Index: http-transport.scm
==================================================================
--- http-transport.scm
+++ http-transport.scm
@@ -273,10 +273,11 @@
 					     (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?
+					     (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
 					    fullurl 

Index: rmt.scm
==================================================================
--- rmt.scm
+++ rmt.scm
@@ -236,11 +236,11 @@
 (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  	   (condition-case
 		    (http-transport:client-api-send-receive run-id connection-info cmd params)
-		    ((commfail)(vector #f "communications fail")))))
+		    ((commfail) #f)))) ;; (vector #f "communications fail")))))
     (if (and res (vector-ref res 0))
 	res
 	#f)))
 ;; 	(db:string->obj (vector-ref dat 1))
 ;; 	(begin