diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 80bc6fb4c..ab92513e5 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -316,44 +316,44 @@ esac
 AM_CONDITIONAL(SUSPEND_RESUME_UPOWER, test "x$with_suspend_resume" = "xupower")
 AM_CONDITIONAL(SUSPEND_RESUME_SYSTEMD, test "x$with_suspend_resume" = "xsystemd")
 
-
-have_libnl="no"
-PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBNL3, libnl-3.0, [have_libnl3=yes], [have_libnl3=no])
-PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBNL_ROUTE3, libnl-route-3.0, [have_libnl_route3=yes], [have_libnl_route3=no])
-PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBNL_GENL3, libnl-genl-3.0, [have_libnl_genl3=yes], [have_libnl_genl3=no])
-if (test "${have_libnl3}" = "yes" -a "${have_libnl_route3}" = "yes" -a "${have_libnl_genl3}" = "yes"); then
-	AC_DEFINE(HAVE_LIBNL3, 1, [Define if you require specific libnl-3 support])
-	LIBNL_CFLAGS="$LIBNL3_CFLAGS $LIBNL_ROUTE3_CFLAGS $LIBNL_GENL3_CFLAGS"
-	LIBNL_LIBS="$LIBNL3_LIBS $LIBNL_ROUTE3_LIBS $LIBNL_GENL3_LIBS"
-	libnl_version="3"
-	have_libnl="yes"
-else
-	PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBNL2, libnl-2.0, [have_libnl2=yes], [have_libnl2=no])
-	if (test "${have_libnl2}" = "yes"); then
-		AC_DEFINE(HAVE_LIBNL2, 1, [Define if you require specific libnl-2 support])
-		LIBNL_CFLAGS="$LIBNL2_CFLAGS"
-		LIBNL_LIBS="$LIBNL2_LIBS"
-		libnl_version="2"
-		have_libnl="yes"
-	else
-		PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBNL1, libnl-1 >= 1.0-pre8, [have_libnl1=yes], [have_libnl1=no])
-		if (test "${have_libnl1}" = "yes"); then
-			AC_DEFINE(HAVE_LIBNL1, 1, [Define if you require libnl-1 legacy support])
-			LIBNL_CFLAGS="$LIBNL1_CFLAGS"
-			LIBNL_LIBS="$LIBNL1_LIBS"
-			libnl_version="1"
-			have_libnl="yes"
-		fi
-	fi
+# libnl support for the linux platform
+AC_ARG_WITH(libnl, AS_HELP_STRING([--with-libnl=1|2|3], [Select libnl version (default: latest available)]))
+# default to "yes"
+AS_IF([test -z "$with_libnl"], with_libnl=yes)
+# test for various libnl versions
+if test "$with_libnl" = "yes" -o "$with_libnl" = "3"; then
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBNL3, libnl-3.0 libnl-route-3.0 libnl-genl-3.0,
+		[with_libnl=3], [test "$with_libnl" = "3" && with_libnl=no])
+	AS_IF([test "$with_libnl" = "no"],
+		AC_MSG_ERROR([libnl 3.x could not be found]))
 fi
-
-if (test "${have_libnl}" = "no"); then
-	AC_MSG_ERROR([libnl development header are required])
+if test "$with_libnl" = "yes" -o "$with_libnl" = "2"; then
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBNL2, libnl-2.0,
+		[with_libnl=2], [test "$with_libnl" = "2" && with_libnl=no])
+	AS_IF([test "$with_libnl" = "no"],
+		AC_MSG_ERROR([libnl 2.x could not be found]))
 fi
-AC_SUBST(LIBNL_CFLAGS)
-AC_SUBST(LIBNL_LIBS)
-
-if (test "${libnl_version}" = "1"); then
+if test "$with_libnl" = "yes" -o "$with_libnl" = "1"; then
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBNL1, libnl-1 >= 1.0-pre8,
+		[with_libnl=1], [test "$with_libnl" = "1" && with_libnl=no])
+	AS_IF([test "$with_libnl" = "no"],
+		AC_MSG_ERROR([libnl 1.x could not be found]))
+fi
+if test "$with_libnl" = "yes"; then
+	AC_MSG_ERROR([libnl library could not be found])
+	with_libnl=no
+fi
+if ! echo "$with_libnl" | grep -q "^[[1-3]]$"; then
+	AC_MSG_ERROR([unsupported libnl version: $with_libnl])
+fi
+# add variables, conditionals and defines
+if test "$with_libnl" != "no"; then
+	AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(HAVE_LIBNL, $with_libnl, [libnl version])
+	AC_SUBST(LIBNL_CFLAGS, "$LIBNL3_CFLAGS$LIBNL2_CFLAGS$LIBNL1_CFLAGS")
+	AC_SUBST(LIBNL_LIBS, "$LIBNL3_LIBS$LIBNL2_LIBS$LIBNL1_LIBS")
+fi
+# additional tests
+if test "with_libnl" = "1"; then
 	NM_LIBNL_CHECK
 fi
 
