diff --git a/lib/certhigh/certvfypkix.c b/lib/certhigh/certvfypkix.c
--- a/lib/certhigh/certvfypkix.c
+++ b/lib/certhigh/certvfypkix.c
@@ -37,11 +37,11 @@
 pkix_pl_lifecycle_ObjectTableUpdate(int *objCountTable);
 
 PRInt32 parallelFnInvocationCount;
 #endif /* PKIX_OBJECT_LEAK_TEST */
 
-static PRBool usePKIXValidationEngine = PR_FALSE;
+static PRBool usePKIXValidationEngine = PR_TRUE;
 #endif /* NSS_DISABLE_LIBPKIX */
 
 /*
  * FUNCTION: CERT_SetUsePKIXForValidation
  * DESCRIPTION:
diff --git a/lib/nss/nssinit.c b/lib/nss/nssinit.c
--- a/lib/nss/nssinit.c
+++ b/lib/nss/nssinit.c
@@ -762,13 +762,13 @@
                                     PKIX_MINOR_VERSION, &actualMinorVersion, &plContext);
 
         if (pkixError != NULL) {
             goto loser;
         } else {
-            char *ev = PR_GetEnvSecure("NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY");
+            char *ev = PR_GetEnvSecure("NSS_DISABLE_PKIX_VERIFY");
             if (ev && ev[0]) {
-                CERT_SetUsePKIXForValidation(PR_TRUE);
+                CERT_SetUsePKIXForValidation(PR_FALSE);
             }
         }
 #endif /* NSS_DISABLE_LIBPKIX */
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/all.sh b/tests/all.sh
--- a/tests/all.sh
+++ b/tests/all.sh
@@ -141,17 +141,22 @@
 ########################################################################
 run_cycle_standard()
 {
     TEST_MODE=STANDARD
 
+    NSS_DISABLE_LIBPKIX_VERIFY="1"
+    export NSS_DISABLE_LIBPKIX_VERIFY
+
     TESTS="${ALL_TESTS}"
     TESTS_SKIP="libpkix pkits"
 
     NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE=${NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE:-"sql"}
     export NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE
 
     run_tests
+
+    unset NSS_DISABLE_LIBPKIX_VERIFY
 }
 
 ############################ run_cycle_pkix ############################
 # run test suites with PKIX enabled
 ########################################################################
@@ -165,13 +170,10 @@
 
     HOSTDIR="${HOSTDIR}/pkix"
     mkdir -p "${HOSTDIR}"
     init_directories
 
-    NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY="1"
-    export NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY
-
     TESTS="${ALL_TESTS}"
     TESTS_SKIP="cipher dbtests sdr crmf smime merge multinit"
 
     export -n NSS_SSL_RUN
 
diff --git a/tests/common/init.sh b/tests/common/init.sh
--- a/tests/common/init.sh
+++ b/tests/common/init.sh
@@ -138,12 +138,12 @@
         echo "NSS_TEST_DISABLE_CRL=${NSS_TEST_DISABLE_CRL}"
         echo "NSS_SSL_TESTS=\"${NSS_SSL_TESTS}\""
         echo "NSS_SSL_RUN=\"${NSS_SSL_RUN}\""
         echo "NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE=${NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE}"
         echo "export NSS_DEFAULT_DB_TYPE"
-        echo "NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY=${NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY}"
-        echo "export NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY"
+        echo "NSS_DISABLE_PKIX_VERIFY=${NSS_DISABLE_PKIX_VERIFY}"
+        echo "export NSS_DISABLE_PKIX_VERIFY"
         echo "init_directories"
     }
 
 # Exit shellfunction to clean up at exit (error, regular or signal)
     Exit()
diff --git a/tests/ssl/ssl.sh b/tests/ssl/ssl.sh
--- a/tests/ssl/ssl.sh
+++ b/tests/ssl/ssl.sh
@@ -960,13 +960,12 @@
 ssl_policy_pkix_ocsp()
 {
   #verbose="-v"
   html_head "Check that OCSP doesn't break if we disable sha1 $NORM_EXT - server $SERVER_MODE/client $CLIENT_MODE"
 
-  PKIX_SAVE=${NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY-"unset"}
-  NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY="1"
-  export NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY
+  PKIX_SAVE=${NSS_DISABLE_LIBPKIX_VERIFY-"unset"}
+  unset NSS_DISABLE_LIBPKIX_VERIFY
 
   testname=""
 
   if [ ! -f "${P_R_SERVERDIR}/pkcs11.txt" ] ; then
       html_failed "${SCRIPTNAME}: ${P_R_SERVERDIR} is not initialized"
@@ -987,16 +986,14 @@
   grep 12276 ${P_R_SERVERDIR}/vfy.out
   RET=$?
   html_msg $RET $RET_EXP "${testname}" \
            "produced a returncode of $RET, expected is $RET_EXP"
 
-  if [ "${PKIX_SAVE}" = "unset" ]; then
-      unset NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY
-  else
-      NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY=${PKIX_SAVE}
-      export NSS_ENABLE_PKIX_VERIFY
+  if [ "{PKIX_SAVE}" != "unset" ]; then
+      export NSS_DISABLE_LIBPKIX_VERIFY=${PKIX_SAVE}
   fi
+
   cp ${P_R_SERVERDIR}/pkcs11.txt.sav ${P_R_SERVERDIR}/pkcs11.txt
 
   html "</TABLE><BR>"
 
 }