Index: tcp-transportmod.scm
==================================================================
--- tcp-transportmod.scm
+++ tcp-transportmod.scm
@@ -242,11 +242,11 @@
 	     (if (not res) ;; tt:handler is telling us that communication failed
 		 (let* ((host    (tt-conn-host conn))
 			(port    (tt-conn-port conn))
 			;; (dbfname (tt-conn-port conn)) ;; 192.168.0.127:4242-726924:4.db
 			(pid     (tt-conn-pid  conn))
-			(servinf (conc areapath"/.servinfo/"host":"port"-"pid":"dbfname)))
+			(servinf (tt-servinf-file ttdat))) ;; (conc areapath"/.servinfo/"host":"port"-"pid":"dbfname))) ;; TODO, use (server:get-servinfo-dir areapath)
 		   (hash-table-set! (tt-conns ttdat) dbfname #f)
 		   (if (file-exists? servinf)
 		       (begin
 			 (if (< attemptnum 3)
 			     (begin
@@ -265,15 +265,16 @@
 				     (tt:handler ttdat cmd run-id params (+ attemptnum 1) area-dat areapath readonly-mode dbfname testsuite mtexe))
 				   (begin
 				     ;; start server - addressed in client-connect-to-server
 				     ;; delay        - addressed in client-connect-to-server
 				     ;; try again
+				     (thread-sleep! 0.25) ;; dunno, I think this needs to be here
 				     (tt:handler ttdat cmd run-id params (+ attemptnum 1) area-dat areapath readonly-mode dbfname testsuite mtexe))
 				   ))))
 		       (begin ;; no server file, delay and try again
 			 (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "INFO: connection to server "host":"port" broken for "dbfname", but do not see servinf file "servinf)
-			 (thread-sleep! 1)
+			 (thread-sleep! 0.5)
 			 (tt:handler ttdat cmd run-id params (+ attemptnum 1) area-dat areapath readonly-mode dbfname testsuite mtexe))))
 		 (begin ;; this case is where res is malformed. Probably should abort
 		   (assert #f "FATAL: tt:handler received bad data "res)
 		   ;; (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "INFO: got corrupt data from server "host":"port", "res", for "dbfname", will try again.")
 		   ;; (tt:handler ttdat cmd run-id params (+ attemptnum 1) area-dat areapath readonly-mode dbfname testsuite mtexe)
@@ -374,17 +375,20 @@
   (assert (number? port) "FATAL: tt:send-receive-direct called with port not a number "port)
   (tt:backoff-decr-and-wait host port)
   (let* ((retry          (lambda ()
 			   (tt:send-receive-direct host port dat tries-remaining: (- tries-remaining 1))))
 	 (full-err-print (lambda (exn msg)
-			   (pp (condition->list exn) *default-log-port*)
-			   (pp dat *default-log-port*)
-			   (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* msg
-					", error: "     ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message)   exn)
-					", arguments: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'arguments) exn)
-					", location: "  ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'location)  exn)
-					))))
+			   (if (condition? exn)
+			       (begin
+				 (pp (condition->list exn) *default-log-port*)
+				 (pp dat *default-log-port*)
+				 (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* msg
+					      ", error: "     ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message)   exn)
+					      ", arguments: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'arguments) exn)
+					      ", location: "  ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'location)  exn)
+					      ))
+			       (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* msg "(note: exn="exn", is not a condition object.")))))
     (condition-case
      (let-values (((inp oup)(tcp-connect host port)))
        (let ((res (if (and inp oup)
 		      (begin
 			(serialize dat oup)
@@ -412,11 +416,11 @@
 	      (cond
 	       ((>  tries-remaining 4) ;; server likely defunct
 		(tt:backoff-incr host port)
 		#f)
 	       ((>= tries-remaining 0)
-		(let* ((backoff-delay (* (- 26 tries-remaining) 0.1)))
+		(let* ((backoff-delay (max (* (- 26 tries-remaining) 0.1) 1.0)))
 		  (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: TCP overload, trying again in "backoff-delay"s.")
 		  (thread-sleep! backoff-delay)
 		  (tt:backoff-incr host port)
 		  (retry))
 		(assert #f "FATAL: Too many retries in tt:send-receive-direct"))