diff --git a/lib/ns/Makefile.in b/lib/ns/Makefile.in
index 679e0ba0e9..25cbdc70ed 100644
--- a/lib/ns/Makefile.in
+++ b/lib/ns/Makefile.in
@@ -11,10 +11,6 @@ srcdir =	@srcdir@
 VPATH =		@srcdir@
 top_srcdir =	@top_srcdir@
 
-# Attempt to disable parallel processing.
-.NOTPARALLEL:
-.NO_PARALLEL:
-
 VERSION=@BIND9_VERSION@
 @BIND9_MAJOR@
 
diff --git a/make/rules.in b/make/rules.in
index dce80da831..97d3e57fd1 100644
--- a/make/rules.in
+++ b/make/rules.in
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ subdirs:
 #
 # Tests are built after the targets instead of before
 #
-testdirs:
+testdirs: subdirs ${TARGETS}
 	@for i in ${ALL_TESTDIRS}; do \
 		if [ "$$i" != "nulldir" -a -d $$i ]; then \
 			echo "making all in `pwd`/$$i"; \