diff --git a/misc/tools-source/config_helper.c b/misc/tools-source/config_helper.c
index c8f2f6f09..9db965896 100644
--- a/misc/tools-source/config_helper.c
+++ b/misc/tools-source/config_helper.c
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ struct builtin {
 struct package;
 struct package {
 	int status;
-	int stages[10];
+	char stages[10];
 	char *prio;
 	char *repository;
 	char *name;
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ int read_pkg_list(const char *file) {
 
 		tok = strtok(0, " ");
 		for (i=0; i<10; i++)
-			pkg_tmp->stages[i] = tok[i] != '-';
+			pkg_tmp->stages[i] = tok[i] != '-' ? tok[i] : 0;
 
 		tok = strtok(0, " ");
 		pkg_tmp->prio = strdup(tok);
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ int write_pkg_list(const char *file) {
 	while (pkg) {
 		fprintf(f, "%c ", pkg->status ? 'X' : 'O');
 		for (i=0; i<10; i++)
-			fprintf(f, "%c", pkg->stages[i] ? '0'+i : '-');
+			fprintf(f, "%c", pkg->stages[i] ? pkg->stages[i] : '-');
 		fprintf(f, " %s %s %s", pkg->prio, pkg->repository, pkg->name);
 		if (strcmp(pkg->name, pkg->alias))
 			fprintf(f, "=%s", pkg->alias);
diff --git a/package/base/bdb/bdb.conf b/package/base/bdb/bdb.conf
index 3aff80d52..a5c25b81e 100644
--- a/package/base/bdb/bdb.conf
+++ b/package/base/bdb/bdb.conf
@@ -25,8 +25,11 @@ echo_status "Set package version number based on name: $ver"
 hook_add preconf 2 'cd build_unix'
 configscript="../dist/configure"
 
+if [ $stagelevel -gt 1 ] ; then
+	var_append confopt ' ' '--enable-cxx'
+fi
+
 var_append confopt ' ' '--enable-compat185'
-var_append confopt ' ' '--enable-cxx'
 var_append confopt ' ' "--includedir=$root/$prefix/include/${xpkg:1}"
 
 is_bdb_default() {
diff --git a/package/base/glibc/glibc.conf b/package/base/glibc/glibc.conf
index 1c8aa0a5a..224a16b2c 100644
--- a/package/base/glibc/glibc.conf
+++ b/package/base/glibc/glibc.conf
@@ -184,13 +184,12 @@ glibc_custmain() {
 		install_init nscd $confdir/nscd.init
 	fi
 
-	# No wrong absolute path in libc.so
+	# No wrong absolute path in *.so linker scripts
 	#
 	if [ $stagelevel -le 1 ]
 	then
-		libcso=$root/$prefix/lib/libc.so
-		sed 's,/[^ ]*/,,g' < $libcso > $libcso.new
-		mv $libcso.new $libcso
+		sed -i 's,/[^ ]*/,,g' $root/$prefix/lib/libc.so
+		sed -i 's,/[^ ]*/,,g' $root/$prefix/lib/libpthread.so
 	fi
 
 	# Install ld.so.conf
diff --git a/package/base/ncurses/ncurses.conf b/package/base/ncurses/ncurses.conf
index b0e9ebc00..b52a076b6 100644
--- a/package/base/ncurses/ncurses.conf
+++ b/package/base/ncurses/ncurses.conf
@@ -45,4 +45,8 @@ hook_add postmake 7 "\
 	ln -svf libncurses.so $libdir/libcurses.so; \
 	ln -svf libncurses.a $libdir/libcurses.a"
 
+if [ $stagelevel = 1 ] ; then
+	var_append confopt ' ' '--without-cxx --without-cxx-bindings'
+fi
+
 var_append makeinstopt ' ' "'INSTALL_LIB=\$(INSTALL) -m 755'"
diff --git a/package/base/openssl/openssl.conf b/package/base/openssl/openssl.conf
index 0b86c4fe5..80ed1b3a8 100644
--- a/package/base/openssl/openssl.conf
+++ b/package/base/openssl/openssl.conf
@@ -20,10 +20,9 @@
 # 
 # --- ROCK-COPYRIGHT-NOTE-END ---
 
-
-openssl_main() {
-
-	# We can't use ./config becouse that would probably add optimize
+openssl_main()
+{
+	# We can't use ./config because that would probably add optimize
 	# options which won't work on our taget system.
 	case "$arch_machine" in
 		i?86)     trg=linux-elf ;;
@@ -44,12 +43,17 @@ openssl_main() {
 	esac
 
 	./Configure --prefix=/usr --openssldir=/etc/ssl $trg shared
-	mkdir -p /etc/ssl ; rm -rf /etc/ssl/man /etc/ssl/lib /etc/ssl/include
-	rm -rf $docdir/*
-	cp -r doc $docdir ; mkdir $docdir/man ; ln -s $docdir/man /etc/ssl/man
+	mkdir -p $root/etc/ssl ; rm -rf $docdir/*
+	rm -rf $root/etc/ssl/man $root/etc/ssl/lib $root/etc/ssl/include
+	cp -r doc $docdir ; mkdir $docdir/man ; ln -s $docdir/man $root/etc/ssl/man
+	ln -s /usr/lib /usr/include $root/etc/ssl/
 	
-	ln -s /usr/lib /usr/include /etc/ssl/
-	eval $MAKE install
+	# the openssl makefile expects the 'r' mode to be passed
+	# already in the $(AR) variable ..
+	AR="$AR r"
+
+	eval "$MAKE $makeopt all"
+	eval "$MAKE INSTALL_PREFIX=$root install"
 }
 
 custmain="openssl_main"
diff --git a/package/base/sendmail/parse-config b/package/base/sendmail/parse-config
index f8a6c1387..7efb782f6 100644
--- a/package/base/sendmail/parse-config
+++ b/package/base/sendmail/parse-config
@@ -22,11 +22,11 @@
 
 
 install_setmailer() {
-	sed "s,@mailer@,$1,g" > /usr/sbin/setmailer_$1 \
+	sed "s,@mailer@,$1,g" > $root/usr/sbin/setmailer_$1 \
 		< $base/package/base/sendmail/setmailer.sh
-	chmod +x /usr/sbin/setmailer_$1
+	chmod +x $root/usr/sbin/setmailer_$1
 
-	if [ "$ROCKCFG_DEFAULT_MTA" = "$1" ] ; then
+	if [ "$ROCKCFG_DEFAULT_MTA" = "$1" -a $stagelevel -gt 1 ] ; then
 		/usr/sbin/setmailer_$1
 	fi
 }
diff --git a/package/base/unzip/unzip.conf b/package/base/unzip/unzip.conf
index ede02e051..c3f8b1db0 100644
--- a/package/base/unzip/unzip.conf
+++ b/package/base/unzip/unzip.conf
@@ -22,8 +22,12 @@
 
 
 uz_main() {
-	eval $MAKE generic -f unix/Makefile prefix=/usr
-	eval $MAKE install -f unix/Makefile prefix=/usr
+	# the unzipo makefile calls LD as it would be a CC. so we
+	# simply pass the compiler as linker and everyone is happy.
+	LD="$CC"
+
+	eval $MAKE $makeopt generic -f unix/Makefile prefix=/usr
+	eval $MAKE install -f unix/Makefile prefix=$root/usr
 }
 
 custmain=uz_main
diff --git a/package/base/zip/zip.conf b/package/base/zip/zip.conf
index 7c2e87ad6..8192b5090 100644
--- a/package/base/zip/zip.conf
+++ b/package/base/zip/zip.conf
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@
 uz_main() {
 	mkdir zip-$ver ; cd zip-$ver
 	unzip $archdir/zip$ver.zip
-	eval $MAKE generic -f unix/Makefile prefix=/usr
-	eval $MAKE install -f unix/Makefile prefix=/usr
+	eval $MAKE $makeopt generic -f unix/Makefile prefix=/usr
+	eval $MAKE install -f unix/Makefile prefix=$root/usr
 }
 
 custmain=uz_main
diff --git a/package/rene/exim/exim.conf b/package/rene/exim/exim.conf
index 5f890a010..3d410d1a2 100644
--- a/package/rene/exim/exim.conf
+++ b/package/rene/exim/exim.conf
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ EXIM_GROUP=30
 AUTH_CRAM_MD5=yes
 COMPRESS_COMMAND=/bin/gzip
 ZCAT_COMMAND=/bin/zcat
+CC=$CC
 EOT
 }
 
diff --git a/package/valentin/asterisk/asterisk.desc b/package/valentin/asterisk/asterisk.desc
index 2feb1e700..bfd867288 100644
--- a/package/valentin/asterisk/asterisk.desc
+++ b/package/valentin/asterisk/asterisk.desc
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 [COPY] file for details.
 [COPY] 
 [COPY] --- ROCK-COPYRIGHT-NOTE-END ---
+
 [I] open source linux pbx
 
 [T] Asterisk is a complete PBX in software. It does voice over IP in
@@ -37,6 +38,6 @@
 [L] GPL
 [S] Stable
 [V] 0.9.1
-[P] X -?---X---X 201.300
+[P] X -?---5---9 201.300
 
 [D] 2067899276 asterisk-0.9.1.tar.gz ftp://ftp.asterisk.org/pub/telephony/asterisk/
diff --git a/scripts/config.cache b/scripts/config.cache
index 2bc0371a6..e306d5874 100644
--- a/scripts/config.cache
+++ b/scripts/config.cache
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ ac_cv_func_closedir_void=no
 ac_cv_func_fnmatch_works=yes
 ac_cv_func_getpgrp_void=yes
 ac_cv_func_setpgrp_void=yes
-ac_cv_func_setrlimit=no
+ac_cv_func_setresuid=yes
+ac_cv_func_setrlimit=yes
 ac_cv_func_setvbuf_reversed=no
 compat_cv_func_makedev_three_args=no
 
@@ -48,7 +49,29 @@ ksh_cv_rlim_check=long
 ac_cv_lib_intl=no
 ac_cv_file___dev_urandom_=yes
 
+db_cv_gcc_2_96_forloop_bug=no
+db_cv_posixmutexes=yes
+db_cv_mutex=POSIX/pthreads/library
+db_cv_fcntl_f_setfd=yes
+db_cv_sprintf_count=yes
+
 sudo_cv_ebcdic=no
 utils_cv_sys_open_max=1021
-
 am_cv_func_working_getline=yes
+
+ac_cv_sizeof___int16=0
+ac_cv_sizeof___int32=0
+ac_cv_sizeof___int64=0
+
+ac_cv_sizeof_int16_t=2
+ac_cv_sizeof_int32_t=4
+ac_cv_sizeof_int64_t=8
+
+ac_cv_sizeof_u_int16_t=2
+ac_cv_sizeof_u_int32_t=4
+ac_cv_sizeof_u_int64_t=8
+
+ac_cv_sizeof_uint16_t=2
+ac_cv_sizeof_uint32_t=4
+ac_cv_sizeof_uint64_t=8
+
diff --git a/scripts/config.in b/scripts/config.in
index f8493d670..64ad9863f 100644
--- a/scripts/config.in
+++ b/scripts/config.in
@@ -81,8 +81,20 @@ block_begin 7
 	then . architecture/$ROCKCFG_ARCH/config.in ; fi
 	bool 'This is a cross-build between architectures' ROCKCFG_CROSSBUILD 0
 	if [ "$ROCKCFG_CROSSBUILD" = 1 ] ; then
-		pkgfilter sed -e 's,^\(. ..\)[^ ]*,\1--------,'
+	    block_begin
+		bool 'Test-build the packages which are not known to cross build' ROCKCFG_CROSS_TESTALL 0
+		if [ $ROCKCFG_CROSS_TESTALL = 1 ]; then
+			comment '-- WARNING: Test-building packages which are not known to cross build'
+			comment '-- might cause damage on your build system if it is not read-only. So'
+			comment '-- only run this if your /{bin,lib,usr,..} is somehow write-protected.'
+			pkgfilter sed -e 's,^\(. .\)[1X?][^ ]*,\11--------,; s,\(. .\)[-][^ ]*,\1---------,;'
+		else
+			pkgfilter sed -e 's,^\(. .\)[1X][^ ]*,\11--------,; s,\(. .\)[?-][^ ]*,\1---------,;'
+		fi
 		ROCKCFG_ID="$ROCKCFG_ID-cross" ; ROCKCFGSET_USE_CROSSCC=1
+	    block_end
+	else
+		pkgfilter sed -e 's,\(. .\)[?X],\1-,;'
 	fi
 block_end
 
diff --git a/scripts/functions b/scripts/functions
index 306a3594c..4f5f579c9 100644
--- a/scripts/functions
+++ b/scripts/functions
@@ -363,13 +363,23 @@ rock_substitute() {
 #
 create_config_cache() {
 	cat $base/scripts/config.cache
+
 	echo -e "\n# Architecture specific stuff\n"
+	echo "arch_sizeof_char=1"
 	echo "ac_cv_sizeof_short=$arch_sizeof_short"
 	echo "ac_cv_sizeof_int=$arch_sizeof_int"
 	echo "ac_cv_sizeof_long=$arch_sizeof_long"
 	echo "ac_cv_sizeof_long_long=$arch_sizeof_long_long"
 	echo "ac_cv_sizeof_char_p=$arch_sizeof_char_p"
+	echo "ac_cv_sizeof_void_p=$arch_sizeof_char_p"
 	echo "ac_cv_c_bigendian=$arch_bigendian"
+
+	local pt=""
+	[ $arch_sizeof_char_p -eq $arch_sizeof_int       ] && pt="int"
+	[ $arch_sizeof_char_p -eq $arch_sizeof_long      ] && pt="long"
+	[ $arch_sizeof_char_p -eq $arch_sizeof_long_long ] && pt="long long"
+	[ -n "$pt" ] && echo "db_cv_alignp_t=\"unsigned $pt\""
+
 	echo "ac_cv_prog_CC=$CC"
 }