Index: http-transport.scm
==================================================================
--- http-transport.scm
+++ http-transport.scm
@@ -273,12 +273,12 @@
 					     (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?
-					     ;; (signal (make-composite-condition
-					     ;;          (make-property-condition 'commfail 'message "failed to connect to server")))
+					     (signal (make-composite-condition
+						      (make-property-condition 'commfail 'message "failed to connect to server")))
 					     "communications failed")
 					   (with-input-from-request ;; was dat
 					    fullurl 
 					    (list (cons 'key "thekey")
 						  (cons 'cmd cmd)

Index: launch.scm
==================================================================
--- launch.scm
+++ launch.scm
@@ -451,11 +451,11 @@
   ;; have chicken/egg scenario. need to read megatest.config then read it again. Going to 
   ;; pass on that idea for now
   ;; special case
   (if (or force (not (hash-table? *configdat*)))  ;; no need to re-open on every call
       (begin
-	(set! *configinfo* (or (if (get-environment-variable "MT_CMDINFO") ;; we are inside a test - do not reprocess configs
+	(set! *configinfo* (or (if (get-environment-variable "MT_MDINFO") ;; we are inside a test - do not reprocess configs
 				   (let ((alistconfig (conc (get-environment-variable "MT_LINKTREE") "/"
 							    (get-environment-variable "MT_TARGET")   "/"
 							    (get-environment-variable "MT_RUNNAME")  "/"
 							    ".megatest.cfg")))
 				     (if (file-exists? alistconfig)
@@ -530,13 +530,16 @@
 	      (if (not (file-exists? fulldir))
 		  (create-directory fulldir #t)) ;; need to protect with exception handler 
 	      (if (and target
 		       runname
 		       (file-exists? fulldir))
-		  (begin
+		  (let ((tmpfile  (conc fulldir "/.megatest.cfg." (current-seconds)))
+			(targfile (conc fulldir "/.megatest.cfg")))
 		    (debug:print-info 0 "Caching megatest.config in " fulldir "/.megatest.cfg")
-		    (configf:write-alist *configdat* (conc fulldir "/.megatest.cfg")))))))))
+		    (configf:write-alist *configdat* tmpfile)
+		    (system (conc "ln -sf " tmpfile " " targfile))
+		    )))))))
 
 
 (define (get-best-disk confdat)
   (let* ((disks    (hash-table-ref/default confdat "disks" #f))
 	 (best     #f)
@@ -692,11 +695,14 @@
 	  ;; (rmt:general-call 'test-set-rundir run-id lnkpath testname "") ;; toptest-path)
 	  (if (or (not curr-test-path)
 		  (not (directory-exists? toptest-path)))
 	      (begin
 		(debug:print-info 2 "Creating " toptest-path " and link " lnkpath)
-		(create-directory toptest-path #t)
+		(handle-exceptions
+		 exn
+		 #f ;; don't care to catch and deal with errors here for now.
+		 (create-directory toptest-path #t))
 		(hash-table-set! *toptest-paths* testname toptest-path)))))
 
     ;; The toptest path has been created, the link to the test in the linktree has
     ;; been created. Now, if this is an iterated test the real test dir must be created
     (if (not not-iterated) ;; this is an iterated test

Index: rmt.scm
==================================================================
--- rmt.scm
+++ rmt.scm
@@ -33,10 +33,12 @@
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;;  S U P P O R T   F U N C T I O N S
 ;;======================================================================
 
+;; NOT USED
+;;
 (define (rmt:call-transport run-id connection-info cmd jparams)
   (case (server:get-transport)
     ((rpc)  ( rpc-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd jparams))
     ((http) (http-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd jparams))
     ((fs)   ( fs-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd jparams))
@@ -232,11 +234,13 @@
       res)))
 
 (define (rmt:send-receive-no-auto-client-setup connection-info cmd run-id 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 params)))
+	 (res  	   (condition-case
+		    (http-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd params)
+		    ((commfail)(vector #f "communications fail")))))
     (if (and res (vector-ref res 0))
 	res
 	#f)))
 ;; 	(db:string->obj (vector-ref dat 1))
 ;; 	(begin