diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8fb656297..02393b680 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -267,6 +267,14 @@ endif
 PLATFORM_LIBS += $(PLATFORM_LIBGCC)
 export PLATFORM_LIBS
 
+# Special flags for CPP when processing the linker script.
+# Pass the version down so we can handle backwards compatibility
+# on the fly.
+LDPPFLAGS += \
+	-include $(TOPDIR)/include/u-boot/u-boot.lds.h \
+	$(shell $(LD) --version | \
+	  sed -ne 's/GNU ld version \([0-9][0-9]*\)\.\([0-9][0-9]*\).*/-DLD_MAJOR=\1 -DLD_MINOR=\2/p')
+
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_NAND_U_BOOT),y)
 NAND_SPL = nand_spl
 U_BOOT_NAND = $(obj)u-boot-nand.bin
diff --git a/config.mk b/config.mk
index 7bc7315d5..885215799 100644
--- a/config.mk
+++ b/config.mk
@@ -171,16 +171,6 @@ ifneq ($(TEXT_BASE),)
 LDFLAGS += -Ttext $(TEXT_BASE)
 endif
 
-# Special flags for CPP when processing the linker script
-# Linker versions prior to 2.16 don't understand the builting
-# functions SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT() and SORT_BY_NAME(), so disable these
-ifeq ($(shell $(LD) -v | \
-	sed -ne 's/GNU ld version \([0-9][0-9]*\)\.\([0-9][0-9]*\) .*/[ \1 -lt 2 ] || [ \2 -lt 16 ] \&\& echo old_ld/p' | \
-	sh),old_ld)
-LDPPFLAGS += -D'SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT(x)=x' -D'SORT_BY_NAME(x)=x'
-endif
-
-
 # Location of a usable BFD library, where we define "usable" as
 # "built for ${HOST}, supports ${TARGET}".  Sensible values are
 # - When cross-compiling: the root of the cross-environment
diff --git a/include/u-boot/u-boot.lds.h b/include/u-boot/u-boot.lds.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ead37d069
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/u-boot/u-boot.lds.h
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/*
+ * Linker script helper macros
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2009 Analog Devices Inc.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the GPL-2 or later.
+ */
+
+#ifndef __U_BOOT_LDS__
+#define __U_BOOT_LDS__
+
+/* See if the linker version is at least the specified version */
+#define LD_AT_LEAST(major, minor) \
+	((major > LD_MAJOR) || (major == LD_MAJOR && minor <= LD_MINOR))
+
+/*
+ * Linker versions prior to 2.16 don't understand the builtin
+ * functions SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT() and SORT_BY_NAME(), so disable these
+ */
+#if !LD_AT_LEAST(2, 16)
+# define SORT_BY_ALIGNMENT(x) x
+# define SORT_BY_NAME(x) x
+#endif
+
+#endif