@@ -324,15 +324,17 @@
 (define *time-zero* (current-seconds))
 (define *watchdog*
   (make-thread 
    (lambda ()
      (thread-sleep! 0.05) ;; delay for startup
-     (let ((legacy-sync (common:legacy-sync-required))
-	   (debug-mode  (debug:debug-mode 1))
-	   (last-time   (current-seconds)))
-       (if legacy-sync
-	;;	(common:legacy-sync-recommended))
+     (let* ((legacy-sync (common:legacy-sync-required))
+	    (debug-mode  (debug:debug-mode 1))
+	    (last-time   (current-seconds))
+	    (dbpath      (db:dbfile-path #f))
+	    (lockf       (conc dbpath "/.megatest.lck")))
+       (if (or legacy-sync
+	       (common:legacy-sync-recommended)) ;; for now do *some* syncing to megatest.db for backup purposes
 	   (let loop ()
 	     ;; sync for filesystem local db writes
 	     ;;
 	     (let ((start-time      (current-seconds))
 		   (servers-started (make-hash-table)))
@@ -341,11 +343,13 @@
 		  (mutex-lock! *db-multi-sync-mutex*)
 		  (if (and legacy-sync 
 			   (hash-table-ref/default *db-local-sync* run-id #f))
 		      ;; (if (> (- start-time last-write) 5) ;; every five seconds
 		      (begin ;; let ((sync-time (- (current-seconds) start-time)))
+			(common:simple-file-lock lockf)
 			(db:multi-db-sync (list run-id) 'new2old)
+			(common:simple-file-release-lock lockf)
 			(if (common:low-noise-print 30 "sync new to old")
 			    (let ((sync-time (- (current-seconds) start-time)))
 			      (debug:print-info 0 "Sync of newdb to olddb for run-id " run-id " completed in " sync-time " seconds")))
 			;; (if (> sync-time 10) ;; took more than ten seconds, start a server for this run
 			;;     (begin
@@ -363,11 +367,11 @@
 	     ;; keep going unless time to exit
 	     ;;
 	     (if (not *time-to-exit*)
 		 (let delay-loop ((count 0))
 		   (if (and (not *time-to-exit*)
-			    (< count 11)) ;; aprox 5-6 seconds
+			    (< count 40)) ;; aprox 30-40 seconds
 		       (begin
 			 (thread-sleep! 1)
 			 (delay-loop (+ count 1))))
 		   (loop)))
 	     (if (common:low-noise-print 30)