Megatest

	   (remote-port  runremote))
      (conc "http://" 
	    (remote-iface runremote)
	    ":"
	    (remote-port  runremote))
      #f))

;; if successfully connected to a server runremote will be populated with appropriate info.
;; the result returned should not be used other than as an indicator of success
;;
(define (client:setup areapath runremote #!key (remaining-tries 100) (failed-connects 0)(area-dat #f))
  (mutex-lock! *rmt-mutex*)
  (let ((res (client:setup-http areapath runremote remaining-tries: remaining-tries failed-connects: failed-connects area-dat: area-dat)))
    (mutex-unlock! *rmt-mutex*)
    res))

(define (client:setup-http areapath runremote #!key (remaining-tries 100) (failed-connects 0))
  (debug:print-info 2 *default-log-port* "client:setup remaining-tries=" remaining-tries)
  (server:start-and-wait areapath)
  (if (<= remaining-tries 0)
      (begin
	(debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "failed to start or connect to server")
	(exit 1))
      ;;
      ;; Alternatively here, we can get the list of candidate servers and work our way
      ;; through them searching for a good one.
      ;;
      (let* ((server-dat (server:choose-server areapath 'best))) ;; list host port start-time server-id pid
;;	     (runremote  (or area-dat *runremote*)))
;;	     (runremote  (or runremote *runremote*)))
	(if (not server-dat) ;; no server found
	    (begin
	      (if (< remaining-tries 99)(thread-sleep! 1)) ;; obviously it needs time
	      (client:setup-http areapath runremote remaining-tries: (- remaining-tries 1)))
	    (match server-dat
	      ((host port start-time server-id pid)
	       (debug:print-info 4 *default-log-port* "client:setup server-dat=" server-dat ", remaining-tries=" remaining-tries)

		       res))
  (server-url        #f) ;; (server:check-if-running *toppath*) #f))
  (server-id         #f)
  (server-info       #f) ;; (if *toppath* (server:check-if-running *toppath*) #f))
  (last-server-check 0)  ;; last time we checked to see if the server was alive
  (connect-time      (current-seconds)) ;; when we first connected
  (last-access       (current-seconds)) ;; last time we talked to server
  (conndat           #f) ;; iface port api-uri api-url api-req seconds server-id
  (server-timeout    (server:expiration-timeout))
  (force-server      #f)
  (ro-mode           #f)  
  (ro-mode-checked   #f) ;; flag that indicates we have checked for ro-mode

  ;; conndat stuff
  (iface             #f) ;; TODO: Consolidate this data with server-url and server-info above

  (assert (remote? runremote) "FATAL: http-transport:client-api-send-receive called with serverdat="serverdat)
  (let* ((fullurl    (remote-api-req runremote))
	 (res        (vector #f "uninitialized"))
	 (success    #t)
	 (sparams    (db:obj->string params transport: 'http))
         (server-id  (remote-server-id runremote)))
       (debug:print-info 11 *default-log-port* "cmd=" cmd " fullurl=" fullurl " server-id=" server-id " current time:" (current-seconds)) 

       (assert fullurl "FATAL: http-transposrt:client-api-send-receive remote-api-req not set")
       ;; set up the http-client here
       (max-retry-attempts 1)
       ;; consider all requests indempotent
       (retry-request? (lambda (request)
			 #f))
       ;; send the data and get the response
       ;; extract the needed info from the http data and 

  (if (remote? runremote)
      (let ((api-dat (remote-api-uri runremote)))
	(handle-exceptions
	    exn
	  (begin
	    (print-call-chain *default-log-port*)
	    (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* " closing connection failed with error: " ((condition-property-accessor 'exn 'message) exn) ", exn=" exn))
	  (if (and (args:any-defined? "-server" "-execute" "-run")
	  (if (not (args:get-arg "-server"))
		   api-dat)
	      (begin ;; NOTE: Verify this actually ever gets hit. Jan 16, 2023.
		(if api-dat
		    (begin
		(debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Closing connections to "api-dat)
		(close-connection! api-dat)))
	  (remote-conndat-set! runremote #f)
	  #t))
		      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Closing connections to "api-dat)
		      (close-connection! api-dat)))
		(remote-api-req-set! runremote #f) ;; use api-req as a flag for a working connection
		#t)
	      #f)))
      #f))

;; run http-transport:keep-running in a parallel thread to monitor that the db is being 
;; used and to shutdown after sometime if it is not.
;;
(define (http-transport:keep-running) 
  ;; if none running or if > 20 seconds since 

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

;; if a server is either running or in the process of starting call client:setup
;; else return #f to let the calling proc know that there is no server available
;;
(define (rmt:get-connection-info areapath runremote) ;; TODO: push areapath down.
  (let* ((cinfo     (if (remote? runremote)
			(remote-conndat runremote)
			(remote-api-req runremote)
			#f)))
	  (if cinfo
	      cinfo
	      (if (server:check-if-running areapath)
		  (client:setup areapath runremote)
		  #f))))

    ;; ensure we have a record for our connection for given area
    (if (not runremote)                   ;; can remove this one. should never get here.         
	(begin
	  (set! *runremote* (make-remote))
          (let* ((server-info (remote-server-info *runremote*))) 
            (if server-info
		(begin
			(remote-server-url-set! *runremote* (server:record->url server-info))
			(remote-server-id-set! *runremote* (server:record->id server-info)))))  
		  (remote-server-url-set! *runremote* (server:record->url server-info))
		  (remote-server-id-set! *runremote* (server:record->id server-info)))))
	  (set! runremote   *runremote*))) ;; new runremote will come from this on next iteration
    
