Index: launch.scm
==================================================================
--- launch.scm
+++ launch.scm
@@ -214,11 +214,11 @@
 	       )
 
 	  ;; NFS might not have propagated the directory meta data to the run host - give it time if needed
 	  (let loop ((count 0))
 	    (if (or (file-exists? top-path)
-		    (< count 10))
+		    (> count 10))
 		(change-directory top-path)
 		(begin
 		  (debug:print 0 "INFO: Not starting job yet - directory " top-path " not found")
 		  (thread-sleep! 10)
 		  (loop (+ count 1)))))
@@ -293,18 +293,18 @@
 		      (list "default" target)))
 
 	  ;; NFS might not have propagated the directory meta data to the run host - give it time if needed
 	  (let loop ((count 0))
 	    (if (or (file-exists? work-area)
-		    (< count 10))
+		    (> count 10))
 		(change-directory work-area)
 		(begin
 		  (debug:print 0 "INFO: Not starting job yet - directory " work-area " not found")
 		  (thread-sleep! 10)
 		  (loop (+ count 1)))))
 
-	  (change-directory work-area) 
+	  ;; (change-directory work-area) 
 	  (set! keyvals    (keys:target->keyval keys target))
 	  ;; apply pre-overrides before other variables. The pre-override vars must not
 	  ;; clobbers things from the official sources such as megatest.config and runconfigs.config
 	  (if (string? set-vars)
 	      (let ((varpairs (string-split set-vars ",")))
@@ -404,11 +404,13 @@
 					      )))))
 				 ;; then, if runscript ran ok (or did not get called)
 				 ;; do all the ezsteps (if any)
 				 (if ezsteps
 				     (let* ((testconfig ;; (read-config (conc work-area "/testconfig") #f #t environ-patt: "pre-launch-env-vars")) ;; FIXME??? is allow-system ok here?
-					     (tests:get-testconfig test-name tconfigreg #t)) ;; 'return-procs)))
+					     ;; NOTE: it is tempting to turn off force-create of testconfig but dynamic
+					     ;;       ezstep names need a full re-eval here.
+					     (tests:get-testconfig test-name tconfigreg #t force-create: #t)) ;; 'return-procs)))
 					    (ezstepslst (hash-table-ref/default testconfig "ezsteps" '())))
 				       (hash-table-set! *testconfigs* test-name testconfig) ;; cached for lazy reads later ...
 				       (if (not (file-exists? ".ezsteps"))(create-directory ".ezsteps"))
 				       ;; if ezsteps was defined then we are sure to have at least one step but check anyway
 				       (if (not (> (length ezstepslst) 0))
@@ -856,11 +858,11 @@
     ))
   (let* ((tregistry       (tests:get-all))
 	 (item-path       (let ((ip (item-list->path itemdat)))
 			    (alist->env-vars (list (list "MT_ITEMPATH" ip)))
 			    ip))
-	 (tconfig         (or (tests:get-testconfig test-name tregistry #t)
+	 (tconfig         (or (tests:get-testconfig test-name tregistry #t force-create: #t)
 			      test-conf)) ;; force re-read now that all vars are set
 	 (useshell        (let ((ush (config-lookup *configdat* "jobtools"     "useshell")))
 			    (if ush 
 				(if (equal? ush "no") ;; must use "no" to NOT use shell
 				    #f

Index: tests.scm
==================================================================
--- tests.scm
+++ tests.scm
@@ -728,18 +728,20 @@
 	     (getenv "MT_TEST_NAME") "/"
 	     (if (or (getenv "MT_ITEMPATH")
 		     (not (string=? "" (getenv "MT_ITEMPATH"))))
 		 (conc "/" (getenv "MT_ITEMPATH"))))))
 
-(define (tests:get-testconfig test-name test-registry system-allowed)
+(define (tests:get-testconfig test-name test-registry system-allowed #!key (force-create #f))
   (let* ((test-path         (hash-table-ref/default 
 			     test-registry test-name 
 			     (conc *toppath* "/tests/" test-name)))
 	 (test-configf (conc test-path "/testconfig"))
 	 (testexists   (and (file-exists? test-configf)(file-read-access? test-configf)))
 	 (cache-path   (tests:get-test-path-from-environment))
-	 (cache-exists (and cache-path (file-exists? (conc cache-path "/.testconfig"))))
+	 (cache-exists (and cache-path 
+			    (not force-create)  ;; if force-create then pretend there is no cache to read
+			    (file-exists? (conc cache-path "/.testconfig"))))
 	 (cache-file   (conc cache-path "/.testconfig"))
 	 (tcfg         (if testexists
 			   (or (and cache-exists
 				    (handle-exceptions
 				     exn
@@ -823,17 +825,17 @@
 	  (lambda (a b)
 	    (> (mungepriority (tests:testqueue-get-priority (hash-table-ref test-records a)))
 	       (mungepriority (tests:testqueue-get-priority (hash-table-ref test-records b)))))))
     ;; (let ((dot-res (tests:run-dot (tests:tests->dot test-records) "plain")))
     ;;   (debug:print "dot-res=" dot-res))
-    (let ((data (map cdr (filter
-			  (lambda (x)(equal? "node" (car x)))
-			  (map string-split (tests:easy-dot test-records "plain"))))))
-      (map car (sort data (lambda (a b)
-			    (> (string->number (caddr a))(string->number (caddr b)))))))
-    ))
-    ;; (sort all-tests sort-fn1))) ;; avoid dealing with deleted tests, look at the hash table
+    ;; (let ((data (map cdr (filter
+    ;;     		  (lambda (x)(equal? "node" (car x)))
+    ;;     		  (map string-split (tests:easy-dot test-records "plain"))))))
+    ;;   (map car (sort data (lambda (a b)
+    ;;     		    (> (string->number (caddr a))(string->number (caddr b)))))))
+    ;; ))
+    (sort all-tests sort-fn1))) ;; avoid dealing with deleted tests, look at the hash table
 
 (define (tests:easy-dot test-records outtype)
   (let-values (((fd temp-path) (file-mkstemp (conc "/tmp/" (current-user-name) ".XXXXXX"))))
     (let ((all-testnames (hash-table-keys test-records))
 	  (temp-port     (open-output-file* fd)))