diff --git a/configure b/configure
index bbacefe8a7..84e47dc2b0 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -3577,7 +3577,7 @@ else
       then
         echo '%%'  > conftest.l
         if $pgac_candidate -t conftest.l 2>/dev/null | grep FLEX_SCANNER >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-          if $pgac_candidate --version | grep '2\.5\.3$' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+          if $pgac_candidate --version | grep ' 2\.5\.3$' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
             pgac_broken_flex=$pgac_candidate
             continue
           fi
@@ -10305,7 +10305,8 @@ test $ac_cv_func_memcmp_working = no && LIBOBJS="$LIBOBJS memcmp.$ac_objext"
 
 
 
-for ac_func in cbrt dlopen fcvt fdatasync getpeereid memmove poll pstat setproctitle setsid sigprocmask sysconf utime utimes waitpid
+
+for ac_func in cbrt dlopen fcvt fdatasync getpeereid memmove poll pstat setproctitle setsid sigprocmask symlink sysconf utime utimes waitpid
 do
 as_ac_var=`echo "ac_cv_func_$ac_func" | $as_tr_sh`
 echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for $ac_func" >&5
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 10843597a5..e31eb5db78 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 dnl Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
-dnl $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/configure.in,v 1.244 2003/04/24 21:16:42 tgl Exp $
+dnl $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/configure.in,v 1.245 2003/05/07 03:47:08 momjian Exp $
 dnl
 dnl Developers, please strive to achieve this order:
 dnl
@@ -779,7 +779,7 @@ PGAC_FUNC_GETTIMEOFDAY_1ARG
 # SunOS doesn't handle negative byte comparisons properly with +/- return
 AC_FUNC_MEMCMP
 
-AC_CHECK_FUNCS([cbrt dlopen fcvt fdatasync getpeereid memmove poll pstat setproctitle setsid sigprocmask sysconf utime utimes waitpid])
+AC_CHECK_FUNCS([cbrt dlopen fcvt fdatasync getpeereid memmove poll pstat setproctitle setsid sigprocmask symlink sysconf utime utimes waitpid])
 
 AC_CHECK_DECLS(fdatasync, [], [], [#include <unistd.h>])
 
diff --git a/src/backend/commands/dbcommands.c b/src/backend/commands/dbcommands.c
index 6a680bc1a1..1c3b554c29 100644
--- a/src/backend/commands/dbcommands.c
+++ b/src/backend/commands/dbcommands.c
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/commands/dbcommands.c,v 1.113 2003/05/04 04:42:52 momjian Exp $
+ *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/commands/dbcommands.c,v 1.114 2003/05/07 03:47:08 momjian Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -174,8 +174,8 @@ createdb(const CreatedbStmt *stmt)
 	/* don't call this in a transaction block */
 	PreventTransactionChain((void *) stmt, "CREATE DATABASE");
 
-#ifdef WIN32
-	if (dbpath != NULL)	/* platform has no symlinks */
+#ifndef HAVE_SYMLINK
+	if (dbpath != NULL)
 		elog(ERROR, "CREATE DATABASE: may not use an alternate location on this platform");
 #endif
 
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ createdb(const CreatedbStmt *stmt)
 	/* Make the symlink, if needed */
 	if (alt_loc)
 	{
-#ifndef WIN32	/* already throws error on WIN32 above */
+#ifdef HAVE_SYMLINK	/* already throws error above */
 		if (symlink(alt_loc, nominal_loc) != 0)
 #endif
 			elog(ERROR, "CREATE DATABASE: could not link '%s' to '%s': %m",
diff --git a/src/include/pg_config.h.in b/src/include/pg_config.h.in
index b54b6f9d2a..838abafffc 100644
--- a/src/include/pg_config.h.in
+++ b/src/include/pg_config.h.in
@@ -414,6 +414,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 if you have the <SupportDefs.h> header file. */
 #undef HAVE_SUPPORTDEFS_H
 
+/* Define to 1 if you have the `symlink' function. */
+#undef HAVE_SYMLINK
+
 /* Define to 1 if you have the `sysconf' function. */
 #undef HAVE_SYSCONF