diff --git a/lib/damask/environment.py b/lib/damask/environment.py
index 9235d9f11..bd3674775 100644
--- a/lib/damask/environment.py
+++ b/lib/damask/environment.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # $Id$
 
-import os,sys,string,re
+import os,sys,string,re,subprocess,shlex
 
 class Environment():
   __slots__ = [ \
@@ -49,4 +49,21 @@ class Environment():
             self.pathInfo[items[0].lower()] = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(self.relPath('lib/'),items[1]))
     except:
       pass
-
+      
+  def isAvailable(self,software,noNeeded=-1):
+    licensesNeeded = {'abaqus'  :5,
+                      'standard':5,
+                      'explicit':5}
+    if noNeeded == -1: noNeeded = licensesNeeded[software]
+    cmd = """ ssh mulicense2 "/Stat_Flexlm | grep 'Users of %s: ' | cut -d' ' -f7,13" """%software
+    process = subprocess.Popen(shlex.split(cmd),stdout = subprocess.PIPE,stderr = subprocess.PIPE)
+    licenses = map(int, process.stdout.readline().split())
+    try:
+      if licenses[0]-licenses[1] >= noNeeded:
+        return 0
+      else:
+        print licenses[1] + noNeeded - licenses[0], 'missing licenses for %s'%software
+        return licenses[1] + noNeeded - licenses[0]
+    except IndexError:
+      print 'Could not retrieve license information for %s'%software
+      return 127
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/damask/test/test.py b/lib/damask/test/test.py
index 07f4696f7..de3ddae74 100644
--- a/lib/damask/test/test.py
+++ b/lib/damask/test/test.py
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ class Test():
     '''
     Run all variants and report first failure.
     '''
+    if not self.testPossible():
+      return -1
     if len(update)   == 0 and self.options.update: print ' This test has no reference to update'
     if len(variants) == 0: variants = xrange(len(self.variants))       # iterate over all variants
     self.clean()
@@ -48,12 +50,18 @@ class Test():
         if variant in update:
           self.update(variant)
         elif not self.compare(variant):
-          return variant
+          return variant+1
       except Exception,e :
         print '\nWARNING:\n %s\n'%e
-        return variant
-    return -1
-
+        return variant+1
+    return 0
+  
+  def testPossible(self):
+    '''
+    Check if test is possible or not (e.g. no license available).
+    '''
+    return True
+    
   def clean(self):
     '''
     Delete directory tree containing current results.
@@ -337,12 +345,15 @@ class Test():
     
   def report_Success(self,culprit):
     
-    if culprit < 0:
+    if culprit == 0:
       print '%s passed.'%({False: 'The test',
                          True: 'All %i tests'%(len(self.variants))}[len(self.variants) > 1])
       print '\n!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!\n'
       return 0
+    if culprit == -1:
+      print 'Warning: Could not start test'
+      return 0
     else:
-      print ' ********\n * Test %i failed...\n ********'%(culprit+1)
+      print ' ********\n * Test %i failed...\n ********'%(culprit)
       print '\n!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!\n'
-      return culprit+1
+      return culprit