diff --git a/db/db.cpp b/db/db.cpp
index e6dd292f4c5..0499fab14ec 100644
--- a/db/db.cpp
+++ b/db/db.cpp
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ namespace mongo {
 
     void setupSignals();
     void closeAllSockets();
+    void startReplSets();
     void startReplication();
     void pairWith(const char *remoteEnd, const char *arb);
     void setRecCacheSize(unsigned MB);
@@ -553,6 +554,10 @@ namespace mongo {
 
         snapshotThread.go();
         clientCursorMonitor.go();
+
+        if( !cmdLine.replSet.empty() )
+            boost::thread t(startReplSets);
+
         listen(listenPort);
 
         // listen() will return when exit code closes its socket.
@@ -1151,4 +1156,3 @@ BOOL CtrlHandler( DWORD fdwCtrlType )
 
 #include "recstore.h"
 #include "reccache.h"
-
diff --git a/db/repl.cpp b/db/repl.cpp
index 17b69cf6a40..c1dc3484488 100644
--- a/db/repl.cpp
+++ b/db/repl.cpp
@@ -1708,9 +1708,9 @@ namespace mongo {
         }
     }
 
-    bool startReplSets();
     void startReplication() {
-        if( startReplSets() ) 
+        /* if we are going to be a replica set, we aren't doing other forms of replication. */
+        if( !cmdLine.replSet.empty() )
             return;
 
         /* this was just to see if anything locks for longer than it should -- we need to be careful
diff --git a/db/repl/replset.cpp b/db/repl/replset.cpp
index 83bc1b559b1..5d1a98b94ca 100644
--- a/db/repl/replset.cpp
+++ b/db/repl/replset.cpp
@@ -16,15 +16,16 @@
 
 #include "stdafx.h"
 #include "../cmdline.h"
-#include "replset.h"
 #include "../../util/sock.h"
+#include "replset.h"
+#include "rs_config.h"
 
 namespace mongo { 
 
     ReplSet *theReplSet = 0;
 
     /** @param cfgString <setname>/<seedhost1>,<seedhost2> */
-    ReplSet::ReplSet(string cfgString) {
+    ReplSet::ReplSet(string cfgString) : fatal(false) {
         const char *p = cfgString.c_str(); 
         const char *slash = strchr(p, '/');
         uassert(13093, "bad --replSet config string format is: <setname>/<seedhost1>,<seedhost2>[,...]", slash != 0 && p != slash);
@@ -60,13 +61,30 @@ namespace mongo {
         }
 
         _seeds = seeds;
-        for( vector<HostAndPort>::iterator i = seeds->begin(); i != seeds->end(); i++ )
-            addMemberIfMissing(*i);
+        //for( vector<HostAndPort>::iterator i = seeds->begin(); i != seeds->end(); i++ )
+        //    addMemberIfMissing(*i);
+
+        loadConfig();
 
         startHealthThreads();
     }
 
-    void ReplSet::addMemberIfMissing(const HostAndPort& h) { 
+    void ReplSet::loadConfig() {
+        try {
+            vector<ReplSetConfig> configs;
+            configs.push_back( ReplSetConfig(HostAndPort::me()) );
+            for( vector<HostAndPort>::const_iterator i = _seeds->begin(); i != _seeds->end(); i++ )
+                configs.push_back( ReplSetConfig(*i) );
+        }
+        catch(AssertionException&) { 
+            log() << "replSet: error loading configurations. admin.replset may be misconfigured\n";
+            log() << "replSet: replication will not start" << endl;
+            fatal = true;
+            throw;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /*void ReplSet::addMemberIfMissing(const HostAndPort& h) { 
         MemberInfo *m = _members.head();
         while( m ) {
             if( h.host() == m->host && h.port() == m->port )
@@ -75,15 +93,22 @@ namespace mongo {
         }
         MemberInfo *nm = new MemberInfo(h.host(), h.port());
         _members.push(nm);
-    }
+    }*/
 
     /* called at initialization */
-    bool startReplSets() {
-        assert( theReplSet == 0 );
-        if( cmdLine.replSet.empty() )
-            return false;
-        theReplSet = new ReplSet(cmdLine.replSet);
-        return false; 
+    void startReplSets() {
+        mongo::lastError.reset( new LastError() );
+        try { 
+            assert( theReplSet == 0 );
+            if( cmdLine.replSet.empty() )
+                return;
+            theReplSet = new ReplSet(cmdLine.replSet);
+        }
+        catch(...) { 
+            log() << "Caught exception in repl set management thread" << endl;
+            if( theReplSet ) 
+                theReplSet->fatal = true;
+        }
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/db/repl/replset.h b/db/repl/replset.h
index 417a849f48d..1f7e56a2082 100644
--- a/db/repl/replset.h
+++ b/db/repl/replset.h
@@ -32,21 +32,34 @@ namespace mongo {
     */
     class ReplSet {
     public:
+        bool fatal;
+
+        bool ok() const { return !fatal; }
+
+        /* @return replica set's logical name */
         string getName() const { return _name; }
 
