Index: commonmod.scm
==================================================================
--- commonmod.scm
+++ commonmod.scm
@@ -1246,16 +1246,11 @@
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; (map print (map car (hash-table->alist (configf:read-config "runconfigs.config" #f #t))))
 ;;
 (define (common:get-runconfig-targets configf) ;; #!key (configf #f))
-  (let ((targs       (sort (map car (hash-table->alist configf
-						       #;(or configf ;; NOTE: There is no value in using runconfig:read here.
-					 (configf:read-config (conc *toppath* "/runconfigs.config")
-						      #f #t)
-						       (make-hash-table))
-						       ))
+  (let ((targs       (sort (map car (hash-table->alist configf))
 			   string<?))
 	(target-patt (args:get-arg "-target")))
     (if target-patt
 	(filter (lambda (x)
 		  (patt-list-match x target-patt))
@@ -3780,9 +3775,14 @@
 (define (sexpr->string data)
   (with-output-to-string
     (lambda ()(write data))))
 
 (define (string->sexpr instr)
-  (with-input-from-string instr
-      (lambda ()(read))))
+  (handle-exceptions
+   exn
+   (begin
+     (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "ERROR: string->sexpr bad input \""instr"\"")
+     #f)
+   (with-input-from-string instr
+     (lambda ()(read)))))
 
 )

Index: megatest.scm
==================================================================
--- megatest.scm
+++ megatest.scm
@@ -1199,11 +1199,12 @@
      ;; Weird special calls that need to run *after* the server has started?
      ;;======================================================================
      
      (if (args:get-arg "-list-targets")
          (if (launch:setup)
-             (let ((targets (common:get-runconfig-targets)))
+             (let* ((rconfdat (configf:read-config (conc *toppath* "/runconfigs.config") #f #f))
+		    (targets  (common:get-runconfig-targets rconfdat)))
                ;; (debug:print 1 *default-log-port* "Found "(length targets) " targets")
                (case (string->symbol (or (args:get-arg "-dumpmode") "alist"))
                  ((alist)
                   (for-each (lambda (x)
                               ;; (print "[" x "]"))

Index: rmtmod.scm
==================================================================
--- rmtmod.scm
+++ rmtmod.scm
@@ -239,19 +239,19 @@
 
 ;; NB// remote is a rmt:remote struct
 ;;
 (define (rmt:general-open-connection remote apath dbname)
   (let  ((mainconn (rmt:get-connection remote apath (db:run-id->dbname #f))))
-    (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "remote: " remote)
+    ;; (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "remote: " remote)
     (if (not mainconn)
 	(begin
 	  (rmt:open-main-connection remote apath)
 	  (thread-sleep! 1)
 	  (rmt:general-open-connection remote apath dbname))
 	;; we have a connection to main, ask for contact info for dbname
 	(let* ((res (rmt:send-receive 'get-server #f `(,apath ,dbname))))
-	  (print "rmt:general-open-connection got res="res)
+	  ;; (print "rmt:general-open-connection got res="res)
 	  res))))
 	  
 
 ;;======================================================================
 
@@ -267,23 +267,27 @@
 ;; db is at apath/.db/dbname, rid is an intermediary solution and will be removed
 ;; sometime in the future
 ;;
 (define (rmt:send-receive-real remote apath dbname rid cmd params)
   (let* ((conn (rmt:get-connection remote apath dbname)))
-    (assert conn "FATAL: Unable to connect to db "apath"/"dbname)
-    (let* (;; (host    (rmt:conn-ipaddr conn))
-	   ;; (port    (rmt:conn-port   conn))
-	   (payload (sexpr->string params))
-	   (res      (with-input-from-request
-		      (rmt:conn->uri conn "api")
-		      `((params . ,payload)
-			(cmd    . ,cmd)
-			(key    . "nokey"))
-		      read-string)))
-      (if (string? res)
-	  (string->sexpr res)
-	  res))))
+    (if conn
+	(let* (;; (host    (rmt:conn-ipaddr conn))
+	       ;; (port    (rmt:conn-port   conn))
+	       (payload (sexpr->string params))
+	       (res      (with-input-from-request
+			  (rmt:conn->uri conn "api")
+			  `((params . ,payload)
+			    (cmd    . ,cmd)
+			    (key    . "nokey"))
+			  read-string)))
+	  (if (string? res)
+	      (string->sexpr res)
+	      res))
+	;; no conn yet, start it up
+	(begin
+	  (rmt:general-open-connection remote apath dbname)
+	  (rmt:send-receive-real remote apath dbname rid cmd params)))))
 
 ;; db is at apath/.db/dbname, rid is an intermediary solution and will be removed
 ;; sometime in the future
 ;;
 (define (rmt:send-receive-server-start remote apath dbname)

Index: tests/unittests/basicserver.scm
==================================================================
--- tests/unittests/basicserver.scm
+++ tests/unittests/basicserver.scm
@@ -56,10 +56,11 @@
  )
 
 (define *db* (db:setup #f))
 (test #f 'server-started (api:execute-requests *db* 'get-server (list *toppath* ".db/1.db")))
 (test #f 'server-started (rmt:general-open-connection *rmt:remote* *toppath* ".db/1.db"))
+(test #f '("SYSTEM" "RELEASE") (rmt:get-keys))
 
 ;; (delete-file* "logs/1.log")
 ;; (define run-id 1)
 
 ;; (test "setup for run" #t (begin (launch:setup)