Converting tests to JUnit

I noticed on the todo list there is a need to have more than one 
background thread to enable better scalability with lots of client 
connections.  I'm trying to find a way to gently work my way into doing 
some work on Derby, and this seemed like a project of small enough scope 
to get my feet wet.  Is there any background on this, or should I just 
jump right in?  I didn't see any discussion of this on the list...

Thanks,

David