Index: megatest.scm
==================================================================
--- megatest.scm
+++ megatest.scm
@@ -464,14 +464,15 @@
 	      ;; if not list or kill then start a client (if appropriate)
 	      (if (or (args-defined? "-h" "-version" "-gen-megatest-area" "-gen-megatest-test")
 		      (eq? (length (hash-table-keys args:arg-hash)) 0))
 		  (debug:print-info 1 "Server connection not needed")
 		  (begin
-		    (if run-id 
-			(client:launch run-id) 
-			(client:launch 0)      ;; without run-id we'll start a server for "0"
-			)))))))
+		    ;; (if run-id 
+		    ;;     (client:launch run-id) 
+		    ;;     (client:launch 0)      ;; without run-id we'll start a server for "0"
+		    #t
+		    ))))))
 
 ;; MAY STILL NEED THIS
 ;;		       (set! *megatest-db* (make-dbr:dbstruct path: *toppath* local: #t))))))))))
 
 (if (or (args:get-arg "-list-servers")

Index: rmt.scm
==================================================================
--- rmt.scm
+++ rmt.scm
@@ -32,12 +32,14 @@
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;;  S U P P O R T   F U N C T I O N S
 ;;======================================================================
 
+;; #t means - please start a server!
+;;
 (define (rmt:write-frequency-over-limit? cmd run-id)
-  (or (member cmd api:read-only-queries)
+  (or (not (member cmd api:read-only-queries))
       (let* ((tmprec (hash-table-ref/default *write-frequency* run-id #f))
 	     (record (if tmprec tmprec 
 			 (let ((v (vector (current-seconds) 0)))
 			   (hash-table-set! *write-frequency* run-id v)
 			   v)))
@@ -47,11 +49,11 @@
 	(if (and (> count 10) 
 		 (< (/ (- (current-seconds) start)
 		       count) ;; seconds per count
 		    10))
 	    (begin
-	      (debug:print-info 1 "db write rate too high, starting a server")
+	      (debug:print-info 1 "db write rate too high, starting a server, count=" count " start=" start " run-id=" run-id)
 	      #t)
 	    #f)))) ;; less than 10 seconds per count - start up a server
 
 ;; cmd is a symbol
 ;; vars is a json string encoding the parameters for the call
@@ -73,10 +75,13 @@
 				      (let ((res (client:setup run-id)))
 					(if res 
 					    (hash-table-ref/default *runremote* run-id #f) ;; client:setup filled this in (hopefully)
 					    (if (> numtries 0)
 						(begin
+						  ;; junk records can cause stuckness here. use this time to
+						  ;; clean out
+						  (open-run-close tasks:server-clean-out-old-records-for-run-id tasks:open-db run-id "auto-start-clean-up")
 						  (thread-sleep! 10)
 						  (loop (- numtries 1)))
 						(begin
 						  (debug:print 0 "ERROR: 100 tries and no server, giving up")
 						  (exit 1))))))))))

Index: tasks.scm
==================================================================
--- tasks.scm
+++ tasks.scm
@@ -155,11 +155,11 @@
   (let ((res 0))
     (sqlite3:for-each-row
      (lambda (num-in-queue)
        (set! res num-in-queue))
      mdb
-     "SELECT count(id) FROM servers WHERE run_id=? AND state = 'available';"
+     "SELECT count(id) FROM servers WHERE run_id=? AND state = 'available' AND (strftime('%s','now') - start_time) < 30 ;"
      run-id)
     res))
 
 (define (tasks:num-servers-non-zero-running mdb)
   (let ((res 0))
@@ -288,11 +288,11 @@
   (let ((res #f))
     (sqlite3:for-each-row
      (lambda (id)
        (set! res id))
      mdb
-     "SELECT id FROM servers WHERE run_id=? AND state in ('running','available');" run-id)
+     "SELECT id FROM servers WHERE run_id=? AND (state = 'running' OR (state = 'available' AND  (strftime('%s','now') - start_time) < 30));" run-id)
     res))
 
 (define (tasks:get-all-servers mdb)
   (let ((res '()))
     (sqlite3:for-each-row

Index: tests/fullrun/megatest.config
==================================================================
--- tests/fullrun/megatest.config
+++ tests/fullrun/megatest.config
@@ -128,12 +128,12 @@
 # This server will keep running this number of hours after last access. 
 # Three minutes is 0.05 hours
 # timeout 0.025
 timeout 0.01
 
-daemonize yes
-hostname #{scheme (get-host-name)}
+# daemonize yes
+# hostname #{scheme (get-host-name)}
 
 ## disks are:
 ## name host:/path/to/area
 ## -or-
 ## name /path/to/area