@@ -56,10 +56,14 @@
 (include "megatest-fossil-hash.scm")
 (include "vg_records.scm")
 
 (dbfile:db-init-proc db:initialize-main-db)
 
+;; globals to dashboard module
+(define *updaters-running* #f)
+(define *updaters-thread*  #f)
+
 (define help (conc 
 	      "Megatest Dashboard, documentation at http://www.kiatoa.com/fossils/megatest version " megatest-version 
               " license GPL, Copyright (C) Matt Welland 2012-2017
 
 Usage: dashboard [options]
@@ -3773,19 +3777,19 @@
                                    dbkeys)
                          res))))
        fres))))
 
 (define (dashboard:runs-tab-updater commondat tab-num)
-  (debug:catch-and-dump 
-   (lambda ()
+;;  (debug:catch-and-dump 
+;;   (lambda ()
      (let* ((tabdat (dboard:common-get-tabdat commondat tab-num: tab-num))
 	    (dbkeys (dboard:tabdat-dbkeys tabdat)))
        (dashboard:do-update-rundat tabdat)
        (let ((uidat (dboard:commondat-uidat commondat)))
 	 (update-buttons tabdat uidat (dboard:tabdat-numruns tabdat) (dboard:tabdat-num-tests tabdat)))
        ))
-   "dashboard:runs-tab-updater"))
+;;   "dashboard:runs-tab-updater"))
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; The heavy lifting starts here
 ;;======================================================================
 
@@ -3852,40 +3856,37 @@
 	;; (dboard:commondat-add-updater 
 	;;  commondat 
 	;;  (lambda ()
 	   ;;  (dashboard:runs-tab-updater commondat 1))
 	;; tab-num: 2)
+        
 	(iup:callback-set! *tim*
 			   "ACTION_CB"
 			   (lambda (time-obj)
-			     (let ((update-is-running #f))
-			     (mutex-lock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
-			     (set! update-is-running (dboard:commondat-updating commondat))
-			     (if (not update-is-running)
-			     (dboard:commondat-updating-set! commondat #t))
-			     (mutex-unlock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
-			     (if (not update-is-running) ;; we know that the update was not running and we now have a lock on doing an update
+			     (if (not *updaters-thread*)
 			     (begin
-			     (dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat) ;; (dashboard:run-update commondat)
-			     (mutex-lock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
-			     (dboard:commondat-updating-set! commondat #f)
-			     (mutex-unlock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat)))
+				   ;; (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Updater started...")
+				   (set! *updaters-thread*
+					 (make-thread
+					  (lambda ()
+					    (dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat))))
+				   (thread-start! *updaters-thread*))
+				 (begin
+				   (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Updater restarted...")
+				   (thread-resume! *updaters-thread*)))
+			     (thread-sleep! 0.25)
+			     (if (eq? (thread-state *updaters-thread*) 'running)
+				 (begin
+				   (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Updater suspended...")
+				   (thread-suspend! *updaters-thread*))
+				 (begin
+				   (set! *updaters-thread* #f)
+				   ;; (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Updater done...")
 				   ))
 			     1))))
-      ;; (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Starting updaters")
-      (let ((th1 (make-thread (lambda ()
-				(thread-sleep! 1)
-				(dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat 0) ;; force update of summary tab 
-				) "update buttons once"))
-	    (th2 (make-thread iup:main-loop "Main loop")))
-        ;; (print "Starting main loop")
-	(thread-start! th2)
-	(thread-join! th2)
-      )
-    )
-  )
-)
+        (iup:main-loop)
+      )))
 
 (define last-copy-time 0)
 
 
 ;; Sync to tmp only if in read-only mode.