@@ -403,11 +403,11 @@
 
 ;; oldest server alive determines host then choose random of youngest
 ;; five servers on that host
 ;;
 (define (server:get-servers-info areapath)
-  (assert *toppath* "FATAL: server:get-servers-info called before *toppath* has been set.")
+  ;; (assert *toppath* "FATAL: server:get-servers-info called before *toppath* has been set.")
   (let* ((servinfodir (server:get-servinfo-dir areapath))) ;; (conc *toppath*"/.servinfo")))
     (if (not (file-exists? servinfodir))
 	(create-directory servinfodir))
     (let* ((allfiles    (glob (conc servinfodir"/*")))
 	   (res         (make-hash-table)))
@@ -449,10 +449,14 @@
      ((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))))
 	 
+
+(define server-last-start 0)
+
+
 ;; oldest server alive determines host then choose random of youngest
 ;; five servers on that host
 ;;
 ;; mode:
 ;;   best - get best server (random of newest five)
@@ -466,18 +470,31 @@
   ;;   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* ((since-last (- (current-seconds) server-last-start))
+        (server-start-delay 10))     
+    (if ( < (- (current-seconds) server-last-start) 10 )
+      (begin
+        (debug:print 2 *default-log-port* "server:choose-server: seconds since last server start: " (- (current-seconds) server-last-start))
+        (debug:print 2 *default-log-port* "server:choose-server: last server start less than " server-start-delay " seconds ago. Sleeping " server-start-delay " seconds")
+        (thread-sleep! server-start-delay)
+      )
+      (debug:print 2 *default-log-port* "server:choose-server: seconds since last server start: " (- (current-seconds) server-last-start))
+    )
+  )
   (let* ((serversdat  (server:get-servers-info areapath))
 	 (servkeys    (hash-table-keys serversdat))
 	 (by-time-asc (if (not (null? servkeys)) ;; NOTE: Oldest is last
 			  (sort servkeys ;; list of "host:port"
 				(lambda (a b)
 				  (>= (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat a) 2)
 				      (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat b) 2))))
 			  '())))
+    (debug:print 2 *default-log-port* "server:choose-server: serversdat: " serversdat)
+    (debug:print 2 *default-log-port* "server:choose-server: servkeys: " servkeys)
     (if (not (null? by-time-asc))
 	(let* ((oldest     (last by-time-asc))
 	       (oldest-dat (hash-table-ref serversdat oldest))
 	       (host       (list-ref oldest-dat 0))
 	       (all-valid  (filter (lambda (x)
@@ -514,11 +531,12 @@
 	    (else
 	     (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "ERROR: invalid command "mode)
 	     #f)))
 	(begin
 	  (server:run areapath)
-	  (thread-sleep! 3)
+          (set! server-last-start (current-seconds))
+	  ;; (thread-sleep! 3)
 	  (case mode
 	    ((homehost) (cons #f #f))
 	    (else	#f))))))
 
 (define (server:get-servinfo-dir areapath)
@@ -587,11 +605,12 @@
     (let loop ((server-info (server:check-if-running areapath))
 	       (try-num    0))
       (if (or server-info
 	      (> (current-seconds) give-up-time)) ;; server-url will be #f if no server available.
 	  (server:record->url server-info)
-	  (let ((num-ok (length (server:choose-server areapath 'all-valid))))
+	  (let* ( (servers (server:choose-server areapath 'all-valid))
+                (num-ok (if servers (length (server:choose-server areapath 'all-valid)) 0)))
 	    (if (and (> try-num 0)  ;; first time through simply wait a little while then try again
 		     (< num-ok 1))  ;; if there are no decent candidates for servers then try starting a new one
 		(server:run areapath))
 	    (thread-sleep! 5)
 	    (loop (server:check-if-running areapath)