Index: db.scm
==================================================================
--- db.scm
+++ db.scm
@@ -2878,11 +2878,12 @@
 	(if (> tries 0)
 	    (begin
 	      (thread-sleep! 1)
 	      (db:keep-trying-until-true proc params (- tries 1)))
 	    (begin
-	      (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "proc never returned true, params="params)
+	      ;; (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "proc never returned true, params="params)
+	      (print"db:keep-trying-until-true proc never returned true, proc = " proc " params =" params " tries = " tries)
 	      #f)))))
   
 (define (db:get-test-info dbstruct run-id test-name item-path)
   (db:with-db
    dbstruct

Index: dbfile.scm
==================================================================
--- dbfile.scm
+++ dbfile.scm
@@ -485,10 +485,11 @@
 
 (define (db:no-sync-del! db var)
   (sqlite3:execute db "DELETE FROM no_sync_metadat WHERE var=?;" var))
 
 (define (db:no-sync-get/default db var default)
+  (assert (sqlite3:database? db) "FATAL: db:no-sync-get/default called with a bad db handle:" db)
   (let ((res default))
     (sqlite3:for-each-row
      (lambda (val)
        (set! res val))
      db
@@ -1346,11 +1347,21 @@
   (let ((gotlock (dbfile:simple-file-lock-and-wait fname expire-time: expire-time)))
     (if gotlock
 	(let ((res (proc)))
 	  (dbfile:simple-file-release-lock fname)
 	  res)
-	(assert #t "FATAL: simple file lock never got a lock."))))
+        (begin
+          (dbfile:print-err "dbfile:with-simple-file-lock: " fname " is locked by " )
+          (with-input-from-file fname
+             (lambda ()
+                (dbfile:print-err (read-line))))
+	  (assert #f (conc "ERROR: simple file lock could not get a lock for " fname " in " expire-time " seconds"))
+        )
+    )
+  )
+)
+
 
 (define *get-cache-stmth-mutex* (make-mutex))
 
 (define (db:get-cache-stmth dbdat db stmt)
   (mutex-lock! *get-cache-stmth-mutex*)

Index: dbmod.scm
==================================================================
--- dbmod.scm
+++ dbmod.scm
@@ -147,24 +147,22 @@
 	 (dbpath       (dbmod:get-dbdir dbstruct))             ;; directory where all the .db files are kept
 	 (dbfullname   (conc dbpath"/"dbfname)) ;; (dbmod:run-id->full-dbfname dbstruct run-id))
 	 (dbexists     (file-exists? dbfullname))
 	 (inmem        (dbmod:open-inmem-db init-proc))
 	 (write-access (file-write-access? dbpath))
-	 (open-the-db  (lambda ()
-			 (dbfile:with-simple-file-lock
+	 (db           (dbfile:with-simple-file-lock
 			  (conc dbfullname".lock")
 			  (lambda ()
 			    (let* ((db      (sqlite3:open-database dbfullname))
 				   (handler (sqlite3:make-busy-timeout 136000)))
 			      (sqlite3:set-busy-handler! db handler)
 			      (if write-access
 				  (init-proc db))
-			      db)))))
-	 (db            ;; (if (dbmod:need-on-disk-db-handle)
-			    (open-the-db))
-;;			    #f))
+			      db))))
 	 (tables       (db:sync-all-tables-list keys)))
+    (assert (sqlite3:database? inmem) "FATAL: open-dbmoddb: inmem is not a db")
+    (assert (sqlite3:database? db) "FATAL:  open-dbmoddb: db is not a db")
     (dbr:dbstruct-inmem-set!     dbstruct inmem)
     (dbr:dbstruct-ondiskdb-set!  dbstruct db)
     (dbr:dbstruct-dbfile-set!    dbstruct dbfullname)
     (dbr:dbstruct-dbfname-set!   dbstruct dbfname)
     (dbr:dbstruct-sync-proc-set! dbstruct
@@ -183,10 +181,12 @@
 ;;        (dbmod:sync-tables tables last-update db inmem))))
 
 ;; direction: 'fromdest 'todest
 ;;
 (define (dbmod:sync-gasket tables last-update inmem dbh dbfname direction)
+  (assert (sqlite3:database? inmem) "FATAL: sync-gasket: inmem is not a db")
+  (assert (sqlite3:database? inmem) "FATAL: sync-gasket: dbh is not a db")
   (case (dbfile:sync-method)
     ((none) #f)
     ((attach)
      (dbmod:attach-sync tables inmem dbfname direction))
     ((newsync)