diff --git a/contrib/scaling/scaling.pl b/contrib/scaling/scaling.pl
index 6b501953823..1c4f5099de0 100755
--- a/contrib/scaling/scaling.pl
+++ b/contrib/scaling/scaling.pl
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2012      Los Alamos National Security, Inc.
 #                         All rights reserved.
 # Copyright (c) 2015-2016 Intel, Inc. All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2017-2018 The University of Tennessee and The University
+#                         of Tennessee Research Foundation.  All rights
+#                         reserved.
+
 
 use strict;
 use Getopt::Long;
@@ -21,6 +25,7 @@
 my $rawoutput = 0;
 my $myresults = "myresults";
 my $ppn = 1;
+my $npmin = 1;
 my @csvrow;
 
 my @tests = qw(/bin/true ./orte_no_op ./mpi_no_op ./mpi_no_op ./mpi_no_op);
@@ -28,8 +33,8 @@
 my @starterlist = qw(mpirun prun srun aprun);
 my @starteroptionlist = ("--novm",
                          "",
-                         "--distribution=cyclic -N",
-                         "-N");
+                         "--distribution=cyclic",
+                         "");
 
 # Set to true if the script should merely print the cmds
 # it would run, but don't run them
@@ -52,6 +57,7 @@
     "results=s" => \$myresults,
     "rawout" => \$rawoutput,
     "ppn=s" => \$ppn,
+    "npmin=s" => \$npmin,
 ) or die "unable to parse options, stopped";
 
 if ($HELP) {
@@ -69,6 +75,7 @@
 --results=file       File where results are to be stored in comma-separated value format
 --rawout             Provide raw timing output to the file
 --ppn=n              Run n procs/node
+--npmin=n            Minimal number of nodes
 ";
     exit(0);
 }
@@ -126,11 +133,11 @@
             push @starteroptions, $opt;
         } elsif ($useaprun && $starter eq "aprun") {
             push @starters, $starter;
-            $opt = $starteroptionlist[$idx] . " " . $ppn;
+            $opt = $starteroptionlist[$idx] . " -N " . $ppn;
             push @starteroptions, $opt;
         } elsif ($usesrun && $starter eq "srun") {
             push @starters, $starter;
-            $opt = $starteroptionlist[$idx] . " " . $ppn;
+            $opt = $starteroptionlist[$idx] . " --ntasks-per-node " . $ppn;
             push @starteroptions, $opt;
         }
     }
@@ -184,10 +191,21 @@
 
 sub runcmd()
 {
+    my $rc;
     for (1..$reps) {
         $output = `$cmd`;
+        # Check the error code of the command; if the error code is alright
+        # just add a 0 in front of the number to neutraly mark the success;
+        # If the code is not correct, add a ! in front of the number to mark
+        # it invalid.
+        if($? != 0) {
+            $rc = "0";
+        }
+        else {
+            $rc = "!";
+        }
         if ($myresults && $rawoutput) {
-            print FILE $n . " " . $output . "\n";
+            print FILE $n . " " . $output . " $rc\n";
         }
         @lines = split(/\n/, $output);
         foreach $line (@lines) {
@@ -209,14 +227,14 @@ ()
                         if (0 == $strloc) {
                             if (0 == $idx) {
                                 # it must be in the next location
-                                push @csvrow,$results[1];
+                                push @csvrow,join $rc,$results[1];
                             } else {
                                 # it must be in the prior location
-                                push @csvrow,$results[$idx-1];
+                                push @csvrow,join $rc,$results[$idx-1];
                             }
                         } else {
                             # take the portion of the string up to the tag
-                            push @csvrow,substr($res, 0, $strloc);
+                            push @csvrow,join $rc,substr($res, 0, $strloc);
                         }
                     } else {
                         $strloc = index($res, "elapsed");
@@ -227,14 +245,14 @@ ()
                             if (0 == $strloc) {
                                 if (0 == $idx) {
                                     # it must be in the next location
-                                    push @csvrow,$results[1];
+                                    push @csvrow,join $rc,$results[1];
                                 } else {
                                     # it must be in the prior location
-                                    push @csvrow,$results[$idx-1];
+                                    push @csvrow,join $rc,$results[$idx-1];
                                 }
                             } else {
                                 # take the portion of the string up to the tag
-                                push @csvrow,substr($res, 0, $strloc);
+                                push @csvrow,join $rc,substr($res, 0, $strloc);
                             }
                         }
                     }
@@ -263,20 +281,28 @@ ()
 }
 
