@@ -371,74 +371,10 @@
 	(member *action* '("-h" "-help" "--help" "help")))
     (begin
       (print help)
       (exit 1)))
 
-;;======================================================================
-;; pkts
-;;======================================================================
-
-(define (with-queue-db mtconf proc)
-  (let* ((pktsdirs (configf:lookup mtconf "setup"  "pktsdirs"))
-	 (pktsdir  (if pktsdirs (car (string-split pktsdirs " ")) #f))
-	 (toppath  (configf:lookup mtconf "dyndat" "toppath"))
-	 (pdbpath  (or (configf:lookup mtconf "setup"  "pdbpath") pktsdir)))
-    (if (not (and  pktsdir toppath pdbpath))
-	(begin
-	  (print "ERROR: settings are missing in your megatest.config for area management.")
-	  (print "  you need to have pktsdir in the [setup] section."))
-	(let* ((pdb  (open-queue-db pdbpath "pkts.db"
-				    schema: '("CREATE TABLE groups (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,groupname TEXT, CONSTRAINT group_constraint UNIQUE (groupname));")))
-	       (res  (proc pktsdirs pktsdir pdb)))
-	  (dbi:close pdb)
-	  res
-	  ))))
-
-(define (load-pkts-to-db mtconf)
-  (with-queue-db
-   mtconf
-   (lambda (pktsdirs pktsdir pdb)
-     (for-each
-      (lambda (pktsdir) ;; look at all
-	(if (and (file-exists? pktsdir)
-		 (directory? pktsdir)
-		 (file-read-access? pktsdir))
-	    (let ((pkts (glob (conc pktsdir "/*.pkt"))))
-	      (for-each
-	       (lambda (pkt)
-		 (let* ((uuid    (cadr (string-match ".*/([0-9a-f]+).pkt" pkt)))
-			(exists  (lookup-by-uuid pdb uuid #f)))
-		   (if (not exists)
-		       (let* ((pktdat (string-intersperse
-				       (with-input-from-file pkt read-lines)
-				       "\n"))
-			      (apkt   (pkt->alist pktdat))
-			      (ptype  (alist-ref 'T apkt))
-			      (parent (alist-ref 'P apkt)))
-			 (add-to-queue pdb pktdat uuid (or ptype 'cmd) parent 0)
-			 (debug:print 4 *default-log-port* "Added " uuid " of type " ptype " to queue"))
-		       (debug:print 4 *default-log-port* "pkt: " uuid " exists, skipping...")
-		       )))
-	       pkts))))
-      (string-split pktsdirs)))))
-
-(define (get-pkt-alists pkts)
-  (map (lambda (x)
-	 (alist-ref 'apkt x)) ;; 'pkta pulls out the alist from the read pkt
-       pkts))
-
-;; given list of pkts (alist mode) return list of D cards as Unix epoch, sorted descending
-;; also delete duplicates by target i.e. (car pkt)
-(define (get-pkt-times pkts)
-  (delete-duplicates
-   (sort 
-    (map (lambda (x)
-	   `(,(alist-ref 't x) . ,(string->number (alist-ref 'D x))))
-	 pkts)
-    (lambda (a b)(> (cdr a)(cdr b))))      ;; sort descending
-   (lambda (a b)(equal? (car a)(car b))))) ;; remove duplicates by target
-
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; Runs
 ;;======================================================================
 
 ;; make a runname
@@ -492,15 +428,15 @@
 		     ;; environ-patt: "env-override"
 		     given-toppath: start-dir
 		     ;; pathenvvar: "MT_RUN_AREA_HOME"
 		     ))
 	 (mtconf    (if mtconfdat (car mtconfdat) #f)))
-    ;; we set some dynamic data in a section called "dyndata"
+    ;; we set some dynamic data in a section called "scratchdata"
     (if mtconf
 	(begin
-	  (configf:section-var-set! mtconf "dyndat" "toppath" start-dir)))
-    ;; (print "TOPPATH: " (configf:lookup mtconf "dyndat" "toppath"))
+	  (configf:section-var-set! mtconf "scratchdat" "toppath" start-dir)))
+    ;; (print "TOPPATH: " (configf:lookup mtconf "scratchdat" "toppath"))
     mtconfdat))
 
 
 ;; NEED TIMESTAMP ON PKTS for efficient loading of packets into db.
 
