@@ -61,11 +61,11 @@
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; S E R V E R
 ;;======================================================================
 
-(define (nmsg-transport:run dbstruct hostn run-id server-id)
+(define (nmsg-transport:run dbstruct hostn run-id server-id #!key (retrynum 1000))
   (debug:print 2 "Attempting to start the server ...")
   (let* ((start-port      (portlogger:open-run-close portlogger:find-port))
 	 (server-thread   (make-thread (lambda ()
 					 (nmsg-transport:try-start-server dbstruct run-id start-port server-id))
 				       "server thread"))
@@ -81,14 +81,19 @@
 	  (tasks:server-set-state! (db:delay-if-busy tdbdat) server-id "running")
 	  (thread-start! (make-thread
 			  (lambda ()(nmsg-transport:keep-running server-id))
 			  "keep running"))
 	  (thread-join! server-thread))
-	(begin
-	  (tasks:server-delete-record (db:delay-if-busy tdbdat) server-id "failed to start, never received server alive signature")
-	  (portlogger:open-run-close portlogger:set-failed start-port)
-	  (nmsg-transport:run dbstruct hostn run-id server-id)))))
+	(if (> retrynum 0)
+	    (begin
+	      (debug:print 0 "WARNING: Failed to connect to server (self) on host " hostn ":" start-port ", trying again.")
+	      (tasks:server-delete-record (db:delay-if-busy tdbdat) server-id "failed to start, never received server alive signature")
+	      (portlogger:open-run-close portlogger:set-failed start-port)
+	      (nmsg-transport:run dbstruct hostn run-id server-id))
+	    (begin
+	      (debug:print 0 "ERROR: could not find an open port to start server on. Giving up")
+	      (exit 1))))))
 
