long message_archive_backend( const char *req_url, int num_restarts )
{
    TCRDB   *conn = tcrdbnew();
    long     port = 0;
    bool     is_open = false;
    char*    backend_config = NULL;

    /* fprintf( stderr, "Connecting to primary %s at port %d\n", keyspace_server_primary_config.host, keyspace_server_primary_config.port ); */
    is_open = tcrdbopen( conn, keyspace_server_primary_config.host, keyspace_server_primary_config.port );
    if ( !is_open ) {
        int ecode = tcrdbecode( conn );
        fprintf( stderr, "tcrdbopen : %d : %s\n", errno, strerror( errno ));
        fprintf( stderr, "(%s) Failed to open primary, attempting backup : %d : %s\n", req_url, ecode, tcrdberrmsg( ecode ));
        fprintf( stderr, "(%s) Connecting to backup %s at port %d\n", req_url, keyspace_server_backup_config.host, keyspace_server_backup_config.port );
        is_open = tcrdbopen( conn, keyspace_server_backup_config.host, keyspace_server_backup_config.port );
        if ( !is_open) {
            int ecode = tcrdbecode( conn );
            fprintf( stderr, "(%s) Failed to open backup : %d : %s\n", req_url, ecode, tcrdberrmsg( ecode ));
            return -503;
        }
    }

    /* fprintf( stderr, "Calling backend_for '%s'\n", req_url);  */
    backend_config = tcrdbext2( conn, "backend_for", RDBXOLCKGLB, req_url, 
                               ( (0 == num_restarts) ? "primary" : "backup" ) );

    /* if there is a backend config, get the port number */
    if ( NULL != backend_config ) {
        /* fprintf( stderr, "Received a response %s\n", backend_config); */
        char *colon = strrchr( backend_config, ':' );

        /* colon found attempt to convert to a long */
        if ( NULL != colon ) {
            colon++; /* move past the colon itself */
            port = strtol( colon, NULL, 10 );

            /* unable to convert to a good number */
            if ( 0 == port || LONG_MIN == port || LONG_MAX == port ) {
                port = -1;
            } 
        } else {
          /* no port number found */
            port = 0;
        }
    } else {
        port = -404;
    }

    if ( !tcrdbclose( conn ) ) {
      fprintf( stderr, "(%s) Unable to close tcrdb connection\n", req_url);
    }
    tcrdbdel( conn );
    free( backend_config );

    return port;
}