Index: rmt.scm
==================================================================
--- rmt.scm
+++ rmt.scm
@@ -88,11 +88,11 @@
 	  (if res
 	      (db:string->obj res)
 	      (let ((new-connection-info (client:setup run-id)))
 		(debug:print 0 "WARNING: Communication failed, trying call to http-transport:client-api-send-receive again.")
 		(rmt:send-receive cmd run-id params))))
-	(let ((max-avg-qry (string->number (or (configf:lookup *configdat* "server" "server-query-threshold") "800"))))
+	(let ((max-avg-qry (string->number (or (configf:lookup *configdat* "server" "server-query-threshold") "-1"))))
 	  (debug:print-info 4 "no server and read-only query, bypassing normal channel")
 	  ;; (if (rmt:write-frequency-over-limit? cmd run-id)(server:kind-run run-id))
 	  (let ((curr-max (rmt:get-max-query-average)))
 	    (if (> (cdr curr-max) max-avg-qry)
 		(begin
@@ -168,16 +168,18 @@
       ;; mark this run as dirty if this was a write
       (if (not (member cmd api:read-only-queries))
 	  (let ((start-time (current-seconds)))
 	    (mutex-lock! *db-multi-sync-mutex*)
 	    (let ((last-sync (hash-table-ref/default *db-local-sync* run-id 0)))
-	      (if (and (> (- start-time last-sync) 5) ;; every five seconds
-		       (common:db-access-allowed?))
+	      (if ;; (and 
+		   (> (- start-time last-sync) 5) ;; every five seconds
+		  ;;      (common:db-access-allowed?))
 		  (begin
 		    ;; MOVE THIS TO A THREAD?
 		    (db:multi-db-sync (list run-id) 'new2old)
-		    (debug:print-info 0 "Sync of newdb to olddb for run-id " run-id " completed in " (- (current-seconds) start-time) " seconds")
+		    (if (common:low-noise-print 30 "sync new to old")
+			(debug:print-info 0 "Sync of newdb to olddb for run-id " run-id " completed in " (- (current-seconds) start-time) " seconds"))
 		    (hash-table-set! *db-local-sync* run-id start-time))))
 	    (mutex-unlock! *db-multi-sync-mutex*)))
       res)))
 
 (define (rmt:send-receive-no-auto-client-setup connection-info cmd run-id params)

Index: tests/fullrun/runconfigs.config
==================================================================
--- tests/fullrun/runconfigs.config
+++ tests/fullrun/runconfigs.config
@@ -17,10 +17,11 @@
 WACKYVAR2 #{runconfigs-get CURRENT}
 
 [ubuntu/nfs/none]
 WACKYVAR2 #{runconfigs-get CURRENT}
 SOMEVAR2  This should show up in SOMEVAR4 if the target is ubuntu/nfs/none
+VARWITHDOLLARSIGNS The$USER/signs/should/be/replaced/with/variable
 
 [default]
 SOMEVAR3 #{rget SOMEVAR}
 SOMEVAR4 #{rget SOMEVAR2}
 SOMEVAR5 #{runconfigs-get SOMEVAR2}

ADDED   tests/fullrun/tests/test_mt_vars/eval_vars.sh
Index: tests/fullrun/tests/test_mt_vars/eval_vars.sh
==================================================================
--- /dev/null
+++ tests/fullrun/tests/test_mt_vars/eval_vars.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+if env | grep VARWITHDOLLARSIGNS | grep USER;then
+    exit 1 # fails!
+else
+    exit 0 # good!
+fi

Index: tests/fullrun/tests/test_mt_vars/testconfig
==================================================================
--- tests/fullrun/tests/test_mt_vars/testconfig
+++ tests/fullrun/tests/test_mt_vars/testconfig
@@ -18,10 +18,13 @@
 # VACKYVAR should be set to a path
 vackyvar vackyvar.sh
 
 # test-path and test-file
 test-path test-path-file.sh
+
+# verify that vars with $ signs get expanded
+varwithdollar eval_vars.sh
 
 [requirements]
 waiton runfirst
 priority 0