diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index 1c9e30e979..9c839a94d0 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
 		nconf.file({
 			file: __dirname + '/config.json'
 		});
-		meta = require('./src/meta.js');
+		meta = require('./src/meta');
 
 		nconf.set('url', nconf.get('base_url') + (nconf.get('use_port') ? ':' + nconf.get('port') : '') + nconf.get('relative_path') + '/');
 		nconf.set('upload_url', nconf.get('url') + 'uploads/');
@@ -73,60 +73,62 @@
 			winston.info('Base Configuration OK.');
 		}
 
-		meta.configs.init(function () {
-
-			//
-			// TODO : figure out reds search after dbal is complete
-			//
-			//var reds = require('reds'),
-			//	db = require('./src/database');
-			/*reds.createClient = function () {
-				return reds.client || (reds.client = db);
-			};*/
-
-			var templates = require('./public/src/templates'),
-				translator = require('./public/src/translator'),
-				webserver = require('./src/webserver'),
-				SocketIO =  require('socket.io').listen(global.server, { log: false, transports: ['websocket', 'xhr-polling', 'jsonp-polling', 'flashsocket'], 'browser client minification': true}),
-				websockets = require('./src/websockets'),
-				plugins = require('./src/plugins'),
-				notifications = require('./src/notifications'),
-				upgrade = require('./src/upgrade');
-
-			upgrade.check(function(schema_ok) {
-				if (schema_ok || nconf.get('check-schema') === false) {
-					websockets.init(SocketIO);
-					console.log('calling plugins init');
-					plugins.init();
-					global.templates = {};
-					global.translator = translator;
-
-					translator.loadServer();
-
-					var customTemplates = meta.config['theme:templates'] ? path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules', meta.config['theme:id'], meta.config['theme:templates']) : false;
-
-					// todo: replace below with read directory code, derp.
-					templates.init([
-						'header', 'footer', 'logout', 'outgoing', 'admin/header', 'admin/footer', 'admin/index',
-						'emails/reset', 'emails/reset_plaintext', 'emails/email_confirm', 'emails/email_confirm_plaintext',
-						'emails/header', 'emails/footer',
-
-						'noscript/header', 'noscript/home', 'noscript/category', 'noscript/topic'
-					], customTemplates);
-
-
-					plugins.ready(function() {
-						templates.ready(webserver.init);
-					});
-
-					notifications.init();
-				} else {
-					winston.warn('Your NodeBB schema is out-of-date. Please run the following command to bring your dataset up to spec:');
-					winston.warn('    node app --upgrade');
-					winston.warn('To ignore this error (not recommended):');
-					winston.warn('    node app --no-check-schema')
-					process.exit();
-				}
+		require('./src/database').init(function(err) {
+			meta.configs.init(function () {
+
+				//
+				// TODO : figure out reds search after dbal is complete
+				//
+				//var reds = require('reds'),
+				//	db = require('./src/database');
+				/*reds.createClient = function () {
+					return reds.client || (reds.client = db);
+				};*/
+
+				var templates = require('./public/src/templates'),
+					translator = require('./public/src/translator'),
+					webserver = require('./src/webserver'),
+					SocketIO =  require('socket.io').listen(global.server, { log: false, transports: ['websocket', 'xhr-polling', 'jsonp-polling', 'flashsocket'], 'browser client minification': true}),
+					websockets = require('./src/websockets'),
+					plugins = require('./src/plugins'),
+					notifications = require('./src/notifications'),
+					upgrade = require('./src/upgrade');
+
+				upgrade.check(function(schema_ok) {
+					if (schema_ok || nconf.get('check-schema') === false) {
+						websockets.init(SocketIO);
+
+						plugins.init();
+						global.templates = {};
+						global.translator = translator;
+
+						translator.loadServer();
+
+						var customTemplates = meta.config['theme:templates'] ? path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules', meta.config['theme:id'], meta.config['theme:templates']) : false;
+
+						// todo: replace below with read directory code, derp.
+						templates.init([
+							'header', 'footer', 'logout', 'outgoing', 'admin/header', 'admin/footer', 'admin/index',
+							'emails/reset', 'emails/reset_plaintext', 'emails/email_confirm', 'emails/email_confirm_plaintext',
+							'emails/header', 'emails/footer',
+
+							'noscript/header', 'noscript/home', 'noscript/category', 'noscript/topic'
+						], customTemplates);
+
+
+						plugins.ready(function() {
+							templates.ready(webserver.init);
+						});
+
+						notifications.init();
+					} else {
+						winston.warn('Your NodeBB schema is out-of-date. Please run the following command to bring your dataset up to spec:');
+						winston.warn('    node app --upgrade');
+						winston.warn('To ignore this error (not recommended):');
+						winston.warn('    node app --no-check-schema')
+						process.exit();
+					}
+				});
 			});
 		});
 	} else if (nconf.get('setup') || nconf.get('install') || !fs.existsSync(__dirname + '/config.json')) {
diff --git a/src/database/mongo.js b/src/database/mongo.js
index 6d3b4f6e5c..801abb6dd7 100644
--- a/src/database/mongo.js
+++ b/src/database/mongo.js
@@ -2,9 +2,7 @@
 
 (function(module) {
 	'use strict';
-	var Db = require('mongodb').Db,
-		mongoClient = require('mongodb').MongoClient,
-		Server = require('mongodb').Server,
+	var mongoClient = require('mongodb').MongoClient,
 		winston = require('winston'),
 		nconf = require('nconf'),
 		express = require('express'),
@@ -12,45 +10,36 @@
 		mongoHost = nconf.get('mongo:host'),
 		db;
 
+	module.init = function(callback) {
+		mongoClient.connect('mongodb://'+ mongoHost + ':' + nconf.get('mongo:port') + '/' + nconf.get('mongo:database'), function(err, _db) {
+			db = _db;
+			console.log('WE ARE CONNECTED');
 
