diff --git a/Lib/unittest.py b/Lib/unittest.py
index ca20f92..c8943e7 100644
--- a/Lib/unittest.py
+++ b/Lib/unittest.py
@@ -56,6 +56,9 @@
 import types
 import warnings
 
+from fnmatch import fnmatch
+
+
 ##############################################################################
 # Exported classes and functions
 ##############################################################################
@@ -1196,6 +1199,7 @@
     testMethodPrefix = 'test'
     sortTestMethodsUsing = cmp
     suiteClass = TestSuite
+    _top_level_dir = None
 
     def loadTestsFromTestCase(self, testCaseClass):
         """Return a suite of all tests cases contained in testCaseClass"""
@@ -1208,13 +1212,17 @@
         suite = self.suiteClass(map(testCaseClass, testCaseNames))
         return suite
 
-    def loadTestsFromModule(self, module):
+    def loadTestsFromModule(self, module, use_load_tests=True):
         """Return a suite of all tests cases contained in the given module"""
         tests = []
         for name in dir(module):
             obj = getattr(module, name)
             if isinstance(obj, type) and issubclass(obj, TestCase):
                 tests.append(self.loadTestsFromTestCase(obj))
+
+        load_tests = getattr(module, 'load_tests', None)
+        if use_load_tests and load_tests is not None:
+            return load_tests(self, tests, None)
         return self.suiteClass(tests)
 
     def loadTestsFromName(self, name, module=None):
@@ -1283,7 +1291,97 @@
             testFnNames.sort(key=_CmpToKey(self.sortTestMethodsUsing))
         return testFnNames
 
+    def discover(self, start_dir, pattern='test*.py', top_level_dir=None):
+        """Find and return all test modules from the specified start
+        directory, recursing into subdirectories to find them. Only test files
+        that match the pattern will be loaded. (Using shell style pattern
+        matching.)
 
+        All test modules must be importable from the top level of the project.
+        If the start directory is not the top level directory then the top
+        level directory must be specified separately.
+
+        If a test package name (directory with '__init__.py') matches the
+        pattern then the package will be checked for a 'load_tests' function. If
+        this exists then it will be called with loader, tests, pattern.
+
+        If load_tests exists then discovery does  *not* recurse into the package,
+        load_tests is responsible for loading all tests in the package.
+
+        The pattern is deliberately not stored as a loader attribute so that
+        packages can continue discovery themselves. top_level_dir is stored so
+        load_tests does not need to pass this argument in to loader.discover().
+        """
+        if top_level_dir is None and self._top_level_dir is not None:
+            # make top_level_dir optional if called from load_tests in a package
+            top_level_dir = self._top_level_dir
+        elif top_level_dir is None:
+            top_level_dir = start_dir
+
+        top_level_dir = os.path.abspath(os.path.normpath(top_level_dir))
+        start_dir = os.path.abspath(os.path.normpath(start_dir))
+
+        if not top_level_dir in sys.path:
+            # all test modules must be importable from the top level directory
+            sys.path.append(top_level_dir)
+        self._top_level_dir = top_level_dir
+
+        if start_dir != top_level_dir and not os.path.isfile(os.path.join(start_dir, '__init__.py')):
+            # what about __init__.pyc or pyo (etc)
+            raise ImportError('Start directory is not importable: %r' % start_dir)
+
+        tests = list(self._find_tests(start_dir, pattern))
+        return self.suiteClass(tests)
+
+
+    def _get_module_from_path(self, path):
+        """Load a module from a path relative to the top-level directory
+        of a project. Used by discovery."""
+        path = os.path.splitext(os.path.normpath(path))[0]
+
+        relpath = os.path.relpath(path, self._top_level_dir)
+        assert not os.path.isabs(relpath), "Path must be within the project"
+        assert not relpath.startswith('..'), "Path must be within the project"
+
+        name = relpath.replace(os.path.sep, '.')
+        __import__(name)
+        return sys.modules[name]
+
+    def _find_tests(self, start_dir, pattern):
+        """Used by discovery. Yields test suites it loads."""
+        paths = os.listdir(start_dir)
+
+        for path in paths:
+            full_path = os.path.join(start_dir, path)
+            # what about __init__.pyc or pyo (etc)
+            # we would need to avoid loading the same tests multiple times
+            # from '.py', '.pyc' *and* '.pyo'
+            if os.path.isfile(full_path) and path.lower().endswith('.py'):
+                if fnmatch(path, pattern):
+                    # if the test file matches, load it
+                    module = self._get_module_from_path(full_path)
+                    yield self.loadTestsFromModule(module)
+            elif os.path.isdir(full_path):
+                if not os.path.isfile(os.path.join(full_path, '__init__.py')):
+                    continue
+
+                load_tests = None
+                tests = None
+                if fnmatch(path, pattern):
+                    # only check load_tests if the package directory itself matches the filter
+                    package = self._get_module_from_path(full_path)
+                    load_tests = getattr(package, 'load_tests', None)
+                    tests = self.loadTestsFromModule(package, use_load_tests=False)
+
+                if load_tests is None:
+                    if tests is not None:
+                        # tests loaded from package file
+                        yield tests
+                    # recurse into the package
+                    for test in self._find_tests(full_path, pattern):
+                        yield test
+                else:
+                    yield load_tests(self, tests, pattern)
 
