Index: client.scm
==================================================================
--- client.scm
+++ client.scm
@@ -53,54 +53,58 @@
 ;;
 ;; client:setup
 ;;
 ;; lookup_server, need to remove *runremote* stuff
 ;;
-(define (client:setup run-id #!key (remaining-tries 3))
+(define (client:setup run-id #!key (remaining-tries 10))
+  (debug:print 0 "INFO: client:setup remaining-tries=" remaining-tries)
   (if (<= remaining-tries 0)
       (begin
 	(debug:print 0 "ERROR: failed to start or connect to server for run-id " run-id)
 	(exit 1))
       (let ((server-dat (and run-id (hash-table-ref/default *runremote* run-id #f))))
 	(if server-dat
-	    (let ((start-res (http-transport:client-connect run-id
+	    (let ((start-res (http-transport:client-connect run-id ;; NB// confusion over server-dat and connection result!
 							    (tasks:hostinfo-get-interface server-dat)
 							    (tasks:hostinfo-get-port      server-dat))))
 	      (if start-res ;; sucessful login?
 		  (begin
-		    (hash-table-set! *runremote* run-id server-dat)
-		    server-dat)
+		    (hash-table-set! *runremote* run-id start-res)
+		    start-res)
 		  (begin    ;; login failed
 		    (hash-table-delete! *runremote* run-id)
 		    (open-run-close tasks:server-force-clean-run-record
 				    tasks:open-db
 				    run-id 
 				    (tasks:hostinfo-get-interface server-dat)
 				    (tasks:hostinfo-get-port      server-dat))
+		    (thread-sleep! 5)
 		    (client:setup run-id remaining-tries: (- remaining-tries 1)))))
 	    (let* ((server-dat (open-run-close tasks:get-server tasks:open-db run-id)))
 	      (if server-dat
 		  (let ((start-res (http-transport:client-connect run-id
 								  (tasks:hostinfo-get-interface server-dat)
 								  (tasks:hostinfo-get-port      server-dat))))
 		    (if start-res
 			(begin
-			  (hash-table-set! *runremote* run-id server-dat)
-			  server-dat)
+			  (hash-table-set! *runremote* run-id start-res)
+			  start-res)
 			(begin    ;; login failed
 			  (hash-table-delete! *runremote* run-id)
 			  (open-run-close tasks:server-force-clean-run-record
 					  tasks:open-db
 					  run-id 
 					  (tasks:hostinfo-get-interface server-dat)
 					  (tasks:hostinfo-get-port      server-dat))
+			  (thread-sleep! 2)
 			  (server:try-running run-id)
-			  (thread-sleep! 3) ;; give server a little time to start up
+			  (thread-sleep! 5) ;; give server a little time to start up
 			  (client:setup run-id remaining-tries: (- remaining-tries 1)))))
 		  (begin    ;; no server registered
+		    (thread-sleep! 2)
 		    (server:try-running run-id)
-		    (thread-sleep! 3) ;; give server a little time to start up
+		    (thread-sleep! 5) ;; give server a little time to start up
 		    (client:setup run-id remaining-tries: (- remaining-tries 1)))))))))
 
 ;; keep this as a function to ease future 
 (define (client:start run-id server-info)
   (http-transport:client-connect run-id 

Index: http-transport.scm
==================================================================
--- http-transport.scm
+++ http-transport.scm
@@ -400,10 +400,14 @@
 ;;
 (define (http-transport:launch run-id)
   (set! *run-id*   run-id)
   (if (args:get-arg "-daemonize")
       (daemon:ize))
+  (if (server:check-if-running run-id)
+      (begin
+	(debug:print 0 "INFO: Server for run-id " run-id " already running")
+	(exit 0)))
   (let ((server-id (open-run-close tasks:server-lock-slot tasks:open-db run-id)))
     (if (not server-id)
 	(begin
 	  ;; since we didn't get the server lock we are going to clean up and bail out
 	  (debug:print-info 2 "INFO: server pid=" (current-process-id) ", hostname=" (get-host-name) " not starting due to other candidates ahead in start queue")

Index: rmt.scm
==================================================================
--- rmt.scm
+++ rmt.scm
@@ -35,22 +35,36 @@
 ;;======================================================================
 
