diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/bsdapp/eal/eal.c b/lib/librte_eal/bsdapp/eal/eal.c
index 391ce53..20a9c5f 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/bsdapp/eal/eal.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/bsdapp/eal/eal.c
@@ -316,7 +316,6 @@ eal_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 	int opt, ret, i;
 	char **argvopt;
 	int option_index;
-	int coremask_ok = 0;
 	char *prgname = argv[0];
 
 	argvopt = argv;
@@ -339,13 +338,8 @@ eal_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 			return -1;
 		}
 		/* common parser handled this option */
-		if (ret == 0) {
-			/* special case, note that the common parser accepted
-			 * the coremask option */
-			if (opt == 'c')
-				coremask_ok = 1;
+		if (ret == 0)
 			continue;
-		}
 
 		switch (opt) {
 		default:
@@ -366,51 +360,11 @@ eal_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 		}
 	}
 
-	/* sanity checks */
-	if (!coremask_ok) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "coremask not specified\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (internal_config.process_type == RTE_PROC_AUTO){
+	if (internal_config.process_type == RTE_PROC_AUTO)
 		internal_config.process_type = eal_proc_type_detect();
-	}
-	if (internal_config.process_type == RTE_PROC_INVALID){
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Invalid process type specified\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (internal_config.process_type == RTE_PROC_PRIMARY &&
-			internal_config.force_nchannel == 0) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Number of memory channels (-n) not specified\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (index(internal_config.hugefile_prefix,'%') != NULL){
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Invalid char, '%%', in '"OPT_FILE_PREFIX"' option\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (internal_config.memory > 0 && internal_config.force_sockets == 1) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Options -m and --socket-mem cannot be specified "
-				"at the same time\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	/* --no-huge doesn't make sense with either -m or --socket-mem */
-	if (internal_config.no_hugetlbfs &&
-			(internal_config.memory > 0 ||
-					internal_config.force_sockets == 1)) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Options -m or --socket-mem cannot be specified "
-				"together with --no-huge!\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
 
-	if (rte_eal_devargs_type_count(RTE_DEVTYPE_WHITELISTED_PCI) != 0 &&
-		rte_eal_devargs_type_count(RTE_DEVTYPE_BLACKLISTED_PCI) != 0) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Error: blacklist [-b] and whitelist "
-			"[-w] options cannot be used at the same time\n");
+	/* sanity checks */
+	if (eal_check_common_options(&internal_config) != 0) {
 		eal_usage(prgname);
 		return -1;
 	}
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_options.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_options.c
index ffc615a..630dfe0 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_options.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_options.c
@@ -85,6 +85,9 @@ eal_long_options[] = {
 	{0, 0, 0, 0}
 };
 
+static int lcores_parsed;
+static int mem_parsed;
+
 void
 eal_reset_internal_config(struct internal_config *internal_cfg)
 {
@@ -197,6 +200,7 @@ eal_parse_coremask(const char *coremask)
 		return -1;
 	/* Update the count of enabled logical cores of the EAL configuration */
 	cfg->lcore_count = count;
+	lcores_parsed = 1;
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -305,6 +309,7 @@ eal_parse_common_option(int opt, const char *optarg,
 		conf->memory = atoi(optarg);
 		conf->memory *= 1024ULL;
 		conf->memory *= 1024ULL;
+		mem_parsed = 1;
 		break;
 	/* force number of channels */
 	case 'n':
@@ -394,6 +399,54 @@ eal_parse_common_option(int opt, const char *optarg,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+int
+eal_check_common_options(struct internal_config *internal_cfg)
+{
+	struct rte_config *cfg = rte_eal_get_configuration();
+
+	if (!lcores_parsed) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "CPU cores must be enabled with option "
+			"-c\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	if (internal_cfg->process_type == RTE_PROC_INVALID) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Invalid process type specified\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	if (internal_cfg->process_type == RTE_PROC_PRIMARY &&
+			internal_cfg->force_nchannel == 0) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Number of memory channels (-n) not "
+			"specified\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	if (index(internal_cfg->hugefile_prefix, '%') != NULL) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Invalid char, '%%', in --"OPT_FILE_PREFIX" "
+			"option\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	if (mem_parsed && internal_cfg->force_sockets == 1) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Options -m and --"OPT_SOCKET_MEM" cannot "
+			"be specified at the same time\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	if (internal_cfg->no_hugetlbfs &&
+			(mem_parsed || internal_cfg->force_sockets == 1)) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Options -m or --"OPT_SOCKET_MEM" cannot "
+			"be specified together with --"OPT_NO_HUGE"\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	if (rte_eal_devargs_type_count(RTE_DEVTYPE_WHITELISTED_PCI) != 0 &&
+		rte_eal_devargs_type_count(RTE_DEVTYPE_BLACKLISTED_PCI) != 0) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Options blacklist (-b) and whitelist (-w) "
+			"cannot be used at the same time\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 void
 eal_common_usage(void)
 {
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_options.h b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_options.h
index 7a08507..75351c0 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_options.h
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_options.h
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ extern const struct option eal_long_options[];
 
