diff --git a/Source/Common/CommonBase.cpp b/Source/Common/CommonBase.cpp
index 2e7e8ec5..194f2325 100644
--- a/Source/Common/CommonBase.cpp
+++ b/Source/Common/CommonBase.cpp
@@ -98,15 +98,26 @@ void CommonBase::MPISpinner()
 
 int MSGBUFSIZ = 1024;                  // Individual incoming message buffer
 char * MSGBUF = new char[MSGBUFSIZ];   // Pull it off the heap
+
+const int MAX_PROBE_IDLE_BACKOFF_US=100000; // Maximum is 100,000us, i.e. 10hz
+int probe_idle_backoff_us=0;
 for (;;) {
 // See if there are any MPI packets coming down the pipe
   MPI_Status status;                   // Note the multi-threaded MPI probe
   int flag;
   MPI_Iprobe(MPI_ANY_SOURCE,MPI_ANY_TAG,MPI_COMM_WORLD,&flag,&status);
   if (flag==0) {                       // Nothing there....
-    OnIdle();                          // Guess
+    if(HaveIdleWork()){
+      OnIdle();                          // Guess
+    }else{
+      probe_idle_backoff_us=std::min<int>(MAX_PROBE_IDLE_BACKOFF_US, std::max<int>(10, (probe_idle_backoff_us*5)/4));
+      OSFixes::sleep( probe_idle_backoff_us / 1000 );
+    }
     continue;                          // And try again
   }
+
+  probe_idle_backoff_us=0;
+
   int count;
   MPI_Get_count(&status,MPI_CHAR,&count);
   if (count > MSGBUFSIZ) {             // Ensure we have the space for it
@@ -142,6 +153,13 @@ void CommonBase::OnIdle()
 
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+bool CommonBase::HaveIdleWork()
+{
+  return true; // For compatibility with existing users of OnIdle
+}
+
+//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
 unsigned CommonBase::OnPmap(PMsg_p * Z)
 {
 pPmap->Register(Z);
diff --git a/Source/Common/CommonBase.h b/Source/Common/CommonBase.h
index 8a26a4fa..30b83ebb 100644
--- a/Source/Common/CommonBase.h
+++ b/Source/Common/CommonBase.h
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ virtual unsigned       Decode(PMsg_p *) = 0;
 void                   Dump(unsigned = 0,FILE * = stdout);
 unsigned               OnExit(PMsg_p *);
 virtual void           OnIdle();
+virtual bool           HaveIdleWork(); // Return false if there is something we want to do in OnIdle
 unsigned               OnPmap(PMsg_p *);
 unsigned               OnSystPingAck(PMsg_p *);
 unsigned               OnSystPingReq(PMsg_p *);
diff --git a/Source/LogServer/LogServer.cpp b/Source/LogServer/LogServer.cpp
index fedfeec8..3d75b89e 100644
--- a/Source/LogServer/LogServer.cpp
+++ b/Source/LogServer/LogServer.cpp
@@ -155,14 +155,27 @@ while (recd!=0) {                      // Walk the records in the section
 
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+// DT10 : This was previously a static within LogServer::OnIdle. A static
+// global here seems as problematic as there, so moved it out. It looked
+// like a hack anyway.
+static bool OnIdle_flag0 = false;             // All the processes registered?
+
+bool LogServer::HaveIdleWork()
+{
+  if(logfp==0) return false;
+  if((OnIdle_flag0==false)&&(pPmap->vPmap.size()>=unsigned(Usize))){
+    return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
 void LogServer::OnIdle()
 {
 if (logfp==0) return;                  // May not yet have an output channel
-static bool flag0 = false;             // All the processes registered?
-if ((flag0==false)&&(pPmap->vPmap.size()>=unsigned(Usize))) {
+if ((OnIdle_flag0==false)&&(pPmap->vPmap.size()>=unsigned(Usize))) {
   if (pPmap->vPmap.size()>unsigned(Usize))Post(113);
   pPmap->Show(logfp);
-  flag0 = true;                        // Make sure we just do this once
+  OnIdle_flag0 = true;                        // Make sure we just do this once
 }
 CommonBase::OnIdle();                  // Any base actions?
 }
diff --git a/Source/LogServer/LogServer.h b/Source/LogServer/LogServer.h
index 1412daee..193976e3 100644
--- a/Source/LogServer/LogServer.h
+++ b/Source/LogServer/LogServer.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ string              Assemble(int,vector<string> &);
 void                Dump(unsigned = 0,FILE * = stdout);
 void                InitFile();
 void                LoadMessages(string);
+bool                HaveIdleWork();
 void                OnIdle();
 unsigned            OnLoad(PMsg_p *);
 unsigned            OnLogP(PMsg_p *);
diff --git a/Source/OrchBase/Handlers/CmCall.cpp b/Source/OrchBase/Handlers/CmCall.cpp
index 8f191896..a25db5c5 100644
--- a/Source/OrchBase/Handlers/CmCall.cpp
+++ b/Source/OrchBase/Handlers/CmCall.cpp
@@ -121,6 +121,13 @@ fflush(fp);
 
