diff --git a/libsrc4/nc4file.c b/libsrc4/nc4file.c
index b62245577..f1ac3460d 100644
--- a/libsrc4/nc4file.c
+++ b/libsrc4/nc4file.c
@@ -364,10 +364,6 @@ nc4_create_file(const char *path, int cmode, MPI_Comm comm, MPI_Info info,
 #endif /* EXTRA_TESTS */
 
 #ifdef USE_PARALLEL4
-#ifdef HDF5_HAS_COLL_METADATA_OPS
-   H5Pset_all_coll_metadata_ops(fapl_id, 1 );
-   H5Pset_coll_metadata_write(fapl_id, 1);
-#endif
    /* If this is a parallel file create, set up the file creation
       property list. */
    if ((cmode & NC_MPIIO) || (cmode & NC_MPIPOSIX))
@@ -450,6 +446,11 @@ nc4_create_file(const char *path, int cmode, MPI_Comm comm, MPI_Info info,
       BAIL(NC_EHDFERR);
 
    /* Create the file. */
+#ifdef HDF5_HAS_COLL_METADATA_OPS
+   H5Pset_all_coll_metadata_ops(fapl_id, 1 );
+   H5Pset_coll_metadata_write(fapl_id, 1);
+#endif
+
    if ((nc4_info->hdfid = H5Fcreate(path, flags, fcpl_id, fapl_id)) < 0)
         /*Change the return error from NC_EFILEMETADATA to
           System error EACCES because that is the more likely problem */
@@ -2265,9 +2266,6 @@ nc4_open_file(const char *path, int mode, void* parameters, NC *nc)
 #endif
 
 #ifdef USE_PARALLEL4
-#ifdef HDF5_HAS_COLL_METADATA_OPS
-   H5Pset_all_coll_metadata_ops(fapl_id, 1 );
-#endif
    /* If this is a parallel file create, set up the file creation
       property list. */
    if (mode & NC_MPIIO || mode & NC_MPIPOSIX)
@@ -2322,6 +2320,9 @@ nc4_open_file(const char *path, int mode, void* parameters, NC *nc)
    /* The NetCDF-3.x prototype contains an mode option NC_SHARE for
       multiple processes accessing the dataset concurrently.  As there
       is no HDF5 equivalent, NC_SHARE is treated as NC_NOWRITE. */
+#ifdef HDF5_HAS_COLL_METADATA_OPS
+   H5Pset_all_coll_metadata_ops(fapl_id, 1 );
+#endif
    if(inmemory) {
        if((nc4_info->hdfid = H5LTopen_file_image(meminfo->memory,meminfo->size,
 			H5LT_FILE_IMAGE_DONT_COPY|H5LT_FILE_IMAGE_DONT_RELEASE