How to set an mpiexec configuration (Parallel programming)

Hi. As of today I can only use the default local configuration to initiate parallel programming. I was wondering if anyone could explain to me, or lead me to somewhere with the explanation, how to set an mpiexec configuration. I'm using Matlab R2011a in Ubuntu 11.10

Also, is there any introductory parallel computing book that is written with Matlab in mind?

Any help will be highly appreciated. Thanks!