diff --git a/RTCP/Run/src/CNProcessing.sh b/RTCP/Run/src/CNProcessing.sh
index 04f63383d03a681593228c7035180726cbc226c9..bead9b675f54c12fba4c1bcd6b73e5695aa70554 100755
--- a/RTCP/Run/src/CNProcessing.sh
+++ b/RTCP/Run/src/CNProcessing.sh
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ source locations.sh
 function start() {
   set_psetinfo
 
+  # make sure the log dir exists
+  mkdir -p "$LOGDIR"
+
   TMPDIR="`mktemp -d`"
   PIDFILE="$TMPDIR/pid"
 
@@ -12,7 +15,7 @@ function start() {
   mkfifo "$PIDFILE"
 
   (mpirun -mode VN -partition "$PARTITION" -env DCMF_COLLECTIVES=0 -env BG_MAPPING=XYZT -env LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/bgsys/drivers/ppcfloor/comm/lib:/bgsys/drivers/ppcfloor/runtime/SPI:/globalhome/romein/lib.bgp -cwd "$LOGSYMLINK" -exe "$CNPROC" 2>&1 &
-  echo $! > "$PIDFILE") | LOFAR/Logger.py $LOGPARAMS "$LOGSYMLINK/CNProc.log" &
+  echo $! > "$PIDFILE") | LOFAR/Logger.py $LOGPARAMS "$LOGDIR/CNProc.log" &
 
   PID=`cat "$PIDFILE"`
   rm -f "$PIDFILE"
diff --git a/RTCP/Run/src/IONProcessing.sh b/RTCP/Run/src/IONProcessing.sh
index edafb9922c138b7694b3e255a63cd1a8a968e25a..0126d41cad3d2aa255c8640fc46def912dcbc3db 100755
--- a/RTCP/Run/src/IONProcessing.sh
+++ b/RTCP/Run/src/IONProcessing.sh
@@ -5,10 +5,8 @@ source locations.sh
 function start() {
   set_psetinfo
 
-  # create a new log dir
-  rm -f "$LOGSYMLINK" || true
+  # make sure the log dir exists
   mkdir -p "$LOGDIR"
-  ln -s "$LOGDIR" "$LOGSYMLINK"
 
   TMPDIR=`mktemp -d`
   PIDFILE="$TMPDIR/pid"
@@ -17,7 +15,7 @@ function start() {
   mkfifo "$PIDFILE"
 
   (/bgsys/LOFAR/openmpi-ion/bin/mpirun -host "$PSETS"  --pernode -wd "$LOGDIR" "$IONPROC" "$ISPRODUCTION" 2>&1 &
-  echo $! > "$PIDFILE") | LOFAR/Logger.py $LOGPARAMS "$LOGSYMLINK/IONProc.log" &
+  echo $! > "$PIDFILE") | LOFAR/Logger.py $LOGPARAMS "$LOGDIR/IONProc.log" &
 
   PID=`cat $PIDFILE`
   rm -f "$PIDFILE"
diff --git a/RTCP/Run/src/LOFAR/Locations.py b/RTCP/Run/src/LOFAR/Locations.py
index 20c55b62a19cd7877b4a46c846322bc35b52476f..d415b939967b9c6194a4cbb81719419bd0486e82 100644
--- a/RTCP/Run/src/LOFAR/Locations.py
+++ b/RTCP/Run/src/LOFAR/Locations.py
@@ -65,25 +65,14 @@ class Locations:
         # the observation ID is included to allow parallel observations
 
         # where to store logs
-	"logdir":  "${BASEDIR}/D${TIMESTAMP}",
+	"logdir":  "${BASEDIR}/log",
 
         # where configuration files are kept
         "configdir": ".",
-        "storage_configdir": ".",
-
-        # where to start the executables. rundir needs to be reachable
-        # for all sections.
-	"rundir":  "${BASEDIR}/D${TIMESTAMP}",
-
-        # symlink to create to latest log dir
-        "logsymlink": "${BASEDIR}/log",
-
-        # symlink for each observation to relevant log dir
-        "obssymlink": "${BASEDIR}/D${YEAR}_${OBSID}",
 
