diff --git a/make/common/Defs.gmk b/make/common/Defs.gmk
index 92da33487ce8566f55c7300a32e46b8f402eaf26..6fe53ebecedd3082a900a3145d7f2cb21db2f854 100644
--- a/make/common/Defs.gmk
+++ b/make/common/Defs.gmk
@@ -178,14 +178,6 @@ ifdef OPENJDK
   endif
 endif # OPENJDK
 
-# Default output directory
-ifdef OPENJDK
-_OUTPUTDIR=$(JDK_TOPDIR)/build/$(PLATFORM)-$(ARCH)$(OPENJDK_SUFFIX)
-else
-_OUTPUTDIR=$(JDK_TOPDIR)/build/$(PLATFORM)-$(ARCH)
-endif
-
-
 #
 # Get platform definitions
 #
diff --git a/make/common/shared/Defs-control.gmk b/make/common/shared/Defs-control.gmk
index ec94a2ed7ae031df100e4b03d989ddd3f1cabd68..172166aed919a0fe3f51ef985ef55ede9e44553d 100644
--- a/make/common/shared/Defs-control.gmk
+++ b/make/common/shared/Defs-control.gmk
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ ifndef JDK_MAKE_SHARED_DIR
 endif
 
 ifndef CONTROL_TOPDIR
-  CONTROL_TOPDIR=$(TOPDIR)/control
+  CONTROL_TOPDIR=$(TOPDIR)
 endif
 ifndef HOTSPOT_TOPDIR
   HOTSPOT_TOPDIR=$(TOPDIR)/hotspot
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@ endif
 include $(JDK_MAKE_SHARED_DIR)/Platform.gmk
 
 # Default output directory
-_OUTPUTDIR=$(CONTROL_TOPDIR)/build/$(PLATFORM)-$(ARCH)
+BUILD_PARENT_DIRECTORY=$(TOPDIR)
+_OUTPUTDIR=$(TOPDIR)/build/$(PLATFORM)-$(ARCH)
 
 # Get platform specific settings
 include $(JDK_MAKE_SHARED_DIR)/Defs.gmk
diff --git a/make/common/shared/Defs.gmk b/make/common/shared/Defs.gmk
index c2a8278bddf13ce75b88684b98311fed1dc2bd84..0eb8c729a9653a1a5d317f6cceff7cb71c641711 100644
--- a/make/common/shared/Defs.gmk
+++ b/make/common/shared/Defs.gmk
@@ -55,7 +55,10 @@ include $(JDK_MAKE_SHARED_DIR)/Defs-utils.gmk
 
 # Simple pwd path
 define PwdPath
-$(shell cd $1 2> $(DEV_NULL) && pwd)
+$(shell $(CD) $1 2> $(DEV_NULL) && $(PWD))
+endef
+define AbsPwdPathCheck
+$(shell $(CD) .. 2> $(DEV_NULL) && $(CD) $1 2> $(DEV_NULL) && $(PWD))
 endef
 
 # Checks an ALT value for spaces (should be one word), 
@@ -422,23 +425,54 @@ CACERTS_FILE:=$(call AltCheckSpaces,CACERTS_FILE)
 CACERTS_FILE:=$(call AltCheckValue,CACERTS_FILE)
 
