@@ -2571,53 +2571,55 @@
     (let* ((duh         (launch:setup))
 	   (src-db      (args:get-arg "-from"))
 	   (dest-db     (args:get-arg "-to"))
 	   ;; (sync-period (args:get-arg-number "-period"))
 	   ;; (sync-timeout (args:get-arg-number "-timeout"))
-	   (sync-period-in (args:get-arg "-period"))
+	   (sync-period-in  (args:get-arg "-period"))
 	   (sync-timeout-in (args:get-arg "-timeout"))
-	   (sync-period (if sync-period-in (string->number sync-period-in) #f))
-	   (sync-timeout (if sync-timeout-in (string->number sync-timeout-in) #f))
+	   (sync-period     (if sync-period-in (string->number sync-period-in) #f))
+	   (sync-timeout    (if sync-timeout-in (string->number sync-timeout-in) #f))
 	   (lockfile    (conc dest-db".sync-lock"))
 	   (keys        (db:get-keys #f))
 	   (thesync     (lambda (last-update)
 			  (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Attempting to sync data from "src-db" to "dest-db"...")
 			  (if (not (file-exists? dest-db))
 			      (begin
-				(dbfile:with-simple-file-lock
-				 (conc dest-db ".lock") ;; is the db being opened right now?
-				 (lambda ()
-				   (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Using copy to create "dest-db" from "src-db)
-				   (file-copy src-db dest-db)
-				   1)))
+				(debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Using copy to create "dest-db" from "src-db)
+				(file-copy src-db dest-db)
+				1)
 			      (let ((res (dbmod:db-to-db-sync src-db dest-db last-update (dbfile:db-init-proc) keys)))
 				(if res
 				    (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Synced " res " records from "src-db" to "dest-db)
 				    (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "No sync due to permissions or other issue."))
-				res)))))
-            (if (and src-db dest-db)
-		(if (file-exists? src-db)
-		    (if (file-exists? lockfile)
-			(debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Lock "lockfile" exists, skipping sync...")
-			(dbfile:with-simple-file-lock
-			 (conc dest-db"-sync-running")
-			 (lambda ()
-			   (let loop ((last-changed (current-seconds))
-				      (last-update  0))
-			     (let* ((changes (dbfile:with-simple-file-lock
-					      lockfile
-					      (lambda ()
-						(thesync last-update))))
-				    (now-time (current-seconds)))
-			       (if (and sync-period sync-timeout) ;; 
-				   (if (>  sync-timeout (- now-time last-changed))
-				       (begin
-					 (if sync-period (thread-sleep! sync-period))
-					 (loop (if (> changes 0) now-time last-changed) now-time)))))))))
-		    (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "No sync due to unreadble or non-existant source file"src-db))
-		(debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Usage for -db2db; -to and -from must be specified"))
-	    (set! *didsomething* #t)))
+				res))))
+	   (start-time  (current-seconds)))
+      (if (and src-db dest-db)
+	  (if (file-exists? src-db)
+	      (if (file-exists? lockfile)
+		  (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Lock "lockfile" exists, skipping sync...")
+		  (dbfile:with-simple-file-lock
+		   lockfile
+		   (lambda ()
+		     (let loop ((last-changed (current-seconds))
+				(last-update  0))
+		       (let* ((changes (handle-exceptions
+					   exn
+					   (begin
+					     (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Exception in sync: "(condition->list exn))
+					     (delete-file lockfile)
+					     (exit))
+					 (thesync last-update)))
+			      (now-time (current-seconds)))
+			 (if (and sync-period sync-timeout) ;; 
+			     (if (and (< (- now-time start-time) 600) ;; hard limit on how long we run for
+				      (>  sync-timeout (- now-time last-changed)))
+				 (begin
+				   (if sync-period (thread-sleep! sync-period))
+				   (loop (if (> changes 0) now-time last-changed) now-time)))))))))
+	      (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "No sync due to unreadble or non-existant source file"src-db))
+	  (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Usage for -db2db; -to and -from must be specified"))
+      (set! *didsomething* #t)))
 
 (if (args:get-arg "-list-test-time")
      (let* ((toppath (launch:setup))) 
      (task:get-test-times)  
      (set! *didsomething* #t)))