diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index c52b22c8f..5ef610d28 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# explicit defines for separate revision handling
 # Keep in sync with git tags! Set tag with 'git tag NI-3.60'.
 define(ver_major, 3)
 define(ver_minor, 60)
@@ -7,12 +8,18 @@ define(ver_micro, m4_esyscmd([
 	GITREV=$(git rev-list $GITTAG..HEAD --count);
 	printf "$GITREV"
 ]))
+define(neutrino_rel_cycle, ver_major.ver_minor)
 
 AC_INIT(NI-Neutrino, ver_major.ver_minor.ver_micro)
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([nostdinc foreign])
 m4_ifdef([AM_SILENT_RULES], [AM_SILENT_RULES])
 
-AC_DEFINE(RELEASE_CYCLE, "ver_major.0", [Release cycle information; used in update code])
+AC_DEFINE(RELEASE_CYCLE, "ver_major.0", [Release cycle information; used in update code; only relevant for flash image releases ])
+
+AC_DEFINE(PACKAGE_VERSION_MAJOR, ver_major, [Major version number])
+AC_DEFINE(PACKAGE_VERSION_MINOR, ver_minor, [Minor version number])
+AC_DEFINE(PACKAGE_VERSION_MICRO, ver_micro, [Micro version number])
+AC_DEFINE(PACKAGE_VERSION_NEUTRINO_REL_CYCLE, neutrino_rel_cycle, [Neutrino release cycle])
 
 TUXBOX_APPS
 TUXBOX_APPS_DIRECTORY
@@ -256,6 +263,7 @@ AC_ARG_WITH(stb-hal-includes,
 	AS_HELP_STRING([--with-stb-hal-includes=PATH], [path for libstb-hal includes [[NONE]]]),
 	[STB_HAL_INC="$withval"],
 	[STB_HAL_INC=""])
+AC_CHECK_HEADER([$STB_HAL_INC/libstb-hal-config.h], [AC_DEFINE(HAVE_CONFIG_HAL_H, 1 , [availability of libstb-hal-config.h as external header from libstb_hal, usable e.g. for package informations])])
 
 AC_ARG_WITH(stb-hal-build,
 	AS_HELP_STRING([--with-stb-hal-build=PATH], [path where libstb-hal is built [[NONE]]]),