 # OUTPUTDIR: Location of all output for the build
-_BACKUP_OUTPUTDIR = $(TEMP_DISK)/$(USER)/jdk-outputdir
 ifdef ALT_OUTPUTDIR
-  _POSSIBLE_OUTPUTDIR =$(subst \,/,$(ALT_OUTPUTDIR))
+  OUTPUTDIR:=$(subst \,/,$(ALT_OUTPUTDIR))
+  # Assumes this is absolute (checks later)
+  ABS_OUTPUTDIR:=$(OUTPUTDIR)
 else
   ifndef _OUTPUTDIR
-    _OUTPUTDIR = $(_BACKUP_OUTPUTDIR)
+    # Default:  Get "build" parent directory, which should always exist
+    ifndef BUILD_PARENT_DIRECTORY
+      BUILD_PARENT_DIRECTORY=$(BUILDDIR)/..
+    endif
+    ABS_BUILD_PARENT_DIRECTORY:=$(call FullPath,$(BUILD_PARENT_DIRECTORY))
+    ifdef OPENJDK
+      _OUTPUTDIRNAME=$(PLATFORM)-$(ARCH)$(OPENJDK_SUFFIX)
+    else
+      _OUTPUTDIRNAME=$(PLATFORM)-$(ARCH)
+    endif
+    _OUTPUTDIR=$(BUILD_PARENT_DIRECTORY)/build/$(_OUTPUTDIRNAME)
+    ABS_OUTPUTDIR:=$(ABS_BUILD_PARENT_DIRECTORY)/build/$(_OUTPUTDIRNAME)
   endif
-  _POSSIBLE_OUTPUTDIR =$(_OUTPUTDIR)
-endif
-_create_outputdir1:=$(shell mkdir -p $(_POSSIBLE_OUTPUTDIR) > $(DEV_NULL) 2>&1)
-OUTPUTDIR:=$(call WriteDirExists,$(_POSSIBLE_OUTPUTDIR),$(_BACKUP_OUTPUTDIR))
-_create_outputdir2:=$(shell mkdir -p $(OUTPUTDIR) > $(DEV_NULL) 2>&1)
-ifeq "$(OUTPUTDIR)" "$(_BACKUP_OUTPUTDIR)"
-  _outputdir_warning:=$(warning "WARNING: OUTPUTDIR '$(_POSSIBLE_OUTPUTDIR)' not writable, will use '$(_BACKUP_OUTPUTDIR)'")
+  OUTPUTDIR:=$(_OUTPUTDIR)
 endif
+# Check for spaces and null value
 OUTPUTDIR:=$(call AltCheckSpaces,OUTPUTDIR)
 OUTPUTDIR:=$(call AltCheckValue,OUTPUTDIR)
+# Create the output directory and make sure it exists and is writable
+_create_outputdir:=$(shell $(MKDIR) -p "$(OUTPUTDIR)" > $(DEV_NULL) 2>&1)
+ifeq ($(call WriteDirExists,$(OUTPUTDIR),/dev/null),/dev/null)
+  _outputdir_error:=$(error "ERROR: OUTPUTDIR '$(OUTPUTDIR)' not created or not writable")
+endif
+# Define absolute path if needed and check for spaces and null value
+ifndef ABS_OUTPUTDIR
+  ABS_OUTPUTDIR:=$(call FullPath,$(OUTPUTDIR))
+endif
+ABS_OUTPUTDIR:=$(call AltCheckSpaces,ABS_OUTPUTDIR)
+ABS_OUTPUTDIR:=$(call AltCheckValue,ABS_OUTPUTDIR)
+# Make doubly sure this is a full path
+ifeq ($(call AbsPwdPathCheck,$(ABS_OUTPUTDIR)), )
+  ifdef ALT_OUTPUTDIR
+    _outputdir_error:=$(error "ERROR: Trouble with the absolute path for OUTPUTDIR '$(OUTPUTDIR)', was ALT_OUTPUTDIR '$(ALT_OUTPUTDIR)' an absolute path?")
+  else
+    _outputdir_error:=$(error "ERROR: Trouble with the absolute path for OUTPUTDIR '$(OUTPUTDIR)'")
+  endif
+endif
+_dir1:=$(call FullPath,$(ABS_OUTPUTDIR))
+_dir2:=$(call FullPath,$(OUTPUTDIR))
+ifneq ($(_dir1),$(_dir2))
+  _outputdir_error:=$(error "ERROR: ABS_OUTPUTDIR '$(ABS_OUTPUTDIR)' is not the same directory as OUTPUTDIR '$(OUTPUTDIR)', '$(_dir1)'!='$(_dir2)'")
+endif
 
 # Bin directory
 #   NOTE: ISA_DIR is usually empty, on Solaris it might be /sparcv9 or /amd64
@@ -475,9 +509,6 @@ else
   COPYRIGHT_YEAR = $(shell $(DATE) '+%Y')
 endif
 
-# Absolute path to output directory
-ABS_OUTPUTDIR:=$(call FullPath,$(OUTPUTDIR))
-
 # Get shared compiler settings
 include $(JDK_MAKE_SHARED_DIR)/Compiler.gmk