diff --git a/lsyncd.c b/lsyncd.c
index 18cbba7..05e1566 100644
--- a/lsyncd.c
+++ b/lsyncd.c
@@ -532,9 +532,9 @@ l_terminate(lua_State *L)
 /**
  * Suspends execution until a table of child processes returned.
  * 
- * @param (Lua stack) a table of the children pids.
+ * @param (Lua stack) a table of the process ids.
  * @param (Lua stack) a function of a collector to be called 
- *                    when a child finishes.
+ *                    when a process finishes.
  */
 int 
 l_wait_pids(lua_State *L) 
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@ l_wait_pids(lua_State *L)
 	int pidn; 
 	/* the pid table */
 	int *pids; 
-	/* the number of children to be waited for */
+	/* the number of processes to be waited for */
 	int remaining = 0;
 	int i;
 	/* global function to call on finished processes */
@@ -573,9 +573,9 @@ l_wait_pids(lua_State *L)
 			remaining++;
 		}
 	}
-	/* starts waiting for the children */
+	/* starts waiting for the processes */
 	while(remaining) {
-		/* argument for waitpid, and exitcode of child */
+		/* argument for waitpid, and exitcode of process */
 		int status, exitcode;
 		/* new process id in case of retry */
 		int newp;
@@ -909,19 +909,19 @@ masterloop(lua_State *L)
 
 		/* collect zombified child processes */
 		while(1) {
-			pid_t pid = waitpid(0, &status, WNOHANG);
 			int status;
+			pid_t pid = waitpid(0, &status, WNOHANG);
 
 			if (pid <= 0) {
 				break;
 			}
-			lua_getglobal(L, "lsyncd_collect_child");
+			lua_getglobal(L, "lsyncd_collect_process");
 			lua_pushinteger(L, pid);
 			lua_pushinteger(L, WEXITSTATUS(status));
 			lua_call(L, 2, 0);
 		} 
 
-		/* let the runner spawn child processes */
+		/* let the runner spawn new processes */
 		lua_getglobal(L, "lsyncd_alarm");
 		lua_pushinteger(L, times(NULL));
 		lua_call(L, 1, 0);
diff --git a/lsyncd.lua b/lsyncd.lua
index 1a5b452..ad5bf3d 100644
--- a/lsyncd.lua
+++ b/lsyncd.lua
@@ -33,32 +33,22 @@ exec = lsyncd.exec
 -- [#] {
 --    actions     = actions, 
 --    source      = source_dir, 
---    targetident = target_identifier,
---    target      = link to target directory
+--    targetident = the identifier of target (like string "host:dir")
+--                  for lsyncd this passed competly opaquely to the 
+--                  action handlers
+--
+--    .processes = [pid] .. a sublist of processes[] for this target
+--    .delays = [#) {    .. the delays stack
+--         .atype        .. enum, kind of action
+--         .wd           .. watch descriptor id this origins from TODO needed?
+--         .sync         .. link to sync that raised this delay.
+--         .filename     .. filename or nil (=dir itself)
+--         (.movepeer)   .. for MOVEFROM/MOVETO link to other delay
+--    }
 -- }
 --
 local origins = {}
 
-----
--- a array of all targets
---
--- structure:
--- [#] {
---    .ident           .. the identifier of target (like string "host:dir")
---                        for lsyncd this passed competly opaquely to the 
---                        action handlers
---    .delays = [#) {  .. the delays stack
---         .atype      .. enum, kind of action
---         .wd         .. watch descriptor id this origins from TODO needed?
---         .sync       .. link to sync that raised this delay.
---         .filename   .. filename or nil (=dir itself)
---         (.movepeer) .. for MOVEFROM/MOVETO link to other delay
---    }
--
--- }
---
-local targets = {}
-
 -----
 -- all watches
 --
@@ -87,7 +77,7 @@ local watches = {}
 --     sync     .. 
 --     filename ..
 --
-local children = {}
+local processes = {}
 
