Index: dashboard-tests.scm
==================================================================
--- dashboard-tests.scm
+++ dashboard-tests.scm
@@ -561,11 +561,11 @@
 						       request-update))
 				    (newtestdat (if need-update 
 						    ;; NOTE: BUG HIDER, try to eliminate this exception handler
 						    (handle-exceptions
 						     exn 
-						     (debug:print-info 0 "test db access issue: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
+						     (debug:print-info 0 "test db access issue in examine test for run-id " run-id ", test-id " test-id ": " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
 						     (db:get-test-info-by-id dbstruct run-id test-id )))))
 			       ;; (debug:print-info 0 "need-update= " need-update " curr-mod-time = " curr-mod-time)
 			       (cond
 				((and need-update newtestdat)
 				 (set! testdat newtestdat)

Index: dashboard.scm
==================================================================
--- dashboard.scm
+++ dashboard.scm
@@ -1458,11 +1458,11 @@
 
 (define (dashboard:get-youngest-run-db-mod-time)
   (handle-exceptions
    exn
    (begin
-     (debug:print 0 "WARNING: error in accessing databases: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
+     (debug:print 0 "WARNING: error in accessing databases in get-youngest-run-db-mod-time: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
      (current-seconds)) ;; something went wrong - just print an error and return current-seconds
    (apply max (map (lambda (filen)
 		     (file-modification-time filen))
 		   (glob (conc *dbdir* "/*.db"))))))
 

Index: portlogger.scm
==================================================================
--- portlogger.scm
+++ portlogger.scm
@@ -31,11 +31,11 @@
     (sqlite3:set-busy-handler! db handler)
     (sqlite3:execute db "PRAGMA synchronous = 0;")
     (if (not exists)
 	(sqlite3:execute 
 	 db
-	 "CREATE TABLE ports (
+	 "CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS ports (
             port INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
             state TEXT DEFAULT 'not-used',
             fail_count INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
             update_time TIMESTAMP DEFAULT (strftime('%s','now')) );"))
     db))
@@ -88,16 +88,25 @@
     (sqlite3:finalize! qry2)
     (sqlite3:finalize! qry3)
     res))
 
 (define (portlogger:get-prev-used-port db)
-  (sqlite3:fold-row
-   (lambda (var curr)
-     (or curr var curr))
-   #f
-   db
-   "SELECT (port) FROM ports WHERE state='released' LIMIT 1;"))
+  (handle-exceptions
+   exn
+   (begin
+     (debug:print 0 "EXCEPTION: portlogger database probably overloaded or unreadable. If you see this message again remove /tmp/.$USER-portlogger.db")
+     (debug:print 0 " message: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
+     (debug:print 0 "exn=" (condition->list exn))
+     (print-call-chain)
+     (debug:print 0 "Continuing anyway.")
+     #f)
+   (sqlite3:fold-row
+    (lambda (var curr)
+      (or curr var curr))
+    #f
+    db
+    "SELECT (port) FROM ports WHERE state='released' LIMIT 1;")))
 
 (define (portlogger:find-port db)
   (let* ((lowport (let ((val (configf:lookup *configdat* "server" "lowport")))
 		    (if (and val 
 			     (string->number val))
@@ -104,11 +113,19 @@
 			(string->number val)
 			32768)))
 	 (portnum (or (portlogger:get-prev-used-port db)
 		      (+ lowport ;; top of registered ports is 49152 but lets use ports in the registered range
 			 (random (- 64000 lowport))))))
-    (portlogger:take-port db portnum)
+    (handle-exceptions
+     exn
+     (begin
+       (debug:print 0 "EXCEPTION: portlogger database probably overloaded or unreadable. If you see this message again remove /tmp/.$USER-portlogger.db")
+       (debug:print 0 " message: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
+       (debug:print 0 "exn=" (condition->list exn))
+       (print-call-chain)
+       (debug:print 0 "Continuing anyway."))
+     (portlogger:take-port db portnum))
     portnum))
 
 ;; set port to "released", "failed" etc.
 ;; 
 (define (portlogger:set-port db portnum value)
@@ -122,20 +139,30 @@
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; MAIN
 ;;======================================================================
 
 (define (portlogger:main . args)
-  (let* ((db      (portlogger:open-db (conc "/tmp/." (current-user-name) "-portlogger.db")))
+  (let* ((dbfname (conc "/tmp/." (current-user-name) "-portlogger.db"))
+	 (db      (portlogger:open-db dbfname))
 	 (numargs (length args))
-	 (result  (cond
-		   ((> numargs 1) ;; most commands
-		    (case (string->symbol (car args)) ;; commands with two or more params
-		      ((take)(portlogger:take-port db (string->number (cadr args))))
-		      ((set) (portlogger:set-port db 
-						  (string->number (cadr args))
-						  (caddr args))
-		       (caddr args))
-		      ((failed)(portlogger:set-failed db (string->number (cadr args))) 'failed))))))
+	 (result  
+	  (handle-exceptions
+	   exn
+	   (begin
+	     (debug:print 0 "EXCEPTION: portlogger database at " dbfname " probably overloaded or unreadable. Try removing it.")
+	     (debug:print 0 " message: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
+	     (print "exn=" (condition->list exn))
+	     (debug:print 0 " status:  " ((condition-property-accessor 'sqlite3 'status) exn))
+	     (print-call-chain))
+	   (cond
+	    ((> numargs 1) ;; most commands
+	     (case (string->symbol (car args)) ;; commands with two or more params
+	       ((take)(portlogger:take-port db (string->number (cadr args))))
+	       ((set) (portlogger:set-port db 
+					   (string->number (cadr args))
+					   (caddr args))
+		(caddr args))
+	       ((failed)(portlogger:set-failed db (string->number (cadr args))) 'failed)))))))
     (sqlite3:finalize! db)
     result))
      
