diff --git a/pyghmi/ipmi/console.py b/pyghmi/ipmi/console.py
index 486c8481..f1feabc9 100644
--- a/pyghmi/ipmi/console.py
+++ b/pyghmi/ipmi/console.py
@@ -167,6 +167,10 @@ class Console(object):
         return session.Session.wait_for_rsp(timeout=timeout)
 
     def _sendpendingoutput(self):
+        self._sendoutput(self.pendingoutput)
+        self.pendingoutput = ""
+
+    def _sendoutput(self, output):
         self.myseq += 1
         self.myseq &= 0xf
         if self.myseq == 0:
@@ -176,22 +180,26 @@ class Console(object):
                               self.ackedseq,
                               self.ackedseq,
                               self.sendbreak)
-        payload += self.pendingoutput
-        self.lasttextsize = len(self.pendingoutput)
-        self.pendingoutput = ""
+        payload += output
+        self.lasttextsize = len(output)
+        needskeepalive = False
+        if self.lasttextsize == 0:
+            needskeepalive = True
         self.awaitingack = True
         payload = struct.unpack("%dB" % len(payload), payload)
         self.lastpayload = payload
-        self.send_payload(payload)
+        self.send_payload(payload, needskeepalive=needskeepalive)
 
-    def send_payload(self, payload, payload_type=1, retry=True):
+    def send_payload(self, payload, payload_type=1, retry=True,
+                     needskeepalive=False):
         while not (self.connected or self.broken):
             session.Session.wait_for_rsp(timeout=10)
         if not self.ipmi_session.logged:
             raise exc.IpmiException('Session no longer connected')
         self.ipmi_session.send_payload(payload,
                                        payload_type=payload_type,
-                                       retry=retry)
+                                       retry=retry,
+                                       needskeepalive=needskeepalive)
 
     def _print_info(self, info):
         self._print_data({'info': info})
@@ -276,6 +284,8 @@ class Console(object):
                     newtext = struct.pack("B"*len(newtext), *newtext)
                     self.pendingoutput = newtext + self.pendingoutput
                     self._sendpendingoutput()
+            if len(self.pendingoutput) > 0:
+                self._sendpendingoutput()
         elif self.awaitingack:  # session marked us as happy, but we are not
                 #this does mean that we will occasionally retry a packet
                 #sooner than retry suggests, but that's no big deal
diff --git a/pyghmi/ipmi/private/session.py b/pyghmi/ipmi/private/session.py
index fa2398cb..0f541946 100644
--- a/pyghmi/ipmi/private/session.py
+++ b/pyghmi/ipmi/private/session.py
@@ -450,7 +450,16 @@ class Session(object):
                           retry=retry, delay_xmit=delay_xmit)
 
     def send_payload(self, payload=None, payload_type=None, retry=True,
-                     delay_xmit=None):
+                     delay_xmit=None, needskeepalive=False):
+        """Send payload over the IPMI Session
+
+        :param needskeepalive: If the payload is expected not to count as
+                               'active' by the BMC, set this to True
+                               to avoid Session considering the
+                               job done because of this payload.
+                               Notably, 0-length SOL packets
+                               are prone to confusion.
+        """
         if payload is not None and self.lastpayload is not None:
                              #we already have a packet outgoing, make this
                              # a pending payload
@@ -543,7 +552,7 @@ class Session(object):
         self.netpacket = struct.pack("!%dB" % len(message), *message)
         #advance idle timer since we don't need keepalive while sending packets
         #out naturally
-        if self in Session.keepalive_sessions:
+        if self in Session.keepalive_sessions and not needskeepalive:
             Session.keepalive_sessions[self]['timeout'] = _monotonic_time() + \
                 25 + (random.random() * 4.9)
         self._xmit_packet(retry, delay_xmit=delay_xmit)