diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 209925969..490d12802 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ SUBDIRS = $(USER_DIR) $(KERNEL_DIR)
 AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
 EXTRA_DIST  = autogen.sh spl.spec.in spl-modules.spec.in META DISCLAIMER
 EXTRA_DIST += config/config.awk config/rpm.am config/deb.am config/tgz.am
-noinst_HEADERS = spl_config.h
+noinst_HEADERS = spl_config.h spl.release
 
 distclean-local::
 	-$(RM) -R autom4te*.cache
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ if CONFIG_KERNEL
 install-data-local:
 	release=$(SPL_META_VERSION)-$(SPL_META_RELEASE); \
 	instdest=$(DESTDIR)/usr/src/spl-$$release/$(LINUX_VERSION); \
-	echo "$$release" >$$instdest/spl.release; \
 	for instfile in $(noinst_HEADERS) module/$(LINUX_SYMBOLS); do \
 		$(INSTALL) -D $$instfile $$instdest/$$instfile; \
 	done
diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 7c8f696a5..5fd793e6e 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -80,11 +80,11 @@ target_triplet = @target@
 DIST_COMMON = $(am__configure_deps) $(noinst_HEADERS) \
 	$(srcdir)/Makefile.am $(srcdir)/Makefile.in \
 	$(srcdir)/PKGBUILD-spl-modules.in $(srcdir)/PKGBUILD-spl.in \
-	$(srcdir)/spl-modules.spec.in $(srcdir)/spl.spec.in \
-	$(srcdir)/spl_config.h.in $(top_srcdir)/config/arch.am \
-	$(top_srcdir)/config/deb.am $(top_srcdir)/config/rpm.am \
-	$(top_srcdir)/config/tgz.am $(top_srcdir)/configure \
-	$(top_srcdir)/module/Makefile.in \
+	$(srcdir)/spl-modules.spec.in $(srcdir)/spl.release.in \
+	$(srcdir)/spl.spec.in $(srcdir)/spl_config.h.in \
+	$(top_srcdir)/config/arch.am $(top_srcdir)/config/deb.am \
+	$(top_srcdir)/config/rpm.am $(top_srcdir)/config/tgz.am \
+	$(top_srcdir)/configure $(top_srcdir)/module/Makefile.in \
 	$(top_srcdir)/module/spl/Makefile.in \
 	$(top_srcdir)/module/splat/Makefile.in AUTHORS COPYING \
 	ChangeLog INSTALL config/config.guess config/config.sub \
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ mkinstalldirs = $(install_sh) -d
 CONFIG_HEADER = spl_config.h
 CONFIG_CLEAN_FILES = module/Makefile module/spl/Makefile \
 	module/splat/Makefile spl.spec spl-modules.spec PKGBUILD-spl \
-	PKGBUILD-spl-modules
+	PKGBUILD-spl-modules spl.release
 CONFIG_CLEAN_VPATH_FILES =
 AM_V_GEN = $(am__v_GEN_$(V))
 am__v_GEN_ = $(am__v_GEN_$(AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY))
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
 EXTRA_DIST = autogen.sh spl.spec.in spl-modules.spec.in META \
 	DISCLAIMER config/config.awk config/rpm.am config/deb.am \
 	config/tgz.am
-noinst_HEADERS = spl_config.h
+noinst_HEADERS = spl_config.h spl.release
 all: spl_config.h
 	$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) all-recursive
 
@@ -402,6 +402,8 @@ PKGBUILD-spl: $(top_builddir)/config.status $(srcdir)/PKGBUILD-spl.in
 	cd $(top_builddir) && $(SHELL) ./config.status $@
 PKGBUILD-spl-modules: $(top_builddir)/config.status $(srcdir)/PKGBUILD-spl-modules.in
 	cd $(top_builddir) && $(SHELL) ./config.status $@
+spl.release: $(top_builddir)/config.status $(srcdir)/spl.release.in
+	cd $(top_builddir) && $(SHELL) ./config.status $@
 
 mostlyclean-libtool:
 	-rm -f *.lo
@@ -1032,7 +1034,6 @@ distclean-local::
 @CONFIG_KERNEL_TRUE@install-data-local:
 @CONFIG_KERNEL_TRUE@	release=$(SPL_META_VERSION)-$(SPL_META_RELEASE); \
 @CONFIG_KERNEL_TRUE@	instdest=$(DESTDIR)/usr/src/spl-$$release/$(LINUX_VERSION); \
-@CONFIG_KERNEL_TRUE@	echo "$$release" >$$instdest/spl.release; \
 @CONFIG_KERNEL_TRUE@	for instfile in $(noinst_HEADERS) module/$(LINUX_SYMBOLS); do \
 @CONFIG_KERNEL_TRUE@		$(INSTALL) -D $$instfile $$instdest/$$instfile; \
 @CONFIG_KERNEL_TRUE@	done
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 2a5027983..3f22988e2 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -20918,7 +20918,7 @@ fi
 
 
 
-ac_config_files="$ac_config_files Makefile lib/Makefile cmd/Makefile module/Makefile module/spl/Makefile module/splat/Makefile include/Makefile scripts/Makefile spl.spec spl-modules.spec PKGBUILD-spl PKGBUILD-spl-modules"
+ac_config_files="$ac_config_files Makefile lib/Makefile cmd/Makefile module/Makefile module/spl/Makefile module/splat/Makefile include/Makefile scripts/Makefile spl.spec spl-modules.spec PKGBUILD-spl PKGBUILD-spl-modules spl.release"
 
 
 cat >confcache <<\_ACEOF
@@ -21839,6 +21839,7 @@ do
     "spl-modules.spec") CONFIG_FILES="$CONFIG_FILES spl-modules.spec" ;;
     "PKGBUILD-spl") CONFIG_FILES="$CONFIG_FILES PKGBUILD-spl" ;;
     "PKGBUILD-spl-modules") CONFIG_FILES="$CONFIG_FILES PKGBUILD-spl-modules" ;;
+    "spl.release") CONFIG_FILES="$CONFIG_FILES spl.release" ;;
 
   *) { { $as_echo "$as_me:$LINENO: error: invalid argument: $ac_config_target" >&5
 $as_echo "$as_me: error: invalid argument: $ac_config_target" >&2;}
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 774f6f81a..75859f77e 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ AC_CONFIG_FILES([
 	spl-modules.spec
 	PKGBUILD-spl
 	PKGBUILD-spl-modules
+	spl.release
 ])
 
 AC_OUTPUT
diff --git a/spl.release.in b/spl.release.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fd7c84c13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spl.release.in
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+@SPL_META_VERSION@-@SPL_META_RELEASE@