diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 3b0c6aa..a0f4f68 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ AH_TEMPLATE([REQ_SERVER_CERT], [Defined if client requires server SSL certificat
 AH_TEMPLATE([TRUST_UDS_CRED], [Defined if we trust credentials from UDS client])
 
 dnl ### Normal initialization. ######################################
-AC_INIT
+AC_INIT([conserver],m4_esyscmd_s([./package/get-version number]))
 AC_PREREQ(2.59)
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([conserver/main.c])
 AC_CONFIG_HEADER(config.h)
@@ -43,6 +43,9 @@ fi
 MKDIR="mkdir -p -m 755"
 AC_SUBST(MKDIR)
 
+AC_SUBST(CONSERVER_VERSION, m4_esyscmd_s([./package/get-version number]))
+AC_SUBST(CONSERVER_DATE, m4_esyscmd_s([./package/get-version date]))
+
 
 dnl ### Custom settings. ############################################
 dnl AC_MSG_CHECKING(whether to allow 64bit compilation)
@@ -844,6 +847,7 @@ AC_CHECK_FUNCS(getaudit getaudit_addr)
 dnl ### Create output files. #######################################
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile conserver/Makefile conserver.cf/Makefile console/Makefile autologin/Makefile contrib/chat/Makefile])
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([conserver/conserver.rc], [chmod +x conserver/conserver.rc])
+AC_CONFIG_FILES([conserver.cf/conserver.cf.man conserver.cf/conserver.passwd.man conserver/conserver.man console/console.man])
 AC_OUTPUT
 
 [
diff --git a/conserver.cf/conserver.cf.man b/conserver.cf/conserver.cf.man.in
similarity index 99%
rename from conserver.cf/conserver.cf.man
rename to conserver.cf/conserver.cf.man.in
index f98b618..77253d1 100644
--- a/conserver.cf/conserver.cf.man
+++ b/conserver.cf/conserver.cf.man.in
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.TH CONSERVER.CF 5 "2019/03/17" "conserver-8.2.3" "conserver"
+.TH CONSERVER.CF 5 "@CONSERVER_DATE@" "conserver-@CONSERVER_VERSION@" "conserver"
 .SH NAME
 conserver.cf \- console configuration file for
 .BR conserver (8)
diff --git a/conserver.cf/conserver.passwd.man b/conserver.cf/conserver.passwd.man.in
similarity index 96%
rename from conserver.cf/conserver.passwd.man
rename to conserver.cf/conserver.passwd.man.in
index eeb4806..6b9912f 100644
--- a/conserver.cf/conserver.passwd.man
+++ b/conserver.cf/conserver.passwd.man.in
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.TH CONSERVER.PASSWD 5 "2019/03/17" "conserver-8.2.3" "conserver"
+.TH CONSERVER.PASSWD 5 "@CONSERVER_DATE@" "conserver-@CONSERVER_VERSION@" "conserver"
 .SH NAME
 conserver.passwd \- user access information for
 .BR conserver (8)
diff --git a/conserver/conserver.man b/conserver/conserver.man.in
similarity index 99%
rename from conserver/conserver.man
rename to conserver/conserver.man.in
index 1dd2103..2ab2191 100644
--- a/conserver/conserver.man
+++ b/conserver/conserver.man.in
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.TH CONSERVER 8 "2019/03/17" "conserver-8.2.3" "conserver"
+.TH CONSERVER 8 "@CONSERVER_DATE@" "conserver-@CONSERVER_VERSION@" "conserver"
 .SH NAME
 conserver \- console server daemon
 .SH SYNOPSIS
diff --git a/conserver/version.h b/conserver/version.h
index 94027e4..4e1d104 100644
--- a/conserver/version.h
+++ b/conserver/version.h
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 @(#) Copyright 2000 conserver.com.\n\
 All rights reserved.\n"
 
