diff --git a/bin/tests/system/Makefile.in b/bin/tests/system/Makefile.in
index b9b4e9a5c1..d87c89de4e 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/Makefile.in
+++ b/bin/tests/system/Makefile.in
@@ -47,26 +47,53 @@ TARGETS =	feature-test@EXEEXT@
 feature-test@EXEEXT@: feature-test.@O@
 	${LIBTOOL_MODE_LINK} ${PURIFY} ${CC} ${CFLAGS} ${LDFLAGS} -o $@ feature-test.@O@ ${ISCLIBS} ${LIBS}
 
-# Running the scripts below is bypassed when a separate
-# build directory is used.
+
+# Running the scripts below is bypassed when a separate # build directory is
+# used.
+
+# Define the tests that can be run in parallel.  This should be identical to
+# the definition of PARALLELDIRS in conf.sh.  These tests do not use query
+# port 5300 or control port 9953.
+
+PARALLEL = allow_query serve-stale rpzrecurse
+
+# Produce intermediate makefile that assigns unique port numbers to each
+# parallel test.
+
+parallel.mk:
+	@echo ".PHONY: $(PARALLEL)" > $@ ; \
+	echo "" >> $@ ; \
+	echo "check: $(PARALLEL)" >> $@ ; \
+	port=5299 ; \
+	for directory in $(PARALLEL) ; do \
+		port=$$(($$port + 2)) ; \
+		controlport=$$(($$port + 1)) ; \
+		echo "" >> $@ ; \
+		echo "$$directory:" >> $@ ; \
+		echo "	@$(SHELL) ./run.sh -p $$port -c $$controlport $$directory" >> $@ ; \
+	done
+
+# Targets to run the tests that can be done in parallel (which have unique
+# ports assigned to them) and the tests which must be run sequentially (because
+# they all use query port 5300 and control port 9953).
+
+parallel: parallel.mk
+	$(MAKE) -f parallel.mk
+
+sequential:
+	if test -f ./runall.sh; then $(SHELL) ./runall.sh; fi
+
+# Standard targets.
 
 check: test
 
-TESTS = allow_query serve-stale rpzrecurse alltests
-
-test: subdirs $(TESTS)
-
-alltests:
-	if test -f ./runall.sh; then $(SHELL) ./runall.sh; fi
-
-$(TESTS):
-	PORT=$$((32767+$$RANDOM)); \
-	$(SHELL) ./run.sh -p $$(($$PORT)) -c $$(($$PORT+1)) $@
+test: parallel sequential
 
 testclean clean distclean::
 	if test -f ./cleanall.sh; then sh ./cleanall.sh; fi
 	rm -f systests.output
 	rm -f random.data
+	rm -f parallel.mk
 	rm -f ${TARGETS}
 	rm -f ${OBJS}
 
@@ -78,5 +105,3 @@ installdirs:
 install::
 
 uninstall::
-
-.PHONY: $(TESTS)
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in b/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in
index 3c357ddd8f..594ece5a23 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in
+++ b/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in
@@ -67,7 +67,10 @@ KRB5_CONFIG=/dev/null
 # The "stress" test is not run by default since it creates enough
 # load on the machine to make it unusable to other users.
 # v6synth
-SUBDIRS="acl additional allow_query addzone autosign builtin
+#
+# List of tests that use ports 5300 and 9953.  For this reason, these must
+# be run sequentially.
+SEQUENTIALDIRS="acl additional addzone autosign builtin
 	 cacheclean case chain checkconf @CHECKDS@ checknames checkzone
 	 @COVERAGE@ database digdelv dlv dlz dlzexternal
 	 dns64 dnssec ecdsa eddsa emptyzones fetchlimit filter-aaaa
@@ -78,6 +81,15 @@ SUBDIRS="acl additional allow_query addzone autosign builtin
 	 sortlist spf staticstub stub tkey tsig tsiggss unknown
 	 upforwd verify views wildcard xfer xferquota zero zonechecks"
 
+# List of tests that use unique ports (other than 5300 and 9953). These
+# tests can be run in parallel.
+#
+# This symbol must be kept in step with the PARALLEL macro in Makefile.in
+PARALLELDIRS="allow_query"
+
+SUBDIRS="$SEQUENTIALDIRS $PARALLELDIRS"
+
+
 # Things that are different on Windows
 KILL=kill
 DIFF=diff
@@ -170,6 +182,10 @@ fi
 TESTNAME="`basename $PWD`"
 
 echo_i() {
+    # Without formatting
+    echo "I:$TESTNAME:$@" >> test.output
+
+    # With formatting
     echoinfo "I:$TESTNAME:$@"
 }
 
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/runall.sh b/bin/tests/system/runall.sh
index c746f0ce47..c6eeb05be3 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/runall.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/runall.sh
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@
 #
 # Run all the system tests.
 #
+# Note: Use "make check" to run all the system tests.  This script will just
+# run those tests that require that each of their nameservers is the only one
+# running on an IP address.
+#
 
 SYSTEMTESTTOP=.
 . $SYSTEMTESTTOP/conf.sh
@@ -25,7 +29,7 @@ SYSTEMTESTTOP=.
 status=0
 
 {
-    for d in $SUBDIRS
+    for d in $SEQUENTIALDIRS
     do
             $SHELL run.sh "${@}" $d || status=1
     done