         # parset name mas
-        "parset": "${LOGSYMLINK}/L${OBSID}.parset",     # for communication with Storage and offline pipelines
-        "parset-ion": "${LOGSYMLINK}/L${OBSID}.parset", # for communication with the I/O nodes
+        "parset": "${LOGDIR}/L${OBSID}.parset",     # for communication with Storage and offline pipelines
+        "parset-ion": "${LOGDIR}/L${OBSID}.parset", # for communication with the I/O nodes
 
         # location of the observation id counter
 	"nextmsnumber": "/globalhome/lofarsystem/log/nextMSNumber",
@@ -100,24 +89,14 @@ class Locations:
         # the locations of the main executables
 	"storage": "/opt/storage/current/bin/%s" % (self.executables["Storage"],),
 
-        # where to start the executables. rundir needs to be reachable
-        # for all sections.
-	"rundir":  "${HOME}/log/L${TIMESTAMP}",
-
         # where to store logs
-	"logdir":  "${HOME}/log/L${TIMESTAMP}",
+	"logdir":  "${HOME}/log",
 
 	# where to save the parset
 	"parset-ion":  "/bghome0/lofarsys/parsets/RTCP-${OBSID}.parset", # for communication to the IO nodes 
 
         # where configuration files are kept
         "configdir": "${BASEDIR}/bgfen/etc",
-        "storage_configdir": "/opt/storage/current/etc",
-
-        # symlink for each observation to relevant log dir
-        "obssymlink": "${HOME}/log/L${OBSID}",
-
-        "logsymlink": "${HOME}/log/latest",
 
         # location of valgrind suppressions file
         "ionsuppfile": "",
@@ -130,7 +109,6 @@ class Locations:
 
         # where configuration files are kept
         "configdir": "${BASEDIR}/RTCP/Run/src",
-	"storage_configdir": "${BASEDIR}/installed/%s/etc" % (self.buildvars["Storage"],),
 
 	"storage": "${BASEDIR}/installed/%s/bin/%s" % (self.buildvars["Storage"],self.executables["Storage"]),
 
diff --git a/RTCP/Run/src/gracefullyStopBGProcessing.sh b/RTCP/Run/src/gracefullyStopBGProcessing.sh
index 81757ac2d5b826e19d3615bf0d29d138bd8e956a..5e7eeb016992c26953b09a98d01c058124d4cb1d 100644
--- a/RTCP/Run/src/gracefullyStopBGProcessing.sh
+++ b/RTCP/Run/src/gracefullyStopBGProcessing.sh
@@ -6,4 +6,4 @@ set_psetinfo
 
 echo "cancel all" > /dev/tcp/$FIRSTPSET/4000 2>/dev/null &&
 echo "quit"       > /dev/tcp/$FIRSTPSET/4000 2>/dev/null &&
-sleep 5 # allow processes to quit
+sleep 10 # allow processes to quit
diff --git a/RTCP/Run/src/locations.sh.in b/RTCP/Run/src/locations.sh.in
index 16fe5a4bb6f4d630ef1fe8583080f3e4f5d733fd..daa31ff71ca29260b7a4cd17ada7a401496e9007 100644
--- a/RTCP/Run/src/locations.sh.in
+++ b/RTCP/Run/src/locations.sh.in
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@ then
   IONPROC=$HOME/production/lofar/bgp_ion/bin/ION_Processing
   ETCDIR=/opt/lofar/etc
 
-  LOGDIR=$HOME/log/L$TIMESTAMP
-  LOGSYMLINK=$HOME/log/latest
+  LOGDIR=$HOME/log
   LOGPARAMS="-s ccu001:24500"
 else
   ISPRODUCTION=0
@@ -22,8 +21,7 @@ else
   IONPROC=$HOME/projects/LOFAR/installed/bgpion_opt/bin/ION_Processing
   ETCDIR=@CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX@/etc
 
