diff --git a/cluster-control.sh b/cluster-control.sh
index 34f73aa..0cfd8c4 100755
--- a/cluster-control.sh
+++ b/cluster-control.sh
@@ -47,7 +47,9 @@ _stop() {
     fi
 
     set -x
-    ssh wbgrp-svc111 pkill -f /home/nlevitt/workspace/warcprox/warcprox-ve34/bin/warcprox
+    for node in wbgrp-svc{110,111} ; do 
+        ssh $node pkill -f /home/nlevitt/workspace/warcprox/warcprox-ve34/bin/warcprox
+    done
     set +x
 
     if _status > /dev/null ; then
@@ -72,25 +74,66 @@ with r.connect("wbgrp-svc035") as conn:
 EOF
     mysql -hwbgrp-svc107 -P6306 -uarchiveit -parchiveit archiveit3 -e "update CrawlJob set status='FINISHED_ABNORMAL', endDate=now() where status='ACTIVE'"
 
+    for node in wbgrp-svc{110,111} ; do 
+        sudo umount /1/brzl/warcs/$node
+    done
     set -e
-    sudo umount /1/brzl/warcs
     mv -v /1/brzl /tmp/brzl.$tstamp
     mkdir -vp /1/brzl/{logs,warcs}
     sudo chown -v archiveit /1/brzl/warcs
     # chgrp -v archiveit /1/brzl/warcs/ && chmod g+w /1/brzl/warcs
-    ssh wbgrp-svc111 mv -v "/1/brzl/warcs /tmp/brzl-warcs.$tstamp && mkdir -vp /1/brzl/warcs"
-    sudo -H -u archiveit sshfs wbgrp-svc111:/1/brzl/warcs /1/brzl/warcs -o nonempty,ro,allow_other
+    for node in wbgrp-svc{110,111} ; do 
+        ssh $node mv -v "/1/brzl/warcs /tmp/brzl-warcs.$tstamp && mkdir -vp /1/brzl/warcs"
+        sudo -H -u archiveit mkdir -vp /1/brzl/warcs/$node
+        sudo -H -u archiveit sshfs $node:/1/brzl/warcs /1/brzl/warcs/$node -o nonempty,ro,allow_other
+    done
+}
+
+rethinkdb_tables_ready() {
+    PYTHONPATH=/home/nlevitt/workspace/brozzler/brozzler-ve34/lib/python3.4/site-packages python3.4 <<EOF
+import rethinkdb as r
+import sys
+for server in ["wbgrp-svc020","wbgrp-svc035","wbgrp-svc036"]:
+    with r.connect(server) as conn:
+        for table in "$@".split():
+            table_name, n_indexes = table.split(":")
+            try:
+                status = r.db("archiveit_brozzler").table(table_name).status().run(conn)
+                if not status["status"]["ready_for_writes"]:
+                    # print("table %s not ready for writes" % (table_name))
+                    sys.exit(2)
+
+                indexes_statuses = r.db("archiveit_brozzler").table(table_name).index_status().run(conn)
+                # print("indexes_statuses=%s" % indexes_statuses)
+                if len(indexes_statuses) != int(n_indexes):
+                    # print("table %s has only %s indexes (expected %s)" % (table_name, len(indexes_statuses), n_indexes))
+                    sys.exit(3)
+                for index_status in indexes_statuses:
+                    if not index_status["ready"]:
+                        # print("table %s index %s is not ready" % (table_name, index_status["index"]))
+                        sys.exit(4)
+                # print("table %s ready with %s indexes" % (table_name, n_indexes))
+            except BaseException as e:
+                # print("table %s: exception %s" % (table_name, e))
+                sys.exit(1)
+EOF
 }
 
