Index: common.scm
==================================================================
--- common.scm
+++ common.scm
@@ -958,20 +958,21 @@
 	  (handle-exceptions
 	      exn
 	      (begin
 		(debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "Couldn't create path to " *db-cache-path* ", exn=" exn)
 		(exit 1))
-	      (let* ((tsname (common:get-testsuite-name))
+	      (let* ((toppath (common:real-path *toppath*))
+		     (tsname (common:get-testsuite-name))
 		     (dbpath (common:get-create-writeable-dir
 			      (list (conc "/tmp/" (current-user-name)
 					  "/megatest_localdb/"
 					  tsname "/"
-					  (string-translate *toppath* "/" "."))
+					  (string-translate toppath "/" "."))
 				    (conc "/tmp/" (current-process-id) ;; just in case we have an issue with the dir by own user name
 					  "/megatest_localdb/"
 					  tsname
-					  (string-translate *toppath* "/" "."))
+					  (string-translate toppath "/" "."))
 				    ))))
 		(set! *db-cache-path* dbpath)
 		;; ensure megatest area has .megatest
 		(let ((dbarea (conc *toppath* "/.megatest")))
 		  (if (not (file-exists? dbarea))
@@ -1611,10 +1612,30 @@
 	path) ;; just give up
     (with-input-from-pipe
 	(conc "/bin/readlink -f " path)
       (lambda ()
 	(read-line)))))
+
+;; for reasons I don't understand multiple calls to real-path in parallel threads
+;; must be protected by mutexes
+;;
+(define (common:real-path inpath)
+  ;; (process:cmd-run-with-stderr->list "readlink" "-f" inpath)) ;; cmd . params)
+  ;; (let-values 
+  ;;  (((inp oup pid) (process "readlink" (list "-f" inpath))))
+  ;;  (with-input-from-port inp
+  ;;    (let loop ((inl (read-line))
+  ;;       	(res #f))
+  ;;      (print "inl=" inl)
+  ;;      (if (eof-object? inl)
+  ;;          (begin
+  ;;            (close-input-port inp)
+  ;;            (close-output-port oup)
+  ;;            ;; (process-wait pid)
+  ;;            res)
+  ;;          (loop (read-line) inl))))))
+  (with-input-from-pipe (conc "readlink -f " inpath) read-line))
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; returns *effective load* (not normalized)
 ;;
 (define (common:get-intercept onemin fivemin)
@@ -2238,30 +2259,10 @@
 	 (uname #f))
     (if (null? (car uname-res))
 	"unknown"
 	(caar uname-res))))
 
-;; for reasons I don't understand multiple calls to real-path in parallel threads
-;; must be protected by mutexes
-;;
-(define (common:real-path inpath)
-  ;; (process:cmd-run-with-stderr->list "readlink" "-f" inpath)) ;; cmd . params)
-  ;; (let-values 
-  ;;  (((inp oup pid) (process "readlink" (list "-f" inpath))))
-  ;;  (with-input-from-port inp
-  ;;    (let loop ((inl (read-line))
-  ;;       	(res #f))
-  ;;      (print "inl=" inl)
-  ;;      (if (eof-object? inl)
-  ;;          (begin
-  ;;            (close-input-port inp)
-  ;;            (close-output-port oup)
-  ;;            ;; (process-wait pid)
-  ;;            res)
-  ;;          (loop (read-line) inl))))))
-  (with-input-from-pipe (conc "readlink -f " inpath) read-line))
-
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; D I S K   S P A C E 
 ;;======================================================================
 
 (define (common:get-disk-space-used fpath)