Index: http-transport.scm
==================================================================
--- http-transport.scm
+++ http-transport.scm
@@ -272,15 +272,16 @@
 					     (set! success #f)
 					     (debug:print 0 "WARNING: failure in with-input-from-request to " fullurl ".")
 					     (debug:print 0 " message: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn))
 					     (hash-table-delete! *runremote* run-id)
 					     ;; Killing associated server to allow clean retry.")
-					     (tasks:kill-server-run-id run-id)  ;; better to kill the server in the logic that called this routine?
+					     ;; (tasks:kill-server-run-id run-id)  ;; better to kill the server in the logic that called this routine?
 					     (mutex-unlock! *http-mutex*)
-					     (signal (make-composite-condition
-						      (make-property-condition 'commfail 'message "failed to connect to server")))
-					     "communications failed")
+					     ;;; (signal (make-composite-condition
+					     ;;;          (make-property-condition 'commfail 'message "failed to connect to server")))
+					     ;;; "communications failed"
+					     (db:obj->string #f))
 					   (with-input-from-request ;; was dat
 					    fullurl 
 					    (list (cons 'key "thekey")
 						  (cons 'cmd cmd)
 						  (cons 'params sparams))

Index: tests/unittests/basicserver.scm
==================================================================
--- tests/unittests/basicserver.scm
+++ tests/unittests/basicserver.scm
@@ -139,11 +139,11 @@
       ((start)
        (print "Trying to start server")
        (server:kind-run run-id)
        (loop 'server-started))
       ((server-started)
-       (case (vector-ref first-dat)
+       (case (if first-dat (vector-ref first-dat 0) 'blah)
 	 ((running)
 	  (print "Server appears to be running. Now ask it to shutdown")
 	  (rmt:kill-server run-id)
 	  (loop 'server-shutdown))
 	 ((shutting-down)