Index: api.scm
==================================================================
--- api.scm
+++ api.scm
@@ -154,21 +154,21 @@
     ((> *api-process-request-count* 20) ;; 20)
      (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: api:execute-requests received an overloaded message.")
      (set! *server-overloaded* #t)
      (vector #f (vector #f 'overloaded))) ;; the inner vector is what gets returned. nope, don't know why. please refactor!
     (else  
-     (let* ((cmd-in            (vector-ref dat 0))
+     (let* ((cmd-in            (common:safe-vector-ref dat 0 'nocmd))
             (cmd               (if (symbol? cmd-in)
 				   cmd-in
 				   (string->symbol cmd-in)))
-            (params            (vector-ref dat 1))
+            (params            (common:safe-vector-ref dat 1 '()))
             (start-t           (current-milliseconds))
             (readonly-mode     (dbr:dbstruct-read-only dbstruct))
             (readonly-command  (member cmd api:read-only-queries))
             (writecmd-in-readonly-mode (and readonly-mode (not readonly-command)))
             (foo               (begin
-                                 (common:telemetry-log (conc "api-in:"(->string cmd))
+                                 #;(common:telemetry-log (conc "api-in:"(->string cmd))
                                                        payload: `((params . ,params)))
                                  
                                  #t))
             (res    
              (if writecmd-in-readonly-mode
@@ -175,10 +175,12 @@
                  (conc "attempt to run write command "cmd" on a read-only database")
                  (case cmd
                    ;;===============================================
                    ;; READ/WRITE QUERIES
                    ;;===============================================
+
+		   ((nocmd)                         '(#f "All broken!"))
 
                    ((get-keys-write)                        (db:get-keys dbstruct)) ;; force a dummy "write" query to force server; for debug in -repl
                    
                    ;; SERVERS
                    ((start-server)                    (apply server:kind-run params))
@@ -362,16 +364,16 @@
 			 start-t)))
 	 (hash-table-set! *db-api-call-time* cmd
 			  (cons delta-t (hash-table-ref/default *db-api-call-time* cmd '()))))
        (if writecmd-in-readonly-mode
            (begin
-             (common:telemetry-log (conc "api-out:"(->string cmd))
+             #;(common:telemetry-log (conc "api-out:"(->string cmd))
                                    payload: `((params . ,params)
                                               (ok-res . #t)))
 	     (vector #f res))
            (begin
-             (common:telemetry-log (conc "api-out:"(->string cmd))
+             #;(common:telemetry-log (conc "api-out:"(->string cmd))
                                    payload: `((params . ,params)
                                               (ok-res . #f)))
              (vector #t res))))))))
 
 ;; http-server  send-response
@@ -384,12 +386,12 @@
   (set! *api-process-request-count* (+ *api-process-request-count* 1))
   (let* ((cmd     ($ 'cmd))
 	 (paramsj ($ 'params))
 	 (params  (db:string->obj paramsj transport: 'http)) ;; incoming data from the POST (or is it a GET?)
 	 (resdat  (api:execute-requests dbstruct (vector cmd params))) ;; process the request, resdat = #( flag result )
-	 (success (vector-ref resdat 0))
-	 (res     (vector-ref resdat 1))) ;; (vector flag payload), get the payload, ignore the flag (why?)
+	 (success (common:safe-vector-ref resdat 0 #f))
+	 (res     (common:safe-vector-ref resdat 1 #f))) ;; (vector flag payload), get the payload, ignore the flag (why?)
     (if (not success)
 	(debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "ERROR: success flag is #f for " cmd " with params " params))
     (if (> *api-process-request-count* *max-api-process-requests*)
 	(set! *max-api-process-requests* *api-process-request-count*))
     (set! *api-process-request-count* (- *api-process-request-count* 1))

Index: common.scm
==================================================================
--- common.scm
+++ common.scm
@@ -488,11 +488,20 @@
           (copy daysfile wksfile)
           (copy hrsfile daysfile))
         #t)
       #f))
   
-        
+(define (common:safe-vector-ref vec indx default)
+  (if (vector? vec)
+      (handle-exceptions
+	  exn
+	(begin
+	  (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "remote data issue: exn=" exn)
+	  default)
+	(vector-ref vec indx))
+      default))
+
         
 ;; Rotate logs, logic: 
 ;;                 if > 500k and older than 1 week:
 ;;                     remove previous compressed log and compress this log
 ;; WARNING: This proc operates assuming that it is in the directory above the

Index: configf.scm
==================================================================
--- configf.scm
+++ configf.scm
@@ -781,11 +781,11 @@
 ;; if 
 (define (configf:read-alist fname)
   (handle-exceptions
       exn
     (begin
-      (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "read of alist " fname " failed. exn=" exn)
+      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "unable to read alist " fname ". exn=" exn)
       #f)
     (configf:alist->config
      (with-input-from-file fname read))))
 
 (define (configf:write-alist cdat fname)

Index: launch.scm
==================================================================
--- launch.scm
+++ launch.scm
@@ -771,11 +771,13 @@
               (if (not (null? tal))
 				  (loop (car tal) (cdr tal)))))))))))        
  
