diff --git a/jstests/sharding/key_string.js b/jstests/sharding/key_string.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..06be93f320c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/jstests/sharding/key_string.js
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+// key_string.js
+
+s = new ShardingTest( "keystring" , 2 );
+
+db = s.getDB( "test" );
+s.adminCommand( { partition : "test" } )
+s.adminCommand( { shard : "test.foo" , key : { name : 1 } } );
+
+primary = s.getServer( "test" ).getDB( "test" );
+seconday = s.getOther( primary ).getDB( "test" );
+
+assert.eq( 1 , s.config.shard.count() , "sanity check A" );
+
+db.foo.save( { name : "eliot" } )
+db.foo.save( { name : "sara" } )
+db.foo.save( { name : "bob" } )
+db.foo.save( { name : "joe" } )
+db.foo.save( { name : "mark" } )
+db.foo.save( { name : "allan" } )
+
+s.adminCommand( { split : "test.foo" , find : { name : "joe" } } );
+s.adminCommand( { split : "test.foo" , find : { name : "joe" } } );
+s.adminCommand( { split : "test.foo" , find : { name : "joe" } } );
+
+s.adminCommand( { moveshard : "test.foo" , find : { name : "joe" } , to : seconday.getMongo().name } );
+
+print( s.config.shard.find().toArray().tojson( "\n" ) );
+
+assert.eq( 4 , primary.foo.find().toArray().length , "primary count" );
+assert.eq( 2 , seconday.foo.find().toArray().length , "secondary count" );
+
+assert.eq( 6 , db.foo.find().toArray().length , "total count" );
+assert.eq( 6 , db.foo.find().sort( { name : 1 } ).toArray().length , "total count sorted" );
+
+assert.eq( "allan,bob,eliot,joe,mark,sara" ,  db.foo.find().sort( { name : 1 } ).toArray().map( function(z){ return z.name; } ) , "sort 1" );
+assert.eq( "sara,mark,joe,eliot,bob,allan" ,  db.foo.find().sort( { name : -1 } ).toArray().map( function(z){ return z.name; } ) , "sort 2" );
+
+s.stop();
+
+