Megatest

      (rmt:open-main-connection remdat apath))
     ((and conn                                             ;; conn is NOT a socket, just saying ...
	   (< (current-seconds) (conndat-expires conn)))
      #t) ;; we are current and good to go - we'll deal elsewhere with a server that was killed or died 
     ((and conn
	   (>= (current-seconds)(conndat-expires conn)))
      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "connection to "fullpath" server expired. Reconnecting.")
      (rmt:drop-conn remdat apath ".db/main.db") ;;
      (rmt:open-main-connection remdat apath))
     (else
      ;; Below we will find or create and connect to main
      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "rmt:open-main-connection - starting from scratch")
      (let* ((dbname         (db:run-id->dbname #f))
	     (the-srv        (rmt:find-main-server myconn apath dbname))
	     (start-main-srv (lambda () ;; call IF there is no the-srv found
			       (mutex-lock! *connstart-mutex*)
			       (if (> (- (current-seconds) *last-main-start*) 5) ;; at least four seconds since last attempt to start main server
				   (begin
				     (api:run-server-process apath dbname)

				 hostport: srv-addr
				 ;; socket: (open-nn-connection srv-addr)  - TODO - open ulex connection?
				 ipaddr: ipaddr
				 port: port
				 srvpkt: the-srv
				 srvkey: srvkey ;; generated by rmt:get-signature on the server side
				 lastmsg: (current-seconds)
				 expires: (+ (current-seconds)
					     (server:expiration-timeout)
					     -2) ;; this needs to be gathered during the ping
				 )))
	      (hash-table-set! conns fullpath new-the-srv)))
	#t)))))

;; NB// sinfo is a servdat struct
;;
(define (rmt:general-open-connection sinfo apath dbname #!key (num-tries 5))
  (assert (not (equal? dbname ".db/main.db")) "ERROR: general-open-connection should never be called with main as the db")
  (let* ((mdbname  ".db/main.db") ;; (db:run-id->dbname #f)) TODO: put this back to the lookup when stable
	 (fullname (db:dbname->path apath dbname))
	 (conns    (servdat-conns sinfo))
	 (mconn    (rmt:get-conn sinfo apath ".db/main.db"))
	 (dconn    (rmt:get-conn sinfo apath dbname)))
    #;(if (and mconn
	     (not (debug:print-logger)))
	(begin
	  (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Turning on logging to main, look in logs dir for main log.")
	  (debug:print-logger rmt:log-to-main)))
    (cond
     ((and mconn
	   dconn
	   (< (current-seconds)(conndat-expires dconn)))
      #t) ;; good to go
     ((not mconn) ;; no channel open to main? open it...





      (rmt:open-main-connection sinfo apath)
      (rmt:general-open-connection sinfo apath dbname num-tries: (- num-tries 1)))
     ((not dconn)                 ;; no channel open to dbname?     
      (let* ((res (rmt:send-receive-real sinfo apath mdbname 'get-server `(,apath ,dbname))))
	(case res
	  ((server-started)
	   (if (> num-tries 0)
	       (begin
		 (thread-sleep! 2)
		 (rmt:general-open-connection sinfo apath dbname num-tries: (- num-tries 1)))

				     dbname: dbname
				     hostport: (conc host":"port)
				     ;; socket: (open-nn-connection (conc host":"port)) ;; TODO - open ulex connection?
				     ipaddr: ipaddr
				     port: port
				     srvkey: servkey
				     lastmsg: (current-seconds)
				     expires: (+ (current-seconds)
						 (server:expiration-timeout)
						 -2))))
		  (else
		   (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "return data from starting server did not match host port servkey pid ipaddr apath dbname " res)))
		 res)
	       (begin
		 (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Unexpected result: " res)
		 res)))))))

    #t))

;;======================================================================

;; FOR DEBUGGING SET TO #t
;; (define *localmode* #t)
(define *localmode* #f)
(define *dbstruct* (make-dbr:dbstruct))

;; Defaults to current area
;;
(define (rmt:send-receive cmd rid params #!key (attemptnum 1)(area-dat #f))
  (let* ((apath      *toppath*)
	 (sinfo      *db-serv-info*)
	 (dbname     (db:run-id->dbname rid)))
    (if *localmode*
	(api:execute-requests *dbstruct* cmd params)
	(begin
	  (rmt:open-main-connection sinfo apath)
	  (if rid (rmt:general-open-connection sinfo apath dbname))
	  (if (not (member cmd '(log-to-main)))
	      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "rmt:send-receive "cmd" params="params))
	  (rmt:send-receive-real sinfo apath dbname 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-real sinfo apath dbname cmd params)
  (assert (not (eq? 'primordial (thread-name (current-thread)))) "FATAL: Do not call rmt:send-receive-real in the primodial thread.")
  (let* ((cdat (rmt:get-conn sinfo apath dbname)))
    (assert cdat "FATAL: rmt:send-receive-real called without the needed channels opened")
    (let* ((uconn    (servdat-uconn sinfo)) ;; get the interface to ulex
	   ;; then send-receive using the ulex layer to host-port stored in cdat
	   (res      (send-receive uconn (conndat-hostport cdat) cmd params))
	   #;(th1      (make-thread (lambda ()
				    (set! res (send-receive uconn (conndat-hostport cdat) cmd params)))
				  "send-receive thread")))
      ;; (thread-start! th1)
      ;; (thread-join! th1)   ;; gratuitious thread stuff is so that mailbox is not used in primordial thead
      ;; since we accessed the server we can bump the expires time up
      (conndat-expires-set! cdat (+ (current-seconds)
				    (server:expiration-timeout)
				    -2)) ;; two second margin for network time misalignments etc.



      res)))

;; db is at apath/.db/dbname, rid is an intermediary solution and will be removed
;; sometime in the future.
;;
;; Purpose - call the main.db server and request a server be started
;; for the given area path and dbname

  (debug:print 2 *default-log-port* "PID: "(current-process-id)". Attempting to start the server ...")
  (if (and *db-serv-info*
	   (servdat-uconn *db-serv-info*))
      (let* ((uconn (servdat-uconn *db-serv-info*)))
	(wait-and-close uconn))
      (let* ((port            (portlogger:open-run-close portlogger:find-port))
	     (handler-proc    (lambda (rem-host-port qrykey cmd params) ;;
				(set! *db-last-access* (current-seconds))

				  (assert (list? params) "FATAL: handler called with non-list params")
				  (api:execute-requests *dbstruct-db* cmd params))))
	;; (api:process-request *dbstuct-db* 
	(if (not *db-serv-info*)
	    (set! *db-serv-info* (make-servdat host: hostn port: port)))
	(let* ((uconn (run-listener handler-proc port))
	       (rport (udat-port uconn))) ;; the real port
	  (servdat-host-set! *db-serv-info* hostn)
	  (servdat-port-set! *db-serv-info* rport)