diff --git a/src/api/pdc_region/pdc_region_transfer.c b/src/api/pdc_region/pdc_region_transfer.c
index 942535323..ee4e48c8b 100644
--- a/src/api/pdc_region/pdc_region_transfer.c
+++ b/src/api/pdc_region/pdc_region_transfer.c
@@ -903,7 +903,7 @@ register_metadata(pdc_transfer_request_start_all_pkg **transfer_request_input, i
  * sorted in terms of data_server_id. We pack data from user buffer to contiguous buffers. Static partitioning
  * requires having at most n_data_servers number of contiguous regions.
  */
-static int
+static perr_t
 prepare_start_all_requests(pdcid_t *transfer_request_id, int size,
                            pdc_transfer_request_start_all_pkg ***write_transfer_request_ptr,
                            pdc_transfer_request_start_all_pkg ***read_transfer_request_ptr,
@@ -934,7 +934,7 @@ prepare_start_all_requests(pdcid_t *transfer_request_id, int size,
             printf("PDC Client PDCregion_transfer_start_all attempt to start existing transfer request @ "
                    "line %d\n",
                    __LINE__);
-            return 1;
+            return FAIL;
         }
         if (transfer_request->consistency == PDC_CONSISTENCY_POSIX) {
             posix_transfer_request_id_ptr[0][posix_size_ptr[0]] = transfer_request_id[i];
@@ -959,6 +959,11 @@ prepare_start_all_requests(pdcid_t *transfer_request_id, int size,
                                     &(transfer_request->n_obj_servers), &(transfer_request->obj_servers),
                                     &(transfer_request->sub_offsets), &(transfer_request->output_offsets),
                                     &(transfer_request->output_sizes), &(transfer_request->output_buf));
+            if (transfer_request->n_obj_servers == 0) {
+                printf("PDC_Client %d, %s: error with static region partition, no server is selected!\n",
+                       pdc_client_mpi_rank_g, __func__);
+                return FAIL;
+            }
             for (j = 0; j < transfer_request->n_obj_servers; ++j) {
                 request_pkgs =
                     (pdc_transfer_request_start_all_pkg *)malloc(sizeof(pdc_transfer_request_start_all_pkg));
@@ -1082,7 +1087,7 @@ prepare_start_all_requests(pdcid_t *transfer_request_id, int size,
     else {
         *read_size_ptr = 0;
     }
-    return 0;
+    return SUCCEED;
 }
 
 static int
@@ -1321,8 +1326,9 @@ PDCregion_transfer_start_all(pdcid_t *transfer_request_id, int size)
     FUNC_ENTER(NULL);
     // Split write and read requests. Handle them separately.
     // printf("PDCregion_transfer_start_all: checkpoint %d\n", __LINE__);
-    prepare_start_all_requests(transfer_request_id, size, &write_transfer_requests, &read_transfer_requests,
-                               &write_size, &read_size, &posix_transfer_request_id, &posix_size);
+    ret_value = prepare_start_all_requests(transfer_request_id, size, &write_transfer_requests,
+                                           &read_transfer_requests, &write_size, &read_size,
+                                           &posix_transfer_request_id, &posix_size);
     /*
         printf("PDCregion_transfer_start_all: checkpoint %d, write_size = %d, read_size = %d\n", __LINE__,
                write_size, read_size);
@@ -1454,12 +1460,18 @@ PDCregion_transfer_start(pdcid_t transfer_request_id)
 
     if (transfer_request->region_partition == PDC_REGION_STATIC) {
         // Identify which part of the region is going to which data server.
-        static_region_partition(transfer_request->new_buf, transfer_request->remote_region_ndim, unit,
-                                transfer_request->access_type, transfer_request->obj_dims,
-                                transfer_request->remote_region_offset, transfer_request->remote_region_size,
-                                1, &(transfer_request->n_obj_servers), &(transfer_request->obj_servers),
-                                &(transfer_request->sub_offsets), &(transfer_request->output_offsets),
-                                &(transfer_request->output_sizes), &(transfer_request->output_buf));
+        ret_value = static_region_partition(
+            transfer_request->new_buf, transfer_request->remote_region_ndim, unit,
+            transfer_request->access_type, transfer_request->obj_dims, transfer_request->remote_region_offset,
+            transfer_request->remote_region_size, 1, &(transfer_request->n_obj_servers),
+            &(transfer_request->obj_servers), &(transfer_request->sub_offsets),
+            &(transfer_request->output_offsets), &(transfer_request->output_sizes),
+            &(transfer_request->output_buf));
+        if (transfer_request->n_obj_servers == 0) {
+            printf("PDC_Client %d, %s: error with static region partition, no server is selected!\n",
+                   pdc_client_mpi_rank_g, __func__);
+            return FAIL;
+        }
         /*
                 printf("n_obj_servers = %d\n", transfer_request->n_obj_servers);
                 for ( i = 0; i < transfer_request->n_obj_servers; ++i ) {
diff --git a/src/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/src/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 13c2a5a31..30667ddcd 100644
--- a/src/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -207,6 +207,7 @@ set(SCRIPTS
   run_test.sh
   mpi_test.sh
   run_multiple_test.sh
+  run_multiple_mpi_test.sh
   run_checkpoint_restart_test.sh
   )
 
