Index: server.scm
==================================================================
--- server.scm
+++ server.scm
@@ -171,11 +171,11 @@
 (define (server:logf-get-start-info logf)
   (let ((rx (regexp "^SERVER STARTED: (\\S+):(\\d+) AT ([\\d\\.]+) server-id: (\\S+)"))) ;; SERVER STARTED: host:port AT timesecs server id
     (handle-exceptions
 	exn
       (begin
-	(print "failed to get server info from " logf ", exn=" exn)
+	(debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "failed to get server info from " logf ", exn=" exn)
 	(list #f #f #f #f)) ;; no idea what went wrong, call it a bad server
       (with-input-from-file
 	  logf
 	(lambda ()
 	  (let loop ((inl  (read-line))
@@ -183,17 +183,21 @@
 	    (if (not (eof-object? inl))
 		(let ((mlst (string-match rx inl)))
 		  (if (not mlst)
 		      (if (< lnum 500) ;; give up if more than 500 lines of server log read
 			  (loop (read-line)(+ lnum 1))
-			  (list #f #f #f #f))
+			  (begin 
+                           (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "failed to get server info from first 500 lines of " logf )
+                           (list #f #f #f #f)))
 		      (let ((dat  (cdr mlst)))
 			(list (car dat) ;; host
 			      (string->number (cadr dat)) ;; port
 			      (string->number (caddr dat))
                               (cadr (cddr dat))))))
-		(list #f #f #f #f))))))))
+                (begin 
+                   (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "failed to get server info from " logf " at " (current-seconds))
+		    (list #f #f #f #f)))))))))
 
 ;; get a list of servers with all relevant data
 ;; ( mod-time host port start-time pid )
 ;;
 (define (server:get-list areapath #!key (limit #f))
@@ -245,17 +249,21 @@
 
 (define (server:get-num-alive srvlst)
   (let ((num-alive 0))
     (for-each
      (lambda (server)
+        (handle-exceptions
+          exn
+         (begin 
+          (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port*  "failed to get server start-time and/or mod-time from " server ", exn=" exn))
        (match-let (((mod-time host port start-time server-id pid)
 		    server))
 	 (let* ((uptime  (- (current-seconds) mod-time))
 		(runtime (if start-time
 			     (- mod-time start-time)
 			     0)))
-	   (if (< uptime 5)(set! num-alive (+ num-alive 1))))))
+	   (if (< uptime 5)(set! num-alive (+ num-alive 1)))))))
      srvlst)
     num-alive))
 
 ;; given a list of servers get a list of valid servers, i.e. at least
 ;; 10 seconds old, has started and is less than 1 hour old and is
@@ -309,22 +317,32 @@
 	       (idx (random len)))
 	  (list-ref srvrs idx))
 	#f)))
 
 (define (server:record->id servr)
+  (handle-exceptions
+   exn
+   (begin 
+     (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port*  "failed to get server id from " server ", exn=" exn)     
+   #f)
   (match-let (((mod-time host port start-time server-id pid)
 	       servr))
     (if server-id
 	server-id
-	#f)))
+	#f))))
 
 (define (server:record->url servr)
+  (handle-exceptions
+   exn
+   (begin 
+     (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port*  "failed to get server url from " server ", exn=" exn)     
+   #f)
   (match-let (((mod-time host port start-time server-id pid)
 	       servr))
     (if (and host port)
 	(conc host ":" port)
-	#f)))
+	#f))))
 
 (define (server:get-client-signature) ;; BB> why is this proc named "get-"?  it returns nothing -- set! has not return value.
   (if *my-client-signature* *my-client-signature*
       (let ((sig (server:mk-signature)))
         (set! *my-client-signature* sig)
@@ -441,13 +459,18 @@
     (if res
         server-url
 	#f)))
 
 (define (server:kill servr)
+  (handle-exceptions
+    exn
+    (begin 
+      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port*  "failed to get host and/or port from " server ", exn=" exn)     
+    #f)
   (match-let (((mod-time hostname port start-time pid)
 	       servr))
-    (tasks:kill-server hostname pid)))
+    (tasks:kill-server hostname pid))))
 
 ;; called in megatest.scm, host-port is string hostname:port
 ;;
 ;; NOTE: This is NOT called directly from clients as not all transports support a client running
 ;;       in the same process as the server.

Index: tasks.scm
==================================================================
--- tasks.scm
+++ tasks.scm
@@ -1085,11 +1085,11 @@
                 (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port*  "syncing test steps")
                 (tasks:sync-test-steps dbh cached-info test-step-ids smallest-last-update-time)
 								(debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port*  "syncing test data")
                 (tasks:sync-test-gen-data dbh cached-info test-data-ids smallest-last-update-time)
                 (print "----------done---------------")))
-     (let*  ((smallest-time (hash-table-ref/default smallest-last-update-time "smallest-time" #f)))
+     (let*  ((smallest-time (hash-table-ref/default smallest-last-update-time "smallest-time" (current-seconds))))
      (debug:print-info 0 "smallest-time :" smallest-time  " last-sync-time " last-sync-time)
     (if (not (and target run-name)) 
 	  (if (or (and smallest-time (> smallest-time last-sync-time)) (and smallest-time (eq? last-sync-time 0)))
 				(pgdb:write-sync-time dbh area-info smallest-time))))) ;;this needs to be changed
 	(if (tasks:set-area dbh configdat)