Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/utils/OS/ispetsc.m
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/utils/OS/ispetsc.m	(revision 11727)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/utils/OS/ispetsc.m	(revision 11727)
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+function flag=ispetsc()
+%ISPETSC - figure out if PETSC package was compiled with ISSM
+%
+%   Usage:
+%       flag=ispetsc();
+
+
+configfile=[issmtier() '/bin/config.h']; %should find it in the install target
+if ~exist(configfile,'file'),
+	error(['File ' configfile ' not found. ISSM has not been configured yet!']);
+end
+
+%go through the file, and recover the line we want
+flag=2;
+fid=fopen(configfile,'r');
+if(fid==-1), error(['could not open file: ' configfile]); end
+
+while(true),
+	tline=fgets(fid);
+	if ~ischar(tline), break, end
+	if strncmp(tline,'/* #undef _HAVE_PETSC_ */',25),
+		flag=0;
+		break;
+	end
+	if  strncmp(tline,'#define _HAVE_PETSC_',20),
+		flag=1;
+		break;
+	end
+end
+fclose(fid);
+if flag==2,
+	error('could not determine whether PETSC was or was not compiled');
+end