diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 09f98b777c..7166b19ab4 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1461,15 +1461,15 @@ ifndef LIBC_CONTAINS_LIBINTL
 	EXTLIBS += -lintl
 endif
 endif
+ifdef NEEDS_RESOLV
+	EXTLIBS += -lresolv
+endif
 ifdef NEEDS_SOCKET
 	EXTLIBS += -lsocket
 endif
 ifdef NEEDS_NSL
 	EXTLIBS += -lnsl
 endif
-ifdef NEEDS_RESOLV
-	EXTLIBS += -lresolv
-endif
 ifdef NO_D_TYPE_IN_DIRENT
 	BASIC_CFLAGS += -DNO_D_TYPE_IN_DIRENT
 endif
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 66aedb9288..b83a0e970d 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -711,40 +711,58 @@ GIT_UNSTASH_FLAGS($ZLIB_PATH)
 
 GIT_CONF_SUBST([NO_DEFLATE_BOUND])
 
+#
+# The next few tests will define NEEDS_RESOLV, NEEDS_SOCKET or
+# NEEDS_NSL if linking with libresolv, libsocket and libnsl
+# provides some of the functions we would normally get from libc.
+NEEDS_RESOLV=
+NEEDS_SOCKET=
+NEEDS_NSL=
+
 #
 # Define NEEDS_SOCKET if linking with libc is not enough (SunOS,
 # Patrick Mauritz).
-AC_CHECK_LIB([c], [socket],
-[NEEDS_SOCKET=],
-[NEEDS_SOCKET=YesPlease])
-GIT_CONF_SUBST([NEEDS_SOCKET])
-test -n "$NEEDS_SOCKET" && LIBS="$LIBS -lsocket"
+AC_CHECK_FUNC([socket],
+    [],
+    [AC_SEARCH_LIBS([socket], [c],
+       [NEEDS_SOCKET=],
+       [NEEDS_SOCKET=YesPlease])
+])
 
 #
-# The next few tests will define NEEDS_RESOLV if linking with
-# libresolv provides some of the functions we would normally get
-# from libc.
-NEEDS_RESOLV=
-#
-# Define NO_INET_NTOP if linking with -lresolv is not enough.
-# Solaris 2.7 in particular hos inet_ntop in -lresolv.
+# Define NO_INET_NTOP if linking with -lresolv, -lsocket and -lnsl
+# is not enough. Solaris 11 provides inet_ntop in -lsocket -lnsl.
+# Solaris 2.7 provides inet_ntop in -lresolv.
 NO_INET_NTOP=
 AC_CHECK_FUNC([inet_ntop],
     [],
-    [AC_CHECK_LIB([resolv], [inet_ntop],
-	[NEEDS_RESOLV=YesPlease],
-	[NO_INET_NTOP=YesPlease])
+    [AC_SEARCH_LIBS([inet_ntop], [socket nsl],
+       [NEEDS_SOCKET=YesPlease; NEEDS_NSL=YesPlease],
+       [AC_CHECK_FUNC([inet_ntop],
+          [],
+          [AC_SEARCH_LIBS([inet_ntop], [resolv],
+          [NEEDS_RESOLV=YesPlease],
+          [NO_INET_PTON=YesPlease])
+       ])
+    ])
 ])
 GIT_CONF_SUBST([NO_INET_NTOP])
 #
-# Define NO_INET_PTON if linking with -lresolv is not enough.
-# Solaris 2.7 in particular hos inet_pton in -lresolv.
+# Define NO_INET_PTON if linking with -lresolv, -lsocket and -lnsl
+# is not enough. Solaris 11 provides inet_pton in -lsocket -lnsl.
+# Solaris 2.7 provides inet_pton in -lresolv.
 NO_INET_PTON=
 AC_CHECK_FUNC([inet_pton],
     [],
-    [AC_CHECK_LIB([resolv], [inet_pton],
-	[NEEDS_RESOLV=YesPlease],
-	[NO_INET_PTON=YesPlease])
+    [AC_SEARCH_LIBS([inet_pton], [socket nsl],
+       [NEEDS_SOCKET=YesPlease; NEEDS_NSL=YesPlease],
+       [AC_CHECK_FUNC([inet_pton],
+          [],
+          [AC_SEARCH_LIBS([inet_pton], [resolv],
+          [NEEDS_RESOLV=YesPlease],
+          [NO_INET_PTON=YesPlease])
+       ])
+    ])
 ])
 GIT_CONF_SUBST([NO_INET_PTON])
 #
@@ -753,19 +771,26 @@ GIT_CONF_SUBST([NO_INET_PTON])
 NO_HSTRERROR=
 AC_CHECK_FUNC([hstrerror],
     [],
-    [AC_CHECK_LIB([resolv], [hstrerror],
-	[NEEDS_RESOLV=YesPlease],
-	[NO_HSTRERROR=YesPlease])
+    [AC_SEARCH_LIBS([hstrerror], [resolv],
+       [NEEDS_RESOLV=YesPlease],
+       [NO_HSTRERROR=YesPlease])
 ])
 GIT_CONF_SUBST([NO_HSTRERROR])
 
 dnl This must go after all the possible places for its initialization,
 dnl in the AC_CHECK_FUNC invocations above.
 GIT_CONF_SUBST([NEEDS_RESOLV])
+GIT_CONF_SUBST([NEEDS_SOCKET])
+GIT_CONF_SUBST([NEEDS_NSL])
+
 #
-# If any of the above tests determined that -lresolv is needed at
-# build-time, also set it here for remaining configure-time checks.
+# If any of the above tests determined that -lresolv, -lsocket or -lnsl
+# are needed at build-time, also set it here for remaining configure-time
+# checks. The Sun man pages list library order as -lresolv -lsocket -lnsl.
 test -n "$NEEDS_RESOLV" && LIBS="$LIBS -lresolv"
+test -n "$NEEDS_SOCKET" && LIBS="$LIBS -lsocket"
+test -n "$NEEDS_NSL" && LIBS="$LIBS -lnsl"
+
 
 AC_CHECK_LIB([c], [basename],
 [NEEDS_LIBGEN=],