diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index cd6c972ac7..6533b88851 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_LIBTASN1], [test "x$ac_cv_header_libtasn1_h" = "xyes"])
 AC_CHECK_LIB([intl],[gettext],[])
 
 dnl Do we have rpcgen?
-AC_PATH_PROG([RPCGEN], [rpcgen], [no])
+AC_PATH_PROGS([RPCGEN], [rpcgen portable-rpcgen], [no])
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_RPCGEN], [test "x$ac_cv_path_RPCGEN" != "xno"])
 dnl Is this GLIBC's buggy rpcgen?
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_GLIBC_RPCGEN],
diff --git a/src/rpc/genprotocol.pl b/src/rpc/genprotocol.pl
index 6e6d6d4a93..1ac2507c44 100755
--- a/src/rpc/genprotocol.pl
+++ b/src/rpc/genprotocol.pl
@@ -38,7 +38,10 @@ my $target = shift;
 
 unlink $target;
 
-open RPCGEN, "-|", $rpcgen, $mode, $xdrdef
+if ($rpcgen =~ /portable-rpcgen/) {
+    $rpcgen = "$rpcgen -o -";
+}
+open RPCGEN, "-|", "$rpcgen $mode $xdrdef"
     or die "cannot run $rpcgen $mode $xdrdef: $!";
 open TARGET, ">$target"
     or die "cannot create $target: $!";