diff --git a/lucene/common-build.xml b/lucene/common-build.xml
index f8db3369b21..c6bdb1627aa 100644
--- a/lucene/common-build.xml
+++ b/lucene/common-build.xml
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@
   </condition>
   <property name="tests.multiplier" value="1" />
   <property name="tests.codec" value="randomPerField" />
+  <property name="tests.codecprovider" value="random" />
   <property name="tests.locale" value="random" />
   <property name="tests.timezone" value="random" />
   <property name="tests.directory" value="random" />
@@ -499,6 +500,8 @@
 	      <sysproperty key="tests.verbose" value="${tests.verbose}"/>
               <!-- set the codec tests should run with -->
 	      <sysproperty key="tests.codec" value="${tests.codec}"/>
+              <!-- set the codec provider tests should run with -->
+	      <sysproperty key="tests.codecprovider" value="${tests.codecprovider}"/>
               <!-- set the locale tests should run with -->
 	      <sysproperty key="tests.locale" value="${tests.locale}"/>
               <!-- set the timezone tests should run with -->
diff --git a/lucene/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/codecs/CodecProvider.java b/lucene/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/codecs/CodecProvider.java
index 921a8e6db62..04f8c591f7a 100644
--- a/lucene/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/codecs/CodecProvider.java
+++ b/lucene/src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/codecs/CodecProvider.java
@@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ public class CodecProvider {
       }
     }
   }
+  
+  /** @lucene.internal */
+  public synchronized Set<String> listAll() {
+    return codecs.keySet();
+  }
 
   public Collection<String> getAllExtensions() {
     return knownExtensions;
diff --git a/lucene/src/test-framework/org/apache/lucene/util/LuceneTestCase.java b/lucene/src/test-framework/org/apache/lucene/util/LuceneTestCase.java
index 5888a1c008c..7e95cffacd9 100644
--- a/lucene/src/test-framework/org/apache/lucene/util/LuceneTestCase.java
+++ b/lucene/src/test-framework/org/apache/lucene/util/LuceneTestCase.java
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ public abstract class LuceneTestCase extends Assert {
   // tests)
   /** Gets the codec to run tests with. */
   public static final String TEST_CODEC = System.getProperty("tests.codec", "randomPerField");
+  /** Gets the codecprovider to run tests with */
+  public static final String TEST_CODECPROVIDER = System.getProperty("tests.codecprovider", "random");
   /** Gets the locale to run tests with */
   public static final String TEST_LOCALE = System.getProperty("tests.locale", "random");
   /** Gets the timezone to run tests with */
@@ -329,15 +331,38 @@ public abstract class LuceneTestCase extends Assert {
     tempDirs.clear();
     stores = Collections.synchronizedMap(new IdentityHashMap<MockDirectoryWrapper,StackTraceElement[]>());
     savedCodecProvider = CodecProvider.getDefault();
-    if ("randomPerField".equals(TEST_CODEC)) {
-      if (random.nextInt(4) == 0) { // preflex-only setup
-        codec = installTestCodecs("PreFlex", CodecProvider.getDefault());
-      } else { // per-field setup
-        CodecProvider.setDefault(new RandomCodecProvider(random));
+    if ("random".equals(TEST_CODECPROVIDER)) {
+      if ("randomPerField".equals(TEST_CODEC)) {
+        if (random.nextInt(4) == 0) { // preflex-only setup
+          codec = installTestCodecs("PreFlex", CodecProvider.getDefault());
+        } else { // per-field setup
+          CodecProvider.setDefault(new RandomCodecProvider(random));
+          codec = installTestCodecs(TEST_CODEC, CodecProvider.getDefault());
+        }
+      } else { // ordinary setup
         codec = installTestCodecs(TEST_CODEC, CodecProvider.getDefault());
       }
-    } else { // ordinary setup
-      codec = installTestCodecs(TEST_CODEC, CodecProvider.getDefault());
+    } else {
+      // someone specified their own codecprovider by class
+      try {
+        Class<? extends CodecProvider> cpClazz = Class.forName(TEST_CODECPROVIDER).asSubclass(CodecProvider.class);
+        CodecProvider cp = cpClazz.newInstance();
+        String codecName;
+        if (TEST_CODEC.startsWith("random")) { // TODO: somehow do random per-field?!
+          Set<String> codecSet = cp.listAll();
+          String availableCodecs[] = codecSet.toArray(new String[codecSet.size()]);
+          codecName = availableCodecs[random.nextInt(availableCodecs.length)];
+        } else {
+          codecName = TEST_CODEC;
+        }
+        
+        codec = cp.lookup(codecName);
+        cp.setDefaultFieldCodec(codecName);
+        CodecProvider.setDefault(cp);
+      } catch (Exception e) {
+        System.err.println("Could not instantiate CodecProvider: " + TEST_CODECPROVIDER);
+        throw new RuntimeException(e);
+      }
     }
     savedLocale = Locale.getDefault();
     locale = TEST_LOCALE.equals("random") ? randomLocale(random) : localeForName(TEST_LOCALE);
@@ -360,16 +385,13 @@ public abstract class LuceneTestCase extends Assert {
     String codecDescription;
     CodecProvider cp = CodecProvider.getDefault();
 
-    if ("randomPerField".equals(TEST_CODEC)) {
-      if (cp instanceof RandomCodecProvider)
-        codecDescription = cp.toString();
-      else
-        codecDescription = "PreFlex";
+    if ("randomPerField".equals(TEST_CODEC) && cp instanceof RandomCodecProvider) {
+      codecDescription = cp.toString();
     } else {
       codecDescription = codec.toString();
     }
 
