diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 75068f558..d7db9c19a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -466,6 +466,10 @@ fi
 
 if test "x$enable_dap" = xyes; then
    AC_DEFINE([USE_DAP], [1], [if true, build DAP Client])
+   AC_DEFINE([ENABLE_DAP], [1], [if true, build DAP Client])
+fi
+if test "x$enable_dap_remote_tests" = xyes; then
+   AC_DEFINE([ENABLE_DAP_REMOTE_TESTS], [1], [if true, do remote tests])
 fi
 
 # Default is now to always do the short remote tests
@@ -479,6 +483,7 @@ if test "x$enable_dap" = "xno" ; then
 fi
 AC_MSG_RESULT($enable_dap_remote_tests)
 
+
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether the time-consuming dap tests should be enabled (default off)])
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([dap-long-tests],
               [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-dap-long-tests],
diff --git a/libncdap3/Makefile.am b/libncdap3/Makefile.am
index c168f2fab..6563045bc 100755
--- a/libncdap3/Makefile.am
+++ b/libncdap3/Makefile.am
@@ -83,12 +83,11 @@ LDADD += @EXTERN_LDFLAGS@
 
 # Add a trivial test case to check for undefined references
 check_PROGRAMS = t_dap
+TESTS_ENVIRONMENT=TOPSRCDIR=${abs_top_srcdir}
 TESTS = t_dap
 t_dap_SOURCES = t_dap.c stubdap3.c
 t_dap_LDFLAGS = ${top_builddir}/libsrc/libnetcdf3.la	\
 ${top_builddir}/libdispatch/libdispatch.la
-
-
 CLEANFILES += t_dap
 
 EXTRA_DIST = ce.y
diff --git a/libncdap3/t_dap.c b/libncdap3/t_dap.c
index a2dd6189a..3cde0a58c 100644
--- a/libncdap3/t_dap.c
+++ b/libncdap3/t_dap.c
@@ -109,13 +109,33 @@ int main()
 {
     int ncid, varid, ncstat, i, j;
     char* url;
+    char* topsrcdir;
+    size_t len;
 
-    /* location of our target url*/
+    /* location of our target url: use file// to avoid remote
+	server downtime issues
+     */
+    
+    /* Assume that TESTS_ENVIRONMENT was set */
+    topsrcdir = getenv("TOPSRCDIR");
+    if(topsrcdir == NULL) {
+        fprintf(stderr,"*** FAIL: $abs_top_srcdir not defined: location= %s:%d\n",__FILE__,__LINE__);
+        exit(1);
+    }    
+    len = strlen("file://") + strlen(topsrcdir) + strlen("/ncdap_test/testdata3/test.02") + 1;
 #ifdef DEBUG
-    url = "[log][show=fetch]http://test.opendap.org:8080/dods/dts/test.02";
-#else
-    url = "http://test.opendap.org:8080/dods/dts/test.02";
+    len += strlen("[log][show=fetch]");
 #endif
+    url = (char*)malloc(len);
+    url[0] = '\0';
+
+#ifdef DEBUG
+    strcat(url,"[log][show=fetch]");
+#endif
+
+    strcat(url,"file://");
+    strcat(url,topsrcdir);
+    strcat(url,"/ncdap_test/testdata3/test.02");
 
     printf("*** Test: var conversions on URL: %s\n",url);
 
diff --git a/libncdap4/Makefile.am b/libncdap4/Makefile.am
index c1fbad8a8..5f92c0afe 100755
--- a/libncdap4/Makefile.am
+++ b/libncdap4/Makefile.am
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ LDADD += @EXTERN_LDFLAGS@
 
 # Add a trivial test case to check for undefined references
 check_PROGRAMS = t_dap
+TESTS_ENVIRONMENT=TOPSRCDIR=${abs_top_srcdir}
 TESTS = t_dap
 t_dap_SOURCES = t_dap.c stubdap4.c
 CLEANFILES += t_dap
diff --git a/libncdap4/t_dap.c b/libncdap4/t_dap.c
index 8b3b4306e..cd4db9b07 100644
--- a/libncdap4/t_dap.c
+++ b/libncdap4/t_dap.c
@@ -123,16 +123,37 @@ int main()
 {
     int ncid, varid, ncstat;
     char* url;
+    char* topsrcdir;
+    size_t len;
+
 #ifndef USE_NETCDF4
     int j;
 #endif
 
-    /* location of our target url*/
+    /* location of our target url: use file// to avoid remote
+	server downtime issues
+     */
+    
+    /* Assume that TESTS_ENVIRONMENT was set */
+    topsrcdir = getenv("TOPSRCDIR");
+    if(topsrcdir == NULL) {
+        fprintf(stderr,"*** FAIL: $abs_top_srcdir not defined: location= %s:%d\n",__FILE__,__LINE__);
+        exit(1);
+    }    
+    len = strlen("file://") + strlen(topsrcdir) + strlen("/ncdap_test/testdata3/test.02") + 1;
 #ifdef DEBUG
-    url = "[log][show=fetch]http://test.opendap.org:8080/dods/dts/test.02";
-#else
-    url = "http://test.opendap.org:8080/dods/dts/test.02";
+    len += strlen("[log][show=fetch]");
 #endif
+    url = (char*)malloc(len);
+    url[0] = '\0';
+
+#ifdef DEBUG
+    strcat(url,"[log][show=fetch]");
+#endif
+
+    strcat(url,"file://");
+    strcat(url,topsrcdir);
+    strcat(url,"/ncdap_test/testdata3/test.02");
 
     printf("*** Test: var conversions on URL: %s\n",url);
 
diff --git a/nc_test4/tst_files2.c b/nc_test4/tst_files2.c
index 9c37ae0b8..914933f8d 100644
--- a/nc_test4/tst_files2.c
+++ b/nc_test4/tst_files2.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
    printf("\n*** Testing netcdf file functions some more.\n");
 #ifdef USE_DAP
+#ifdef ENABLE_DAP_REMOTE_TESTS
    printf("*** testing simple opendap open/close...");
    {
       int ncid;
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
       if (nc_close(ncid)) ERR;
    }
    SUMMARIZE_ERR;
+#endif /*ENABLE_DAP_REMOTE_TESTS*/
 #endif /* USE_DAP */
    FINAL_RESULTS;
 }