diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 205d3e981b8..1c678bc3020 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #! /bin/sh
-# From configure.in Revision: 1.403 .
+# From configure.in Revision: 1.404 .
 # Guess values for system-dependent variables and create Makefiles.
 # Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.53 for python 2.3.
 #
@@ -12509,6 +12509,133 @@ echo "${ECHO_T}no" >&6
 fi
 rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
 
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for inet_aton in -lc" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking for inet_aton in -lc... $ECHO_C" >&6
+if test "${ac_cv_lib_c_inet_aton+set}" = set; then
+  echo $ECHO_N "(cached) $ECHO_C" >&6
+else
+  ac_check_lib_save_LIBS=$LIBS
+LIBS="-lc  $LIBS"
+cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+#line $LINENO "configure"
+#include "confdefs.h"
+
+/* Override any gcc2 internal prototype to avoid an error.  */
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C"
+#endif
+/* We use char because int might match the return type of a gcc2
+   builtin and then its argument prototype would still apply.  */
+char inet_aton ();
+#ifdef F77_DUMMY_MAIN
+#  ifdef __cplusplus
+     extern "C"
+#  endif
+   int F77_DUMMY_MAIN() { return 1; }
+#endif
+int
+main ()
+{
+inet_aton ();
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext
+if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_link\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_link) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); } &&
+         { ac_try='test -s conftest$ac_exeext'
+  { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_try\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_try) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); }; }; then
+  ac_cv_lib_c_inet_aton=yes
+else
+  echo "$as_me: failed program was:" >&5
+cat conftest.$ac_ext >&5
+ac_cv_lib_c_inet_aton=no
+fi
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext conftest.$ac_ext
+LIBS=$ac_check_lib_save_LIBS
+fi
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: $ac_cv_lib_c_inet_aton" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}$ac_cv_lib_c_inet_aton" >&6
+if test $ac_cv_lib_c_inet_aton = yes; then
+  /bin/true
+else
+
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for inet_aton in -lresolv" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking for inet_aton in -lresolv... $ECHO_C" >&6
+if test "${ac_cv_lib_resolv_inet_aton+set}" = set; then
+  echo $ECHO_N "(cached) $ECHO_C" >&6
+else
+  ac_check_lib_save_LIBS=$LIBS
+LIBS="-lresolv  $LIBS"
+cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+#line $LINENO "configure"
+#include "confdefs.h"
+
+/* Override any gcc2 internal prototype to avoid an error.  */
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C"
+#endif
+/* We use char because int might match the return type of a gcc2
+   builtin and then its argument prototype would still apply.  */
+char inet_aton ();
+#ifdef F77_DUMMY_MAIN
+#  ifdef __cplusplus
+     extern "C"
+#  endif
+   int F77_DUMMY_MAIN() { return 1; }
+#endif
+int
+main ()
+{
+inet_aton ();
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext
+if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_link\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_link) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); } &&
+         { ac_try='test -s conftest$ac_exeext'
+  { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_try\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_try) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); }; }; then
+  ac_cv_lib_resolv_inet_aton=yes
+else
+  echo "$as_me: failed program was:" >&5
+cat conftest.$ac_ext >&5
+ac_cv_lib_resolv_inet_aton=no
+fi
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext conftest.$ac_ext
+LIBS=$ac_check_lib_save_LIBS
+fi
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: $ac_cv_lib_resolv_inet_aton" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}$ac_cv_lib_resolv_inet_aton" >&6
+if test $ac_cv_lib_resolv_inet_aton = yes; then
+  cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
+#define HAVE_LIBRESOLV 1
+_ACEOF
+
+  LIBS="-lresolv $LIBS"
+
+fi
+
+
+fi
+
+
 echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for hstrerror" >&5
 echo $ECHO_N "checking for hstrerror... $ECHO_C" >&6
 cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
@@ -12527,18 +12654,18 @@ cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
 int
 main ()
 {
-void* p = hstrerror
+void* p = hstrerror; hstrerror(0)
   ;
   return 0;
 }
 _ACEOF
-rm -f conftest.$ac_objext
-if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_compile\"") >&5
-  (eval $ac_compile) 2>&5
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext
+if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_link\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_link) 2>&5
   ac_status=$?
   echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
   (exit $ac_status); } &&
-         { ac_try='test -s conftest.$ac_objext'
+         { ac_try='test -s conftest$ac_exeext'
   { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_try\"") >&5
   (eval $ac_try) 2>&5
   ac_status=$?
@@ -12558,7 +12685,7 @@ echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: no" >&5
 echo "${ECHO_T}no" >&6
 
 fi
-rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext conftest.$ac_ext
 
 echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for inet_aton" >&5
 echo $ECHO_N "checking for inet_aton... $ECHO_C" >&6
@@ -12580,18 +12707,18 @@ cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
 int
 main ()
 {
-void* p = inet_aton
+void* p = inet_aton;inet_aton(0,0)
   ;
   return 0;
 }
 _ACEOF
-rm -f conftest.$ac_objext
-if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_compile\"") >&5
-  (eval $ac_compile) 2>&5
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext
+if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_link\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_link) 2>&5
   ac_status=$?
   echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
   (exit $ac_status); } &&
-         { ac_try='test -s conftest.$ac_objext'
+         { ac_try='test -s conftest$ac_exeext'
   { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_try\"") >&5
   (eval $ac_try) 2>&5
   ac_status=$?
@@ -12611,7 +12738,7 @@ echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: no" >&5
 echo "${ECHO_T}no" >&6
 
 fi
-rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext conftest.$ac_ext
 
 echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for inet_pton" >&5
 echo $ECHO_N "checking for inet_pton... $ECHO_C" >&6
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 6686f2bb544..9db7f4325c0 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -1929,23 +1929,29 @@ AC_TRY_COMPILE([
   AC_MSG_RESULT(no)
 )
 
+dnl On some systems (e.g. Solaris 9), hstrerror and inet_aton are in -lresolv
+dnl On others, they are in the C library, so we to take no action
+AC_CHECK_LIB(c, inet_aton, [/bin/true],
+  AC_CHECK_LIB(resolv, inet_aton)
+)
+
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(for hstrerror)
-AC_TRY_COMPILE([
+AC_TRY_LINK([
 #include "confdefs.h" 
 #include <netdb.h>
-], void* p = hstrerror,
+], void* p = hstrerror; hstrerror(0),
   AC_DEFINE(HAVE_HSTRERROR, 1, Define if you have the 'hstrerror' function.)
   AC_MSG_RESULT(yes),
   AC_MSG_RESULT(no)
 )
 
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(for inet_aton)
-AC_TRY_COMPILE([
+AC_TRY_LINK([
 #include "confdefs.h" 
 #include <sys/socket.h>
 #include <netinet/in.h>
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
-], void* p = inet_aton,
+], void* p = inet_aton;inet_aton(0,0),
   AC_DEFINE(HAVE_INET_ATON, 1, Define if you have the 'inet_aton' function.)
   AC_MSG_RESULT(yes),
   AC_MSG_RESULT(no)
diff --git a/pyconfig.h.in b/pyconfig.h.in
index 705976d6d81..a5adca1d766 100644
--- a/pyconfig.h.in
+++ b/pyconfig.h.in
@@ -252,6 +252,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 if you have the <libintl.h> header file. */
 #undef HAVE_LIBINTL_H
 
+/* Define to 1 if you have the `resolv' library (-lresolv). */
+#undef HAVE_LIBRESOLV
+
 /* Define to 1 if you have the <libutil.h> header file. */
 #undef HAVE_LIBUTIL_H