Index: common.scm
==================================================================
--- common.scm
+++ common.scm
@@ -1505,11 +1505,11 @@
      (with-output-to-file fullpath (lambda ()(pp dat))))))
 
 ;; get cpu load by reading from /proc/loadavg, return all three values
 ;;
 (define (common:get-cpu-load remote-host)
-  (let* ((actual-hostname (or remote-host (get-host-name))))
+  (let* ((actual-hostname (or remote-host (get-host-name) "localhost")))
     (or (common:get-cached-info actual-hostname "cpu-load")
 	(let ((result (if remote-host
 			  (map (lambda (res)
 				 (if (eof-object? res) 9e99 res))
 			       (with-input-from-pipe 

Index: dashboard.scm
==================================================================
--- dashboard.scm
+++ dashboard.scm
@@ -3440,11 +3440,11 @@
             (common:exit-on-version-changed)))
     (let* ((commondat       (dboard:commondat-make)))
       ;; Move this stuff to db.scm? I'm not sure that is the right thing to do...
       (cond 
        ((args:get-arg "-test") ;; run-id,test-id
-      (let* ((dat     (let ((d (map string->number (string-split (args:get-arg "-test") ",")))) 
+	(let* ((dat     (let ((d (map string->number (string-split (args:get-arg "-test") ",")))) 
 			  (if (> (length d) 1)
 			      d
 			      (list #f #f))))
 	       (run-id  (car dat))
 	       (test-id (cadr dat)))
@@ -3467,21 +3467,21 @@
 	 tab-num: 1)
 	(iup:callback-set! *tim*
 			   "ACTION_CB"
 			   (lambda (time-obj)
 			     (let ((update-is-running #f))
-			       (mutex-lock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
-			       (set! update-is-running (dboard:commondat-updating commondat))
-			       (if (not update-is-running)
-				   (dboard:commondat-updating-set! commondat #t))
-			       (mutex-unlock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
-			       (if (not update-is-running) ;; we know that the update was not running and we now have a lock on doing an update
-				   (begin
-				     (dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat) ;; (dashboard:run-update commondat)
-				     (mutex-lock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
-				     (dboard:commondat-updating-set! commondat #f)
-				     (mutex-unlock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat)))
+			     (mutex-lock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
+			     (set! update-is-running (dboard:commondat-updating commondat))
+			     (if (not update-is-running)
+			     (dboard:commondat-updating-set! commondat #t))
+			     (mutex-unlock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
+			     (if (not update-is-running) ;; we know that the update was not running and we now have a lock on doing an update
+			     (begin
+			     (dboard:common-run-curr-updaters commondat) ;; (dashboard:run-update commondat)
+			     (mutex-lock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat))
+			     (dboard:commondat-updating-set! commondat #f)
+			     (mutex-unlock! (dboard:commondat-update-mutex commondat)))
 				   ))
 			     1))))
       
       (let ((th1 (make-thread (lambda ()
 				(thread-sleep! 1)

Index: subrun.scm
==================================================================
--- subrun.scm
+++ subrun.scm
@@ -73,27 +73,24 @@
 
 (define (subrun:testconfig-defines-subrun? testconfig)
   (configf:lookup testconfig "subrun" "runwait")) ;; we use runwait as the flag that a subrun is requested
 
 (define (subrun:initialize-toprun-test  testconfig test-run-dir)
-
   (let ((ra (configf:lookup testconfig "subrun" "run-area"))
         (logpro (configf:lookup testconfig "subrun" "logpro"))
         (symlink-target (conc test-run-dir "/subrun-area"))
         )
-  (when (not ra)      ;; when runarea is not set we default to *toppath*. However 
-              ;; we need to force the setting in the testconfig so it will
+    (if (not ra)      ;; when runarea is not set we default to *toppath*. However 
+	(let ((fallback-run-area (or *toppath* (conc test-run-dir "/subrun"))))
+	  ;; we need to force the setting in the testconfig so it will
           ;; be preserved in the testconfig.subrun file
-      (configf:set-section-var testconfig "subrun" "run-area" *toppath*)
-      (set! ra *toppath*))
+	  (configf:set-section-var testconfig "subrun" "run-area" fallback-run-area)
+	  (set! ra fallback-run-area)))
     (configf:set-section-var testconfig "logpro" "subrun" logpro) ;; append the logpro rules to the logpro section as stepname subrun
-
     (if (common:file-exists? symlink-target)
         (delete-file symlink-target))
-    
     (create-symbolic-link ra symlink-target)
-
     (configf:write-alist testconfig "testconfig.subrun")))
 
 (define (subrun:set-state-status test-run-dir state status new-state-status)
   (if (and (not (subrun:subrun-removed? test-run-dir)) (subrun:subrun-test-initialized? test-run-dir))
       (let* ((action-switches-str