diff --git a/Configurations/descrip.mms.tmpl b/Configurations/descrip.mms.tmpl
index 065d5a3394f212e2efa4e2ffc2e05e2fad4493c7..8ebbc370fbfa9b23e7b459e7a0e65c64d393bb96 100644
--- a/Configurations/descrip.mms.tmpl
+++ b/Configurations/descrip.mms.tmpl
@@ -204,20 +204,20 @@ NODEBUG=@
 
 # The main targets ###################################################
 
-all : config.timestamp, -
+all : configdata.pm, -
       build_libs_nodep, build_engines_nodep, build_apps_nodep, -
       depend
 
-build_libs : config.timestamp, build_libs_nodep, depend
+build_libs : configdata.pm, build_libs_nodep, depend
 build_libs_nodep : $(LIBS)
-build_engines : config.timestamp, build_engines_nodep, depend
+build_engines : configdata.pm, build_engines_nodep, depend
 build_engines_nodep : $(ENGINES)
-build_apps : config.timestamp, build_apps_nodep, depend
+build_apps : configdata.pm, build_apps_nodep, depend
 build_apps_nodep : $(PROGRAMS), $(SCRIPTS)
-build_tests : config.timestamp, build_tests_nodep, depend
+build_tests : configdata.pm, build_tests_nodep, depend
 build_tests_nodep : $(TESTPROGS)
 
-test tests : config.timestamp, -
+test tests : configdata.pm, -
              build_apps_nodep, build_engines_nodep, build_tests_nodep, -
              depend, rehash
         SET DEFAULT [.test]{- move("test") -}
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ install_config : [.VMS]openssl_startup.com [.VMS]openssl_shutdown.com -
                 {- sourcefile("VMS", "openssl_shutdown.com.in") -} -
                 > [.VMS]openssl_shutdown.com
 
-vmsconfig.pm : config.timestamp
+vmsconfig.pm : configdata.pm
         OPEN/WRITE/SHARE=READ CONFIG []vmsconfig.pm
         WRITE CONFIG "package vmsconfig;"
         WRITE CONFIG "use strict; use warnings;"
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ debug_logicals :
 
 # Building targets ###################################################
 
-config.timestamp : {- sourcefile("Configurations", "descrip.mms.tmpl") -} $(SRCDIR)Configure ! $(SRCDIR)config.com
+configdata.pm : {- sourcefile("Configurations", "descrip.mms.tmpl") -} $(SRCDIR)Configure ! $(SRCDIR)config.com
         @ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT "Detected changed: $?"
         @ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT "Reconfiguring..."
         perl $(SRCDIR)Configure reconf
@@ -411,12 +411,7 @@ config.timestamp : {- sourcefile("Configurations", "descrip.mms.tmpl") -} $(SRCD
         @ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT "***   Please run the same mms command again   ***"
         @ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT "***                                           ***"
         @ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT "*************************************************"
-        @ IF F$SEARCH("config.timestamp",1) .NES. "" THEN -
-                OPEN/APPEND TIMESTAMP "config.timestamp"
-        @ IF F$SEARCH("config.timestamp",2) .EQS. "" THEN -
-                OPEN/WRITE TIMESTAMP "config.timestamp"
-        @ close TIMESTAMP
-        @ exit %10000000
+        @ PIPE ( EXIT %X10000000 )
 
 {-
   use File::Basename;
diff --git a/Configurations/unix-Makefile.tmpl b/Configurations/unix-Makefile.tmpl
index 092a7b348c5c9d906d0929b8ba6b0565c582c682..693b2fd419438cc87f5c34cc4c21d37076fd2230 100644
--- a/Configurations/unix-Makefile.tmpl
+++ b/Configurations/unix-Makefile.tmpl
@@ -150,16 +150,16 @@ PROCESSOR= {- $config{processor} -}
 
 # The main targets ###################################################
 
-all: config.timestamp build_libs_nodep build_engines_nodep build_apps_nodep \
+all: configdata.pm build_libs_nodep build_engines_nodep build_apps_nodep \
      depend link-utils
 
-build_libs: config.timestamp build_libs_nodep depend
+build_libs: configdata.pm build_libs_nodep depend
 build_libs_nodep: libcrypto.pc libssl.pc openssl.pc
-build_engines: config.timestamp build_engines_nodep depend
+build_engines: configdata.pm build_engines_nodep depend
 build_engines_nodep: $(ENGINES)
-build_apps: config.timestamp build_apps_nodep depend
+build_apps: configdata.pm build_apps_nodep depend
 build_apps_nodep: $(PROGRAMS) $(SCRIPTS)
-build_tests: config.timestamp build_tests_nodep depend
+build_tests: configdata.pm build_tests_nodep depend
 build_tests_nodep: $(TESTPROGS)
 
 test tests: build_tests_nodep build_apps_nodep build_engines_nodep depend rehash
@@ -598,12 +598,12 @@ rehash: link-utils copy-certs build_apps_nodep
 
 link-utils: $(BLDDIR)/util/opensslwrap.sh $(BLDDIR)/util/shlib_wrap.sh
 
-$(BLDDIR)/util/opensslwrap.sh: config.timestamp
+$(BLDDIR)/util/opensslwrap.sh: configdata.pm
 	@if [ "$(SRCDIR)" != "$(BLDDIR)" ]; then \
 	    mkdir -p "$(BLDDIR)/util"; \
 	    ln -sf "../$(SRCDIR)/util/opensslwrap.sh" "$(BLDDIR)/util"; \
 	fi
-$(BLDDIR)/util/shlib_wrap.sh: config.timestamp
+$(BLDDIR)/util/shlib_wrap.sh: configdata.pm
 	@if [ "$(SRCDIR)" != "$(BLDDIR)" ]; then \
 	    mkdir -p "$(BLDDIR)/util"; \
 	    ln -sf "../$(SRCDIR)/util/shlib_wrap.sh" "$(BLDDIR)/util"; \
@@ -661,7 +661,7 @@ FORCE:
 
 # Building targets ###################################################
 
-libcrypto.pc libssl.pc openssl.pc: config.timestamp $(LIBS)
+libcrypto.pc libssl.pc openssl.pc: configdata.pm $(LIBS)
 libcrypto.pc:
 	@ ( echo 'prefix=$(INSTALLTOP)'; \
 	    echo 'exec_prefix=$${prefix}'; \
@@ -704,8 +704,8 @@ openssl.pc:
 # wasn't passed down automatically.  It's quite safe to use it like we do
 # below; if it doesn't exist, the result will be empty and 'make' will pick
 # up $(MAKEFLAGS) which is passed down as an environment variable.
-config.timestamp: {- $config{build_file_template} -} $(SRCDIR)/Configure $(SRCDIR)/config
-	@echo "Detected that {- $config{build_file_template} -}, $(SRCDIR)/Configure or $(SRCDIR)/config may have changed."
+configdata.pm: {- $config{build_file_template} -} $(SRCDIR)/Configure $(SRCDIR)/config
+	@echo "Detected changed: $?"
 	@echo "Reconfiguring..."
 	$(SRCDIR)/Configure reconf
 	@echo "**************************************************"
@@ -713,7 +713,6 @@ config.timestamp: {- $config{build_file_template} -} $(SRCDIR)/Configure $(SRCDI
 	@echo "***   Please run the same make command again   ***"
 	@echo "***                                            ***"
 	@echo "**************************************************"
-	@touch config.timestamp
 	@false
 
 {-