    ;; DOT SET_HOMEHOST; // leaving off - doesn't really add to the clarity
    ;; DOT MUTEXLOCK -> SET_HOMEHOST [label="no homehost?"];
    ;; DOT SET_HOMEHOST -> MUTEXLOCK;
    ;; ensure we have a homehost record
    (if (not (pair? (remote-hh-dat runremote)))  ;; not on homehost
	(thread-sleep! 0.1) ;; since we shouldn't get here, delay a little
	(let ((hh-data (server:choose-server areapath 'homehost)))
	  (remote-hh-dat-set! runremote (or hh-data (cons #f #f)))))
    
    ;;(print "BB> readonly-mode is "readonly-mode" dbfile is "dbfile)
    (cond
     #;((> (- (current-seconds)(remote-connect-time runremote)) 180) ;; reconnect to server every 180 seconds
      (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Forcing reconnect to server(s) due to 180 second timeout.")
      (set! *runremote* #f)
      ;; BUG: close-connections should go here?
      (mutex-unlock! *rmt-mutex*)
      (rmt:send-receive cmd rid params attemptnum: 1 area-dat: area-dat))
     ;; ((> (- (current-seconds)(remote-connect-time runremote)) 180) ;; reconnect to server every 180 seconds
     ;;  (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "Forcing reconnect to server(s) due to 180 second timeout.")
     ;;  (set! *runremote* #f)
     ;;  ;; BUG: close-connections should go here?
     ;;  (mutex-unlock! *rmt-mutex*)
     ;;  (rmt:send-receive cmd rid params attemptnum: 1 area-dat: area-dat))
     
     ;;DOT EXIT;
     ;;DOT MUTEXLOCK -> EXIT [label="> 15 attempts"]; {rank=same "case 1" "EXIT" }
     ;; give up if more than 150 attempts
     ((> attemptnum 150)
      (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "ERROR: 150 tries to start/connect to server. Giving up.")
      (exit 1))

           ;; (remote-conndat runremote)
	   (> (current-seconds) ;; if it has been more than server-timeout seconds since last contact, close this connection and start a new on
	      (+ (remote-last-access runremote)
		 (remote-server-timeout runremote))))
      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "Connection to " (remote-server-url runremote) " expired due to no accesses, forcing new connection.")
      (http-transport:close-connections runremote)
      ;; moving this setting of runremote conndat to #f to inside the http-transport:close-connections
      ;; (remote-conndat-set! runremote #f) ;; invalidate the connection, thus forcing a new connection.
      (mutex-unlock! *rmt-mutex*)
      (rmt:send-receive cmd rid params attemptnum: attemptnum))
     
     ;;DOT CASE5 [label="local\nread"];
     ;;DOT MUTEXLOCK -> CASE5 [label="server not required,\non homehost,\nread-only query"]; {rank=same "case 5" CASE5};
     ;;DOT CASE5 -> "rmt:open-qry-close-locally";

      (debug:print-info 12 *default-log-port* "rmt:send-receive, case  8.1")
      (rmt:open-qry-close-locally cmd 0 params)))

     ;;DOT CASE9 [label="force server\nnot on homehost"];
     ;;DOT MUTEXLOCK -> CASE9 [label="no connection\nand either require server\nor not on homehost"]; {rank=same "case 9" CASE9};
     ;;DOT CASE9 -> "start\nserver" -> "rmt:send-receive";
     ((or (and (remote-force-server runremote)              ;; we are forcing a server and don't yet have a connection to one
	       (not (remote-conndat runremote)))
	       (not (remote-api-req runremote)))
	  (and (not (cdr (remote-hh-dat runremote)))        ;; not on a homehost 
	       (not (remote-conndat runremote))))           ;; and no connection
      (debug:print-info 12 *default-log-port* "rmt:send-receive, case 9, hh-dat: " (remote-hh-dat runremote) " conndat: " (remote-conndat runremote))
	       (not (remote-api-req runremote))))           ;; and no connection
      (debug:print-info 12 *default-log-port* "rmt:send-receive, case 9, hh-dat: " (remote-hh-dat runremote) " conndat: " (remote-api-req runremote))
      (mutex-unlock! *rmt-mutex*)
      (if (not (server:check-if-running *toppath*)) ;; who knows, maybe one has started up?
	  (server:start-and-wait *toppath*))
      (remote-conndat-set! runremote (rmt:get-connection-info *toppath* runremote)) ;; calls client:setup which calls client:setup-http
      (rmt:get-connection-info *toppath* runremote) ;; calls client:setup which calls client:setup-http
      (rmt:send-receive cmd rid params attemptnum: attemptnum)) ;; TODO: add back-off timeout as

     ;;DOT CASE10 [label="on homehost"];
     ;;DOT MUTEXLOCK -> CASE10 [label="server not required,\non homehost"]; {rank=same "case 10" CASE10};
     ;;DOT CASE10 -> "rmt:open-qry-close-locally";
     ;; all set up if get this far, dispatch the query
     ((and (not (remote-force-server runremote))