@@ -487,6 +488,7 @@ if(BUILD_MPI_TESTING)
     add_test(NAME obj_info_mpi   WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY} COMMAND mpi_test.sh ./obj_info ${MPI_RUN_CMD} 4 6 )
     add_test(NAME obj_put_data_mpi   WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY} COMMAND mpi_test.sh ./obj_put_data ${MPI_RUN_CMD} 4 6 )
     add_test(NAME obj_get_data_mpi   WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY} COMMAND mpi_test.sh ./obj_get_data ${MPI_RUN_CMD} 4 6 )
+    add_test(NAME vpicio_bdcats_mpi WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY} COMMAND run_multiple_mpi_test.sh ${MPI_RUN_CMD} 4 6 ./vpicio ./bdcats)
 
     set_tests_properties(read_obj_shared_int                  PROPERTIES LABELS "parallel;parallel_obj" )
     set_tests_properties(read_obj_shared_float                PROPERTIES LABELS "parallel;parallel_obj" )
@@ -514,6 +516,7 @@ if(BUILD_MPI_TESTING)
 #   set_tests_properties(region_transfer_2D_skewed_mpi        PROPERTIES LABELS "parallel;parallel_region_transfer" )
 #   set_tests_properties(region_transfer_3D_skewed_mpi        PROPERTIES LABELS "parallel;parallel_region_transfer" )
     set_tests_properties(region_transfer_write_read_mpi       PROPERTIES LABELS "parallel;parallel_region_transfer" )
+    set_tests_properties(vpicio_bdcats_mpi                    PROPERTIES LABELS "parallel;parallel_region_transfer" )
     set_tests_properties(region_transfer_all_mpi              PROPERTIES LABELS "parallel;parallel_region_transfer_all" )
     set_tests_properties(region_transfer_all_2D_mpi           PROPERTIES LABELS "parallel;parallel_region_transfer_all" )
     set_tests_properties(region_transfer_all_3D_mpi           PROPERTIES LABELS "parallel;parallel_region_transfer_all" )
diff --git a/src/tests/run_multiple_mpi_test.sh b/src/tests/run_multiple_mpi_test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..957473fa8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/run_multiple_mpi_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# This version of the test runner doesn't attempt to run any parallel tests.
+# We assume too, that if the library build has enabled MPI, that LD_LIBRARY_PATH is
+# defined and points to the MPI libraries used by the linker (e.g. -L<path -lmpi)
+
+extra_cmd=""
+
+if [[ "$SUPERCOMPUTER" == "perlmutter" ]]; then
+    extra_cmd="--mem=25600 --cpu_bind=cores --overlap"
+fi
+
+if [ $# -lt 1 ]; then echo "missing test argument" && exit -1 ; fi
+# check the test to be run:
+mpi_cmd="$1"
+n_servers="$2"
+n_client="$3"
+# copy the remaining test input arguments (if any)
+all_test="${@:4}"
+test_args=""
+echo $all_test
+
+rm -rf pdc_tmp pdc_data
+
+# START the server (in the background)
+echo "$mpi_cmd -n $n_servers $extra_cmd ./pdc_server.exe &"
+$mpi_cmd -n $n_servers $extra_cmd ./pdc_server.exe &
+
+# WAIT a bit, for 1 second
+sleep 1
+
+# RUN the actual test(s)
+for test_exe in $all_test
+do
+    if [ -x $test_exe ]; then echo "testing: $test_exe"; else echo "test: $test_exe not found or not and executable" && exit -2; fi
+    if [[ "$test_exe" = *vpicio ]]; then
+        test_args="1024"
+    fi
+    if [[ "$test_exe" = *bdcats ]]; then
+        test_args="1024"
+    fi
+    echo "$mpi_cmd -n $n_client $extra_cmd $test_exe $test_args"
+    $mpi_cmd -n $n_client $extra_cmd $test_exe $test_args
+    ret="$?"
+done
+
+# Need to test the return value
+ret="$?"
+# and shutdown the SERVER before exiting
+echo "Close server"
+echo "$mpi_cmd -n 1 $extra_cmd ./close_server"
+$mpi_cmd -n 1 $extra_cmd ./close_server
+exit $ret
diff --git a/src/tests/vpicio.c b/src/tests/vpicio.c
index 081376f43..e7bd51f07 100644
--- a/src/tests/vpicio.c
+++ b/src/tests/vpicio.c
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
             printf("Writing %" PRIu64 " number of particles with %d clients.\n", numparticles, size);
     }
 
-    dims[0] = numparticles;
+    dims[0] = numparticles * size;
 
     x = (float *)malloc(numparticles * sizeof(float));
     y = (float *)malloc(numparticles * sizeof(float));