diff --git a/config/ompi_fortran_check_optional_args.m4 b/config/ompi_fortran_check_optional_args.m4
index e6d42f3f30..06bd55e267 100644
--- a/config/ompi_fortran_check_optional_args.m4
+++ b/config/ompi_fortran_check_optional_args.m4
@@ -6,34 +6,30 @@ dnl                         Corporation.  All rights reserved.
 dnl Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The University of Tennessee and The University
 dnl                         of Tennessee Research Foundation.  All rights
 dnl                         reserved.
-dnl Copyright (c) 2004-2005 High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart, 
+dnl Copyright (c) 2004-2005 High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart,
 dnl                         University of Stuttgart.  All rights reserved.
 dnl Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Regents of the University of California.
 dnl                         All rights reserved.
-dnl Copyright (c) 2010-2012 Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
+dnl Copyright (c) 2010-2014 Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
 dnl $COPYRIGHT$
-dnl 
+dnl
 dnl Additional copyrights may follow
-dnl 
+dnl
 dnl $HEADER$
 dnl
 
-# Check whether or not the Fortran compiler supports optional
-# arguments or not, and we (generally) don't need wrapper subroutines.
+# Check whether or not the Fortran compiler supports the "optional"
+# keyword or not.
 
-# OMPI_FORTRAN_CHECK_OPTIONAL_ARGS([action if found], 
+# OMPI_FORTRAN_CHECK_OPTIONAL_ARGS([action if found],
 #                                  [action if not found])
 # ----------------------------------------------------
 AC_DEFUN([OMPI_FORTRAN_CHECK_OPTIONAL_ARGS],[
-    unset happy
-    OPAL_VAR_SCOPE_PUSH([happy ompi_conftest_h])
+    AS_VAR_PUSHDEF([optional_var], [ompi_cv_fortran_optional])
 
-    AC_CACHE_CHECK([if Fortran compiler supports optional arguments], 
-       [ompi_cv_fortran_optional_args],
-       [ompi_cv_fortran_optional_args=no
-        OMPI_FORTRAN_MAKE_C_FUNCTION([ompi_ac_check_op_fn], [check_op])
-        cat > conftestf.f90 <<EOF
-program check_for_optional
+    AC_CACHE_CHECK([if Fortran compiler supports optional arguments], optional_var,
+       [AC_LANG_PUSH([Fortran])
+        AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_SOURCE([[program check_for_optional
    use, intrinsic :: iso_c_binding
 
    interface
@@ -47,67 +43,12 @@ program check_for_optional
 
    call check_op(0)
    call check_op(1, ierror)
-end program
-EOF
+end program]])],
+             [AS_VAR_SET(optional_var, yes)],
+             [AS_VAR_SET(optional_var, no)])
+        AC_LANG_POP([Fortran])
+       ])
 
-        # C module
-        if test -f conftest.h; then
-            ompi_conftest_h="#include \"conftest.h\""
-        else
-            ompi_conftest_h=""
-        fi
-        cat > conftest.c <<EOF
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-$ompi_conftest_h
-
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-extern "C" {
-#endif
-void $ompi_ac_check_op_fn(int has_op, int *ierror)
-{
-    /* Force a segv if the conditions are wrong */
-    char *bogus = 0;
-    if (0 == has_op) {
-        /* won't have optional argument */
-        if (NULL != ierror) *bogus= 13;
-   } else {
-        /* will have optional argument */
-        if (NULL == ierror) *bogus= 13;
-        *ierror = 33;
-   }
-}
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-}
-#endif
-EOF
-
-        OPAL_LOG_COMMAND([$CC $CFLAGS -I. -c conftest.c],
-            [OPAL_LOG_COMMAND([$FC $FCFLAGS conftestf.f90 conftest.o -o conftest $LDFLAGS $LIBS],
-                [happy="yes"], [happy="no"])], 
-            [happy="c_fail"])
-
-        AS_IF([test "$happy" = "c_fail"],
-              [AC_MSG_RESULT([error])
-               AC_MSG_ERROR([This error should not happen -- contact the Open MPI developers])
-              ])
-
-        AS_IF([test "$happy" = "no"],
-              [AC_MSG_RESULT([unknown])
-               AC_MSG_WARN([Cannot determine if Fortran compiler supports optional arguments])
-               AC_MSG_WARN([Assuming: no])
-              ])
-
-        AS_IF([test "$cross_compiling" = "yes"],
-            [AC_MSG_RESULT([cross-compiling])
-             AC_MSG_ERROR([Cannot determine if Fortran compiler supports optional arguments when cross-compiling])],
-            [OPAL_LOG_COMMAND([./conftest],
-                [ompi_cv_fortran_optional_args=yes])
-            ])
-        rm -f conftest*
-    ])dnl
-
-    AS_VAR_COPY([happy], [ompi_cv_fortran_optional_args])
-    AS_IF([test "$happy" = "yes"], [$1], [$2])
-    OPAL_VAR_SCOPE_POP
+    AS_VAR_IF(optional_var, [yes], [$1], [$2])
+    AS_VAR_POPDEF([optional_var])dnl
 ])