Index: launch.scm
==================================================================
--- launch.scm
+++ launch.scm
@@ -1212,19 +1212,24 @@
     (debug:print 2 *default-log-port* "INFO:\n       lnkbase=" lnkbase "\n       lnkpath=" lnkpath "\n  toptest-path=" toptest-path "\n     test-path=" test-path)
     (if (not (common:file-exists? linktree))
 	(begin
 	  (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: linktree did not exist! Creating it now at " linktree)
 	  (create-directory linktree #t))) ;; (system (conc "mkdir -p " linktree))))
-    ;; create the directory for the tests dir links, this is needed no matter what...
-    (if (and (not (common:directory-exists? lnkbase))
-	     (not (common:file-exists? lnkbase)))
-	(handle-exceptions
-	 exn
-	 (begin
-	   (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "Problem creating linktree base at " lnkbase)
-	   (print-error-message exn (current-error-port)))
-	 (create-directory lnkbase #t)))
+    ;; create the directory for the tests dir links, this is needed no matter what... try up to three times
+    (let loop ((done 3)) 
+      (let ((success (if (and (not (common:directory-exists? lnkbase))
+			      (not (common:file-exists? lnkbase)))
+			 (handle-exceptions
+			  exn
+			  (begin
+			    (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "Problem creating linktree base at " lnkbase)
+			    (print-error-message exn (current-error-port))
+			    #t)
+			  (create-directory lnkbase #t)
+			  #f))))
+	(if (and (not success)(> done 0))
+	    (loop (- done 1)))))
     
     ;; update the toptest record with its location rundir, cache the path
     ;; This wass highly inefficient, one db write for every subtest, potentially
     ;; thousands of unnecessary updates, cache the fact it was set and don't set it 
     ;; again.