Index: db.scm
==================================================================
--- db.scm
+++ db.scm
@@ -2415,13 +2415,13 @@
 		       (is-ok             (member status '("PASS" "WARN" "CHECK" "WAIVED" "SKIP")))
 		       (same-itempath     (equal? ref-item-path item-path)))
 		  (set! ever-seen #t)
 		  (cond
 		   ;; case 1, non-item (parent test) is 
-		   ((and (equal? item-path "") ;; this is the parent test
+		   ((and (equal? item-path "") ;; this is the parent test of the waiton being examined
 			 is-completed
-			 (or is-ok (not (null? (lset-intersection eq? mode '(toplevel itemmatch itemwait))))))
+			 (or is-ok (not (null? (lset-intersection eq? mode '(toplevel)))))) ;;  itemmatch itemwait))))))
 		    (set! parent-waiton-met #t))
 		   ;; Special case for toplevel and KILLED
 		   ((and (equal? item-path "") ;; this is the parent test
 			 is-killed
 			 (member 'toplevel mode))

Index: runs.scm
==================================================================
--- runs.scm
+++ runs.scm
@@ -583,19 +583,21 @@
 		(runs:queue-next-tal tal reg reglen regfull)
 		(runs:queue-next-reg tal reg reglen regfull)
 		reruns))))) ;; (list (car newtal)(cdr newtal) reg reruns)))))
 
 (define (runs:mixed-list-testname-and-testrec->list-of-strings inlst)
-  (map (lambda (t)
-	 (cond
-	  ((vector? t)
-	   (conc (db:test-get-state t) "/" (db:test-get-status t)))
-	  ((string? t)
-	   t)
-	  (else 
-	   (conc t))))
-       inlst))
+  (if (null? inlst)
+      '()
+      (map (lambda (t)
+	     (cond
+	      ((vector? t)
+	       (conc (db:test-get-state t) "/" (db:test-get-status t)))
+	      ((string? t)
+	       t)
+	      (else 
+	       (conc t))))
+	   inlst)))
 
 (define (runs:process-expanded-tests hed tal reg reruns reglen regfull test-record runname test-name item-path jobgroup max-concurrent-jobs run-id waitons item-path testmode test-patts required-tests test-registry registry-mutex flags keyvals run-info newtal all-tests-registry)
   (let* ((run-limits-info         (runs:can-run-more-tests jobgroup max-concurrent-jobs)) ;; look at the test jobgroup and tot jobs running
 	 (have-resources          (car run-limits-info))
 	 (num-running             (list-ref run-limits-info 1))
@@ -723,11 +725,10 @@
       ;; (runs:mixed-list-testname-and-testrec->list-of-strings prereqs-not-met)
       (if (not (null? prereqs-not-met))
 	  (debug:print-info 1 "waiting on tests; " (string-intersperse 
 						    (runs:mixed-list-testname-and-testrec->list-of-strings 
 						     prereqs-not-met) ", ")))
-      
       (if (null? fails)
 	  (begin
 	    ;; couldn't run, take a breather
 	    (debug:print-info 0 "Waiting for more work to do...")
 	    (thread-sleep! 1)
@@ -742,17 +743,31 @@
 		    ;; (thread-sleep! *global-delta*)
 		    (hash-table-set! test-registry (runs:make-full-test-name test-name item-path) 'removed)
 		    (list (runs:queue-next-hed tal reg reglen regfull)
 			  (runs:queue-next-tal tal reg reglen regfull)
 			  (runs:queue-next-reg tal reg reglen regfull)
-			  (cons hed reruns)))
+			  reruns ;; WAS: (cons hed reruns) ;; but that makes no sense?
+			  ))
 		  (begin
-		    (debug:print 0 "WARNING: Test not processed correctly. Could be a race condition in your test implementation? Dropping test " hed) ;;  " as it has prerequistes that are FAIL. (NOTE: hed is not a vector)")
+		    (debug:print 0 "WARNING: Test may not have processed correctly. Could be a race condition in your test implementation? Dropping test " hed) ;;  " as it has prerequistes that are FAIL. (NOTE: hed is not a vector)")
 		    (runs:shrink-can-run-more-tests-count) ;; DELAY TWEAKER (still needed?)
 		    ;; (list hed tal reg reruns)
-		    (list (car newtal)(cdr newtal) reg reruns)
-		    ))))))))
+		    ;; (list (car newtal)(cdr newtal) reg reruns)
+		    (list (runs:queue-next-hed tal reg reglen regfull)
+			  (runs:queue-next-tal tal reg reglen regfull)
+			  (runs:queue-next-reg tal reg reglen regfull)
+			  reruns) ;; (cons hed reruns))
+		    ;;(list (if (null? tal)(car newtal)(car tal))
+		    ;;      tal
+		    ;;      reg
+		    ;;      reruns)
+		    ))
+	      ;; can't drop this - maybe running? Just keep trying
+	      (list hed
+		    tal
+		    reg
+		    reruns)))))))
 
 ;; every time though the loop increment the test/itempatt val.
 ;; when the min is > max-allowed and none running then force exit
 ;;
 (define *max-tries-hash* (make-hash-table))

Index: tests/fdktestqa/testqa/Makefile
==================================================================
--- tests/fdktestqa/testqa/Makefile
+++ tests/fdktestqa/testqa/Makefile
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 BINDIR    = $(PWD)/../../../bin
 PATH     := $(BINDIR):$(PATH)
 MEGATEST  = $(BINDIR)/megatest
 DASHBOARD = $(BINDIR)/dashboard
+RUNNAME   = a
+
+
 all :
 	$(MEGATEST) -remove-runs -target a/b :runname c -testpatt %/%
 	$(MEGATEST) -runtests % -target a/b :runname c
 
 bigbig :
@@ -11,19 +14,20 @@
 	for tn in a b c d;do \
 	   ($(MEGATEST) -runtests % -target a/b :runname $tn & ) ; \
 	done
 
 bigrun :
-	$(MEGATEST) -runtests bigrun -target a/bigrun :runname a
+	$(MEGATEST) -runtests bigrun -target a/bigrun :runname $(RUNNAME)
 
 bigrun2 :
-	$(MEGATEST) -runtests bigrun2 -target a/bigrun2 :runname a -transport http
+	$(MEGATEST) -runtests bigrun2 -target a/bigrun2 :runname $(RUNNAME)
 
 dashboard : 
 	$(DASHBOARD) -rows 20 &
 
 compile :
 	$(MEGATEST) -stop-server 0
 	(cd ../../..;make && make install)
 
 clean :
-	rm -rf ../simple*/*/* megatest.db
+	rm -rf ../simple*/*/* megatest.db monitor.db
+

Index: tests/fdktestqa/testqa/tests/bigrun/step1.sh
==================================================================
--- tests/fdktestqa/testqa/tests/bigrun/step1.sh
+++ tests/fdktestqa/testqa/tests/bigrun/step1.sh
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-if [ $NUMBER -lt 15 ];then 
+#!/bin/bash
+if [ $NUMBER -lt 10 ];then 
    sleep 2
-   sleep `echo 2 * $NUMBER | bc`
+   sleep `echo 4 * $NUMBER | bc`
 else
-   sleep 100
+   sleep 130
 fi
 
-exit 0
+if [[ $RANDOM -lt 10000 ]];then
+  exit 1
+else
+  exit 0
+fi