@@ -89,25 +89,30 @@
 ;;    inuse gets set automatically for rundb's
 ;;
 (define (db:get-db dbstruct run-id) 
   (if (sqlite3:database? dbstruct) ;; pass sqlite3 databases on through
       dbstruct
-      (begin
-	(let ((dbdat (if (or (not run-id)
-			     (eq? run-id 0))
-			 (db:open-main dbstruct)
-			 (db:open-rundb dbstruct run-id)
-			 )))
-	  dbdat))))
+      (if (pair? dbstruct)
+	  dbstruct                 ;; pass pair ( db . path ) on through
+	  (begin
+	    ;; (assert (dbr:dbstruct? dbstruct)) ;; so much legacy, but by here we should have a genuine dbstruct
+	    (let ((dbdat (if (or (not run-id)
+				 (eq? run-id 0))
+			     (db:open-main dbstruct)
+			     (db:open-rundb dbstruct run-id)
+			     )))
+	      dbdat)))))
 
 ;; legacy handling of structure for managing db's. Refactor this into dbr:?
 (define (db:dbdat-get-db dbdat)
+  ;; (assert (pair? dbdat))
   (if (pair? dbdat)
       (car dbdat)
       dbdat))
 
 (define (db:dbdat-get-path dbdat)
+  ;; (assert (pair? dbdat))
   (if (pair? dbdat)
       (cdr dbdat)
       #f))
 
 ;; mod-read:
@@ -321,10 +326,12 @@
   (let* ((dbdir    (db:dbfile-path #f)) ;; (conc (configf:lookup *configdat* "setup" "linktree") "/.db"))
 	 (dbstruct (make-dbr:dbstruct path: dbdir local: local)))
     dbstruct))
 
 ;; Open the classic megatest.db file in toppath
+;;
+;;   NOTE: returns a dbdat not a dbstruct!
 ;;
 (define (db:open-megatest-db #!key (path #f))
   (let* ((dbpath       (or path (conc *toppath* "/megatest.db")))
 	 (dbexists     (file-exists? dbpath))
 	 (db           (db:lock-create-open dbpath
@@ -813,11 +820,10 @@
       (apply rmt-cmd params)))
 
 ;; return the target db handle so it can be used
 ;;
 (define (db:cache-for-read-only source target #!key (use-last-update #f))
-  (common:sync-to-megatest.db #t) ;; BUG!! DON'T LEAVE THIS HERE!
   (if (and (hash-table-ref/default *global-db-store* target #f)
 	   (>= (file-modification-time target)(file-modification-time source)))
       (hash-table-ref *global-db-store* target)
       (let* ((toppath   (launch:setup))
 	     (targ-db-last-mod (if (file-exists? target)
@@ -836,25 +842,35 @@
 
 ;; call a proc with a cached db
 ;;
 (define (db:call-with-cached-db proc . params)
   ;; first cache the db in /tmp
-  (let* ((cname-part (conc "megatest_cache/" (common:get-testsuite-name)))
-	 (fname      (conc  (common:get-area-path-signature) ".db"))
-	 (cache-dir  (common:get-create-writeable-dir
-		      (list (conc "/tmp/" (current-user-name) "/" cname-part)
-			    (conc "/tmp/" (current-user-name) "-" cname-part)
-			    (conc "/tmp/" (current-user-name) "_" cname-part)))))
-    ;; (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Using cache dir " cache-dir)
+  (let* ((cname-part  (conc "megatest_cache/" (common:get-testsuite-name)))
+	 (fname       (conc  (common:get-area-path-signature) ".db"))
+	 (cache-dir   (common:get-create-writeable-dir
+		       (list (conc "/tmp/" (current-user-name) "/" cname-part)
+			     (conc "/tmp/" (current-user-name) "-" cname-part)
+			     (conc "/tmp/" (current-user-name) "_" cname-part))))
+	 (megatest-db (conc *toppath* "/megatest.db")))
+	 ;; (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Using cache dir " cache-dir)
     (if (not cache-dir)
 	(begin
 	  (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "ERROR: Failed to find an area to write the cache db")
 	  (exit 1))
-	(let* ((cache-db (db:cache-for-read-only
-			  (conc *toppath* "/megatest.db")
+	(let* ((th1      (make-thread
+			  (lambda ()
+			    (if (and (file-exists? megatest-db)
+				     (file-write-access? megatest-db))
+				(begin
+				  (common:sync-to-megatest.db 'timestamps) ;; internally mutexes on *db-local-sync*
+				  (debug:print-info 2 *default-log-port* "Done syncing to megatest.db"))))
+			  "call-with-cached-db sync-to-megatest.db"))
+	       (cache-db (db:cache-for-read-only
+			  megatest-db
 			  (conc cache-dir "/" fname)
 			  use-last-update: #t)))
+	  (thread-start! th1)
 	  (apply proc cache-db params)
 	  ))))
 
 ;; options:
 ;;
@@ -2249,10 +2265,11 @@
      keys)
     (reverse res)))
 
 ;; get key vals for a given run-id
 (define (db:get-key-vals dbstruct run-id)
+  ;; (assert (dbr:dbstruct? dbstruct))
   (let* ((keys (db:get-keys dbstruct))
 	 (res  '())
 	 (dbdat  (db:get-db dbstruct #f))
 	 (db     (db:dbdat-get-db dbdat)))
     (for-each