diff --git a/db/database.cpp b/db/database.cpp
index d6038ae5d7d..1a366909dc8 100644
--- a/db/database.cpp
+++ b/db/database.cpp
@@ -37,7 +37,9 @@ namespace mongo {
     }
 
     Database::Database(const char *nm, bool& newDb, const string& _path )
-        : name(nm), path(_path), namespaceIndex( path, name ) {
+        : name(nm), path(_path), namespaceIndex( path, name ), 
+          profileName(name + ".system.profile")
+    {
         
         { // check db name is valid
             size_t L = strlen(nm);
@@ -50,7 +52,6 @@ namespace mongo {
         
         newDb = namespaceIndex.exists();
         profile = 0;
-        profileName = name + ".system.profile";
 
         {
             vector<string> others;
diff --git a/db/database.h b/db/database.h
index a3659dc0be0..11b8bce228e 100644
--- a/db/database.h
+++ b/db/database.h
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ namespace mongo {
     public:
         static bool _openAllFiles;
         
-        Database(const char *nm, bool& newDb, const string& _path = dbpath);
+        Database(const char *nm, /*out*/ bool& newDb, const string& _path = dbpath);
     private:
         ~Database();
     public:
@@ -45,15 +45,13 @@ namespace mongo {
         /**
          * tries to make sure that this hasn't been deleted
          */
-        bool isOk(){
-            return magic == 781231;
-        }
+        bool isOk() const { return magic == 781231; }
 
         bool isEmpty(){
             return ! namespaceIndex.allocated();
         }
 
-        boost::filesystem::path fileName( int n ) {
+        boost::filesystem::path fileName( int n ) const {
             stringstream ss;
             ss << name << '.' << n;
             boost::filesystem::path fullName;
@@ -64,7 +62,7 @@ namespace mongo {
             return fullName;
         }
         
-        bool exists(int n) { 
+        bool exists(int n) const { 
             return boost::filesystem::exists( fileName( n ) );
         }
 
@@ -174,7 +172,7 @@ namespace mongo {
         }
         
         /**
-         * @return true if success, false otherwise
+         * @return true if success.  false if bad level or error creating profile ns
          */
         bool setProfilingLevel( int newLevel , string& errmsg );
 
@@ -192,14 +190,12 @@ namespace mongo {
         void flushFiles( bool sync );
         
         vector<MongoDataFile*> files;
-        string name; // "alleyinsider"
-        string path;
+        const string name; // "alleyinsider"
+        const string path;
         NamespaceIndex namespaceIndex;
         int profile; // 0=off.
-        string profileName; // "alleyinsider.system.profile"
-
+        const string profileName; // "alleyinsider.system.profile"
         multimap<DiskLoc, ClientCursor*> ccByLoc;
-
         int magic; // used for making sure the object is still loaded in memory 
     };
 
diff --git a/db/repl.cpp b/db/repl.cpp
index d9a3dbdde36..6afad34450c 100644
--- a/db/repl.cpp
+++ b/db/repl.cpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
    local.sources         - indicates what sources we pull from as a "slave", and the last update of each
    local.oplog.$main     - our op log as "master"
-   local.dbinfo.<dbname>
+   local.dbinfo.<dbname> - no longer used???
    local.pair.startup    - can contain a special value indicating for a pair that we have the master copy.
                            used when replacing other half of the pair which has permanently failed.
    local.pair.sync       - { initialsynccomplete: 1 }