@@ -570,11 +570,11 @@
 	       (let* ((fullname (conc "logs/" file)))
 		 (if (directory? fullname)
 		     (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* fullname " in logs directory is a directory! Cannot rotate it, it is best to not put subdirectories in the logs dir.")
 		     (handle-exceptions
 		      exn
-		      (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "failed to remove " fullname ", exn=" exn)
+		      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "failed to remove " fullname ", exn=" exn)
 		      (delete-file* fullname)))))
 	     files)
 	    (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Deleted " (length files) " files from logs, keeping " max-allowed " files."))))))
   
 ;; Force a megatest cleanup-db if version is changed and skip-version-check not specified
@@ -1315,25 +1315,32 @@
       (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "using testpatt " args-testpatt " rtestpatt:" rtestpatt)
       args-testpatt))))
 
 
 
-(define (common:false-on-exception thunk #!key (message #f))
-  (handle-exceptions exn
+;; 
+(define (common:false-on-exception thunk #!key (message #f)(tries 1))
+  (handle-exceptions
+      exn
                      (begin
                        (if message
-                           (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* message))
-                       #f) (thunk) ))
-
-(define (common:file-exists? path-string #!key (silent #f))
-  ;; this avoids stack dumps in the case where 
-
-  ;;;; TODO: catch permission denied exceptions and emit appropriate warnings, eg:  system error while trying to access file: "/nfs/pdx/disks/icf_env_disk001/bjbarcla/gwa/issues/mtdev/randy-slow/reproduce/q...
-  (common:false-on-exception (lambda () (file-exists? path-string))
+          (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* message " exn=" exn))
+      (if (> tries 1)
+	  (begin
+	    (thread-sleep! 1)
+	    (common:false-on-exception thunk message: message tries: (- tries 1)))
+	  #f))
+    (thunk)))
+
+(define (common:file-exists? path-string #!key (silent #f)(tries 1))
+  ;; this avoids stack dumps in the case where NFS is slow or flakey
+  (common:false-on-exception
+   (lambda ()(file-exists? path-string))
                              message: (if (not silent)
                                           (conc "Unable to access path: " path-string)
                                           #f)
+   tries: tries
                              ))
 
 (define (common:directory-exists? path-string)
   ;;;; TODO: catch permission denied exceptions and emit appropriate warnings, eg:  system error while trying to access file: "/nfs/pdx/disks/icf_env_disk001/bjbarcla/gwa/issues/mtdev/randy-slow/reproduce/q...
   (common:false-on-exception (lambda () (directory-exists? path-string))