diff --git a/auxdir/x_ac_nrt.m4 b/auxdir/x_ac_nrt.m4
index fa1dd962a9b93ad518d201a108d1f2c4cee9aaf4..a9c335cd77a506b8bbf1f4f36bf012d7daeb652e 100644
--- a/auxdir/x_ac_nrt.m4
+++ b/auxdir/x_ac_nrt.m4
@@ -16,15 +16,15 @@
 AC_DEFUN([X_AC_NRT],
 [
    nrt_default_dirs="/usr/include"
-   AC_ARG_WITH([nrth], AS_HELP_STRING(--with-nrth=PATH,Parent directory of nrt.h), [ nrt_default_dirs="$withval $nrt_default_dirs"])
-   AC_MSG_CHECKING([Checking NRT header file])
+   AC_ARG_WITH([nrth], AS_HELP_STRING(--with-nrth=PATH,Parent directory of nrt.h and permapi.h), [ nrt_default_dirs="$withval $nrt_default_dirs"])
+   AC_MSG_CHECKING([Checking NRT and PERMAPI header files])
    for nrt_dir in $nrt_default_dirs; do
       # skip dirs that don't exist
       if test ! -z "$nrt_dir" -a ! -d "$nrt_dir" ; then
          continue;
       fi
-      # search for required NRT API libraries
-      if test -f "$nrt_dir/nrt.h"; then
+      # search for required NRT and PERMAPI header files
+      if test -f "$nrt_dir/nrt.h" -a -f "$nrt_dir/permapi.h"; then
          ac_have_nrt_h="yes"
          NRT_CPPFLAGS="-I$nrt_dir"
 	 break;
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ AC_DEFUN([X_AC_NRT],
    done
    if test "x$ac_have_nrt_h" != "xyes" ; then
       AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
-      AC_MSG_NOTICE([Cannot support IBM NRT API without nrt.h])
+      AC_MSG_NOTICE([Cannot support IBM NRT without nrt.h and permapi.h])
    else
       AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])
    fi
@@ -58,10 +58,10 @@ AC_DEFUN([X_AC_NRT],
 
    if test "x$ac_have_libnrt" != "xyes" ; then
       AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
-      AC_MSG_NOTICE([Cannot support IBM NRT API without libnrt.])
+      AC_MSG_NOTICE([Cannot support IBM NRT API without libnrt.so])
    else
       AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])
-      AC_DEFINE(HAVE_LIBNRT, 1, [define if you have libnrt.])
+      AC_DEFINE(HAVE_LIBNRT, 1, [define if you have libnrt.so])
    fi
 
    if test "x$ac_have_nrt_h" == "xyes" && test "x$ac_have_libnrt" == "xyes"; then
diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index 52cb1666ffe4fda4e03371b4021b0bec67167cb7..96fca1ea50e892992d358bdd9ccb361f0896f677 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@
 /* Define to 1 if you have the `job' library (-ljob). */
 #undef HAVE_LIBJOB
 
-/* define if you have libnrt. */
+/* define if you have libnrt.so */
 #undef HAVE_LIBNRT
 
 /* Define to 1 if you have the <limits.h> header file. */
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index c068457ca29bb925dc468c3f53abc4030882613b..4a640e212f08ca75e559cf30c8a29bbe57716ef1 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1642,7 +1642,7 @@ Optional Packages:
   --with-slurmdbd-port=N  set slurmdbd default port [6819]
   --with-slurmctld-port-count=N
                           set slurmctld default port count [1]
-  --with-nrth=PATH        Parent directory of nrt.h
+  --with-nrth=PATH        Parent directory of nrt.h and permapi.h
   --with-libnrt=PATH      Parent directory of libnrt.so
   --without-readline      compile without readline support
   --with-ssl=PATH         Specify path to OpenSSL installation
@@ -21197,15 +21197,15 @@ if test "${with_nrth+set}" = set; then :
   withval=$with_nrth;  nrt_default_dirs="$withval $nrt_default_dirs"
 fi
 
-   { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking Checking NRT header file" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking Checking NRT header file... " >&6; }
+   { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking Checking NRT and PERMAPI header files" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking Checking NRT and PERMAPI header files... " >&6; }
    for nrt_dir in $nrt_default_dirs; do
       # skip dirs that don't exist
       if test ! -z "$nrt_dir" -a ! -d "$nrt_dir" ; then
          continue;
       fi
-      # search for required NRT API libraries
-      if test -f "$nrt_dir/nrt.h"; then
+      # search for required NRT and PERMAPI header files
+      if test -f "$nrt_dir/nrt.h" -a -f "$nrt_dir/permapi.h"; then
          ac_have_nrt_h="yes"
          NRT_CPPFLAGS="-I$nrt_dir"
 	 break;
@@ -21214,8 +21214,8 @@ $as_echo_n "checking Checking NRT header file... " >&6; }
    if test "x$ac_have_nrt_h" != "xyes" ; then
       { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
 $as_echo "no" >&6; }
-      { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: Cannot support IBM NRT API without nrt.h" >&5
-$as_echo "$as_me: Cannot support IBM NRT API without nrt.h" >&6;}
+      { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: Cannot support IBM NRT without nrt.h and permapi.h" >&5
+$as_echo "$as_me: Cannot support IBM NRT without nrt.h and permapi.h" >&6;}
    else
       { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: yes" >&5
 $as_echo "yes" >&6; }
@@ -21249,8 +21249,8 @@ $as_echo_n "checking whether to enable IBM NRT support... " >&6; }
    if test "x$ac_have_libnrt" != "xyes" ; then
       { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
 $as_echo "no" >&6; }
-      { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: Cannot support IBM NRT API without libnrt." >&5
-$as_echo "$as_me: Cannot support IBM NRT API without libnrt." >&6;}
+      { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: Cannot support IBM NRT API without libnrt.so" >&5
+$as_echo "$as_me: Cannot support IBM NRT API without libnrt.so" >&6;}
    else
       { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: yes" >&5
 $as_echo "yes" >&6; }
diff --git a/src/plugins/switch/nrt/libpermapi/Makefile.am b/src/plugins/switch/nrt/libpermapi/Makefile.am
index 50614fff15f412e108c0073af15edeafc82b6642..ef6525a23d226cb607ae5ea453267fdcc09dbae9 100644
--- a/src/plugins/switch/nrt/libpermapi/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/plugins/switch/nrt/libpermapi/Makefile.am
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
 PLUGIN_FLAGS = -module -avoid-version --export-dynamic
 
 INCLUDES = -I$(top_srcdir) -I$(top_srcdir)/src/common \
-	 -I$(top_srcdir)/src/srun/libsrun
+	   -I$(top_srcdir)/src/srun/libsrun $(NRT_CPPFLAGS)
 
 # making a .la
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/switch/nrt/libpermapi/Makefile.in b/src/plugins/switch/nrt/libpermapi/Makefile.in
index 3200a4e5bab9705731fdd7c7f621742d110f8ae6..b94f1e7852e55a9ca907e7b966cf38b054bb733e 100644
--- a/src/plugins/switch/nrt/libpermapi/Makefile.in
+++ b/src/plugins/switch/nrt/libpermapi/Makefile.in
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ top_srcdir = @top_srcdir@
 AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
 PLUGIN_FLAGS = -module -avoid-version --export-dynamic
 INCLUDES = -I$(top_srcdir) -I$(top_srcdir)/src/common \
-	 -I$(top_srcdir)/src/srun/libsrun
+	   -I$(top_srcdir)/src/srun/libsrun $(NRT_CPPFLAGS)
 
 
 # making a .la