Index: common.scm
==================================================================
--- common.scm
+++ common.scm
@@ -45,10 +45,12 @@
 (define *waiting-queue*     (make-hash-table))
 (define *test-meta-updated* (make-hash-table))
 (define *globalexitstatus*  0) ;; attempt to work around possible thread issues
 (define *passnum*           0) ;; when running track calls to run-tests or similar
 (define *write-frequency*   (make-hash-table)) ;; run-id => (vector (current-seconds) 0))
+(define *alt-log-file* #f)  ;; used by -log
+
 
 ;; DATABASE
 (define *open-dbs* (vector #f (make-hash-table))) ;; megatestdb run-id-dbs
 
 ;; SERVER

Index: http-transport.scm
==================================================================
--- http-transport.scm
+++ http-transport.scm
@@ -457,11 +457,16 @@
 ;; start_server? 
 ;;
 (define (http-transport:launch run-id)
   (set! *run-id*   run-id)
   (if (args:get-arg "-daemonize")
-      (daemon:ize))
+      (begin
+	(daemon:ize)
+	(if *alt-log-file* ;; we should re-connect to this port, I think daemon:ize disrupts it
+	    (begin
+	      (current-error-port *alt-log-file*)
+	      (current-output-port *alt-log-file*)))))
   (if (server:check-if-running run-id)
       (begin
 	(debug:print 0 "INFO: Server for run-id " run-id " already running")
 	(exit 0)))
   (let loop ((server-id (open-run-close tasks:server-lock-slot tasks:open-db run-id))

Index: megatest.scm
==================================================================
--- megatest.scm
+++ megatest.scm
@@ -128,10 +128,11 @@
   -setvars VAR1=val1,VAR2=val2 : Add environment variables to a run NB// these are
                                  overwritten by values set in config files.
   -server -|hostname      : start the server (reduces contention on megatest.db), use
                             - to automatically figure out hostname
   -daemonize              : fork into background and disconnect from stdin/out
+  -log logfile            : send stdout and stderr to logfile
   -list-servers           : list the servers 
   -stop-server id         : stop server specified by id (see output of -list-servers), use
                             0 to kill all
   -repl                   : start a repl (useful for extending megatest)
   -load file.scm          : load and run file.scm
@@ -220,10 +221,11 @@
 			"-dumpmode"
 			"-run-id"
 			"-ping"
 			"-refdb2dat"
 			"-o"
+			"-log"
 			) 
 		 (list  "-h" "-help" "--help"
 			"-version"
 		        "-force"
 		        "-xterm"
@@ -274,10 +276,16 @@
 			"-q" ;; quiet 0, errors/warnings only
 		       )
 		 args:arg-hash
 		 0))
 
+(if (args:get-arg "-log")
+    (let ((oup (open-output-file (args:get-arg "-log"))))
+      (debug:print-info 0 "Sending log output to " (args:get-arg "-log"))
+      (current-error-port oup)
+      (current-output-port oup)))
+
 (if (or (args:get-arg "-h")
 	(args:get-arg "-help")
 	(args:get-arg "--help"))
     (begin
       (print help)

Index: portlogger.scm
==================================================================
--- portlogger.scm
+++ portlogger.scm
@@ -116,12 +116,10 @@
   (sqlite3:execute db "UPDATE ports SET state='failed',fail_count=fail_count+1,update_time=strftime('%s','now') WHERE port=?;" portnum))
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; MAIN
 ;;======================================================================
-
-
 
 (define (portlogger:main . args)
   (let* ((db      (portlogger:open-db (conc "/tmp/." (current-user-name) "-portlogger.db")))
 	 (numargs (length args))
 	 (result  (cond

Index: server.scm
==================================================================
--- server.scm
+++ server.scm
@@ -85,11 +85,13 @@
   (let* ((curr-host   (get-host-name))
 	 (curr-ip     (server:get-best-guess-address curr-host))
 	 (target-host (configf:lookup *configdat* "server" "homehost" ))
 	 (logfile     (conc *toppath* "/logs/" run-id ".log"))
 	 (cmdln (conc (common:get-megatest-exe)
-		      " -server " (or target-host "-") " -run-id " run-id " >> " logfile " 2>&1 &")))
+		      " -server " (or target-host "-") " -run-id " run-id (if (equal? (configf:lookup *configdat* "server" "daemonize") "yes")
+									      (conc " -daemonize -log " logfile)
+									      (conc " >> " logfile " 2>&1 &")))))
     (debug:print 0 "INFO: Starting server (" cmdln ") as none running ...")
     (push-directory *toppath*)
     (if (not (directory-exists? "logs"))(create-directory "logs"))
     ;; host.domain.tld match host?
     (if (and target-host 

Index: tests/fullrun/megatest.config
==================================================================
--- tests/fullrun/megatest.config
+++ tests/fullrun/megatest.config
@@ -127,10 +127,12 @@
 
 # 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
 
 ## disks are:
 ## name host:/path/to/area
 ## -or-
 ## name /path/to/area