         /* cfgString format is 
            replsetname/host1,host2:port,...
-           where :port is optional, and 
-           */
+           where :port is optional.
+
+           throws exception if a problem initializing.
+        */
         ReplSet(string cfgString);
 
+        // for replSetGetStatus command
         void summarizeStatus(BSONObjBuilder&) const;
 
     private:
         string _name;
         const vector<HostAndPort> *_seeds;
 
-        void addMemberIfMissing(const HostAndPort& p);
+        /** load our configuration from admin.replset.  try seed machines too. 
+            throws exception if a problem.
+        */
+        void loadConfig();
+
+//        void addMemberIfMissing(const HostAndPort& p);
 
         struct MemberInfo : public List1<MemberInfo>::Base {
             MemberInfo(string h, int p) : port(p), host(h) {
diff --git a/db/repl/rs_config.cpp b/db/repl/rs_config.cpp
index 33f088ae3a6..a0dd9ffca44 100644
--- a/db/repl/rs_config.cpp
+++ b/db/repl/rs_config.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 namespace mongo { 
 
     void ReplSetConfig::from(BSONObj o) {
+        md5 = o.md5();
         _id = o["_id"].String();
         version = o["version"].numberInt();
         uassert(13115, "bad admin.replset config: version", version > 0);
@@ -60,12 +61,19 @@ namespace mongo {
         uassert(13117, "bad admin.replset config", !_id.empty());
     }
 
+    static inline void configAssert(bool expr) {
+        uassert(13122, "bad admin.replset config", expr);
+    }
+
     ReplSetConfig::ReplSetConfig(const HostAndPort& h) {
+        log(2) << "load ReplSetConfig " << h.toString() << endl;
+
         DBClientConnection conn(false, 0, 20);
         conn._logLevel = 2;
         string err;
         conn.connect(h.toString());
         auto_ptr<DBClientCursor> c = conn.query("admin.replset");
+        configAssert(c->more());
         BSONObj o = c->nextSafe();
         uassert(13109, "multiple rows in admin.replset not supported", !c->more());
         from(o);
diff --git a/db/repl/rs_config.h b/db/repl/rs_config.h
index 3c9fa81ab48..9d530bd7aa8 100644
--- a/db/repl/rs_config.h
+++ b/db/repl/rs_config.h
@@ -50,10 +50,12 @@ Additionally an object in this collection holds global configuration settings fo
 
 class ReplSetConfig {
 public:
-    /* can throw exception */
+    /* if something is misconfigured, throws an exception. 
+       if couldn't be queried or is just blank, ok() will be false.
+       */
     ReplSetConfig(const HostAndPort& h);
 
-    bool ok() const { return !_id.empty(); }
+    bool ok() const { return _ok; }
 
     struct Member {
         HostAndPort h;
@@ -64,10 +66,12 @@ public:
     string _id;
     int version;
     HealthOptions healthOptions;
+    string md5;
 
-    /* TODO: adde getLastErrorDefaults */
+    /* TODO: add getLastErrorDefaults */
 
 private:
+    bool _ok;
     void from(BSONObj);
 };
 
diff --git a/dbtests/test.vcproj b/dbtests/test.vcproj
index 1146ec00035..c797517ca36 100644
--- a/dbtests/test.vcproj
+++ b/dbtests/test.vcproj
@@ -1960,6 +1960,14 @@
 				RelativePath="..\db\repl\replset.cpp"
 				>
 			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath="..\db\repl\replset_commands.cpp"
+				>
+			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath="..\db\repl\rs_config.cpp"
+				>
+			</File>
 		</Filter>
 	</Files>
 	<Globals>
diff --git a/util/hostandport.h b/util/hostandport.h
index 21527ee224f..03473ca300f 100644
--- a/util/hostandport.h
+++ b/util/hostandport.h
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ namespace mongo {
 
         HostAndPort(string h, int p = -1) : _host(h), _port(p) { }
 
+        static HostAndPort me() { 
+            return HostAndPort("localhost", cmdLine.port);
+        }
+
         static HostAndPort fromString(string s) {
             const char *p = s.c_str();
             uassert(13110, "HostAndPort: bad config string", *p);