+#define VERSION_DATE	"2019/03/17"
 #define VERSION_MAJOR	8
 #define VERSION_MINOR	2
 #define VERSION_REV	3
diff --git a/console/console.man b/console/console.man.in
similarity index 99%
rename from console/console.man
rename to console/console.man.in
index 3abefd9..9c5e9cf 100644
--- a/console/console.man
+++ b/console/console.man.in
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.TH CONSOLE 1 "2019/03/17" "conserver-8.2.3" "conserver"
+.TH CONSOLE 1 "@CONSERVER_DATE@" "conserver-@CONSERVER_VERSION@" "conserver"
 .SH NAME
 console \- console server client program
 .SH SYNOPSIS
diff --git a/contrib/redhat-rpm/conserver.spec b/contrib/redhat-rpm/conserver.spec
index acb797e..b7b06fb 100644
--- a/contrib/redhat-rpm/conserver.spec
+++ b/contrib/redhat-rpm/conserver.spec
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #
 
 %define pkg conserver
-%define ver 8.2.3
+%define ver 
 
 # define the name of the machine on which the main conserver
 # daemon will be running if you don't want to use the default
diff --git a/contrib/solaris-package/pkginfo b/contrib/solaris-package/pkginfo
index af129fb..4739b7c 100644
--- a/contrib/solaris-package/pkginfo
+++ b/contrib/solaris-package/pkginfo
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 PKG="conserver"
 NAME="Console server and client"
 CATEGORY="system"
-VERSION="8.2.3"
+VERSION=
 DESC="Console server and client"
 CLASSES=none
 ARCH=sparc
diff --git a/package/README.md b/package/README.md
index c833f61..53b541b 100644
--- a/package/README.md
+++ b/package/README.md
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 Creating a new release
 ----------------------
 
-- Create a new release branch `git checkout -b release-v...`
-- Update `CHANGES` with output of `./package/create-changes v-xx..`
+- Create a new release branch `git checkout -b release-vx.y.z`
 - Edit `conserver/version.h`
-- Run `./package/replicate-version-number`
+- Update `CHANGES` with output of `./package/create-changes vx.y.z..`
 - Double-check and merge release branch
 - Run `./package/make-and-stage-release` to create distribution, pgp sign, tag release, and push to github
 
diff --git a/package/create-changes b/package/create-changes
index 1eecb83..836221f 100755
--- a/package/create-changes
+++ b/package/create-changes
@@ -4,10 +4,7 @@ set -e
 
 [ -z "$1" ] && echo "Usage: $0 tag" && exit 1
 range="$1"
-maj=`grep MAJOR conserver/version.h | awk '{print $NF; exit}'`
-min=`grep MINOR conserver/version.h | awk '{print $NF; exit}'`
-rev=`grep REV conserver/version.h | awk '{print $NF; exit}'`
-ver="$maj.$min.$rev"
-
-echo "version $ver (`date '+%B %-d, %Y'`):"
-git log --no-merges --pretty=tformat:'        - %s (%an <%ae>)' "$range" | tail -r | awk '{if (! l[$0]) {l[$0]++; print}}'
+date=`./package/get-version date`
+changedate=`date -j -f '%Y/%m/%d' "$date" '+%B %-d, %Y'`
+echo "version `./package/get-version number` ($changedate):"
+git log --no-merges --pretty=tformat:'        - %s (%an <%ae>)' "$range" | tail -r | awk '{if (! l[$0]) {l[$0]++; print}}' | sed -e 's/(Bryan Stansell <bryan@conserver.com>)$//'
diff --git a/package/get-version b/package/get-version
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1e60527
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/get-version
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -e
+
+# awk gets stdin from /dev/null 'cause when autoconf runs this via m4_esyscmd_s,
+# stdin is closed and awk assumes there will always be an open stdin and you end
+# up with a bogus message:
+#
+#   awk: i/o error occurred while closing /dev/stdin
+#    input record number 20, file conserver/version.h
+#    source line number 1
+#
+#
+case "$1" in
+    number)
+	awk '$2=="VERSION_MAJOR"{maj=$NF} $2=="VERSION_MINOR"{min=$NF} $2=="VERSION_REV"{rev=$NF} END{print maj "." min "." rev}' conserver/version.h < /dev/null
+	;;
+
+    date)
+	awk '$2=="VERSION_DATE"{print $NF}' conserver/version.h < /dev/null | tr -d '"'
+	;;
+esac
diff --git a/package/make-and-stage-release b/package/make-and-stage-release
index eebe34e..f1542fa 100755
--- a/package/make-and-stage-release
+++ b/package/make-and-stage-release
@@ -5,10 +5,8 @@ set -e
 local=false && [ "$1" = "local" ] && local=true
 