-    if (CodecProvider.getDefault() == savedCodecProvider)
+    if ("random".equals(TEST_CODECPROVIDER) && CodecProvider.getDefault() == savedCodecProvider)
       removeTestCodecs(codec, CodecProvider.getDefault());
     CodecProvider.setDefault(savedCodecProvider);
     Locale.setDefault(savedLocale);
diff --git a/solr/build.xml b/solr/build.xml
index 80e66fd984a..de7ef217bee 100644
--- a/solr/build.xml
+++ b/solr/build.xml
@@ -450,6 +450,7 @@
            >
       <sysproperty key="java.util.logging.config.file" value="${common-solr.dir}/testlogging.properties"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.luceneMatchVersion" value="${tests.luceneMatchVersion}"/>
+      <sysproperty key="tests.codecprovider" value="${tests.codecprovider}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.codec" value="${tests.codec}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.locale" value="${tests.locale}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.timezone" value="${tests.timezone}"/>
diff --git a/solr/common-build.xml b/solr/common-build.xml
index 861ff237062..a57b4074e25 100644
--- a/solr/common-build.xml
+++ b/solr/common-build.xml
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@
   </condition>
 
   <property name="tests.multiplier" value="1" />
+  <property name="tests.codecprovider" value="random" />
   <property name="tests.codec" value="randomPerField" />
   <property name="tests.locale" value="random" />
   <property name="tests.timezone" value="random" />
diff --git a/solr/contrib/analysis-extras/build.xml b/solr/contrib/analysis-extras/build.xml
index 9cc5aa217bc..6ec8ecdbaa8 100644
--- a/solr/contrib/analysis-extras/build.xml
+++ b/solr/contrib/analysis-extras/build.xml
@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@
             >
       <sysproperty key="java.util.logging.config.file" value="${common-solr.dir}/testlogging.properties"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.luceneMatchVersion" value="${tests.luceneMatchVersion}"/>
+      <sysproperty key="tests.codecprovider" value="${tests.codecprovider}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.codec" value="${tests.codec}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.locale" value="${tests.locale}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.timezone" value="${tests.timezone}"/>
diff --git a/solr/contrib/clustering/build.xml b/solr/contrib/clustering/build.xml
index aee297e3b8f..9a0c67eaa2f 100644
--- a/solr/contrib/clustering/build.xml
+++ b/solr/contrib/clustering/build.xml
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@
             >
       <sysproperty key="java.util.logging.config.file" value="${common-solr.dir}/testlogging.properties"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.luceneMatchVersion" value="${tests.luceneMatchVersion}"/>
+      <sysproperty key="tests.codecprovider" value="${tests.codecprovider}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.codec" value="${tests.codec}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.locale" value="${tests.locale}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.timezone" value="${tests.timezone}"/>
diff --git a/solr/contrib/dataimporthandler/build.xml b/solr/contrib/dataimporthandler/build.xml
index bd6ea50a2e2..79a0524fcc7 100644
--- a/solr/contrib/dataimporthandler/build.xml
+++ b/solr/contrib/dataimporthandler/build.xml
@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@
       <sysproperty key="java.util.logging.config.file" value="${common-solr.dir}/testlogging.properties"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.luceneMatchVersion" value="${tests.luceneMatchVersion}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.codec" value="${tests.codec}"/>
+      <sysproperty key="tests.codecprovider" value="${tests.codecprovider}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.locale" value="${tests.locale}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.timezone" value="${tests.timezone}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.multiplier" value="${tests.multiplier}"/>
@@ -231,6 +232,7 @@
            >
       <sysproperty key="java.util.logging.config.file" value="${common-solr.dir}/testlogging.properties"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.luceneMatchVersion" value="${tests.luceneMatchVersion}"/>
+      <sysproperty key="tests.codecprovider" value="${tests.codecprovider}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.codec" value="${tests.codec}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.locale" value="${tests.locale}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.timezone" value="${tests.timezone}"/>
diff --git a/solr/contrib/extraction/build.xml b/solr/contrib/extraction/build.xml
index 01aa60e7485..50dcb4983d5 100644
--- a/solr/contrib/extraction/build.xml
+++ b/solr/contrib/extraction/build.xml
@@ -115,6 +115,7 @@
            >
       <sysproperty key="java.util.logging.config.file" value="${common-solr.dir}/testlogging.properties"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.luceneMatchVersion" value="${tests.luceneMatchVersion}"/>
+      <sysproperty key="tests.codecprovider" value="${tests.codecprovider}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.codec" value="${tests.codec}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.locale" value="${tests.locale}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.timezone" value="${tests.timezone}"/>
diff --git a/solr/contrib/uima/build.xml b/solr/contrib/uima/build.xml
index 631f8a8c413..16c7de67844 100644
--- a/solr/contrib/uima/build.xml
+++ b/solr/contrib/uima/build.xml
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@
            >
       <sysproperty key="java.util.logging.config.file" value="${common-solr.dir}/testlogging.properties"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.luceneMatchVersion" value="${tests.luceneMatchVersion}"/>
+      <sysproperty key="tests.codecprovider" value="${tests.codecprovider}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.codec" value="${tests.codec}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.locale" value="${tests.locale}"/>
       <sysproperty key="tests.timezone" value="${tests.timezone}"/>