@@ -99,10 +99,22 @@
 			 (with-output-to-string
 			   (lambda ()
 			     (write (list (current-directory)
                                           (current-process-id)
 					  (argv)))))))
+
+(define (server:get-client-signature)
+  (if *my-client-signature* *my-client-signature*
+      (let ((sig (server:mk-signature))) ;; clients re-use the server:mk-signature logic
+        (set! *my-client-signature* sig)
+        *my-client-signature*)))
+
+(define (server:get-server-id)
+  (if *server-id* *server-id*
+      (let ((sig (server:mk-signature))) ;; clients re-use the server:mk-signature logic
+        (set! *server-id* sig)
+        *server-id*)))
 
 ;; When using zmq this would send the message back (two step process)
 ;; with spiffy or rpc this simply returns the return data to be returned
 ;; 
 (define (server:reply return-addr query-sig success/fail result)
@@ -369,16 +381,10 @@
 	       servr))
     (if (and host port)
 	(conc host ":" port)
 	#f))))
 
-(define (server:get-client-signature) ;; BB> why is this proc named "get-"?  it returns nothing -- set! has not return value.
-  (if *my-client-signature* *my-client-signature*
-      (let ((sig (server:mk-signature)))
-        (set! *my-client-signature* sig)
-        *my-client-signature*)))
-
 
 ;; if server-start-last exists, and wasn't old enough, wait <idle time> + 1, then call this function recursively until it is old enough.
 ;; if it is old enough, overwrite it and wait 0.25 seconds.
 ;; if it then has the wrong server key, wait <idle time> + 1 and call this function recursively.
 ;;
@@ -439,14 +445,17 @@
   ;; find alive rand from youngest
   ;;   1. sort by age descending
   ;;   2. take five
   ;;   3. check alive, discard if not and repeat
   (let* ((serversdat  (server:get-servers-info areapath))
-	 (by-time-asc (sort (hash-table-keys serversdat) ;; list of "host:port"
-			    (lambda (a b)
-			      (>= (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat a) 2)
-				  (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat b) 2))))))
+	 (servkeys    (hash-table-keys serversdat))
+	 (by-time-asc (if (not (null? servkeys))
+			  (sort servkeys ;; list of "host:port"
+				(lambda (a b)
+				  (>= (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat a) 2)
+				      (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat b) 2))))
+			  '())))
     (if (not (null? by-time-asc))
 	(let* ((oldest     (last by-time-asc))
 	       (oldest-dat (hash-table-ref serversdat oldest))
 	       (host       (list-ref oldest-dat 0))
 	       (all-valid  (filter (lambda (x)
@@ -479,11 +488,14 @@
 			  (list-ref best-five (random len))))
 			  
 	    (else
 	     (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "ERROR: invalid command "mode)
 	     #f)))
-	#f)))
+	(begin
+	  (server:run areapath)
+	  (thread-sleep! 3)
+	  #f))))
 
 	  
 ;; kind start up of server, wait before allowing another server for a given
 ;; area to be launched
 ;;