 foreach $starter (@starters) {
+    my $dvmout;
     print "STARTER: $starter\n";
     # if we are going to use the dvm, then we
     if ($starter eq "prun") {
         # need to start it
-        $cmd = "orte-dvm -mca pmix_system_server 1 2>&1 &";
+        $cmd = "orte-dvm -mca pmix_system_server 1";
+        print "##DVM: Launching $cmd\n";
         if ($myresults) {
             print FILE "\n\n$cmd\n";
         }
         if (!$SHOWME) {
-            system($cmd);
-            $havedvm = 1;
+            $havedvm = open($dvmout, $cmd."|") or die "##DVM: Spawn error $!\n";
+            print "##DVM: pid=$havedvm\n";
+            # Wait that the dvm reports that it is ready
+            my $waitready = <$dvmout>;
+            if($waitready =~ /DVM ready/i) {
+                print "##DVM: $waitready\n";
+            }
+            else {
+                die "##DVM: error: $waitready\n";
+            }
         }
-        # give it a couple of seconds to start
-        sleep 2;
     }
 
     if ($myresults) {
@@ -285,6 +311,13 @@ ()
     my $testnum = 0;
     foreach $test (@tests) {
         $option = $options[$testnum];
+        if ($starter eq "aprun") {
+            $option =~ s/-mca\s+(\S+)\s+(\S+)/-e OMPI_MCA_$1=$2/g;
+        }
+        if ($starter eq "srun") {
+            $option =~ s/-mca\s+(\S+)\s+(\S+)\s*/OMPI_MCA_$1=$2,/g;
+            $option =~ s/\s*(OMPI_MCA\S+)/ --export=$1ALL/g;
+        }
         if (-e $test) {
             if ($myresults) {
                 print FILE "#nodes,$test,$option\n";
@@ -294,11 +327,12 @@ ()
                 $cmd = $starter . $starteroptions[$index] . " $test 2>&1";
                 system($cmd);
             }
-            $n = 1;
+            $n = $npmin;
             while ($n <= $num_nodes) {
                 push @csvrow,$n;
-                if ($starter eq "prun" or $starter eq "mpirun") {
-                    $cmd = "time " . $starter . " " . $starteroptions[$index] . " $option -n $n $test 2>&1";
+                if ($starter eq "prun" or $starter eq "mpirun" or $starter eq "aprun") {
+                    my $np = $n * $ppn;
+                    $cmd = "time " . $starter . " " . $starteroptions[$index] . " $option -n $np $test 2>&1";
                 } else {
                     $cmd = "time " . $starter . " " . $starteroptions[$index] . " $option -N $n $test 2>&1";
                 }
@@ -326,6 +360,7 @@ ()
         if (!$SHOWME) {
             $cmd = "prun --terminate";
             system($cmd);
+            waitpid($havedvm, 0);
         }
     }
     $index = $index + 1;
diff --git a/orte/mca/state/dvm/state_dvm.c b/orte/mca/state/dvm/state_dvm.c
index 98ef551d3ca..028932cda22 100644
--- a/orte/mca/state/dvm/state_dvm.c
+++ b/orte/mca/state/dvm/state_dvm.c
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ static void vm_ready(int fd, short args, void *cbdata)
         }
         OBJ_RELEASE(buf);
         /* notify that the vm is ready */
-        fprintf(stdout, "DVM ready\n");
+        fprintf(stdout, "DVM ready\n"); fflush(stdout);
         OBJ_RELEASE(caddy);
         return;
     }