diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
index 97337581b..f3c8785eb 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
@@ -1468,11 +1468,13 @@ sub supplied( $ ) {
 #    supply '-' in omitted trailing columns.
 #    Handles all of the supported forms of column/pair specification
 #
-sub split_line1( $$;$ ) {
-    my ( $description, $columnsref, $nopad) = @_;
+sub split_line1( $$;$$ ) {
+    my ( $description, $columnsref, $nopad, $maxcolumns ) = @_;
 
-    my @maxcolumns = ( sort { $a <=> $b } values %$columnsref );
-    my $maxcolumns = ( $maxcolumns[-1] || 0 ) + 1;
+    unless ( defined $maxcolumns ) {
+	my @maxcolumns = ( keys %$columnsref );
+	$maxcolumns = @maxcolumns;
+    }
     #
     # First see if there is a semicolon on the line; what follows will be column/value paris
     #
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm
index 2ffa6515f..d50b57b84 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tc.pm
@@ -197,11 +197,11 @@ sub process_tc_rule( ) {
     my ( $originalmark, $source, $dest, $proto, $ports, $sports, $user, $testval, $length, $tos , $connbytes, $helper, $headers, $probability , $dscp );
     if ( $family == F_IPV4 ) {
 	( $originalmark, $source, $dest, $proto, $ports, $sports, $user, $testval, $length, $tos , $connbytes, $helper, $probability, $dscp ) =
-	    split_line1 'tcrules file', { mark => 0, action => 0, source => 1, dest => 2, proto => 3, dport => 4, sport => 5, user => 6, test => 7, length => 8, tos => 9, connbytes => 10, helper => 11, probability => 12 , dscp => 13 };
+	    split_line1 'tcrules file', { mark => 0, action => 0, source => 1, dest => 2, proto => 3, dport => 4, sport => 5, user => 6, test => 7, length => 8, tos => 9, connbytes => 10, helper => 11, probability => 12 , dscp => 13 }, undef , 14;
 	$headers = '-';
     } else {
 	( $originalmark, $source, $dest, $proto, $ports, $sports, $user, $testval, $length, $tos , $connbytes, $helper, $headers, $probability, $dscp ) =
-	    split_line1 'tcrules file', { mark => 0, action => 0, source => 1, dest => 2, proto => 3, dport => 4, sport => 5, user => 6, test => 7, length => 8, tos => 9, connbytes => 10, helper => 11, headers => 12, probability => 13 , dscp => 14 };
+	    split_line1 'tcrules file', { mark => 0, action => 0, source => 1, dest => 2, proto => 3, dport => 4, sport => 5, user => 6, test => 7, length => 8, tos => 9, connbytes => 10, helper => 11, headers => 12, probability => 13 , dscp => 14 }, undef, 15;
     }
 
     our @tccmd;
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tunnels.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tunnels.pm
index 8b2a37115..efb6e2ac3 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tunnels.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Tunnels.pm
@@ -292,10 +292,9 @@ sub setup_tunnels() {
 
 	while ( read_a_line( NORMAL_READ ) ) {
 
-	    my ( $kind, $zone, $gateway, $gatewayzones ) = split_line1 'tunnels file', { type => 0, zone => 1, gateway => 2, gateways => 2, gateway_zone => 3 };
+	    my ( $kind, $zone, $gateway, $gatewayzones ) = split_line1 'tunnels file', { type => 0, zone => 1, gateway => 2, gateways => 2, gateway_zone => 3 }, undef, 4;
 
 	    fatal_error 'TYPE must be specified' if $kind eq '-';
-	    fatal_error 'ZONE must be specified' if $zone eq '-';
 
 	    if ( $kind eq 'COMMENT' ) {
 		process_comment;
diff --git a/docs/configuration_file_basics.xml b/docs/configuration_file_basics.xml
index 3d000ca42..ec5a85b2e 100644
--- a/docs/configuration_file_basics.xml
+++ b/docs/configuration_file_basics.xml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
     <pubdate><?dbtimestamp format="Y/m/d"?></pubdate>
 
     <copyright>
-      <year>2001-2011</year>
+      <year>2001-2012</year>
 
       <holder>Thomas M. Eastep</holder>
     </copyright>
@@ -705,7 +705,9 @@ ACCEPT      net:\
           <row>
             <entry>tcrules</entry>
 
-            <entry>mark,source,dest,proto,dport,sport,user,test,length,tos,connbytes,helper,headers</entry>
+            <entry>mark,source,dest,proto,dport,sport,user,test,length,tos,connbytes,helper,headers.
+            Beginning with Shorewall 4.5.3, 'action' is a synonym for
+            'mark'.</entry>
           </row>
 
           <row>
@@ -717,7 +719,8 @@ ACCEPT      net:\
           <row>
             <entry>tunnels</entry>
 
-            <entry>type,zone,gateway,gateway_zone</entry>
+            <entry>type,zone,gateway,gateway_zone. Beginning with Shorewall
+            4.5.3, 'gateways' is a synonym for 'gateway'.</entry>
           </row>
 
           <row>