diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 38eb511ac18..eeb1da8670a 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -1,17 +1,23 @@
 dnl -*- ksh -*-
 dnl Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
 
-AC_PREREQ(2.52)dnl		Minimum Autoconf version required.
+# Minimum Autoconf version required.
+AC_PREREQ(2.59)
 
-AC_INIT(sql/mysqld.cc)
-AC_CANONICAL_SYSTEM
-# The Docs Makefile.am parses this line!
-# remember to also update version.c in ndb
-#
+# Remember to also update version.c in ndb.
 # When changing major version number please also check switch statement
 # in mysqlbinlog::check_master_version().
-AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(mysql, 5.1.43)
-AM_CONFIG_HEADER([include/config.h:config.h.in])
+AC_INIT([MySQL Server], [5.1.43], [], [mysql])
+AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([sql/mysqld.cc])
+AC_CANONICAL_SYSTEM
+# USTAR format gives us the possibility to store longer path names in
+# TAR files, the path name is split into two parts, a 155 chacater
+# first part and a 100 character second part.
+AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([1.9 tar-ustar])
+LT_INIT
+LT_PREREQ([1.5.6])
+
+AM_CONFIG_HEADER([include/config.h])
 
 # Request support for automake silent-rules if available.
 # Default to verbose output. One can use the configure-time