diff --git a/.github/workflows/a3.yml b/.github/workflows/a3.yml
index 6f326b86a3a..53121bb8acb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/a3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/a3.yml
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ jobs:
         export CC=/home/runner/openmpi/bin/mpicc
         autoreconf -i
         ./configure --with-mpiexec='mpiexec --oversubscribe'
-        which mpiexec
+        cat config.h
         make check
     - name: cmake build
       run: |
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ jobs:
         cd build
         export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/home/runner/netcdf-c/lib:/home/runner/pnetcdf/lib:/home/runner/hdf5/lib:/home/runner/openmpi/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
         cmake -Wno-dev -DWITH_MPIEXEC='/home/runner/openmpi/bin/mpiexec;--oversubscribe' -DNetCDF_C_LIBRARY=/home/runner/netcdf-c/lib/libnetcdf.so -DNetCDF_C_INCLUDE_DIR=/home/runner/netcdf-c/include -DPnetCDF_PATH='/home/runner/pnetcdf' -DPIO_ENABLE_FORTRAN=Off -DPIO_HDF5_LOGGING=On -DPIO_USE_MALLOC=On -DPIO_ENABLE_LOGGING=On -DPIO_ENABLE_TIMING=Off .. || (cat CMakeFiles/CMakeOutput.log && cat CMakeFiles/CMakeError.log)
+        cat config.h
         make VERBOSE=1
         make tests VERBOSE=1
         ctest -VV
diff --git a/tests/unit/ftst_vars.F90 b/tests/unit/ftst_vars.F90
index f56ed2d81fc..a9f0a755011 100644
--- a/tests/unit/ftst_vars.F90
+++ b/tests/unit/ftst_vars.F90
@@ -10,11 +10,15 @@ program ftst_vars
   use pio
   
   type(iosystem_desc_t) :: pio_iosystem
-  type(file_desc_t)     :: pio_file  
+  type(file_desc_t)     :: pio_file
+  type(var_desc_t)      :: pio_var  
   integer :: my_rank, ntasks
   integer :: niotasks = 1, stride = 1
   character(len=64) :: filename = 'ftst_vars.nc'
+  character(len=64) :: dim_name = 'influence_on_Roman_history'
+  character(len=64) :: var_name = 'Caesar'
   integer :: iotype = PIO_iotype_netcdf4c
+  integer :: dimid, dim_len = 4
   integer :: ierr
   
   ! Set up MPI
@@ -36,12 +40,23 @@ program ftst_vars
   ierr = PIO_createfile(pio_iosystem, pio_file, iotype, filename)
   if (ierr .ne. PIO_NOERR) stop 3
 
+  ! Define a dim.
+  ret_val = PIO_def_dim(pio_file, dim_name, dim_len, dimid)
+  if (ierr .ne. PIO_NOERR) stop 5
+  
+  ! Define a var.
+  ret_val = PIO_def_var(pio_file, var_name, PIO_int, (/dimid/), pio_var)
+  if (ierr .ne. PIO_NOERR) stop 7
+
   ! Close the file.
   call PIO_closefile(pio_file)
 
   ! Open the file.
+  ret_val = PIO_openfile(pio_iosystem, pio_file, iotype, filename, PIO_nowrite)  
+  if (ierr .ne. PIO_NOERR) stop 3
 
-  
+  ! Close the file.
+  call PIO_closefile(pio_file)
 
   ! Finalize PIO.
   call PIO_finalize(pio_iosystem, ierr)