diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index fbc83f39e..eaaab5033 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ AC_CHECK_HEADERS(execinfo.h sys/select.h sys/socket.h syslog.h ctype.h)
 AC_FUNC_ALLOCA
 AC_SEARCH_LIBS([dlopen], [dl dld], [LIBRARY_DL="$LIBS";LIBS=""])
 AC_SUBST(LIBRARY_DL)
+# for src/backtrace.c
+AC_CHECK_LIB(execinfo, backtrace, BACKTRACE_LIB=-lexecinfo, BACKTRACE_LIB=)
+AC_SUBST(BACKTRACE_LIB)
 
 AC_PATH_PROG(DOXYGEN,doxygen,false)
 AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_DOXYGEN, test $DOXYGEN != false)
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index e85f3e30b..e68c29aca 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ AM_CFLAGS = -Wall $(all_includes) -I$(top_srcdir)/include -I$(top_builddir)/incl
 
 lib_LTLIBRARIES = libosmocore.la
 
+libosmocore_la_LIBADD = $(BACKTRACE_LIB)
 libosmocore_la_SOURCES = timer.c select.c signal.c msgb.c bits.c \
 			 bitvec.c statistics.c \
 			 write_queue.c utils.c socket.c \
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ endif
 if ENABLE_TALLOC
 libosmocore_la_SOURCES += talloc.c
 else
-libosmocore_la_LIBADD = -ltalloc
+libosmocore_la_LIBADD += -ltalloc
 endif
 
 if ENABLE_MSGFILE