diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index 5396d4423..5bc617a9c 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ gem 'will_paginate'
 gem 'actionmailer'
 gem 'sendgrid'
 gem 'rb-readline'
+gem 'aasm', '3.0.16'
 
 group :development do
 	gem 'pry'
diff --git a/bin/websocket_gateway b/bin/websocket_gateway
index f49239554..8260d500b 100755
--- a/bin/websocket_gateway
+++ b/bin/websocket_gateway
@@ -31,4 +31,7 @@ else
 end
 
 ActiveRecord::Base.establish_connection(db_config)
-Server.new.run :port => config["port"], :emwebsocket_debug => config["emwebsocket_debug"], :max_stale_connection_time => config["max_stale_connection_time"]
+Server.new.run(:port => config["port"], 
+               :emwebsocket_debug => config["emwebsocket_debug"], 
+               :max_stale_connection_time => config["max_stale_connection_time"], 
+               :max_reconnect_time => config["max_reconnect_time"])
diff --git a/config/application.yml b/config/application.yml
index df89cddc9..ef2c4e214 100644
--- a/config/application.yml
+++ b/config/application.yml
@@ -1,15 +1,19 @@
+Defaults: &defaults
+  max_stale_connection_time: 30
+  max_reconnect_time: 180
+
 development:
   port: 6767
   verbose: true
   emwebsocket_debug: false
-  max_stale_connection_time: 30
+  <<: *defaults
 
 test:
   port: 6769
   verbose: true
-  max_stale_connection_time: 30
+  <<: *defaults
 
 production:
   port: 6767
   verbose: false 
-  max_stale_connection_time: 30
+  <<: *defaults
diff --git a/lib/jam_websockets/router.rb b/lib/jam_websockets/router.rb
index c8bda4bea..b83e513e1 100644
--- a/lib/jam_websockets/router.rb
+++ b/lib/jam_websockets/router.rb
@@ -433,9 +433,15 @@ module JamWebsockets
 
         # respond with LOGIN_ACK to let client know it was successful
         #binding.pry
+        
+        connection = JamRuby::Connection.find_by_client_id(client_id)
 
         remote_ip = extract_ip(client)
-        login_ack = @message_factory.login_ack(remote_ip, client_id, user.remember_token, @heartbeat_interval)
+        login_ack = @message_factory.login_ack(remote_ip, 
+                                               client_id, 
+                                               user.remember_token, 
+                                               @heartbeat_interval, 
+                                               connection.try(:music_session_id))
         send_to_client(client, login_ack)
 
         @semaphore.synchronize do
@@ -448,9 +454,13 @@ module JamWebsockets
           add_user(context)
           add_client(client_id, client) # TODO
 
-          # log this connection in the database
-          ConnectionManager.active_record_transaction do |connection_manager|
-            connection_manager.create_connection(user.id, client.client_id, extract_ip(client))
+          if connection 
+            connection.connect!
+          else
+            # log this connection in the database
+            ConnectionManager.active_record_transaction do |connection_manager|
+              connection_manager.create_connection(user.id, client.client_id, extract_ip(client))
+            end
           end
         end
       else
diff --git a/lib/jam_websockets/server.rb b/lib/jam_websockets/server.rb
index d4eca90f8..be738bba1 100644
--- a/lib/jam_websockets/server.rb
+++ b/lib/jam_websockets/server.rb
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ module JamWebsockets
       host = "0.0.0.0"
       port = options[:port]
       max_stale_connection_time = options[:max_stale_connection_time]
+      max_reconnect_time = options[:max_reconnect_time]
 
       @log.info "starting server #{host}:#{port} with staleness_time=#{max_stale_connection_time}"
 
@@ -27,7 +28,8 @@ module JamWebsockets
             @router.cleanup
         end
 
-        start_connection_cleaner(max_stale_connection_time)
+        start_connection_flagger(max_stale_connection_time)
+        start_connection_cleaner(max_reconnect_time)
 
         start_websocket_listener(host, port, options[:emwebsocket_debug])
       end
@@ -56,6 +58,22 @@ module JamWebsockets
         connection_manager.remove_stale_connections(stale_max_time)
       end
     end
+
+    def start_connection_flagger(flag_max_time)
+      # one cleanup on startup
+      flag_stale_connections(flag_max_time)
+
+      EventMachine::PeriodicTimer.new(15) do
+        flag_stale_connections(flag_max_time)
+      end
+    end
+
+    def flag_stale_connections(flag_max_time)
+      ConnectionManager.active_record_transaction do |connection_manager|
+        connection_manager.flag_stale_connections(flag_max_time)
+      end
+    end
+
   end
 
 end
diff --git a/spec/jam_websockets/router_spec.rb b/spec/jam_websockets/router_spec.rb
index 4141e6974..919d39f87 100644
--- a/spec/jam_websockets/router_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/jam_websockets/router_spec.rb
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ def login(router, user, password, client_id)
   message_factory = MessageFactory.new
   client = LoginClient.new
 
-  login_ack = message_factory.login_ack("127.0.0.1", client_id, user.remember_token, 15)
+  login_ack = message_factory.login_ack("127.0.0.1", client_id, user.remember_token, 15, nil)
 
   router.should_receive(:send_to_client).with(client, login_ack)
   router.should_receive(:extract_ip).at_least(:once).with(client).and_return("127.0.0.1")
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 2706e081b..e4c25691f 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -8,8 +8,12 @@ require 'evented-spec'
 jamenv = ENV['JAMENV']
 jamenv ||= 'development'
 
-config = YAML::load(File.open('config/application.yml'))[jamenv]
+fn = "#{File.dirname(__FILE__)}/../config/application.yml"
+puts "*** spec_helper.rb:  fn=#{fn}; #{File.exists?(fn)}; #{jamenv}"
 
+ff = File.open("#{File.dirname(__FILE__)}/../config/application.yml",'r')
+config = YAML::load(ff)[jamenv]
+puts "*** spec_helper.rb:  jamenv=#{jamenv}; config = #{config}"
 
 if config["verbose"]
     Logging.logger.root.level = :debug