 int eal_parse_common_option(int opt, const char *argv,
 			    struct internal_config *conf);
+int eal_check_common_options(struct internal_config *internal_cfg);
 void eal_common_usage(void);
 
 #endif /* EAL_OPTIONS_H */
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal.c b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal.c
index bb35669..f5de277 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal.c
@@ -507,7 +507,6 @@ eal_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 	int opt, ret, i;
 	char **argvopt;
 	int option_index;
-	int coremask_ok = 0;
 	char *prgname = argv[0];
 	struct shared_driver *solib;
 
@@ -531,13 +530,8 @@ eal_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 			return -1;
 		}
 		/* common parser handled this option */
-		if (ret == 0) {
-			/* special case, note that the common parser accepted
-			 * the coremask option */
-			if (opt == 'c')
-				coremask_ok = 1;
+		if (ret == 0)
 			continue;
-		}
 
 		switch (opt) {
 		/* force loading of external driver */
@@ -622,58 +616,19 @@ eal_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 		}
 	}
 
-	/* sanity checks */
-	if (!coremask_ok) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "coremask not specified\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (internal_config.process_type == RTE_PROC_AUTO){
+	if (internal_config.process_type == RTE_PROC_AUTO)
 		internal_config.process_type = eal_proc_type_detect();
-	}
-	if (internal_config.process_type == RTE_PROC_INVALID){
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Invalid process type specified\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (internal_config.process_type == RTE_PROC_PRIMARY &&
-			internal_config.force_nchannel == 0) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Number of memory channels (-n) not specified\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (index(internal_config.hugefile_prefix,'%') != NULL){
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Invalid char, '%%', in '"OPT_FILE_PREFIX"' option\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (internal_config.memory > 0 && internal_config.force_sockets == 1) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Options -m and --socket-mem cannot be specified "
-				"at the same time\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	/* --no-huge doesn't make sense with either -m or --socket-mem */
-	if (internal_config.no_hugetlbfs &&
-			(internal_config.memory > 0 ||
-					internal_config.force_sockets == 1)) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Options -m or --socket-mem cannot be specified "
-				"together with --no-huge!\n");
+
+	/* sanity checks */
+	if (eal_check_common_options(&internal_config) != 0) {
 		eal_usage(prgname);
 		return -1;
 	}
+
 	/* --xen-dom0 doesn't make sense with --socket-mem */
 	if (internal_config.xen_dom0_support && internal_config.force_sockets == 1) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Options --socket-mem cannot be specified "
-					"together with --xen_dom0!\n");
-		eal_usage(prgname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	if (rte_eal_devargs_type_count(RTE_DEVTYPE_WHITELISTED_PCI) != 0 &&
-		rte_eal_devargs_type_count(RTE_DEVTYPE_BLACKLISTED_PCI) != 0) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Error: blacklist [-b] and whitelist "
-			"[-w] options cannot be used at the same time\n");
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Options --"OPT_SOCKET_MEM" cannot be specified "
+			"together with --"OPT_XEN_DOM0"\n");
 		eal_usage(prgname);
 		return -1;
 	}