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+bool CmCall::IsEmpty()
+{
+  return Equeue.empty();
+}
+
+//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
 Cli CmCall::Front()
 // Provides a valid Cm object: if there was one in the Q, it gets popped off
 // the front; otherwise an empty one is returned.
diff --git a/Source/OrchBase/Handlers/CmCall.h b/Source/OrchBase/Handlers/CmCall.h
index f47b8ad1..9bc68233 100644
--- a/Source/OrchBase/Handlers/CmCall.h
+++ b/Source/OrchBase/Handlers/CmCall.h
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ void             CaEcho(Cli::Cl_t);
 void             CaFile(Cli::Cl_t);
 void             Dump(unsigned = 0,FILE * = stdout);
 Cli              Front();
+bool             IsEmpty();
 void             Show(FILE * = stdout);
 unsigned         operator()(Cli *);
 
diff --git a/Source/RTCL/RTCL.cpp b/Source/RTCL/RTCL.cpp
index 51fe4192..dac98b0f 100644
--- a/Source/RTCL/RTCL.cpp
+++ b/Source/RTCL/RTCL.cpp
@@ -106,6 +106,12 @@ fprintf(fp,"%sRTCL dump ------------------------------------------------\n",os);
 fflush(stdout);
 }
 
+bool RTCL::HaveIdleWork()
+{
+  // We don't have OnIdle, so must never have work.
+  return false;
+}
+
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 unsigned RTCL::OnExit(PMsg_p * Z)
diff --git a/Source/RTCL/RTCL.h b/Source/RTCL/RTCL.h
index d3d2d9ed..f46ac27c 100644
--- a/Source/RTCL/RTCL.h
+++ b/Source/RTCL/RTCL.h
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ void                Dump(unsigned = 0,FILE * = stdout);
 unsigned            OnExit(PMsg_p *);
 unsigned            OnRTCL(PMsg_p *);
 
+bool                HaveIdleWork();
+
 public:
 struct comms_t {
   RTCL * pthis;
diff --git a/Source/Root/Root.cpp b/Source/Root/Root.cpp
index 82ab7753..cbec1a57 100644
--- a/Source/Root/Root.cpp
+++ b/Source/Root/Root.cpp
@@ -323,6 +323,17 @@ fflush(fp);
 
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+bool Root::HaveIdleWork()
+{
+  // If a scheduled exit condition is satisfied, we have work to do.
+  if((pCmCall->IsEmpty() and exitOnEmpty) or (appJustStopped and exitOnStop)){
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  // Otherwise, simply check the queue.
+  return !pCmCall->IsEmpty();
+}
+
 void Root::OnIdle()
 {
 Cli Cm = pCmCall->Front();             // Anything in the batch queue?
diff --git a/Source/Root/Root.h b/Source/Root/Root.h
index 2fa4d817..fef649d7 100644
--- a/Source/Root/Root.h
+++ b/Source/Root/Root.h
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ unsigned                    CmRetu(Cli *);
 bool                        Config();
 #include                    "Decode.cpp"
 void                        Dump(unsigned = 0,FILE * = stdout);
+bool                        HaveIdleWork();
 void                        OnIdle();
 unsigned                    OnInje(PMsg_p *);
 unsigned                    OnKeyb(PMsg_p *);