 [ -f conserver/version.h ] || { echo "you are in the wrong place" ; exit 1; }
-maj=`grep MAJOR conserver/version.h | awk '{print $NF; exit}'`
-min=`grep MINOR conserver/version.h | awk '{print $NF; exit}'`
-rev=`grep REV conserver/version.h | awk '{print $NF; exit}'`
-ver="$maj.$min.$rev"
+
+ver=`./package/get-version number`
 if [ ! -f ../conserver-$ver.tar.gz ] || $local; then
     (
 	[ -d build ] && rm -rf build
@@ -17,6 +15,8 @@ if [ ! -f ../conserver-$ver.tar.gz ] || $local; then
 	cd build/conserver-$ver
 	../../package/setup-configure
 	rm -rf package
+	sed -i "" -e "/^%define ver/s| ver.*| ver $ver|" contrib/redhat-rpm/conserver.spec
+	sed -i "" -e "/^VERSION=/s|.*|VERSION=\"$ver\"|" contrib/solaris-package/pkginfo
     )
     $local && exit
     echo "Creating ../conserver-$ver.tar.gz"
diff --git a/package/replicate-version-number b/package/replicate-version-number
deleted file mode 100755
index 0d5d21c..0000000
--- a/package/replicate-version-number
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-set -e
-
-maj=`grep MAJOR conserver/version.h | awk '{print $NF; exit}'`
-min=`grep MINOR conserver/version.h | awk '{print $NF; exit}'`
-rev=`grep REV conserver/version.h | awk '{print $NF; exit}'`
-ver="$maj.$min.$rev"
-date=`grep '^version' CHANGES | head -1 | sed -e 's/.*(\(.*\)).*/\1/'`
-mandate=`date -j -f '%b %d, %Y' "$date" "+%Y/%m/%d"`
-
-for i in c*/*.man; do
-    sed -i "" -e "/^\.TH /s|\".*|\"$mandate\" \"conserver-$ver\" \"conserver\"|" "$i"
-done
-
-sed -i "" -e "/^%define ver/s| ver .*| ver $ver|" contrib/redhat-rpm/conserver.spec
-sed -i "" -e "/^VERSION=/s|.*|VERSION=\"$ver\"|" contrib/solaris-package/pkginfo
diff --git a/package/setup-configure b/package/setup-configure
index 9b9b75c..7648dd6 100755
--- a/package/setup-configure
+++ b/package/setup-configure
@@ -5,4 +5,14 @@ set -e
 curl -s -o config.guess 'https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=config.git;a=blob_plain;f=config.guess'
 curl -s -o config.sub 'https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=config.git;a=blob_plain;f=config.sub'
 
-autoreconf
+# We set lang to avoid this with the gcc docker image on cirrus:
+# 
+#   ./package/setup-configure
+#   perl: warning: Setting locale failed.
+#   perl: warning: Please check that your locale settings:
+#   	LANGUAGE = (unset),
+#   	LC_ALL = (unset),
+#   	LANG = "en_US.UTF-8"
+#       are supported and installed on your system.
+
+LANG=C autoreconf