@@ -608,11 +544,11 @@
 
 ;; collect all needed data and create run pkts for contours with changed inputs
 ;;
 (define (generate-run-pkts mtconf toppath)
   (let ((std-runname (conc "sched"  (time->string (seconds->local-time (current-seconds)) "%M%H%d"))))
-    (with-queue-db
+    (common:with-queue-db
      mtconf
      (lambda (pktsdirs pktsdir pdb)
        (let* ((rgconfdat (find-and-read-config (conc toppath "/runconfigs.config")))
 	      (rgconf    (car rgconfdat))
 	      (all-areas (map car (configf:get-section mtconf "areas")))
@@ -649,20 +585,20 @@
 			(appendconf (alist-ref 'appendconf val-alist))
 			(file-globs (alist-ref 'glob val-alist))
 			
 			(runstarts  (find-pkts pdb '(runstart) `((o . ,contour)
 								 (t . ,runkey))))
-			(rspkts     (get-pkt-alists runstarts))
+			(rspkts     (common:get-pkt-alists runstarts))
 			;; starttimes is for run start times and is used to know when the last run was launched
-			(starttimes (get-pkt-times rspkts)) ;; sort by age (youngest first) and delete duplicates by target
+			(starttimes (common:get-pkt-times rspkts)) ;; sort by age (youngest first) and delete duplicates by target
 			(last-run   (if (null? starttimes) ;; if '() then it has never been run, else get the max
 					0
 					(apply max (map cdr starttimes))))
 			;; synctimes is for figuring out the last time a sync was done
 			(syncstarts (find-pkts pdb '(syncstart) '())) ;; no qualifiers, a sync does all tarets etc.
-			(sspkts     (get-pkt-alists syncstarts))
-			(synctimes  (get-pkt-times  sspkts))
+			(sspkts       (common:get-pkt-alists syncstarts))
+			(synctimes    (common:get-pkt-times  sspkts))
 			(last-sync  (if (null? synctimes) ;; if '() then it has never been run, else get the max
 					0
 					(apply max (map cdr synctimes))))
 			)
 
@@ -971,11 +907,11 @@
 		   (create-directory "logs")
 		   #t)
 		 #t)
 	     "logs"
 	     "/tmp")))
-    (with-queue-db
+    (common:with-queue-db
      mtconf
      (lambda (pktsdirs pktsdir pdb)
        (let* ((rgconfdat (find-and-read-config (conc toppath "/runconfigs.config")))
 	      (rgconf    (car rgconfdat))
 	      (areas     (configf:get-section mtconf "areas"))
@@ -1032,18 +968,18 @@
 		       (command-line->pkt *action* adjargs #f)))
 	   (write-pkt pktsdir uuid pkt))))
       ((dispatch import rungen process)
        (let* ((mtconfdat (simple-setup (args:get-arg "-start-dir")))
 	      (mtconf    (car mtconfdat))
-	      (toppath   (configf:lookup mtconf "dyndat" "toppath")))
+	      (toppath   (configf:lookup mtconf "scratchdat" "toppath")))
 	 (case (string->symbol *action*)
 	   ((process)  (begin
-			 (load-pkts-to-db mtconf)
+			 (common:load-pkts-to-db mtconf)
 			 (generate-run-pkts mtconf toppath)
-			 (load-pkts-to-db mtconf)
+			 (common:load-pkts-to-db mtconf)
 			 (dispatch-commands mtconf toppath)))
-	   ((import)   (load-pkts-to-db mtconf)) ;; import pkts
+	   ((import)   (common:load-pkts-to-db mtconf)) ;; import pkts
 	   ((rungen)   (generate-run-pkts mtconf toppath))
 	   ((dispatch) (dispatch-commands mtconf toppath)))))
       ;; misc
       ((show)
        (if (> (length remargs) 0)