetTorrentShard(infohash string, readonly bool) *Torrents {
-	shardindex := s.GetShardIndex(infohash)
+func (s *Storage) getTorrentShard(infohash string, readonly bool) *Torrents {
+	shardindex := s.getShardIndex(infohash)
 	if readonly {
 		s.shards[shardindex].RLock()
 	} else {
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func (s *Storage) GetTorrentShard(infohash string, readonly bool) *Torrents {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) TouchTorrent(infohash string) error {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, false)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, false)
 	defer shard.Unlock()
 
 	torrent, exists := shard.torrents[infohash]
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ func (s *Storage) TouchTorrent(infohash string) error {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) FindTorrent(infohash string) (*models.Torrent, error) {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, true)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, true)
 	defer shard.RUnlock()
 
 	torrent, exists := shard.torrents[infohash]
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ func (s *Storage) FindTorrent(infohash string) (*models.Torrent, error) {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) PutTorrent(torrent *models.Torrent) {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(torrent.Infohash, false)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(torrent.Infohash, false)
 	defer shard.Unlock()
 
 	_, exists := shard.torrents[torrent.Infohash]
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func (s *Storage) PutTorrent(torrent *models.Torrent) {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) DeleteTorrent(infohash string) {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, false)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, false)
 	defer shard.Unlock()
 
 	if _, exists := shard.torrents[infohash]; exists {
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ func (s *Storage) DeleteTorrent(infohash string) {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) IncrementTorrentSnatches(infohash string) error {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, false)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, false)
 	defer shard.Unlock()
 
 	torrent, exists := shard.torrents[infohash]
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ func (s *Storage) IncrementTorrentSnatches(infohash string) error {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) PutLeecher(infohash string, p *models.Peer) error {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, false)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, false)
 	defer shard.Unlock()
 
 	torrent, exists := shard.torrents[infohash]
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ func (s *Storage) PutLeecher(infohash string, p *models.Peer) error {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) DeleteLeecher(infohash string, p *models.Peer) error {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, false)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, false)
 	defer shard.Unlock()
 
 	torrent, exists := shard.torrents[infohash]
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ func (s *Storage) DeleteLeecher(infohash string, p *models.Peer) error {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) PutSeeder(infohash string, p *models.Peer) error {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, false)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, false)
 	defer shard.Unlock()
 
 	torrent, exists := shard.torrents[infohash]
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ func (s *Storage) PutSeeder(infohash string, p *models.Peer) error {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) DeleteSeeder(infohash string, p *models.Peer) error {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, false)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, false)
 	defer shard.Unlock()
 
 	torrent, exists := shard.torrents[infohash]
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ func (s *Storage) DeleteSeeder(infohash string, p *models.Peer) error {
 }
 
 func (s *Storage) PurgeInactiveTorrent(infohash string) error {
-	shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, false)
+	shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, false)
 	defer shard.Unlock()
 
 	torrent, exists := shard.torrents[infohash]
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ func (s *Storage) PurgeInactivePeers(purgeEmptyTorrents bool, before time.Time)
 	// Process the keys while allowing other goroutines to run.
 	for _, infohash := range keys {
 		runtime.Gosched()
-		shard := s.GetTorrentShard(infohash, false)
+		shard := s.getTorrentShard(infohash, false)
 		torrent := shard.torrents[infohash]
 
 		if torrent == nil {