Index: common.scm
==================================================================
--- common.scm
+++ common.scm
@@ -359,10 +359,11 @@
 (define sdb:qry #f) ;; (make-sdb:qry)) ;;  'init #f)
 ;; Generic path database
 (define *fdb* #f)
 
 (define *last-launch* (current-seconds)) ;; use for throttling the launch rate. Would be better to use the db and last time of a test in LAUNCHED state.
+(define *last-test-start* 0)             ;; same as above but done differently
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; V E R S I O N
 ;;======================================================================
 

Index: launch.scm
==================================================================
--- launch.scm
+++ launch.scm
@@ -1368,33 +1368,39 @@
 ;;    - could be ssh to host from hosts table (update regularly with load)
 ;;    - could be netbatch
 ;;      (launch-test db (cadr status) test-conf))
 (define (launch-test test-id run-id run-info keyvals runname test-conf test-name test-path itemdat params)
   (mutex-lock! *launch-setup-mutex*) ;; setting variables and processing the testconfig is NOT thread-safe, reuse the launch-setup mutex
-  (let* ( ;; (lock-key        (conc "test-" test-id))
-	;; (got-lock        (let loop ((lock        (rmt:no-sync-get-lock lock-key))
-	;; 			     (expire-time (+ (current-seconds) 15))) ;; give up on getting the lock and steal it after 15 seconds
-	;; 		    (if (car lock)
-	;; 			#t
-	;; 			(if (> (current-seconds) expire-time)
-	;; 			    (begin
-	;; 			      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Timed out waiting for a lock to launch test " keyvals " " runname " " test-name " " test-path)
-	;; 			      (rmt:no-sync-del! lock-key) ;; destroy the lock
-	;; 			      (loop (rmt:no-sync-get-lock lock-key) expire-time)) ;; 
-	;; 			    (begin
-	;; 			      (thread-sleep! 1)
-	;; 			      (loop (rmt:no-sync-get-lock lock-key) expire-time))))))
+  (let* (;; NOTE: There used to be a test start lock here.
 	 (item-path       (item-list->path itemdat))
 	 (contour         #f)) ;; NOT READY FOR THIS (args:get-arg "-contour")))
+
+    ;; this is the same idea as inter-test-delay but it seems bady implemented, why a loop and does it really make sense to set *last-launch*
+    ;; further down in the code?
+    ;; I don't think this is used and it should be removed.
+    ;;
     (let loop ((delta        (- (current-seconds) *last-launch*))
 	       (launch-delay (configf:lookup-number *configdat* "setup" "launch-delay" default: 0)))
       (if (> launch-delay delta)
 	  (begin
 	    (if (common:low-noise-print 1200 "test launch delay") ;; every two hours or so remind the user about launch delay.
-		(debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "NOTE: test launches are delayed by " launch-delay " seconds. See megatest.config launch-delay setting to adjust.")) ;; launch of " test-name " for " (- launch-delay delta) " seconds"))
+		(debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "NOTE: test launches are delayed by " launch-delay " seconds. See megatest.config launch-delay setting to adjust."))
 	    (thread-sleep! (- launch-delay delta))
 	    (loop (- (current-seconds) *last-launch*) launch-delay))))
+
+    ;; this is nearly the same as setup launch-delay!!
+    (let* ((inter-test-delay (configf:lookup-number *configdat* "setup" "inter-test-delay" default: 0.0))
+	   (last-delay       (- (current-seconds) *last-test-start*)))
+      (if (and (> 0 inter-test-delay)
+	       (< last-delay inter-test-delay))
+	  (begin
+	    (if (common:low-noise-print 1200 "inter test delay") ;; every two hours or so remind the user about launch delay.
+		(debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "NOTE: test starts are delayed by " inter-test-delay
+				  " seconds. Check megatest.config inter-test-delay in [settings] to adjust."))
+	    (thread-sleep! (- inter-test-delay last-delay))))
+      (set! *last-test-start* (current-seconds)))
+    
     (change-directory *toppath*)
     (alist->env-vars ;; consolidate this code with the code in megatest.scm for "-execute", *maybe* - the longer they are set the longer each launch takes (must be non-overlapping with the vars)
      (append
       (list
        (list "MT_RUN_AREA_HOME" *toppath*)
@@ -1593,12 +1599,11 @@
 	      ))
 	(alist->env-vars miscprevvals)
 	(alist->env-vars testprevvals)
 	(alist->env-vars commonprevvals)
 	launch-results))
-    (change-directory *toppath*)
-    (thread-sleep! (configf:lookup-number *configdat* "setup" "inter-test-delay" default: 0.0))))
+    (change-directory *toppath*)))
 
 ;; recover a test where the top controlling mtest may have died
 ;;
 (define (launch:recover-test run-id test-id)
   ;; this function is called on the test run host via ssh