Index: api.scm
==================================================================
--- api.scm
+++ api.scm
@@ -217,10 +217,28 @@
 ;;             (begin
 ;;               #;(common:telemetry-log (conc "api-out:"(->string cmd))
 ;;               payload: `((params . ,params)
 ;;               (ok-res . #f)))
 ;;               (vector #t res))))))))
+
+(define *api-threads* '())
+(define (api:register-thread th-in)
+  (set! *api-threads* (cons (cons th-in (current-seconds)) *api-threads*)))
+
+(define (api:unregister-thread th-in)
+  (set! *api-threads* (filter (lambda (thdat)
+				(not (eq? th-in (car thdat))))
+			      *api-threads*)))
+
+(define (api:remove-dead-or-terminated)
+  (set! *api-threads* (filter (lambda (thdat)
+				(not (member (thread-state (car thdat)) '(terminated dead))))
+			      *api-threads*)))
+
+(define (api:get-count-threads-alive)
+  (length *api-threads*))
+  
 
 ;; indat is (cmd run-id params meta)
 ;;
 ;; WARNING: Do not print anything in the lambda of this function as it
 ;;          reads/writes to current in/out port
@@ -228,12 +246,14 @@
 (define (api:tcp-dispatch-request-make-handler dbstruct) ;; cmd run-id params)
   (assert *toppath* "FATAL: api:tcp-dispatch-request-make-handler called but *toppath* not set.")
   (if (not *server-signature*)
       (set! *server-signature* (tt:mk-signature *toppath*)))
   (lambda (indat)
+    (api:register-thread (current-thread))
     (let* (;; (indat      (deserialize))
 	   (newcount   (+ *api-process-request-count* 1))
+	   (numthreads (api:get-count-threads-alive))
 	   (delay-wait (if (> newcount 10)
 			   (- newcount 10)
 			   0))
 	   (normal-proc (lambda (cmd run-id params)
 			  (case cmd
@@ -240,10 +260,16 @@
 			    ((ping) *server-signature*)
 			    (else
 			     (api:dispatch-request dbstruct cmd run-id params))))))
       (set! *api-process-request-count* newcount)
       (set! *db-last-access* (current-seconds))
+      (if (not (eq? newcount numthreads))
+	  (begin
+	    (api:remove-dead-or-terminated)
+	    (let ((threads-now (api:get-count-threads-alive)))
+	      (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: newcount="newcount", numthreads="numthreads", remaining="threads-now)
+	      (set! newcount threads-now))))
       (match indat
 	((cmd run-id params meta)
 	 (let* ((db-ok  (let* ((dbfname (dbmod:run-id->dbfname run-id))
 			       (ok      (equal? dbfname (dbr:dbstruct-dbfname dbstruct))))
 			  (case cmd
@@ -264,11 +290,11 @@
 		(result  (case status
 			   ((busy)
 			    (if (eq? cmd 'ping)
 				(normal-proc cmd run-id params)
 				;; newcount must be greater than 5 for busy
-				(* 0.25 (- newcount 3)) ;; was 15
+				(* 1 (- newcount 3)) ;; was 15
 				)) ;; (- newcount 29)) ;; call back in as many seconds
 			   ((loaded)
 ;; 			    (if (eq? (rmt:transport-mode) 'tcp)
 ;; 				(thread-sleep! 0.5))
 			    (normal-proc cmd run-id params))
@@ -278,10 +304,11 @@
 			  ((ping) `((sstate . ,server-state)))
 			  (else   `((wait . ,delay-wait)))))
 		(payload (list status errmsg result meta)))
 	   (set! *api-process-request-count* (- *api-process-request-count* 1))
 	   ;; (serialize payload)
+	   (api:unregister-thread (current-thread))
 	   payload))
 	(else
 	 (assert #f "FATAL: failed to deserialize indat "indat))))))
        
 

Index: dbfile.scm
==================================================================
--- dbfile.scm
+++ dbfile.scm
@@ -1395,11 +1395,11 @@
   (handle-exceptions
       exn
       #f ;; I don't really care why this failed (at least for now)
     (delete-file* fname)))
 
-(define (dbfile:with-simple-file-lock fname proc #!key (expire-time 300))
+(define (dbfile:with-simple-file-lock fname proc #!key (expire-time 300)(run-anyway #f))
   (let ((start-time (current-seconds))
         (gotlock (dbfile:simple-file-lock-and-wait fname expire-time: expire-time))
         (end-time (current-seconds))
         )
     (if gotlock
@@ -1411,16 +1411,15 @@
 			    (with-input-from-file fname
 			      (lambda ()
 				(dbfile:print-err (read-line)))))
           (dbfile:print-err "wait time = " (- end-time start-time))
 	  (dbfile:print-err "ERROR: simple file lock could not get a lock for " fname " in " expire-time " seconds")
-          #f
-        )
-    )
-  )
-)
-
+	  (if run-anyway
+	      (let ((res (proc)))
+		(dbfile:simple-file-release-lock fname)
+		res)
+	      #f)))))
 
 (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
@@ -175,11 +175,12 @@
 	    (handler  (sqlite3:make-busy-timeout 136000)))
        (sqlite3:set-busy-handler! db handler)
        (if (and dbexists
 		write-access)
 	   (init-proc db))
-       db))))
+       db))
+   run-anyway: #t))
 
 (define *sync-in-progress* #f)
 
 ;; Open the cachedb db and the on-disk db
 ;; populate the cachedb db with data