 ;; cmd is a symbol
 ;; vars is a json string encoding the parameters for the call
 ;;
-(define (rmt:send-receive cmd run-id params)
-  (let* ((connection-info (hash-table-ref/default *runremote* run-id #f))
+(define (rmt:send-receive cmd rid params)
+  (let* ((run-id  (if rid rid 0))
+	 (connection-info (let ((cinfo (hash-table-ref/default *runremote* run-id #f)))
+			    (if cinfo
+				cinfo
+				(let loop ((numtries 100))
+				  (thread-sleep! 1)
+				  (let ((res (client:setup run-id)))
+				    (if res 
+					res
+					(if (> numtries 0)
+					    (loop (- numtries 1))
+					    (begin
+					      (debug:print 0 "ERROR: 100 tries and no server, giving up")
+					      (exit 1)))))))))
 	 (jparams         (db:obj->string params))
 	 (res (http-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd jparams)))
     (if res
 	(db:string->obj res) ;; (rmt:json-str->dat res)
 	(let ((new-connection-info (client:setup run-id)))
 	  (debug:print 0 "WARNING: Communication failed, trying call to http-transport:client-api-send-receive again.")
-	  (rmt:send-receive-no-auto-client-setup connection-info cmd run-id params)))))
+	  (rmt:send-receive cmd run-id params)))))
 
 (define (rmt:send-receive-no-auto-client-setup connection-info cmd run-id params)
-  (let* ((jparams         (db:obj->string params)) ;; (rmt:dat->json-str params))
+  (let* ((run-id   (if run-id run-id 0))
+	 (jparams         (db:obj->string params)) ;; (rmt:dat->json-str params))
 	 (res (http-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd jparams numretries: 3)))
     (if res
 	(db:string->obj res) ;; (rmt:json-str->dat res)
 	;; this one does NOT keep trying
 	res)))

Index: server.scm
==================================================================
--- server.scm
+++ server.scm
@@ -103,13 +103,15 @@
 ;; with spiffy or rpc this simply returns the return data to be returned
 ;; 
 (define (server:reply return-addr query-sig success/fail result)
   (db:obj->string (vector success/fail query-sig result)))
 
+;; > file 2>&1 
 (define (server:try-running run-id)
-  (let ((cmdln (conc (if (getenv "MT_MEGATEST") (getenv "MT_MEGATEST") "megatest")
-		     " -server - -run-id " run-id " &> " *toppath* "/db/" run-id ".log &")))
+  (let* ((rand-name (random 100))
+	 (cmdln (conc (if (getenv "MT_MEGATEST") (getenv "MT_MEGATEST") "megatest")
+		     " -server - -run-id " run-id " name=" rand-name " > " *toppath* "/db/" run-id "-" rand-name ".log 2>&1 &")))
     (debug:print 0 "INFO: Starting server (" cmdln ") as none running ...")
     (push-directory *toppath*)
     (system cmdln)
     (pop-directory)))
 

Index: tasks.scm
==================================================================
--- tasks.scm
+++ tasks.scm
@@ -92,17 +92,16 @@
 (define (tasks:hostinfo-get-pid         vec)    (vector-ref  vec 5))
 (define (tasks:hostinfo-get-hostname    vec)    (vector-ref  vec 6))
 
 (define (tasks:server-lock-slot mdb run-id)
   (tasks:server-clean-out-old-records-for-run-id mdb run-id)
-  (server:check-if-running run-id)
   (if (< (tasks:num-in-available-state mdb run-id) 4)
       (begin 
 	(tasks:server-set-available mdb run-id)
 	(thread-sleep! 2) ;; Try removing this. It may not be needed.
 	(tasks:server-am-i-the-server? mdb run-id))
-      #f))      
+      #f))
 	
 ;; register that this server may come online (first to register goes though with the process)
 (define (tasks:server-set-available mdb run-id)
   (sqlite3:execute 
    mdb 

Index: tests/Makefile
==================================================================
--- tests/Makefile
+++ tests/Makefile
@@ -22,11 +22,11 @@
 
 all : test1 test2 test3 test4 test5 test6 test7 test8 test9
 
 server :
 	cd ..;make;make install
-	cd fullrun;../../bin/megatest -server - -debug 22 -run-id $(RUNID)
+	cd fullrun;../../bin/megatest -server - -debug $(DEBUG) -run-id $(RUNID)
 
 stopserver :
 	cd ..;make && make install
 	cd fullrun;$(MEGATEST) -stop-server 0