diff --git a/INSTALL_parallel b/INSTALL_parallel
index a1e3a68365..9a10d69138 100644
--- a/INSTALL_parallel
+++ b/INSTALL_parallel
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ Cray T3E
 
 #!/bin/sh
 
-RUNPARALLEL="mpirun -np 2"
+RUNPARALLEL="mpirun -np 3"
 export RUNPARALLEL
 LIBS="-lmpi"
 export LIBS
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ CPPFLAGS=$MPI_INC
 export CPPFLAGS
 LDFLAGS=$MPI_LIB
 export LDFLAGS
-RUNPARALLEL="mpirun -np 2"
+RUNPARALLEL="mpirun -np 3"
 export RUNPARALLEL
 LIBS="-lmpio -lmpi"
 export LIBS
@@ -145,8 +145,8 @@ RUNPARALLEL then configure chooses `mpirun' from the same
 directory as `mpicc':
 
     RUNSERIAL:    /usr/local/mpi/bin/mpirun -np 1
-    RUNPARALLEL:  /usr/local/mpi/bin/mpirun -np $${NPROCS:=2}
+    RUNPARALLEL:  /usr/local/mpi/bin/mpirun -np $${NPROCS:=3}
 
-The `$${NPROCS:=2}' will be substituted with the value of the
+The `$${NPROCS:=3}' will be substituted with the value of the
 NPROCS environment variable at the time `make check' is run
-(or the value 2).
+(or the value 3).
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index b0fe1196a7..83255d0d56 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -9279,7 +9279,7 @@ echo "configure:9266: checking for mpirun" >&5
          echo "$ac_t""$path/mpirun" 1>&6
          RUNSERIAL="${RUNSERIAL:-none}"
          if test -z "$RUNPARALLEL"; then
-            RUNPARALLEL="$path/mpirun -np \$\${NPROCS:=2}"
+            RUNPARALLEL="$path/mpirun -np \$\${NPROCS:=3}"
          fi
       else
          echo "$ac_t""none" 1>&6
@@ -9311,7 +9311,7 @@ echo "configure:9293: checking for mpirun_lam or mpirun" >&5
 	 echo "$ac_t""$path/$cmd" 1>&6;
          RUNSERIAL="${RUNSERIAL:-none}"
          if test -z "$RUNPARALLEL"; then
-            RUNPARALLEL="$path/$cmd -np \$\${NPROCS:=2}"
+            RUNPARALLEL="$path/$cmd -np \$\${NPROCS:=3}"
          fi
       else
 	 echo "$ac_t""none" 1>&6
@@ -9477,7 +9477,7 @@ rm -f conftest*
       fi
 
             if test "X$PARALLEL" = "Xyes" -a -z "$RUNPARALLEL"; then
-         RUNPARALLEL="mpirun -np \$\${NPROCS:=2}"
+         RUNPARALLEL="mpirun -np \$\${NPROCS:=3}"
       fi
       ;;
 
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 8ec2693adc..0193c1ede4 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ case "$CC_BASENAME" in
          AC_MSG_RESULT($path/mpirun)
          RUNSERIAL="${RUNSERIAL:-none}"
          if test -z "$RUNPARALLEL"; then
-            RUNPARALLEL="$path/mpirun -np \$\${NPROCS:=2}"
+            RUNPARALLEL="$path/mpirun -np \$\${NPROCS:=3}"
          fi
       else
          AC_MSG_RESULT(none)
@@ -1255,7 +1255,7 @@ case "$CC_BASENAME" in
 	 AC_MSG_RESULT($path/$cmd);
          RUNSERIAL="${RUNSERIAL:-none}"
          if test -z "$RUNPARALLEL"; then
-            RUNPARALLEL="$path/$cmd -np \$\${NPROCS:=2}"
+            RUNPARALLEL="$path/$cmd -np \$\${NPROCS:=3}"
          fi
       else
 	 AC_MSG_RESULT(none)
@@ -1311,7 +1311,7 @@ case "X-$enable_parallel" in
 
       dnl Set RUNPARALLEL to mpirun if not set yet.
       if test "X$PARALLEL" = "Xyes" -a -z "$RUNPARALLEL"; then
-         RUNPARALLEL="mpirun -np \$\${NPROCS:=2}"
+         RUNPARALLEL="mpirun -np \$\${NPROCS:=3}"
       fi
       ;;