-	var db = new Db(nconf.get('mongo:database'), new Server(mongoHost, nconf.get('mongo:port')), {w:1});
-	//console.log(db.collection);
+			if(err) {
+				winston.error("NodeBB could not connect to your Mongo database. Mongo returned the following error: " + err.message);
+				process.exit();
+			}
 
-	db.open(function(err, _db) {
-	//mongoClient.connect('mongodb://'+ mongoHost + ':' + nconf.get('mongo:port') + '/' + nconf.get('mongo:database'), function(err, _db) {
-		console.log('WE ARE CONNECTED');
-		if(err) {
-			winston.error("NodeBB could not connect to your Mongo database. Mongo returned the following error: " + err.message);
-			process.exit();
-		}
-
-		// TODO: fill out settings.db
-		module.sessionStore = new mongoStore({
-			db: db
-		});
-
-		db.collection('objects').findOne({_key:'config'}, {timeout:true}, function(err, item) {
-			console.log('fail');
-			console.log(item);
-			callback(err, item);
-		});
-
-	});
+			// TODO: fill out settings.db
+			module.sessionStore = new mongoStore({
+				db: db
+			});
 
-	db.createCollection('objects', function(err, collection) {
-		console.log('collection created', err, collection);
-	});
 
-	db.createCollection('sets', function(err, collection) {
+			db.createCollection('objects', function(err, collection) {
+			});
 
-	});
+			db.createCollection('sets', function(err, collection) {
+			});
 
-
-	// look up how its done in mongo
-	/*if (nconf.get('mongo:password')) {
-		redisClient.auth(nconf.get('mongo:password'));
+			callback(err);
+		});
+		// look up how its done in mongo
+		/*if (nconf.get('mongo:password')) {
+			redisClient.auth(nconf.get('mongo:password'));
+		}
+		*/
 	}
-	*/
 
 
 	//
@@ -97,18 +86,46 @@
 
 	module.getObject = function(key, callback) {
 		console.log('calling findOne');
-		db.collection('objects').findOne({_key:key}, {timeout:true},function(err, item) {
+		db.collection('objects').findOne({_key:key}, function(err, item) {
 			console.log(item);
 			callback(err, item);
 		});
 	}
 
 	module.getObjectField = function(key, field, callback) {
-		throw new Error('not-implemented');
+		module.getObjectFields(key, [field], function(err, data) {
+			if(err) {
+				return callback(err);
+			}
+
+			callback(null, data[field]);
+		})
 	}
 
 	module.getObjectFields = function(key, fields, callback) {
-		throw new Error('not-implemented');
+
+		var _fields = {};
+		for(var i=0; i<fields.length; ++i) {
+			_fields[fields[i]] = 1;
+		}
+
+		db.collection('objects').findOne({_key:key}, {fields:_fields}, function(err, item) {
+			if(err) {
+				return callback(err);
+			}
+
+			var data = {};
+			if(item === null) {
+				for(var i=0; i<fields.length; ++i) {
+					data[fields[i]] = null;
+				}
+				console.log('getObjectFields', data);
+				return callback(null, data);
+			}
+
+			console.log('getObjectFields', item);
+			callback(err, item);
+		});
 	}
 
 	module.getObjectValues = function(key, callback) {
diff --git a/src/database/redis.js b/src/database/redis.js
index 462bd46eb5..4dc45ae6eb 100644
--- a/src/database/redis.js
+++ b/src/database/redis.js
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 		redis_socket_or_host = nconf.get('redis:host'),
 		utils = require('./../../public/src/utils.js');
 
+
 	if (redis_socket_or_host && redis_socket_or_host.indexOf('/')>=0) {
 		/* If redis.host contains a path name character, use the unix dom sock connection. ie, /tmp/redis.sock */
 		redisClient = redis.createClient(nconf.get('redis:host'));
@@ -20,14 +21,13 @@
 		redisClient = redis.createClient(nconf.get('redis:port'), nconf.get('redis:host'));
 	}
 
+	module.client = redisClient;
+
 	module.sessionStore = new connectRedis({
 		client: redisClient,
 		ttl: 60 * 60 * 24 * 30
 	});
 
-	module.client = redisClient;
-	module.type = 'redis';
-
 	if (nconf.get('redis:password')) {
 		redisClient.auth(nconf.get('redis:password'));
 	}
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@
 		});
 	}
 
+	module.init = function(callback) {
+		callback(null);
+	}
+
+
 	/*
 	 * A possibly more efficient way of doing multiple sismember calls
 	 */
diff --git a/src/plugins.js b/src/plugins.js
index 38f4db2d93..0ba6eae81d 100644
--- a/src/plugins.js
+++ b/src/plugins.js
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ var fs = require('fs'),
 	Plugins.readyEvent = new eventEmitter;
 
 	Plugins.init = function() {
-		console.log('plugins init called');
 		if (Plugins.initialized) {
 			return;
 		}
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@ var fs = require('fs'),
 				winston.info('[plugins] Plugins OK');
 			}
 			Plugins.initialized = true;
-			plugins.readyEvent.emit('ready');
+			Plugins.readyEvent.emit('ready');
 		});
 	};
 
diff --git a/src/upgrade.js b/src/upgrade.js
index 3ba15a97e2..49bedc2a2c 100644
--- a/src/upgrade.js
+++ b/src/upgrade.js
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 "use strict";
 
-var db = require('./database'),
+var //db = require('./database'),
 
 	// TODO: temp until upgrade is figured out with dbal,
-	// db.client is redisClient for now
-	RDB = db.client,
+	RDB = require('./database/redis').client,
 
 	async = require('async'),
 	winston = require('winston'),