 start_warcprox() {
     echo $0: starting warcprox
-    ssh -fn wbgrp-svc111 'PYTHONPATH=/home/nlevitt/workspace/warcprox/warcprox-ve34/lib/python3.4/site-packages nice /home/nlevitt/workspace/warcprox/warcprox-ve34/bin/warcprox --dir=/1/brzl/warcs --rethinkdb-servers=wbgrp-svc020,wbgrp-svc035,wbgrp-svc036 --rethinkdb-db=archiveit_brozzler --rethinkdb-big-table --cacert=/1/brzl/warcprox-ca.pem --certs-dir=/1/brzl/certs --address=0.0.0.0 --base32 --gzip --rollover-idle-time=180 --kafka-broker-list=qa-archive-it.org:6092 --kafka-capture-feed-topic=ait-brozzler-captures' &>>/1/brzl/logs/warcprox.out &
+    for node in wbgrp-svc{110,111} ; do 
+        ssh -fn $node 'PYTHONPATH=/home/nlevitt/workspace/warcprox/warcprox-ve34/lib/python3.4/site-packages nice /home/nlevitt/workspace/warcprox/warcprox-ve34/bin/warcprox --dir=/1/brzl/warcs --rethinkdb-servers=wbgrp-svc020,wbgrp-svc035,wbgrp-svc036 --rethinkdb-db=archiveit_brozzler --rethinkdb-big-table --cacert=/1/brzl/warcprox-ca.pem --certs-dir=/1/brzl/certs --address=0.0.0.0 --base32 --gzip --rollover-idle-time=180 --kafka-broker-list=qa-archive-it.org:6092 --kafka-capture-feed-topic=ait-brozzler-captures' &>>/1/brzl/logs/warcprox-$node.out &
+        while ! rethinkdb_tables_ready stats:0 captures:2 services:0 ; do 
+            sleep 1 ; 
+        done
+    done
 }
 
 start_brozzler_boss() {
     echo $0: starting ait-brozzler-boss.py
     venv=/home/nlevitt/workspace/ait5/ait5-ve34
     PYTHONPATH=$venv/lib/python3.4/site-packages $venv/bin/python /home/nlevitt/workspace/ait5/scripts/ait-brozzler-boss.py &>> /1/brzl/logs/ait-brozzler-boss.out &
+    while ! rethinkdb_tables_ready stats:0 services:0 jobs:0 pages:1 sites:2 ; do sleep 1 ; done
 }
 
 start_brozzler_workers() {
@@ -101,14 +144,15 @@ start_brozzler_workers() {
         ssh $node "docker --version || curl -sSL https://get.docker.com/ | sh && sudo usermod -aG docker $USER"
         ssh $node 'docker build -t internetarchive/brozzler-worker /home/nlevitt/workspace/brozzler/docker'
         ssh -fn $node 'docker run -t --rm -p 8901:8901 -p 5901:5901 internetarchive/brozzler-worker /sbin/my_init -- setuser brozzler bash -c "DISPLAY=:1 brozzler-worker --rethinkdb-servers=wbgrp-svc036,wbgrp-svc020,wbgrp-svc035 --rethinkdb-db=archiveit_brozzler --max-browsers=10"'  &>> /1/brzl/logs/brozzler-worker-$node.out
-        sleep 5
         )
+       while ! rethinkdb_tables_ready jobs:0 pages:1 sites:2 ; do sleep 1 ; done
     done
 }
 
 start_pywayback() {
     echo $0: starting pywayback
     PYTHONPATH=/home/nlevitt/workspace/pygwb/pygwb-ve27/lib/python2.7/site-packages WAYBACK_CONFIG=/home/nlevitt/workspace/pygwb/gwb.yaml PATH=/home/nlevitt/workspace/pygwb/pygwb-ve27/bin:/usr/bin:/bin /home/nlevitt/workspace/pygwb/start-gwb.sh &>> /1/brzl/logs/pywayback.out &
+    while ! rethinkdb_tables_ready captures:2 ; do sleep 1 ; done
 }
 
 start_ait5() {
@@ -145,9 +189,7 @@ _start() {
 
     set -e
     start_warcprox
-    sleep 5
     start_brozzler_boss
-    sleep 5
     start_brozzler_workers
     start_pywayback
     start_ait5