diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/extrae/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/extrae/package.py
index b749196349..d8428fb125 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/extrae/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/extrae/package.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 # LDFLAGS=-pthread
 
 
-class Extrae(Package):
+class Extrae(AutotoolsPackage):
     """Extrae is the package devoted to generate tracefiles which can
        be analyzed later by Paraver. Extrae is a tool that uses
        different interposition mechanisms to inject probes into the
@@ -35,54 +35,76 @@ class Extrae(Package):
        OpenMP, CUDA, OpenCL, pthread, OmpSs"""
     homepage = "https://tools.bsc.es/extrae"
     url      = "https://ftp.tools.bsc.es/extrae/extrae-3.4.1-src.tar.bz2"
+    version('3.7.1', sha256='95810b057f95e91bfc89813eb8bd320dfe40614fc8e98c63d95c5101c56dd213')
     version('3.4.1', '69001f5cfac46e445d61eeb567bc8844')
 
+    depends_on("autoconf", type='build')
+    depends_on("automake", type='build')
+    depends_on("libtool", type='build')
+    depends_on("m4", type='build')
+
     depends_on("mpi")
-    depends_on("dyninst")
     depends_on("libunwind")
     depends_on("boost")
     depends_on("libdwarf")
     depends_on("papi")
     depends_on("elf", type="link")
     depends_on("libxml2")
-
+    depends_on("numactl")
+    depends_on("binutils+libiberty")
+    depends_on("gettext")
     # gettext dependency added to find -lintl
     # https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/FAQ.html#integrating_undefined
-    depends_on("gettext")
-    depends_on("binutils+libiberty")
 
-    def install(self, spec, prefix):
-        if 'openmpi' in spec:
-            mpi = spec['openmpi']
-        elif 'mpich' in spec:
-            mpi = spec['mpich']
-        elif 'mvapich2' in spec:
-            mpi = spec['mvapich2']
+    build_directory = 'spack-build'
 
-        extra_config_args = []
+    variant('dyninst', default=False, description="Use dyninst for dynamic code installation")
+    depends_on('dyninst@:9', when='+dyninst')
+
+    variant('papi', default=True, description="Use PAPI to collect performance counters")
+    depends_on('papi', when='+papi')
+
+    def configure_args(self):
+        spec = self.spec
+        args = ["--with-mpi=%s" % spec['mpi'].prefix,
+                "--with-unwind=%s" % spec['libunwind'].prefix,
+                "--with-boost=%s" % spec['boost'].prefix,
+                "--with-dwarf=%s" % spec['libdwarf'].prefix,
+                "--with-elf=%s" % spec['elf'].prefix,
+                "--with-xml-prefix=%s" % spec['libxml2'].prefix,
+                "--with-binutils=%s" % spec['binutils'].prefix]
+
+        args += (["--with-papi=%s" % spec['papi'].prefix]
+                 if '+papi' in self.spec else
+                 ["--without-papi"])
+
+        args += (["--with-dyninst=%s" % spec['dyninst'].prefix]
+                 if '+dyninst' in self.spec else
+                 ["--without-dyninst"])
+
+        if spec.satisfies("^dyninst@9.3.0:"):
+            make.add_default_arg("CXXFLAGS=%s" % self.compiler.cxx11_flag)
+            args.append("CXXFLAGS=%s" % self.compiler.cxx11_flag)
 
         # This was added due to configure failure
         # https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/FAQ.html#integrating_undefined
-        extra_config_args.append('LDFLAGS=-lintl')
+        args.append('LDFLAGS=-lintl')
 
-        if spec.satisfies("^dyninst@9.3.0:"):
-            make.add_default_arg('CXXFLAGS=-std=c++11')
-            extra_config_args.append('CXXFLAGS=-std=c++11')
+        return(args)
 
-        configure("--prefix=%s" % prefix,
-                  "--with-mpi=%s" % mpi.prefix,
-                  "--with-unwind=%s" % spec['libunwind'].prefix,
-                  "--with-dyninst=%s" % spec['dyninst'].prefix,
-                  "--with-boost=%s" % spec['boost'].prefix,
-                  "--with-dwarf=%s" % spec['libdwarf'].prefix,
-                  "--with-papi=%s" % spec['papi'].prefix,
-                  "--with-dyninst-headers=%s" % spec[
-                      'dyninst'].prefix.include,
-                  "--with-elf=%s" % spec['elf'].prefix,
-                  "--with-xml-prefix=%s" % spec['libxml2'].prefix,
-                  "--with-binutils=%s" % spec['binutils'].prefix,
-                  "--with-dyninst-libs=%s" % spec['dyninst'].prefix.lib,
-                  *extra_config_args)
+    def install(self, spec, prefix):
+        with working_dir(self.build_directory):
+            # parallel installs are buggy prior to 3.7
+            # see https://github.com/bsc-performance-tools/extrae/issues/18
+            if(spec.satisfies('@3.7:')):
+                make('install', parallel=True)
+            else:
+                make('install', parallel=False)
 
-        make()
-        make("install", parallel=False)
+    def setup_environment(self, spack_env, run_env):
+        # set EXTRAE_HOME in the module file
+        run_env.set('EXTRAE_HOME', self.prefix)
+
+    def setup_dependent_environment(self, spack_env, run_env, dependent_spec):
+        # set EXTRAE_HOME for everyone using the Extrae package
+        spack_env.set('EXTRAE_HOME', self.prefix)