Index: api.scm
==================================================================
--- api.scm
+++ api.scm
@@ -429,8 +429,8 @@
 	  ;;          (boolean? res))
 	  ;;      res 
 	  ;;      (list "ERROR, not string, list, number or boolean" 1 cmd params res)))))
 	  (db:obj->string res transport: 'http)))
 	(begin
-	  (debug:print 0 *default-log-port*   "Server refused to process request. Sever id mismatch. recived " key " expected:  " *server-id* ".\nOther arguments recived: cmd=" cmd " params = " params) 
+	  (debug:print 0 *default-log-port*   "Server refused to process request. Server id mismatch. recived " key " expected:  " *server-id* ".\nOther arguments recived: cmd=" cmd " params = " params) 
 	  (db:obj->string (conc "Server refused to process request server-id mismatch: " key ", " *server-id*) transport: 'http)))))
 

Index: http-transport.scm
==================================================================
--- http-transport.scm
+++ http-transport.scm
@@ -434,12 +434,14 @@
 				     (servinf     (conc servinfodir"/"ipaddr":"port)))
 				(if (not (file-exists? servinfodir))
 				    (create-directory servinfodir #t))
 				(with-output-to-file servinf
 				  (lambda ()
-				    (print "SERVER STARTED: "ipaddr":"port" AT "(current-seconds)" server-id: "(server:get-client-signature))
-				    (print "started: "(seconds->year-week/day-time (current-seconds)))))
+				    (let* ((serv-id (server:mk-signature)))
+				      (set! *server-id* serv-id)
+				      (print "SERVER STARTED: "ipaddr":"port" AT "(current-seconds)" server-id: "serv-id)
+				      (print "started: "(seconds->year-week/day-time (current-seconds))))))
 				(set! *on-exit-procs* (cons
 						       (lambda ()
 							 (delete-file* servinf))
 						       *on-exit-procs*))
 				;; put data about this server into a simple flat file host.port
@@ -535,11 +537,11 @@
 		(new-port  (cadr sdat)))
 	    (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: interface changed, refreshing iface and port info")
 	    (set! iface new-iface)
 	    (set! port  new-port)
              (if (not *server-id*)
-              (set! *server-id* (server:mk-signature)))
+		 (set! *server-id* (server:mk-signature)))
 	    (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "SERVER STARTED: " iface ":" port " AT " (current-seconds) " server-id: " *server-id*)
 	    (flush-output *default-log-port*)))
       
       ;; Transfer *db-last-access* to last-access to use in checking that we are still alive
       (mutex-lock! *heartbeat-mutex*)

Index: server.scm
==================================================================
--- server.scm
+++ server.scm
@@ -99,10 +99,22 @@
 			 (with-output-to-string
 			   (lambda ()
 			     (write (list (current-directory)
                                           (current-process-id)
 					  (argv)))))))
+
+(define (server:get-client-signature)
+  (if *my-client-signature* *my-client-signature*
+      (let ((sig (server:mk-signature))) ;; clients re-use the server:mk-signature logic
+        (set! *my-client-signature* sig)
+        *my-client-signature*)))
+
+(define (server:get-server-id)
+  (if *server-id* *server-id*
+      (let ((sig (server:mk-signature))) ;; clients re-use the server:mk-signature logic
+        (set! *server-id* sig)
+        *server-id*)))
 
 ;; When using zmq this would send the message back (two step process)
 ;; with spiffy or rpc this simply returns the return data to be returned
 ;; 
 (define (server:reply return-addr query-sig success/fail result)
@@ -369,16 +381,10 @@
 	       servr))
     (if (and host port)
 	(conc host ":" port)
 	#f))))
 
-(define (server:get-client-signature) ;; BB> why is this proc named "get-"?  it returns nothing -- set! has not return value.
-  (if *my-client-signature* *my-client-signature*
-      (let ((sig (server:mk-signature)))
-        (set! *my-client-signature* sig)
-        *my-client-signature*)))
-
 
 ;; if server-start-last exists, and wasn't old enough, wait <idle time> + 1, then call this function recursively until it is old enough.
 ;; if it is old enough, overwrite it and wait 0.25 seconds.
 ;; if it then has the wrong server key, wait <idle time> + 1 and call this function recursively.
 ;;
@@ -439,14 +445,17 @@
   ;; find alive rand from youngest
   ;;   1. sort by age descending
   ;;   2. take five
   ;;   3. check alive, discard if not and repeat
   (let* ((serversdat  (server:get-servers-info areapath))
-	 (by-time-asc (sort (hash-table-keys serversdat) ;; list of "host:port"
-			    (lambda (a b)
-			      (>= (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat a) 2)
-				  (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat b) 2))))))
+	 (servkeys    (hash-table-keys serversdat))
+	 (by-time-asc (if (not (null? servkeys))
+			  (sort servkeys ;; list of "host:port"
+				(lambda (a b)
+				  (>= (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat a) 2)
+				      (list-ref (hash-table-ref serversdat b) 2))))
+			  '())))
     (if (not (null? by-time-asc))
 	(let* ((oldest     (last by-time-asc))
 	       (oldest-dat (hash-table-ref serversdat oldest))
 	       (host       (list-ref oldest-dat 0))
 	       (all-valid  (filter (lambda (x)
@@ -479,11 +488,14 @@
 			  (list-ref best-five (random len))))
 			  
 	    (else
 	     (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "ERROR: invalid command "mode)
 	     #f)))
-	#f)))
+	(begin
+	  (server:run areapath)
+	  (thread-sleep! 3)
+	  #f))))
 
 	  
 ;; kind start up of server, wait before allowing another server for a given
 ;; area to be launched
 ;;