diff --git a/src/util/virprocess.c b/src/util/virprocess.c
index 5bb2298241..15d8309cc0 100644
--- a/src/util/virprocess.c
+++ b/src/util/virprocess.c
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <sys/syscall.h>
 #if HAVE_SETRLIMIT
 # include <sys/time.h>
 # include <sys/resource.h>
@@ -60,6 +62,28 @@
 
 VIR_LOG_INIT("util.process");
 
+/*
+ * Workaround older glibc. While kernel may support the setns
+ * syscall, the glibc wrapper might not exist. If that's the
+ * case, use our own.
+ */
+#ifndef __NR_setns
+# if defined(__x86_64__)
+#  define __NR_setns 308
+# elif defined(__i386__)
+#  define __NR_setns 346
+# else
+#  error "__NR_setns is not defined"
+# endif
+#endif
+
+#ifndef HAVE_SETNS
+static inline int setns(int fd, int nstype)
+{
+    return syscall(__NR_setns, fd, nstype);
+}
+#endif /* HAVE_SETNS */
+
 /**
  * virProcessTranslateStatus:
  * @status: child exit status to translate
@@ -559,7 +583,6 @@ int virProcessGetAffinity(pid_t pid ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
 #endif /* HAVE_SCHED_GETAFFINITY */
 
 
-#if HAVE_SETNS
 int virProcessGetNamespaces(pid_t pid,
                             size_t *nfdlist,
                             int **fdlist)
@@ -630,26 +653,6 @@ int virProcessSetNamespaces(size_t nfdlist,
     }
     return 0;
 }
-#else /* ! HAVE_SETNS */
-int virProcessGetNamespaces(pid_t pid,
-                            size_t *nfdlist ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                            int **fdlist ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
-{
-    virReportSystemError(ENOSYS,
-                         _("Cannot get namespaces for %llu"),
-                         (unsigned long long)pid);
-    return -1;
-}
-
-
-int virProcessSetNamespaces(size_t nfdlist ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                            int *fdlist ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
-{
-    virReportSystemError(ENOSYS, "%s",
-                         _("Cannot set namespaces"));
-    return -1;
-}
-#endif /* ! HAVE_SETNS */
 
 #if HAVE_PRLIMIT
 static int
@@ -905,7 +908,6 @@ int virProcessGetStartTime(pid_t pid,
 #endif
 
 
-#ifdef HAVE_SETNS
 static int virProcessNamespaceHelper(int errfd,
                                      pid_t pid,
                                      virProcessNamespaceCallback cb,
@@ -992,17 +994,6 @@ virProcessRunInMountNamespace(pid_t pid,
     VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(errfd[1]);
     return ret;
 }
-#else /* !HAVE_SETNS */
-int
-virProcessRunInMountNamespace(pid_t pid ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                              virProcessNamespaceCallback cb ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                              void *opaque ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
-{
-    virReportSystemError(ENOSYS, "%s",
-                         _("Mount namespaces are not available on this platform"));
-    return -1;
-}
-#endif
 
 
 /**