Well then, tell us more about what these scripts do. Do they simply generate a flood of output in hopes of making the poor router cry “uncle?” If that is the case, and they are not grabbing any sort of shared-resource in the doing of it, then a simple stop / continue might well be just what the doctor ordered: stopping them “in their tracks” presumably won’t hurt them a bit, and won’t disrupt the test. (True??) But ... you say that the scripts work “together,” though, and that does raise an eyebrow. In what way do you mean, “together?” Is the timing / cooperation between them: non-existent (N/A), loosy-goosey, or tight? Does “whatever causes the test to be paused” also call for some kind of “recovery mode” about which they will need to be informed? Or do they really not care whether they are at any particular instant asleep or awake?