 (define (nmsg-transport:try-start-server dbstruct run-id portnum server-id)
   (let ((repsoc (nn-socket 'rep)))
     (nn-bind repsoc (conc "tcp://*:" portnum))
     (let loop ((msg-in (nn-recv repsoc)))
@@ -171,61 +176,71 @@
 ;;   expect the key expected-key returned in payload
 ;;   send our-key or #f as payload
 ;;
 (define (nmsg-transport:ping hostn port #!key (timeout 3)(return-socket #t)(expected-key #f)(our-key #f)(socket #f))
   ;; send a random number along with pid and check that we get it back
-  (let* ((req     (or socket (nn-socket 'req)))
-	 (host    (if (or (not hostn)
+  (let* ((host    (if (or (not hostn)
 			  (equal? hostn "-")) ;; use localhost
 		      (get-host-name)
 		      hostn))
-	 (success #f)
-	 (keepwaiting #t)
+	 (req     (or socket
+		      (let ((soc (nn-socket 'req)))
+			(nn-connect soc (conc "tcp://" host ":" port))
+			soc)))
 	 (dat     (db:obj->string (vector "ping" our-key) transport: 'nmsg))
-	 (ping    (make-thread
-		   (lambda ()
-		     (nn-send req dat)
-		     (let* ((result  (nn-recv req))
-			    (key     (vector-ref (db:string->obj result transport: 'nmsg) 1)))
-		       (if (or (not expected-key) ;; just getting a reply is good enough then
-			       (equal? key expected-key)) 
-			   (begin
-			     ;; (print "ping, success: received \"" result "\"")
-			     (set! success #t))
-			   (begin
-			     ;; (print "ping, failed: received key \"" result "\"")
-			     (set! keepwaiting #f)
-			     (set! success #f)))))
-		   "ping"))
-	 (timeout (make-thread (lambda ()
-				 (let loop ((count 0))
-				   (thread-sleep! 1)
-				   (print "still waiting after count seconds...")
-				   (if (and keepwaiting (< count timeout)) ;; yes, this is very aproximate
-				       (loop (+ count 1))))
-				 (if keepwaiting
-				     (begin
-				       (print "timeout waiting for ping")
-				       (thread-terminate! ping))))
-			       "timeout")))
-    (if (not socket)(nn-connect req (conc "tcp://" host ":" port)))
+	 (result  (nmsg-transport:client-api-send-receive-raw req dat timeout: timeout))
+	 (success (vector-ref result 0))
+	 (key     (if success 
+		      (vector-ref (db:string->obj (vector-ref result 1) transport: 'nmsg) 1)
+		      #f)))
+    (debug:print 0 "success=" success ", key=" key ", expected-key=" expected-key ", equal? " (equal? key expected-key))
+    (if (and success
+	     (or (not expected-key) ;; just getting a reply is good enough then
+		 (equal? key expected-key)))
+	(if return-socket
+	    req
+	    (begin
+	      (if (not socket)(nn-close req)) ;; don't want a side effect of closing socket if handed it
+	      #t))
+	(begin
+	  (if (not socket)(nn-close req)) ;; failed to ping, close socket as side effect
+	  #f))))
+
+;; send data to server, wait max of timeout seconds for a response.
+;; return #( success/fail result )
+;;
+(define (nmsg-transport:client-api-send-receive-raw socreq dat #!key (timeout 5))
+  (let* ((success     #f)
+	 (result      #f)
+	 (keepwaiting #t)
+	 (send-recv   (make-thread
+		       (lambda ()
+			 (nn-send socreq dat)
+			 (let* ((res (nn-recv socreq)))
+			   (set! success #t)
+			   (set! result res)))
+		       "send-recv"))
+	 (timeout     (make-thread
+		       (lambda ()
+			 (let loop ((count 0))
+			   (thread-sleep! 1)
+			   (debug:print-info 1 "send-receive-raw, still waiting after " count " seconds...")
+			   (if (and keepwaiting (< count timeout)) ;; yes, this is very aproximate
+			       (loop (+ count 1))))
+			 (if keepwaiting
+			     (begin
+			       (print "timeout waiting for ping")
+			       (thread-terminate! send-recv))))
+		       "timeout")))
     (handle-exceptions
      exn
-     (begin
-       ;; (print-call-chain)
-       ;; (print 0 " message: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
-       ;; (print "exn=" (condition->list exn))
-       (debug:print-info 1 "ping failed to connect to " host ":" port))
+     (set! result "timeout")
      (thread-start! timeout)
-     (thread-start! ping)
-     (thread-join! ping)
+     (thread-start! send-recv)
+     (thread-join! send-recv)
      (if success (thread-terminate! timeout)))
-    (if return-socket
-	(if success req #f)
-	(begin
-	  (nn-close req) ;; should it be closed if we were handed a socket?
-	  success))))
+    (vector success result)))
 
 ;; run nmsg-transport:keep-running in a parallel thread to monitor that the db is being 
 ;; used and to shutdown after sometime if it is not.
 ;;
 (define (nmsg-transport:keep-running server-id)
@@ -289,19 +304,22 @@
 
 (define (nmsg-transport:client-connect iface portnum)
   (let* ((reqsoc      (nmsg-transport:ping iface portnum return-socket: #t)))
     (vector iface portnum #f #f #f (current-seconds) reqsoc)))
 
-(define (nmsg-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd param)
+;; return #( success result )
+;;
+(define (nmsg-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd param #!key (remtries 5))
   (mutex-lock! *http-mutex*)
-  (let ((packet  (vector cmd param))
-	(reqsoc  (http-transport:server-dat-get-socket connection-info)))
-    (nn-send reqsoc (db:obj->string packet transport: 'nmsg))
-    (let ((res (db:string->obj (nn-recv reqsoc) transport: 'nmsg)))
-      (mutex-unlock! *http-mutex*)
-      res)))
-
+  (let* ((packet  (db:obj->string (vector cmd param) transport: 'nmsg))
+	 (reqsoc  (http-transport:server-dat-get-socket connection-info))
+	 (rawres  (nmsg-transport:client-api-send-receive-raw reqsoc packet))
+	 (status  (vector-ref rawres 0))
+	 (result  (vector-ref rawres 1)))
+    (mutex-unlock! *http-mutex*)
+    (vector status (if status (db:string->obj result transport: 'nmsg) result))))
+	
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; J U N K 
 ;;======================================================================
 
 ;; DO NOT USE