diff --git a/test/compiler/whitebox/CompilerWhiteBoxTest.java b/test/compiler/whitebox/CompilerWhiteBoxTest.java
index ebd5a9af45ff8e1802c41deda3002b506a653243..02b92815825963bb504abab0e7b7db9d92927a73 100644
--- a/test/compiler/whitebox/CompilerWhiteBoxTest.java
+++ b/test/compiler/whitebox/CompilerWhiteBoxTest.java
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ public abstract class CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
     protected static final Method METHOD = getMethod("method");
     protected static final int COMPILE_THRESHOLD
             = Integer.parseInt(getVMOption("CompileThreshold", "10000"));
+    protected static final boolean BACKGROUND_COMPILATION
+            = Boolean.valueOf(getVMOption("BackgroundCompilation", "true"));
 
     protected static Method getMethod(String name) {
         try {
@@ -45,11 +47,16 @@ public abstract class CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
         }
     }
 
-    protected static String getVMOption(String name, String defaultValue) {
+    protected static String getVMOption(String name) {
         String result;
         HotSpotDiagnosticMXBean diagnostic
                 = ManagementFactoryHelper.getDiagnosticMXBean();
         result = diagnostic.getVMOption(name).getValue();
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    protected static String getVMOption(String name, String defaultValue) {
+        String result = getVMOption(name);
         return result == null ? defaultValue : result;
     }
 
@@ -66,6 +73,7 @@ public abstract class CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
         } catch (Exception e) {
             System.out.printf("on exception '%s':", e.getMessage());
             printInfo(METHOD);
+            e.printStackTrace();
             throw new RuntimeException(e);
         }
         System.out.println("at test's end:");
@@ -100,6 +108,9 @@ public abstract class CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
 
     protected static void waitBackgroundCompilation(Method method)
             throws InterruptedException {
+        if (!BACKGROUND_COMPILATION) {
+            return;
+        }
         final Object obj = new Object();
         synchronized (obj) {
             for (int i = 0; i < 10; ++i) {
@@ -129,13 +140,14 @@ public abstract class CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
 
     protected final int compile() {
         int result = 0;
-        for (int i = 0; i < COMPILE_THRESHOLD; ++i) {
+        int count = Math.max(COMPILE_THRESHOLD, 150000);
+        for (int i = 0; i < count; ++i) {
             result += method();
         }
+        System.out.println("method was invoked " + count + " times");
         return result;
     }
 
-
     protected int method() {
         return 42;
     }
diff --git a/test/compiler/whitebox/DeoptimizeAllTest.java b/test/compiler/whitebox/DeoptimizeAllTest.java
index 7690e6a9071eaeb405b649431d55ca19e2dd4c18..fdf498c31b40a961888126f112c5b2012d0258ab 100644
--- a/test/compiler/whitebox/DeoptimizeAllTest.java
+++ b/test/compiler/whitebox/DeoptimizeAllTest.java
@@ -32,12 +32,12 @@
 public class DeoptimizeAllTest extends CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
 
     public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
+        // to prevent inlining #method into #compile()
+        WHITE_BOX.setDontInlineMethod(METHOD, true);
         new DeoptimizeAllTest().runTest();
     }
 
     protected void test() throws Exception {
-        // to prevent inlining #method into #compile()
-        WHITE_BOX.setDontInlineMethod(METHOD, true);
         compile();
         checkCompiled(METHOD);
         WHITE_BOX.deoptimizeAll();
diff --git a/test/compiler/whitebox/DeoptimizeMethodTest.java b/test/compiler/whitebox/DeoptimizeMethodTest.java
index bc1c9d67962cde5c11e0a7a4d37976f7f580417b..7894c524ffa50185bb4ef38197dbb38e2ab031f5 100644
--- a/test/compiler/whitebox/DeoptimizeMethodTest.java
+++ b/test/compiler/whitebox/DeoptimizeMethodTest.java
@@ -32,12 +32,12 @@
 public class DeoptimizeMethodTest extends CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
 
     public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
+        // to prevent inlining #method into #compile()
+        WHITE_BOX.setDontInlineMethod(METHOD, true);
         new DeoptimizeMethodTest().runTest();
     }
 
     protected void test() throws Exception {
-        // to prevent inlining #method into #compile()
-        WHITE_BOX.setDontInlineMethod(METHOD, true);
         compile();
         checkCompiled(METHOD);
         WHITE_BOX.deoptimizeMethod(METHOD);
diff --git a/test/compiler/whitebox/IsMethodCompilableTest.java b/test/compiler/whitebox/IsMethodCompilableTest.java
index d0c102f54f0eb5bb41119439d09fefefd6510067..374d48402fcb4de977d846b93692f05bc6ba0d63 100644
--- a/test/compiler/whitebox/IsMethodCompilableTest.java
+++ b/test/compiler/whitebox/IsMethodCompilableTest.java
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ public class IsMethodCompilableTest extends CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
     }
 
     public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
+        // to prevent inlining #method into #compile()
+        WHITE_BOX.setDontInlineMethod(METHOD, true);
         new IsMethodCompilableTest().runTest();
     }
 
@@ -58,8 +60,6 @@ public class IsMethodCompilableTest extends CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
                     "Warning: test is not applicable if PerMethodRecompilationCutoff == Inf");
             return;
         }
-        // to prevent inlining #method into #compile()
-        WHITE_BOX.setDontInlineMethod(METHOD, true);
         boolean madeNotCompilable = false;
 
         for (long i = 0; i < PER_METHOD_RECOMPILATION_CUTOFF; ++i) {
diff --git a/test/compiler/whitebox/MakeMethodNotCompilableTest.java b/test/compiler/whitebox/MakeMethodNotCompilableTest.java
index ad4930b6426e172cd00c0b39cf949c4890c7f4e6..0b9144c407c122afbfe51a21c5ac9ba367795e1c 100644
--- a/test/compiler/whitebox/MakeMethodNotCompilableTest.java
+++ b/test/compiler/whitebox/MakeMethodNotCompilableTest.java
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@
 public class MakeMethodNotCompilableTest extends CompilerWhiteBoxTest {
 
     public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
+        // to prevent inlining #method into #compile()
+        WHITE_BOX.setDontInlineMethod(METHOD, true);
         new MakeMethodNotCompilableTest().runTest();
     }