-  LOGDIR=$HOME/projects/LOFAR/L$TIMESTAMP
-  LOGSYMLINK=$HOME/projects/LOFAR/log
+  LOGDIR=$HOME/projects/LOFAR/log
   LOGPARAMS="-v"
 fi
 
diff --git a/RTCP/Run/src/runParset.py b/RTCP/Run/src/runParset.py
index f852d56daee334449566d8bd97cc985a254e75e0..4b583522ef579c8181137b077270566c7ec82228 100755
--- a/RTCP/Run/src/runParset.py
+++ b/RTCP/Run/src/runParset.py
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     parset.save()
 
     if not options.norun:
+      """
       try:
         obsDir = os.path.dirname( os.path.realpath( parset.filename ) )
         symlinkName = Locations.resolvePath( Locations.files["obssymlink"], parset )
@@ -112,6 +113,7 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
         warning( "Failed to create symlink %s -> %s" % (symlinkName,obsDir) )
       except OSError,msg:
         warning( "Failed to create symlink %s -> %s" % (symlinkName,obsDir) )
+      """
 
       # save in separate location for IO nodes, to prevent contention for NFS drives with other processes
       parset.setFilename( Locations.resolvePath( Locations.files["parset-ion"], parset ) )
diff --git a/RTCP/Run/src/watchlogs.sh b/RTCP/Run/src/watchlogs.sh
index 742efbf856bf7aabd384f02be433351795dc0f5d..695a6c54fded0b4cf288b2352599565845b46a2c 100755
--- a/RTCP/Run/src/watchlogs.sh
+++ b/RTCP/Run/src/watchlogs.sh
@@ -1,49 +1,20 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+source locations.sh
+
 FLAGS="-n 10000"
 
-# ----- find multitail
-PATH=$PATH:/globalhome/broekema/bin
-
-# ----- find the logging directory
-#   .                        = current directory, to check first
-#   $HOME/log/latest         = default logging directory for production
-#   $HOME/projects/LOFAR/log = default logging directory for development
-
-function set_logdir {
-  LOGDIR=$1
-
-  CNPROC=$LOGDIR/CNProc.log
-  IONPROC=$LOGDIR/IONProc.log
-}
-
-for d in . "$HOME/production/lofar/bgfen/log/latest" "$HOME/log/latest" "$HOME/projects/LOFAR/log"
-do
-  set_logdir $d
-  if [ -e $IONPROC ]
-  then
-    break
-  fi
-done
-
-# ----- find the configuration for multitail
-for c in `dirname $0` /opt/lofar/etc $HOME/projects/LOFAR/RTCP/Run/src
-do
-  CONFDIR=$c
-  if [ -e $CONFDIR/multitail-olap.conf ]
-  then
-    break
-  fi
-done
+CNPROC_LOG=$LOGDIR/CNProc.log
+IONPROC_LOG=$LOGDIR/IONProc.log
 
 echo Reading logs from $LOGDIR
-echo Reading multitail configuration from $CONFDIR
+echo Reading multitail configuration from $ETCDIR
 
 ERRORLOGS=
 
-if [ "$USER" == "lofarsys" ]
+if [ $ISPRODUCTION -eq 1 ]
 then
-  for l in /opt/lofar/log/BlueGeneControl.log $HOME/log/run.runParset.py.log
+  for l in $LOGDIR/BlueGeneControl.log $LOGDIR/run.runParset.py.log
   do
     echo Reading additional error log $l
     ERRORLOGS="$ERRORLOGS $FLAGS -cS olap -fr errors -I $l"
@@ -51,11 +22,11 @@ then
 fi
 
 
-multitail --no-mark-change --follow-all --retry-all -m 10240 --basename -F $CONFDIR/multitail-olap.conf \
-  $FLAGS -t "-- FLAGS --"  -fr flags -ks flags -i $IONPROC \
-  $FLAGS -t "-- ERRORS --" -fr errors          -i $IONPROC \
-  $FLAGS                   -fr errors          -I $CNPROC \
+multitail --no-mark-change --follow-all --retry-all -m 10240 --basename -F $ETCDIR/multitail-olap.conf \
+  $FLAGS -t "-- FLAGS --"  -fr flags -ks flags -i $IONPROC_LOG \
+  $FLAGS -t "-- ERRORS --" -fr errors          -i $IONPROC_LOG \
+  $FLAGS                   -fr errors          -I $CNPROC_LOG \
   $ERRORLOGS \
-  $FLAGS -t "IONProc/Storage"                  -i $IONPROC \
-  $FLAGS -t "CNProc"       -wh 5               -i $CNPROC
+  $FLAGS -t "IONProc/Storage"                  -i $IONPROC_LOG \
+  $FLAGS -t "CNProc"       -wh 5               -i $CNPROC_LOG