 defaultTestLoader = TestLoader()
 
@@ -1484,11 +1582,37 @@
 # Facilities for running tests from the command line
 ##############################################################################
 
-class TestProgram(object):
-    """A command-line program that runs a set of tests; this is primarily
-       for making test modules conveniently executable.
-    """
-    USAGE = """\
+USAGE_AS_MAIN = """\
+Usage: %(progName)s [options] [tests]
+
+Options:
+  -h, --help       Show this message
+  -v, --verbose    Verbose output
+  -q, --quiet      Minimal output
+
+Examples:
+  %(progName)s test_module                       - run tests from test_module
+  %(progName)s test_module.TestClass             - run tests from
+                                                   test_module.TestClass
+  %(progName)s test_module.TestClass.test_method - run specified test method
+
+[tests] can be a list of any number of test modules, classes and test
+methods.
+
+Alternative Usage: %(progName)s discover [options]
+
+Options:
+  -v, --verbose    Verbose output
+  -s directory     Directory to start discovery ('.' default)
+  -p pattern       Pattern to match test files ('test*.py' default)
+  -t directory     Top level directory of project (default to
+                   start directory)
+
+For test discovery all test modules must be importable from the top
+level directory of the project.
+"""
+
+USAGE_FROM_MODULE = """\
 Usage: %(progName)s [options] [test] [...]
 
 Options:
@@ -1503,6 +1627,18 @@
   %(progName)s MyTestCase                    - run all 'test*' test methods
                                                in MyTestCase
 """
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    USAGE = USAGE_AS_MAIN
+else:
+    USAGE = USAGE_FROM_MODULE
+
+
+class TestProgram(object):
+    """A command-line program that runs a set of tests; this is primarily
+       for making test modules conveniently executable.
+    """
+    USAGE = USAGE
     def __init__(self, module='__main__', defaultTest=None,
                  argv=None, testRunner=TextTestRunner,
                  testLoader=defaultTestLoader, exit=True,
@@ -1532,6 +1668,10 @@
         sys.exit(2)
 
     def parseArgs(self, argv):
+        if len(argv) > 1 and argv[1].lower() == 'discover':
+            self._do_discovery(argv[2:])
+            return
+
         import getopt
         long_opts = ['help','verbose','quiet']
         try:
@@ -1548,7 +1688,8 @@
                 return
             if len(args) > 0:
                 self.testNames = args
-                if sys.modules['unittest'] is sys.modules['__main__']:
+                if __name__ == '__main__':
+                    # to support python -m unittest ...
                     self.module = None
             else:
                 self.testNames = (self.defaultTest,)
@@ -1560,6 +1701,36 @@
         self.test = self.testLoader.loadTestsFromNames(self.testNames,
                                                        self.module)
 
+    def _do_discovery(self, argv, Loader=TestLoader):
+        # handle command line args for test discovery
+        import optparse
+        parser = optparse.OptionParser()
+        parser.add_option('-v', '--verbose', dest='verbose', default=False,
+                          help='Verbose output', action='store_true')
+        parser.add_option('-s', '--start-directory', dest='start', default='.',
+                          help="Directory to start discovery ('.' default)")
+        parser.add_option('-p', '--pattern', dest='pattern', default='test*.py',
+                          help="Pattern to match tests ('test*.py' default)")
+        parser.add_option('-t', '--top-level-directory', dest='top', default=None,
+                          help='Top level directory of project (defaults to start directory)')
+
+        options, args = parser.parse_args(argv)
+        if len(args) > 3:
+            self.usageExit()
+
+        for name, value in zip(('start', 'pattern', 'top'), args):
+            setattr(options, name, value)
+
+        if options.verbose:
+            self.verbosity = 2
+
+        start_dir = options.start
+        pattern = options.pattern
+        top_level_dir = options.top
+
+        loader = Loader()
+        self.test = loader.discover(start_dir, pattern, top_level_dir)
+
     def runTests(self):
         if isinstance(self.testRunner, (type, types.ClassType)):
             try: