diff --git a/doc/autoconf.texi b/doc/autoconf.texi
index 7b42dd6..21f467c 100644
--- a/doc/autoconf.texi
+++ b/doc/autoconf.texi
@@ -2992,6 +2992,12 @@ The directory for installing modifiable architecture-independent data.
 The directory for installing read-only single-machine data.
 @end defvar
 
+@defvar adminconfdir
+@ovindex adminconfdir
+The directory for reading administrator-provided single-machine data in
+systems where @code{sysconfdir} could be read-only.
+@end defvar
+
 
 Most of these variables have values that rely on @code{prefix} or
 @code{exec_prefix}.  It is deliberate that the directory output
@@ -27274,7 +27280,7 @@ introduced in this document.
 @c  LocalWords:  Systemology Checkpointing Changequote INTERCAL changequote dfn
 @c  LocalWords:  Quadrigraphs builtins Shellology acconfig Bugward LIBOBJ Imake
 @c  LocalWords:  LIBOBJS IFELSE cindex flushright Pinard Metaconfig uref Simons
-@c  LocalWords:  distclean uninstall noindent versioning Tromey dir vr
+@c  LocalWords:  distclean uninstall noindent versioning Tromey dir vr adminconfdir
 @c  LocalWords:  SAMS samp aclocal acsite underquoted emph itemx prepend SUBST
 @c  LocalWords:  evindex automake Gettext autopoint gettext symlink libtoolize
 @c  LocalWords:  defmac INIT tarname ovindex cvindex BUGREPORT PREREQ asis PROG
diff --git a/doc/make-stds.texi b/doc/make-stds.texi
index b0745a8..d5e993e 100644
--- a/doc/make-stds.texi
+++ b/doc/make-stds.texi
@@ -504,6 +504,26 @@ files that are modified in the normal course of their use (programs
 whose purpose is to change the configuration of the system excluded).
 Those probably belong in @file{$(localstatedir)}.
 
+@item adminconfdir
+This directory is not meant for installation. Administrators of systems
+where @samp{sysconfdir} is in a read-only filesystem can copy the files
+to @samp{adminconfdir} and edit them. 
+
+
+
+Programs that rely on configuration files should look for them in
+@samp{adminconfdir} before looking in @samp{sysconfdir}. These programs
+should also make the value of the --adminconfdir option available to the
+program by defining a C macro ADMINCONFDIR:
+
+E.g. in packages that use Automake:
+
+AM_CPPFLAGS += -DADMINCONFDIR=\"$(adminconfdir)\"
+
+This directory should normally be @file{/etc}, but write it as
+@file{$(prefix)/etc}.  (If you are using Autoconf, write it as
+@samp{@@adminconfdir@@}.)
+
 @item sharedstatedir
 The directory for installing architecture-independent data files which
 the programs modify while they run.  This should normally be
diff --git a/doc/standards.texi b/doc/standards.texi
index e5ae3cb..04cd0ef 100644
--- a/doc/standards.texi
+++ b/doc/standards.texi
@@ -4239,7 +4239,7 @@ corresponding to most of the standard directory variables
 
 @example
 --prefix --exec-prefix --bindir --sbindir --libexecdir --sysconfdir
---sharedstatedir --localstatedir --runstatedir
+--adminconfdir --sharedstatedir --localstatedir --runstatedir
 --libdir --includedir --oldincludedir
 --datarootdir --datadir --infodir --localedir --mandir --docdir
 --htmldir --dvidir --pdfdir --psdir
diff --git a/lib/autoconf/general.m4 b/lib/autoconf/general.m4
index 053130b..5a9ffc3 100644
--- a/lib/autoconf/general.m4
+++ b/lib/autoconf/general.m4
@@ -600,6 +600,7 @@ AC_SUBST([libexecdir],     ['${exec_prefix}/libexec'])dnl
 AC_SUBST([datarootdir],    ['${prefix}/share'])dnl
 AC_SUBST([datadir],        ['${datarootdir}'])dnl
 AC_SUBST([sysconfdir],     ['${prefix}/etc'])dnl
+AC_SUBST([adminconfdir],   ['${prefix}/etc'])dnl
 AC_SUBST([sharedstatedir], ['${prefix}/com'])dnl
 AC_SUBST([localstatedir],  ['${prefix}/var'])dnl
 AC_SUBST([runstatedir],    ['${localstatedir}/run'])dnl
@@ -870,6 +871,13 @@ do
   | --syscon=* | --sysco=* | --sysc=* | --sys=* | --sy=*)
     sysconfdir=$ac_optarg ;;
 
+  -adminconfdir | --adminconfdir | --adminconfdi | --adminconfd | --adminconf \
+  | --admincon | --adminco | --adminc | --admin | --admi | --adm)
+    ac_prev=adminconfdir ;;
+  -adminconfdir=* | --adminconfdir=* | --adminconfdi=* | --adminconfd=* | --adminconf=* \
+  | --admincon=* | --adminco=* | --adminc=* | --admin=* | --admi=* | --adm=*)
+    adminconfdir=$ac_optarg ;;
+
   -target | --target | --targe | --targ | --tar | --ta | --t)
     ac_prev=target_alias ;;
   -target=* | --target=* | --targe=* | --targ=* | --tar=* | --ta=* | --t=*)
@@ -945,7 +953,7 @@ fi
 for ac_var in	exec_prefix prefix bindir sbindir libexecdir datarootdir \
 		datadir sysconfdir sharedstatedir localstatedir includedir \
 		oldincludedir docdir infodir htmldir dvidir pdfdir psdir \
-		libdir localedir mandir runstatedir
+		libdir localedir mandir runstatedir adminconfdir
 do
   eval ac_val=\$$ac_var
   # Remove trailing slashes.
@@ -1080,6 +1088,8 @@ Fine tuning of the installation directories:
   --sbindir=DIR           system admin executables [EPREFIX/sbin]
   --libexecdir=DIR        program executables [EPREFIX/libexec]
   --sysconfdir=DIR        read-only single-machine data [PREFIX/etc]
+  --adminconfdir=DIR      alternate configuration directory [PREFIX/etc]
+                          installer should not place files here!
   --sharedstatedir=DIR    modifiable architecture-independent data [PREFIX/com]
   --localstatedir=DIR     modifiable single-machine data [PREFIX/var]
   --runstatedir=DIR       modifiable per-process data [LOCALSTATEDIR/run]