@@ -65,21 +65,10 @@
 ;;======================================================================
 
 ;; Call this to start the actual server
 ;;
 
-;; all routes though here end in exit ...
-;;
-;; start_server
-;;
-(define (server:launch run-id transport-type)
-  (case transport-type
-    ((http)(http-transport:launch))
-    ;;((nmsg)(nmsg-transport:launch run-id))
-    ;;((rpc)  (rpc-transport:launch run-id))
-    (else (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "unknown server type " transport-type))))
-
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; S E R V E R   U T I L I T I E S 
 ;;======================================================================
 
 ;; Get the transport
@@ -133,18 +122,11 @@
 ;; if the target-host is set 
 ;; try running on that host
 ;;   incidental: rotate logs in logs/ dir.
 ;;
 (define  (server:run areapath) ;; areapath is *toppath* for a given testsuite area
-  (let* (;; (curr-host   (get-host-name))
-         ;; (attempt-in-progress (server:start-attempted? areapath))
-         ;; (dot-server-url (server:check-if-running areapath))
-	 ;; (curr-ip     (server:get-best-guess-address curr-host))
-	 ;; (curr-pid    (current-process-id))
-	 ;; (homehost    (server:get-homehost)) ;; configf:lookup *configdat* "server" "homehost" ))
-	 ;; (target-host (car homehost))
-	 (testsuite   (common:get-testsuite-name))
+  (let* ((testsuite   (common:get-testsuite-name))
 	 (logfile     (conc areapath "/logs/server.log")) ;; -" curr-pid "-" target-host ".log"))
 	 (profile-mode (or (configf:lookup *configdat* "misc" "profilesw")
 			   ""))
 	 (cmdln (conc (common:get-megatest-exe)
 		      " -server - ";; (or target-host "-")
@@ -441,10 +423,36 @@
 	     (else
 	      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "bad server info for "f": "serverdat)))))
        allfiles)
       res)))
 
+;; check the .servinfo directory, are there other servers running on this
+;; or another host?
+;;
+;; returns #t => ok to start another server
+;;         #f => not ok to start another server
+;;
+(define (server:minimal-check areapath)
+  (server:clean-up-old areapath)
+  (let* ((srvdir      (conc areapath"/.servinfo"))
+	 (servrs      (glob (conc srvdir"/*")))
+	 (thishostip  (server:get-best-guess-address (get-host-name)))
+	 (thisservrs  (glob (conc srvdir"/"thishostip":*")))
+	 (homehostinf (server:choose-server areapath 'homehost))
+	 (havehome    (car homehostinf))
+	 (wearehome   (cdr homehostinf)))
+    (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* thishostip", have homehost: "havehome", we are homehost: "wearehome
+		      ", numservers: "(length thisservrs))
+    (cond
+     ((not havehome) #t) ;; no homehost yet, go for it
+     ((and havehome wearehome (< (length thisservrs) 20)) #t) ;; we are home and less than 20 servers, ok to start another
+     ((and havehome (not wearehome)) #f)     ;; we are not the home host
+     ((and havehome wearehome (>= (length thisservrs) 20)) #f) ;; have enough running
+     (else
+      (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: Unrecognised scenario, servrs="servrs", thishostip="thishostip", thisservrs="thisservrs)
+      #t))))
+	 
 ;; oldest server alive determines host then choose random of youngest
 ;; five servers on that host
 ;;
 ;; mode:
 ;;   best - get best server (random of newest five)
@@ -456,10 +464,12 @@
   ;;   1. sort by age ascending and ping until good
   ;; find alive rand from youngest
   ;;   1. sort by age descending
   ;;   2. take five
   ;;   3. check alive, discard if not and repeat
+  ;; first we clean up old server files
+  (server:clean-up-old areapath)
   (let* ((serversdat  (server:get-servers-info areapath))
 	 (servkeys    (hash-table-keys serversdat))
 	 (by-time-asc (if (not (null? servkeys))
 			  (sort servkeys ;; list of "host:port"
 				(lambda (a b)
@@ -506,10 +516,32 @@
 	  (server:run areapath)
 	  (thread-sleep! 3)
 	  (case mode
 	    ((homehost) (cons #f #f))
 	    (else	#f))))))
+
+(define (server:clean-up-old areapath)
+  ;; any server file that has not been touched in ten minutes is effectively dead
+  (let* ((sfiles (glob (conc areapath"/.servinfo/*"))))
+    (for-each
+     (lambda (sfile)
+       (let* ((modtime (handle-exceptions
+			   exn
+			 (begin
+			   (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: failed to get modification file for "sfile)
+			   (current-seconds))
+			 (file-modification-time sfile))))
+	 (if (and (number? modtime)
+		  (> (- (current-seconds) modtime)
+		     600))
+	     (begin
+	       (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: found old server info file "sfile", removing it.")
+	       (handle-exceptions
+		   exn
+		 (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: failed to delete old server info file "sfile)
+		 (delete-file sfile))))))
+     sfiles)))
 
 ;; would like to eventually get rid of this
 ;;
 (define (common:on-homehost?)
   (server:choose-server *toppath* 'home?))