diff --git a/tools/build/buildshorewall b/tools/build/buildshorewall
index 189f095e2..01ab63830 100755
--- a/tools/build/buildshorewall
+++ b/tools/build/buildshorewall
@@ -473,7 +473,8 @@ if [ -n "${BUILDTARBALL}${BUILDRPM}" ]; then
 
     if [ -n "$BUILDPERL" ]; then    
 	fgrep VERSION=$VERSION $PERLDIR/install.sh > /dev/null 2>&1   || fatal_error "Perl install.sh has wrong version"
-	fgrep "VERSION =>  '$VERSION'" $PERLDIR/Shorewall/Config.pm > /dev/null 2>&1 || fatal_error "Perl Config.pm has wrong version"
+	[ $(eval perl -e "'use lib \"$PERLDIR\"; use Shorewall::Config qw(:internal); print \"\$globals{VERSION}\n\"'") = $VERSION ] || \
+	    fatal_error "Perl Config.pm has wrong version"
     fi
 
     if [ -n "$BUILDCOMMON" ]; then
diff --git a/tools/build/setversion b/tools/build/setversion
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..df10da028
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/build/setversion
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+[ $# -eq 1 ] || { echo "usage: setversion <version>" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+for product in common lite shell perl; do
+    eval perl -p -i -e "'s/VERSION=.*/VERSION=$1/'" Shorewall-${product}/install.sh
+done
+
+for product in common lite; do
+    eval perl -p -i -e "'s/^VERSION=.*/VERSION=$1/'" Shorewall-${product}/uninstall.sh Shorewall-${product}/fallback.sh
+done
+
+for product in common lite shell perl; do
+    eval perl -n -i -e "'s/^%define version .*/%device version $1/; \
+                         print \$_; \
+                         if ( /%changelog/ ) {\
+                             print \"\* $(date +'%a %b %d %Y') Tom Eastep tom\\@shorewall.net\\n\"; \
+                             print \"- Updated to $1\\n\"; \
+                         }'" Shorewall-${product}/shorewall-${product}.spec
+done
+
+eval perl -p -i -e "'s/^(\s+)VERSION => .*/\$1VERSION => \"$1\",/'" Shorewall-perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
+ 
+