diff --git a/Manual.pdf b/Manual.pdf
deleted file mode 100644
index e596023..0000000
Binary files a/Manual.pdf and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/README b/README
index 69e990d..0a6a9a0 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -9,8 +9,10 @@ Authors: James S. Plank (University of Tennessee)
 
 External Documentation:
 
-See the file Manual.pdf for the programmer's manual and tutorial.  This manual
-is also available at http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~plank/plank/papers/UT-EECS-14-721.html.
+The programmer's manual and tutorial is provided in two places:
+
+1.) A copy is hosted on BitBucket at https://bitbucket.org/jimplank/jerasure/downloads/Jerasure-Manual.pdf 
+2.) A copy is also available at http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~plank/plank/papers/UT-EECS-14-721.html
 
 See https://bitbucket.org/jimplank/gf-complete for GF-Complete.
 
diff --git a/include/galois.h b/include/galois.h
index 9d815ab..b1e4652 100644
--- a/include/galois.h
+++ b/include/galois.h
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
-extern void galois_init_default_field(int w);
+extern int galois_init_default_field(int w);
 extern void galois_change_technique(gf_t *gf, int w);
 
 extern int galois_single_multiply(int a, int b, int w);
diff --git a/src/galois.c b/src/galois.c
index 5d4282e..95d72bc 100644
--- a/src/galois.c
+++ b/src/galois.c
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 
 #include "galois.h"
 
@@ -168,24 +169,34 @@ gf_t* galois_init_composite_field(int w,
   return gfp;
 }
 
-void galois_init_default_field(int w)
+int galois_init_default_field(int w)
+{
+  if (gfp_array[w] == NULL) {
+    gfp_array[w] = (gf_t*)malloc(sizeof(gf_t));
+    if(gfp_array[w] == NULL)
+      return ENOMEM;
+    if (!gf_init_easy(gfp_array[w], w))
+      return EINVAL;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
+static void galois_init(int w)
 {
   if (w <= 0 || w > 32) {
     fprintf(stderr, "ERROR -- cannot init default Galois field for w=%d\n", w);
     exit(1);
   }
 
-  if (gfp_array[w] == NULL) {
-    gfp_array[w] = (gf_t*)malloc(sizeof(gf_t));
-    if (gfp_array[w] == NULL) {
-      fprintf(stderr, "ERROR -- cannot allocate memory for Galois field w=%d\n", w);
-      exit(1);
-    }
-  }
-
-  if (!gf_init_easy(gfp_array[w], w)) {
+  switch (galois_init_default_field(w)) {
+  case ENOMEM:
+    fprintf(stderr, "ERROR -- cannot allocate memory for Galois field w=%d\n", w);
+    exit(1);
+    break;
+  case EINVAL:
     fprintf(stderr, "ERROR -- cannot init default Galois field for w=%d\n", w);
     exit(1);
+    break;
   }
 }
 
@@ -243,7 +254,7 @@ int galois_single_multiply(int x, int y, int w)
   if (x == 0 || y == 0) return 0;
   
   if (gfp_array[w] == NULL) {
-    galois_init_default_field(w);
+    galois_init(w);
   }
 
   if (w <= 32) {
@@ -260,7 +271,7 @@ int galois_single_divide(int x, int y, int w)
   if (y == 0) return -1;
 
   if (gfp_array[w] == NULL) {
-    galois_init_default_field(w);
+    galois_init(w);
   }
 
   if (w <= 32) {
@@ -278,7 +289,7 @@ void galois_w08_region_multiply(char *region,      /* Region to multiply */
                                   int add)
 {
   if (gfp_array[8] == NULL) {
-    galois_init_default_field(8);
+    galois_init(8);
   }
   gfp_array[8]->multiply_region.w32(gfp_array[8], region, r2, multby, nbytes, add);
 }
@@ -290,7 +301,7 @@ void galois_w16_region_multiply(char *region,      /* Region to multiply */
                                   int add)
 {
   if (gfp_array[16] == NULL) {
-    galois_init_default_field(16);
+    galois_init(16);
   }
   gfp_array[16]->multiply_region.w32(gfp_array[16], region, r2, multby, nbytes, add);
 }
@@ -303,7 +314,7 @@ void galois_w32_region_multiply(char *region,      /* Region to multiply */
                                   int add)
 {
   if (gfp_array[32] == NULL) {
-    galois_init_default_field(32);
+    galois_init(32);
   }
   gfp_array[32]->multiply_region.w32(gfp_array[32], region, r2, multby, nbytes, add);
 }
@@ -311,7 +322,7 @@ void galois_w32_region_multiply(char *region,      /* Region to multiply */
 void galois_w8_region_xor(void *src, void *dest, int nbytes)
 {
   if (gfp_array[8] == NULL) {
-    galois_init_default_field(8);
+    galois_init(8);
   }
   gfp_array[8]->multiply_region.w32(gfp_array[32], src, dest, 1, nbytes, 1);
 }
@@ -319,7 +330,7 @@ void galois_w8_region_xor(void *src, void *dest, int nbytes)
 void galois_w16_region_xor(void *src, void *dest, int nbytes)
 {
   if (gfp_array[16] == NULL) {
-    galois_init_default_field(16);
+    galois_init(16);
   }
   gfp_array[16]->multiply_region.w32(gfp_array[16], src, dest, 1, nbytes, 1);
 }
@@ -327,7 +338,7 @@ void galois_w16_region_xor(void *src, void *dest, int nbytes)
 void galois_w32_region_xor(void *src, void *dest, int nbytes)
 {
   if (gfp_array[32] == NULL) {
-    galois_init_default_field(32);
+    galois_init(32);
   }
   gfp_array[32]->multiply_region.w32(gfp_array[32], src, dest, 1, nbytes, 1);
 }