@@ -326,10 +326,12 @@
 		     (list-ref b 3))))))
     (if (> (length slst) nums)
 	(take slst nums)
 	slst)))
 
+;; switch from server:get-list to server:get-servers-info
+;;
 (define (server:get-first-best areapath)
   (let ((srvrs (server:get-best (server:get-list areapath))))
     (if (and srvrs
 	     (not (null? srvrs)))
 	(car srvrs)
@@ -377,11 +379,11 @@
 
 ;; if server-start-last exists, and wasn't old enough, wait <idle time> + 1, then call this function recursively until it is old enough.
 ;; if it is old enough, overwrite it and wait 0.25 seconds.
 ;; if it then has the wrong server key, wait <idle time> + 1 and call this function recursively.
 ;;
-(define (server:wait-for-server-start-last-flag areapath)
+#;(define (server:wait-for-server-start-last-flag areapath)
   (let* ((start-flag (conc areapath "/logs/server-start-last"))
 	 ;;; THIS INTERACTS WITH [server] timeout. Suggest using 0.1 or above for timeout (6 seconds)
 	 (idletime    (configf:lookup-number *configdat* "server" "idletime" default: 4))
 	 (server-key (conc (get-host-name) "-" (current-process-id))))
     (if (file-exists? start-flag)
@@ -405,11 +407,50 @@
 				   (seconds->time-string fmodtime) ", time since last start: " delta ", required idletime: " idletime ", gating reason:" (if old-enough "another job started a server" "too soon to start another server"))
 		 
 		 (thread-sleep! ( + 1 idletime))
 		 (server:wait-for-server-start-last-flag areapath)))))))
 
+;; oldest server alive determines host then choose random of youngest
+;; five servers on that host
+;;
+(define (server:get-servers-info areapath)
+  (let* ((servinfodir (conc *toppath*"/.servinfo"))
+	 (allfiles    (glob (conc servinfodir"/*")))
+	 (res         (make-hash-table)))
+    (for-each
+     (lambda (f)
+       (let* ((hostport  (pathname-strip-directory f))
+	      (serverdat (server:logf-get-start-info f)))
+	 (hash-table-set! res hostport serverdat)))
+     allfiles)
+    res))
 
+;; oldest server alive determines host then choose random of youngest
+;; five servers on that host
+;;
+(define (server:choose-server areapath)
+  ;; age is current-starttime
+  ;; find oldest alive
+  ;;   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
+  (let* ((serversdat  (server:get-servers-info areapath))
+	 (by-time-asc (sort (hash-table-keys serversdat)
+			    (lambda (a b)
+			      (>= (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat a) 2)
+				  (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat b) 2))))))
+    (if (not (null? by-time-asc))
+	(let* ((oldest     (last by-time-asc))
+	       (oldest-dat (hash-table-ref serversdat oldest))
+	       (host       (list-ref oldest-dat 1))
+	       (all-valid  (filter (lambda (x)(equal? host (list-ref x 1))) by-time-asc)))
+	  (print "oldest: "oldest-dat", selected host: "host", all-valid: "all-valid)
+	  (print "youngest: "(hash-table-ref serversdat (car all-valid)))
+	  (car all-valid))
+	#f)))
         
 ;; kind start up of server, wait before allowing another server for a given
 ;; area to be launched
 ;;
 (define (server:kind-run areapath)