@@ -204,10 +204,11 @@
    tabdat))
 
 ;; gets and calls updater list based on curr-tab-num
 ;;
 (define (dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat #!key (tab-num #f))
+  (copy-db-to-tmp)
   (if (dboard:common-get-tabdat commondat tab-num: tab-num) ;; only update if there is a tabdat
       (let* ((tnum     (or tab-num (dboard:commondat-curr-tab-num commondat)))
 	     (updaters (hash-table-ref/default (dboard:commondat-updaters commondat)
 					       tnum
 					       '())))
@@ -1940,11 +1941,11 @@
          (dashboard:run-id->tests-mindat dest-run-id tabdat runs-hash)
          hide-clean: hide-clean)
         #f)))
 
 
-(define (dashboard:get-runs-hash tabdat)
+(define (dashboard:get-runs-hash tabdat) 
   (let* ((access-mode       (dboard:tabdat-access-mode tabdat))
          (last-runs-update  0);;(dboard:tabdat-last-runs-update tabdat))
 	 (runs-dat     (rmt:get-runs-by-patt (dboard:tabdat-keys tabdat) "%" #f #f #f #f last-runs-update))
 	 (runs-header  (vector-ref runs-dat 0)) ;; 0 is header, 1 is list of records
          (runs         (vector-ref runs-dat 1))
@@ -3854,14 +3855,30 @@
 				) "update buttons once"))
 	    (th2 (make-thread iup:main-loop "Main loop")))
         (print "Starting main loop")
 	(thread-start! th2)
 	(thread-join! th2)
-        )
-        )
-        )
-        )
+      )
+    )
+  )
+)
+
+(define last-copy-time 0)
+
+
+;; Do this only if in read-only mode.
+
+(define (copy-db-to-tmp)
+  (let* ((db-file "./.megatest/main.db"))
+    (if (and (not (file-write-access? db-file)) ( > (current-seconds) (+ last-copy-time 5)))
+      (begin
+        (system (conc "rsync -a .megatest " (common:get-db-tmp-area)))
+        (set! last-copy-time (current-seconds))
+      )
+    )
+  )
+)
 
 ;; ########################### top level code ########################
 ;; check for MT_* environment variables and exit if found
 (if (not (args:get-arg "-test"))
     (begin