Index: db.scm
==================================================================
--- db.scm
+++ db.scm
@@ -1048,20 +1048,32 @@
     (db:sync-tables (db:sync-all-tables-list dbstruct) last-update tmpdb refndb mtdb)))
 
 ;;;; run-ids
 ;;    if #f use *db-local-sync* : or 'local-sync-flags
 ;;    if #t use timestamps      : or 'timestamps
+;;
+;;  NB// no-sync-db is the db handle, not a flag!
+;;
 (define (db:sync-to-megatest.db dbstruct #!key (no-sync-db #f)) 
   (let* ((start-time         (current-seconds))
-	 (last-update        (if no-sync-db
-				 (db:no-sync-get/default no-sync-db "LAST_UPDATE" 0)
-				 0)) ;; (or (db:get-var dbstruct "LAST_UPDATE") 0))
+	 (last-full-update   (if no-sync-db
+				 (db:no-sync-get/default no-sync-db "LAST_FULL_UPDATE" 0)
+				 0))
+	 (full-sync-needed   (> (- start-time last-full-update) 3600)) ;; every hour do a full sync
+	 (last-update        (if full-sync-needed
+				 0
+				 (if no-sync-db
+				     (db:no-sync-get/default no-sync-db "LAST_UPDATE" 0)
+				     0))) ;; (or (db:get-var dbstruct "LAST_UPDATE") 0))
 	 (sync-needed        (> (- start-time last-update) 6))
-	 (res                (if sync-needed ;; don't sync if a sync already occurred in the past 6 seconds
+	 (res                (if (or sync-needed ;; don't sync if a sync already occurred in the past 6 seconds
+				     full-sync-needed)
 				 (begin
 				   (if no-sync-db
-				       (db:no-sync-set no-sync-db "LAST_UPDATE" start-time))
+				       (begin
+					 (if full-sync-needed (db:no-sync-set no-sync-db "LAST_FULL_UPDATE" start-time))
+					 (db:no-sync-set no-sync-db "LAST_UPDATE" start-time)))
 				   (db:tmp->megatest.db-sync dbstruct last-update))
 				 0))
 	 (sync-time           (- (current-seconds) start-time)))
       (debug:print-info 3 *default-log-port* "Sync of newdb to olddb completed in " sync-time " seconds pid="(current-process-id))
       (if (common:low-noise-print 30 "sync new to old")

Index: megatest.scm
==================================================================
--- megatest.scm
+++ megatest.scm
@@ -53,13 +53,32 @@
 (include "key_records.scm")
 (include "db_records.scm")
 (include "run_records.scm")
 (include "megatest-fossil-hash.scm")
 
+(define *usage-log-file* #f) ;; put path to file for logging usage in this var in the ~/.megatestrc file
+
+;; load the ~/.megatestrc file, put (use trace)(trace-call-sites #t)(trace function-you-want-to-trace) in this file
+;;
 (let ((debugcontrolf (conc (get-environment-variable "HOME") "/.megatestrc")))
   (if (common:file-exists? debugcontrolf)
       (load debugcontrolf)))
+
+;; usage logging, careful with this, it is not designed to deal with all real world challenges!
+;;
+(if (and (common:file-exists? *usage-log-file*)
+	   (file-write-access? *usage-log-file*))
+      (with-output-to-file
+	  *usage-log-file*
+	(lambda ()
+	  (print
+	   (time->string
+	    (seconds->local-time (current-seconds))
+	    "%Yww%V.%w %H:%M:%S") " "
+	    (current-directory) " "
+	    "\"" (string-intersperse (argv) " ") "\""))
+	#:append))
 
 ;; Disabled help items
 ;;  -rollup                 : (currently disabled) fill run (set by :runname)  with latest test(s)
 ;;                            from prior runs with same keys
 ;;  -daemonize              : fork into background and disconnect from stdin/out

Index: server.scm
==================================================================
--- server.scm
+++ server.scm
@@ -502,14 +502,14 @@
 	      (if will-sync (set! *db-sync-in-progress* #t))
 	      (mutex-unlock! *db-multi-sync-mutex*)
 	      (if will-sync
                   (let ((sync-start (current-milliseconds)))
 		    (with-output-to-file start-file (lambda ()(print (current-process-id))))
-
+		    
 		    ;; put lock here
 		    
-                    (if (< sync-duration 300)
+                    (if (< sync-duration 1000) ;; NOTE: db:sync-to-megatest.db keeps track of time of last sync and syncs incrementally
                         (let ((res        (db:sync-to-megatest.db dbstruct no-sync-db: no-sync-db))) ;; did we sync any data? If so need to set the db touched flag to keep the server alive
                           (set! sync-duration (- (current-milliseconds) sync-start))
                           (if (> res 0) ;; some records were transferred, keep the db alive
                               (begin
                                 (mutex-lock! *heartbeat-mutex*)