Index: http-transport.scm
==================================================================
--- http-transport.scm
+++ http-transport.scm
@@ -272,11 +272,17 @@
 					     (set! success #f)
 					     (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?
+					     ;; (tasks:kill-server-run-id run-id)  ;; better to kill the server in the logic that called this routine?
+
+					     ;; could try to start server here, if sucessful, retry the call to with-input-from-request
+					     ;; otherwise - raise the error
+
+					     ;; (rmt:start-server run-id)
+					     
 					     (mutex-unlock! *http-mutex*)
 					     (signal (make-composite-condition
 						      (make-property-condition 'commfail 'message "failed to connect to server")))
 					     "communications failed")
 					   (with-input-from-request ;; was dat

Index: rmt.scm
==================================================================
--- rmt.scm
+++ rmt.scm
@@ -108,11 +108,19 @@
     (if connection-info
 	;; use the server if have connection info
 	(let* ((dat     (case *transport-type*
 			  ((http)(condition-case
 				  (http-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd params)
-				  ((commfail)(vector #f "communications fail"))
+				  ((commfail)
+				   (if (< attemptnum 5)
+				       (begin
+					 (debug:print 0 "Trying again, try number " attemptnum)
+					 (hash-table-delete! *runremote* run-id)
+					 (rmt:send-receive cmd rid params attemptnum: (+ attemptnum 1)))
+				       (begin
+					 (debug:print 0 "Giving up, try number " attemptnum)
+					 (vector #f "communications fail"))))
 				  ((exn)(vector #f "other fail"))))
 			  ((nmsg)(condition-case
 				  (nmsg-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd params)
 				  ((timeout)(vector #f "timeout talking to server"))))
 			  (else  (exit))))
@@ -259,11 +267,13 @@
 (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  	   (handle-exceptions
 		    exn
-		    #f
+		    (begin
+		      (debug:print 0 "Failed in rmt:send-receive-no-auto-client-setup, cmd=" cmd ", run-id=" run-id ", params=" params)
+		       #f)
 		    (http-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd params))))
 ;;		    ((commfail) (vector #f "communications fail")))))
     (if (and res (vector-ref res 0))
 	(vector-ref res 1) ;;; YES!! THIS IS CORRECT!! CHANGE IT HERE, THEN CHANGE rmt:send-receive ALSO!!!
 	#f)))