diff --git a/Foundation/include/Poco/FileChannel.h b/Foundation/include/Poco/FileChannel.h
index cd33674e8..aa31d9095 100644
--- a/Foundation/include/Poco/FileChannel.h
+++ b/Foundation/include/Poco/FileChannel.h
@@ -151,10 +151,14 @@ class Foundation_API FileChannel: public Channel
 	///   * <n> weeks:     the maximum age is <n> weeks.
 	///   * <n> months:    the maximum age is <n> months, where a month has 30 days.
 	///
+	/// Both empty string ("") and n == 0 indicate no purging.
+	///
 	/// The purgeCount property has an integer value that
 	/// specifies the maximum number of archived log files.
 	/// If the number is exceeded, archived log files are 
 	/// deleted, starting with the oldest.
+	/// 
+	/// Both empty string ("") and "0" for indicate no purging.
 	///
 	/// For a more lightweight file channel class, see SimpleFileChannel.
 {
diff --git a/Foundation/src/FileChannel.cpp b/Foundation/src/FileChannel.cpp
index a02079da1..03a2d2842 100644
--- a/Foundation/src/FileChannel.cpp
+++ b/Foundation/src/FileChannel.cpp
@@ -296,6 +296,14 @@ void FileChannel::setCompress(const std::string& compress)
 
 void FileChannel::setPurgeAge(const std::string& age)
 {
+	if (age.empty())
+	{
+		delete _pPurgeStrategy;
+		_pPurgeStrategy = 0;
+		_purgeAge.clear();
+		return;
+	}
+
 	std::string::const_iterator it  = age.begin();
 	std::string::const_iterator end = age.end();
 	int n = 0;
@@ -320,7 +328,12 @@ void FileChannel::setPurgeAge(const std::string& age)
 		throw InvalidArgumentException("purgeAge", age);
 		
 	delete _pPurgeStrategy;
-	_pPurgeStrategy = new PurgeByAgeStrategy(Timespan(factor*n));
+	
+	if (0 == n || age.empty())
+		_pPurgeStrategy = 0;
+	else
+		_pPurgeStrategy = new PurgeByAgeStrategy(Timespan(factor*n));
+
 	_purgeAge = age;
 }
 
@@ -335,7 +348,12 @@ void FileChannel::setPurgeCount(const std::string& count)
 	while (it != end && std::isspace(*it)) ++it;
 
 	delete _pPurgeStrategy;
-	_pPurgeStrategy = new PurgeByCountStrategy(n);
+
+	if (0 == n || count.empty())
+		_pPurgeStrategy = 0;
+	else
+		_pPurgeStrategy = new PurgeByCountStrategy(n);
+
 	_purgeCount = count;
 }
 
diff --git a/Foundation/testsuite/src/FileChannelTest.cpp b/Foundation/testsuite/src/FileChannelTest.cpp
index ccb78127c..5597e9a0e 100644
--- a/Foundation/testsuite/src/FileChannelTest.cpp
+++ b/Foundation/testsuite/src/FileChannelTest.cpp
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ void FileChannelTest::testCompress()
 }
 
 
-void FileChannelTest::testPurgeAge()
+void FileChannelTest::purgeAge(const std::string& pa)
 {
 	std::string name = filename();
 	try
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ void FileChannelTest::testPurgeAge()
 		AutoPtr<FileChannel> pChannel = new FileChannel(name);
 		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_ROTATION, "1 K");
 		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_ARCHIVE, "number");
-		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_PURGEAGE, "5 seconds");
+		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_PURGEAGE, pa);
 		pChannel->open();
 		Message msg("source", "This is a log file entry", Message::PRIO_INFORMATION);
 		for (int i = 0; i < 200; ++i)
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ void FileChannelTest::testPurgeAge()
 }
 
 
-void FileChannelTest::testPurgeCount()
+void FileChannelTest::noPurgeAge(const std::string& npa)
 {
 	std::string name = filename();
 	try
@@ -410,7 +410,54 @@ void FileChannelTest::testPurgeCount()
 		AutoPtr<FileChannel> pChannel = new FileChannel(name);
 		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_ROTATION, "1 K");
 		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_ARCHIVE, "number");
-		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_PURGECOUNT, "2");
+		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_PURGEAGE, npa);
+		pChannel->open();
+		Message msg("source", "This is a log file entry", Message::PRIO_INFORMATION);
+		for (int i = 0; i < 200; ++i)
+		{
+			pChannel->log(msg);
+		}
+		File f0(name + ".0");
+		assert (f0.exists());
+		File f1(name + ".1");
+		assert (f1.exists());
+		File f2(name + ".2");
+		assert (f2.exists());
+		
+		Thread::sleep(5000);
+		for (int i = 0; i < 50; ++i)
+		{
+			pChannel->log(msg);
+		}
+		
+		assert (f2.exists());
+	}
+	catch (...)
+	{
+		remove(name);
+		throw;
+	}
+	remove(name);
+}
+
+
+void FileChannelTest::testPurgeAge()
+{
+	purgeAge("5 seconds");
+	noPurgeAge("0 seconds");
+	noPurgeAge("");
+}
+
+
+void FileChannelTest::purgeCount(const std::string& pc)
+{
+	std::string name = filename();
+	try
+	{
+		AutoPtr<FileChannel> pChannel = new FileChannel(name);
+		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_ROTATION, "1 K");
+		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_ARCHIVE, "number");
+		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_PURGECOUNT, pc);
 		pChannel->open();
 		Message msg("source", "This is a log file entry", Message::PRIO_INFORMATION);
 		for (int i = 0; i < 200; ++i)
@@ -434,6 +481,46 @@ void FileChannelTest::testPurgeCount()
 }
 
 
+void FileChannelTest::noPurgeCount(const std::string& npc)
+{
+	std::string name = filename();
+	try
+	{
+		AutoPtr<FileChannel> pChannel = new FileChannel(name);
+		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_ROTATION, "1 K");
+		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_ARCHIVE, "number");
+		pChannel->setProperty(FileChannel::PROP_PURGECOUNT, npc);
+		pChannel->open();
+		Message msg("source", "This is a log file entry", Message::PRIO_INFORMATION);
+		for (int i = 0; i < 200; ++i)
+		{
+			pChannel->log(msg);
+			Thread::sleep(50);
+		}
+		File f0(name + ".0");
+		assert (f0.exists());
+		File f1(name + ".1");
+		assert (f1.exists());
+		File f2(name + ".2");
+		assert (f2.exists());
+	}
+	catch (...)
+	{
+		remove(name);
+		throw;
+	}
+	remove(name);
+}
+
+
+void FileChannelTest::testPurgeCount()
+{
+	purgeCount("2");
+	noPurgeCount("");
+	noPurgeCount("0");
+}
+
+
 void FileChannelTest::setUp()
 {
 }
diff --git a/Foundation/testsuite/src/FileChannelTest.h b/Foundation/testsuite/src/FileChannelTest.h
index 8b106467b..cc7eee181 100644
--- a/Foundation/testsuite/src/FileChannelTest.h
+++ b/Foundation/testsuite/src/FileChannelTest.h
@@ -75,6 +75,11 @@ private:
 	template <class D> std::string rotation(TimeRotation rtype) const;
 	void remove(const std::string& baseName);
 	std::string filename() const;
+
+	void purgeAge(const std::string& purgeAge);
+	void noPurgeAge(const std::string& purgeAge);
+	void purgeCount(const std::string& pc);
+	void noPurgeCount(const std::string& pc);
 };