 ;; (print (apply portlogger:main (cdr (argv))))

Index: process.scm
==================================================================
--- process.scm
+++ process.scm
@@ -51,10 +51,12 @@
   ;; (print "Called with cmd=" cmd ", proc=" proc ", params=" params)
   (handle-exceptions
    exn
    (begin
      (print "ERROR:  Failed to run command: " cmd " " (string-intersperse params " "))
+     (debug:print 0 " message: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
+     (print "exn=" (condition->list exn))
      #f)
    (let-values (((fh fho pid) (if (null? params)
 				  (process cmd)
 				  (process cmd params))))
        (let loop ((curr (read-line fh))
@@ -124,11 +126,10 @@
        (if (eof-object? inl)
 	   (reverse res)
 	   (let ((pid (string->number inl)))
 	     (if proc (proc pid))
 	     (loop (read-line) (cons pid res))))))))
-       
 
 (define (process:alive? pid)
   (handle-exceptions
    exn
    ;; possibly pid is a process not a child, look in /proc to see if it is running still

Index: rmt.scm
==================================================================
--- rmt.scm
+++ rmt.scm
@@ -104,10 +104,12 @@
   (mutex-lock! *db-stats-mutex*)
   (handle-exceptions
    exn
    (begin
      (debug:print 0 "WARNING: stats collection failed in update-db-stats")
+     (debug:print 0 " message: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
+     (print "exn=" (condition->list exn))
      #f) ;; if this fails we don't care, it is just stats
    (let* ((cmd      (if (eq? rawcmd 'general-call) (car params) rawcmd))
 	  (stat-vec (hash-table-ref/default *db-stats* cmd #f)))
      (if (not stat-vec)
 	 (let ((newvec (vector 0 0)))

Index: tasks.scm
==================================================================
--- tasks.scm
+++ tasks.scm
@@ -650,28 +650,31 @@
      (lambda (record)
        (let* ((param-key (list-ref record 8))
 	      (match-dat (string-search hostpid-rx param-key)))
 	 (if match-dat
 	     (let ((hostname  (cadr match-dat))
-		   (pid       (caddr match-dat)))
+		   (pid       (string->number (caddr match-dat))))
 	       (debug:print 0 "Sending SIGINT to process " pid " on host " hostname)
 	       (if (equal? (get-host-name) hostname)
-		   (begin
-		     (handle-exceptions
-		      exn
-		      (begin
-			(debug:print 0 "Kill of process " pid " on host " hostname " failed.")
-			(debug:print 0 " message: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
-			#t)
-		      (process-signal (string->number pid) signal/int)
-		      (thread-sleep! 5)
-		      (process-signal (string->number pid) signal/kill)))
+		   (if (process:alive? pid)
+		       (begin
+			 (handle-exceptions
+			  exn
+			  (begin
+			    (debug:print 0 "Kill of process " pid " on host " hostname " failed.")
+			    (debug:print 0 " message: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
+			    #t)
+			  (process-signal pid signal/int)
+			  (thread-sleep! 5)
+			  (if (process:alive? pid)
+			      (process-signal pid signal/kill)))))
 		   ;;  (call-with-environment-variables
 		   (let ((old-targethost (getenv "TARGETHOST")))
 		     (setenv "TARGETHOST" hostname)
 		     (system (conc "nbfake kill " pid))
-		     (if old-targethost (setenv "TARGETHOST" old-targethost)))))
+		     (if old-targethost (setenv "TARGETHOST" old-targethost))
+		     (unsetenv "TARGETHOST"))))
 	     (debug:print 0 "ERROR: no record or improper record for " target "/" run-name " in tasks_queue in monitor.db"))))
      records)))
 
 
 ;;======================================================================

Index: tdb.scm
==================================================================
--- tdb.scm
+++ tdb.scm
@@ -70,11 +70,12 @@
 	(debug:print-info 11 "open-test-db END (sucessful)" work-area)
 	;; now let's test that everything is correct
 	(handle-exceptions
 	 exn
 	 (begin
-	   (debug:print 0 "ERROR: problem accessing test db " work-area ", you probably should clean and re-run this test"
+	   (debug:print 0 "ERROR: problem accessing test db " work-area ", you probably should clean and re-run this test or remove the file " 
+			dbpath ".\n  "
 			((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
 	   #f)
 	 ;; Is there a cheaper single line operation that will check for existance of a table
 	 ;; and raise an exception ?
 	 (sqlite3:execute db "SELECT id FROM test_data LIMIT 1;"))