 
 ------
@@ -118,8 +108,7 @@ local event_names = {
 local function delay_action(atype, wd, sync, filename, time)
 	print("delay_action "..event_names[atype].."("..wd..") ")
 	local origin = sync.origin
-	local target = origin.target
-	local delays = target.delays
+	local delays = origin.delays
 	local nd = {atype    = atype, 
 	            wd       = wd, 
 			    sync     = sync, 
@@ -172,22 +161,24 @@ end
 -- Called from code whenever a child process finished and 
 -- zombie process was collected by core.
 --
-function lsyncd_collect_child(pid, exitcode) 
-	local child = children[pid]
-	if child == nil then
+function lsyncd_collect_process(pid, exitcode) 
+	local process = processes[pid]
+	if process == nil then
 		return
 	end
-	local sync = child.sync
+	local sync = process.sync
 	local origin = sync.origin
-	log(DEBUG, "collected "..pid..": "..event_names[atpye].." "..origin.source.."/"..sync.path..child.filename..
+	log(DEBUG, "collected "..pid..": "..event_names[atpye].." "..origin.source.."/"..sync.path..process.filename..
 	           " = "..exitcode)
+	processes[pid] = nil
+	origin.processes[pid] = nil
 end
 
 -----
 -- TODO
 --
 --
-local function invoke_action(target, delay)
+local function invoke_action(delay)
 	local sync    = delay.sync
 	local origin  = sync.origin
 	local actions = origin.actions
@@ -221,16 +212,16 @@ local function invoke_action(target, delay)
 	end
 	
 	if func ~= nil then
-		pid = func(origin.source, sync.path, delay.filename, target.ident)
+		pid = func(origin.source, sync.path, delay.filename, origin.targetident)
 		if pid ~= nil and pid > 0 then
-			child = {pid      = pid,
-					 target   = target,
-			         atpye    = delay.atype,
-			         wd       = delay.wd,
-			         sync     = delay.sync,
-			         filename = delay.filname
+			process = {pid      = pid,
+			           atpye    = delay.atype,
+			           wd       = delay.wd,
+			           sync     = delay.sync,
+			           filename = delay.filname
 			}
-			children[pid] = child
+			processes[pid] = process
+			origin.processes[pid] = process
 		end
 	end
 end
@@ -249,13 +240,16 @@ end
 --
 -- @param now   the time is now
 --
-
 function lsyncd_alarm(now)
-	for i, target in ipairs(targets) do
-		local delays = target.delays
-		if delays[1] ~= nil then
-			invoke_action(target, target.delays[1])
-			table.remove(delays, 1)
+	-- goes through all targets and spawns more actions
+	-- if possible
+	for i, o in ipairs(origins) do
+		if #o.processes < o.actions.max_processes then
+			local delays = o.delays
+			if delays[1] ~= nil then
+				invoke_action(o.delays[1])
+				table.remove(delays, 1)
+			end
 		end
 	end
 end
@@ -276,19 +270,21 @@ function lsyncd_initialize()
 	for i, origin in ipairs(origins) do
 		-- resolves source to be an absolute path
 		local asrc = lsyncd.real_dir(origin.source)
+		local actions = origin.actions
 		if asrc == nil then
 			print("Cannot resolve source path: ", origin.source)
 			lsyncd.terminate(-1) -- ERRNO
 		end
 		origin.source = asrc
-
-		-- appends the target on target lists
-		local target = { ident = origin.targetident, delays = {} }
-		table.insert(targets, target)
-		origin.target = target 
-		if origin.actions.startup ~= nil then
+		origin.delays = {}
+		origin.processes = {}
+		if actions.max_processes == nil then
+			actions.max_processes = 1 -- TODO DEFAULT MAXPROCESS
+		end
+		if actions.startup ~= nil then
 			have_startup = true
 		end
+
 		-- and add the dir watch inclusively all subdirs
 		attend_dir(origin, "", nil)
 	end
@@ -365,8 +361,7 @@ function lsyncd_event(etype, wd, isdir, filename, filename2)
 end
 
 -----
--- Called by the core for every child process that 
--- finished in startup phase
+-- Collector for every child process that finished in startup phase
 --
 -- Parameters are pid and exitcode of child process
 --
@@ -398,6 +393,9 @@ function sync(source_dir, target_identifier, actions)
 	                source  = source_dir, 
 	            targetident = target_identifier, 
 	}
+	if actions.max_actions == nil then
+		actions.max_actions = 1
+	end
 	table.insert(origins, o)
 	return 
 end