@@ -765,7 +765,11 @@ echo "  nmstatedir: $nmstatedir"
 echo "  nmrundir: $nmrundir"
 echo
 
-echo Configuration plugins:
+echo "Platform interaction:"
+echo "  libnl: $with_libnl"
+echo
+
+echo "Configuration plugins"
 echo "  ifcfg-rh: ${enable_ifcfg_rh}"
 echo "  ifcfg-suse: ${enable_ifcfg_suse}"
 echo "  ifupdown: ${enable_ifupdown}"
diff --git a/src/nm-netlink-compat.c b/src/nm-netlink-compat.c
index e30ec37a6..68ee12159 100644
--- a/src/nm-netlink-compat.c
+++ b/src/nm-netlink-compat.c
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #include "nm-logging.h"
 #include "nm-netlink-compat.h"
 
-#ifndef HAVE_LIBNL1
+#if HAVE_LIBNL != 1
 struct rtnl_nexthop *
 nm_netlink_get_nh (struct rtnl_route * route)
 {
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ rtnl_route_get_dst_len(struct rtnl_route * rtnlroute)
 }
 #endif
 
-#ifdef HAVE_LIBNL1
+#if HAVE_LIBNL == 1
 int
 nl_compat_error (int err)
 {
diff --git a/src/nm-netlink-compat.h b/src/nm-netlink-compat.h
index eb0926ad0..80df09673 100644
--- a/src/nm-netlink-compat.h
+++ b/src/nm-netlink-compat.h
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
 #include <config.h>
 
 /* libnl-1 API compatibility for libnl-2/3*/
-#ifndef HAVE_LIBNL1
+#if HAVE_LIBNL != 1
 
 struct rtnl_nexthop * nm_netlink_get_nh(struct rtnl_route *);
 int rtnl_route_get_oif(struct rtnl_route *);
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ struct nl_addr * rtnl_route_get_gateway(struct rtnl_route *);
 #endif
 
 /* libnl-2 API compatibility for libnl-3 */
-#ifdef HAVE_LIBNL3
+#if HAVE_LIBNL == 3
 static inline int
 __rtnl_link_alloc_cache (struct nl_sock *h, struct nl_cache **cache)
 {
@@ -65,15 +65,15 @@ __rtnl_link_alloc_cache (struct nl_sock *h, struct nl_cache **cache)
 
 
 /* libnl-2.0 compat functions */
-#ifdef HAVE_LIBNL2
+#if HAVE_LIBNL == 2
 
 /* functions with similar prototypes */
 #define nlmsg_datalen nlmsg_len
-#endif  /* HAVE_LIBNL2 */
+#endif
 
 
 /* libnl-1.0 compat functions */
-#ifdef HAVE_LIBNL1
+#if HAVE_LIBNL == 1
 
 #define nl_sock nl_handle
 
@@ -204,10 +204,10 @@ __nl_cache_include (struct nl_cache *cache, struct nl_object *obj, change_func_t
 #define NLE_PERM                28
 #define NLE_PKTLOC_FILE         29
 
-#endif  /* HAVE_LIBNL1 */
+#endif
 
 /* Stuff that only libnl3 has */
-#if defined(HAVE_LIBNL1) || defined(HAVE_LIBNL2)
+#if HAVE_LIBNL == 1 || HAVE_LIBNL == 2
 
 static inline int
 rtnl_link_bond_add (struct nl_sock *h, const char *name, void *data)
@@ -276,6 +276,6 @@ rtnl_link_delete(struct nl_sock *sk, const struct rtnl_link *l)
 	/* Operation only in libnl3 */
 	return -NLE_OPNOTSUPP;
 }
-#endif  /* HAVE_LIBNL1 || HAVE_LIBNL2 */
+#endif
 
 #endif /* NM_NETLINK_COMPAT_H */
diff --git a/src/nm-system.c b/src/nm-system.c
index 891907eab..32a855e2a 100644
--- a/src/nm-system.c
+++ b/src/nm-system.c
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
 #include <netlink/utils.h>
 #include <netlink/route/link.h>
 
-#ifdef HAVE_LIBNL3
+#if HAVE_LIBNL == 3
 #include <netlink/route/link/bonding.h>
 #include <netlink/route/link/vlan.h>
 #endif