 (define (launch:is-test-alive host pid)
   (if (and host pid (not (equal? host "n/a")))
-      (let* ((cmd (conc "ssh " host " pstree -A " pid))
+      (let* ((is-local (equal? host (get-host-name)))
+	     (ssh-cmd   (if is-local " " (conc "ssh " host " ")))
+	     (cmd (conc ssh-cmd "pstree -A " pid))
 	     (output (with-input-from-pipe cmd read-lines)))
 	(debug:print 2 *default-log-port* "Running " cmd " received " output)
 	(if (eq? (length output) 0)
 	   #f
 	   #t))

Index: rmt.scm
==================================================================
--- rmt.scm
+++ rmt.scm
@@ -54,18 +54,39 @@
 		  (client:setup areapath)
 		  #f))))
 
 (define *send-receive-mutex* (make-mutex)) ;; should have separate mutex per run-id
 
+(define *rmt-query-last-call-time* 0)
+(define *rmt-query-last-rest-time* 0) ;; last time there was at least a 1/2 second rest - giving other processes access to the db
+
+;; NOTE: This query rest algorythm will not adapt to long query times. REDESIGN NEEDED. TODO. FIXME.
+;;
+(define (rmt:query-rest)
+  (let* ((now (current-milliseconds)))
+    (cond
+     ((> (- now *rmt-query-last-call-time*) 500)  ;; it's been a while since last query - no need to rest
+      (set! *rmt-query-last-rest-time*  now)
+      (set! *rmt-query-last-call-time*  now))
+     ((> (- now *rmt-query-last-rest-time*) 5000) ;; no natural rests have happened
+      (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "query rest needed. blocking for 1/2 second.")
+      (thread-sleep! 0.5) ;; force a rest of a half second
+      (set! *rmt-query-last-rest-time* now)
+      (set! *rmt-query-last-call-time* now))
+     (else ;; sufficient rests have occurred, just record the last query time
+      (set! *rmt-query-last-call-time* now)))))
+
 ;; RA => e.g. usage (rmt:send-receive 'get-var #f (list varname))
 ;;
 (define (rmt:send-receive cmd rid params #!key (attemptnum 1)(area-dat #f)) ;; start attemptnum at 1 so the modulo below works as expected
 
   #;(common:telemetry-log (conc "rmt:"(->string cmd))
                         payload: `((rid . ,rid)
                                    (params . ,params)))
-                          
+  (if (not (equal? (configf:lookup *configdat* "setup" "query-rest") "no"))
+      (rmt:query-rest))
+  
   (if (> attemptnum 2)
       (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "INFO: attemptnum in rmt:send-receive is " attemptnum))
     
   (cond
    ((> attemptnum 2) (thread-sleep! 0.05))
@@ -369,12 +390,12 @@
 					 (> (vector-length v) 1))
 				    (let ((newvec (vector (vector-ref v 0)(vector-ref v 1))))
 				      newvec)           ;; by copying the vector while inside the error handler we should force the detection of a corrupted record
 				    (vector #t '()))))  ;; we could also check that the returned types are valid
 			     (vector #t '())))
-	 (success        (vector-ref resdat 0))
-	 (res            (vector-ref resdat 1))
+	 (success        (common:safe-vector-ref resdat 0 #f)) ;; (vector-ref resdat 0))
+	 (res            (common:safe-vector-ref resdat 1 #f)) ;; (vector-ref resdat 1))
 	 (duration       (- (current-milliseconds) start)))
     (if (and read-only qry-is-write)
         (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "ERROR: attempt to write to read-only database ignored. cmd=" cmd))
     (if (not success)
 	(if (> remretries 0)
@@ -389,11 +410,11 @@
 	  ;; (rmt:update-db-stats run-id cmd params duration)
 	  ;; mark this run as dirty if this was a write, the watchdog is responsible for syncing it
 	  (if qry-is-write
 	      (let ((start-time (current-seconds)))
 		(mutex-lock! *db-multi-sync-mutex*)
-/		(set! *db-last-access* start-time)  ;; THIS IS PROBABLY USELESS? (we are on a client)
+		(set! *db-last-access* start-time)  ;; THIS IS PROBABLY USELESS? (we are on a client)
                 (mutex-unlock! *db-multi-sync-mutex*)))))
     res))
 
 (define (rmt:send-receive-no-auto-client-setup connection-info cmd run-id params)
   (let* ((run-id   (if run-id run-id 0))

Index: runs.scm
==================================================================
--- runs.scm
+++ runs.scm
@@ -1211,11 +1211,11 @@
      ((not have-resources) ;; simply try again after waiting a second
       (if (runs:lownoise "no resources" 60)
 	  (debug:print-info 1 *default-log-port* "no resources to run new tests, waiting ..."))
       ;; Have gone back and forth on this but db starvation is an issue.
       ;; wait one second before looking again to run jobs.
-      (thread-sleep! 0.25)
+      (thread-sleep! 1) ;; changed back to 1 from 0.25
       ;; could have done hed tal here but doing car/cdr of newtal to rotate tests
       (list (car newtal)(cdr newtal) reg reruns))
      
      ;; This is the final stage, everything is in place so launch the test
      ;;