--- loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2002/11/18 15:16:35	1.301
+++ loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2002/11/27 15:33:10	1.303
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network
 # TCP networking package
 #
-# $Id: lonnet.pm,v 1.301 2002/11/18 15:16:35 www Exp $
+# $Id: lonnet.pm,v 1.303 2002/11/27 15:33:10 matthew Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -1542,11 +1542,15 @@ sub coursedescription {
     $courseid=~s/\_/\//g;
     my ($cdomain,$cnum)=split(/\//,$courseid);
     my $chome=&homeserver($cnum,$cdomain);
+    my $normalid=$cdomain.'_'.$cnum;
+    # need to always cache even if we get errors otherwise we keep 
+    # trying and trying and trying to get the course description.
+    my %envhash=();
+    my %returnhash=();
+    $envhash{'course.'.$normalid.'.last_cache'}=time;
     if ($chome ne 'no_host') {
-       my %returnhash=&dump('environment',$cdomain,$cnum);
+       %returnhash=&dump('environment',$cdomain,$cnum);
        if (!exists($returnhash{'con_lost'})) {
-           my $normalid=$cdomain.'_'.$cnum;
-           my %envhash=();
            $returnhash{'home'}= $chome;
 	   $returnhash{'domain'} = $cdomain;
 	   $returnhash{'num'} = $cnum;
@@ -1556,15 +1560,13 @@ sub coursedescription {
            $returnhash{'url'}=&clutter($returnhash{'url'});
            $returnhash{'fn'}=$perlvar{'lonDaemons'}.'/tmp/'.
 	       $ENV{'user.name'}.'_'.$cdomain.'_'.$cnum;
-           $envhash{'course.'.$normalid.'.last_cache'}=time;
            $envhash{'course.'.$normalid.'.home'}=$chome;
            $envhash{'course.'.$normalid.'.domain'}=$cdomain;
            $envhash{'course.'.$normalid.'.num'}=$cnum;
-           &appenv(%envhash);
-           return %returnhash;
        }
     }
-    return ();
+    &appenv(%envhash);
+    return %returnhash;
 }
 
 # -------------------------------------------------------- Get user privileges
@@ -3471,6 +3473,7 @@ BEGIN {
     my $config=Apache::File->new("$perlvar{'lonTabDir'}/hosts.tab");
 
     while (my $configline=<$config>) {
+       next if ($configline =~ /^(\#|\s*$)/);
        chomp($configline);
        my ($id,$domain,$role,$name,$ip,$domdescr)=split(/:/,$configline);
        if ($id && $domain && $role && $name && $ip) {