diff --git a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/add/perform.c b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/add/perform.c
index b59459605ea..415df5901bf 100644
--- a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/add/perform.c
+++ b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/add/perform.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #ifndef lint
-static const char *rcsid = "$Id: perform.c,v 1.14 1995/04/09 15:04:52 jkh Exp $";
+static const char *rcsid = "$Id: perform.c,v 1.15 1995/04/10 08:01:44 jkh Exp $";
 #endif
 
 /*
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ pkg_do(char *pkg)
 {
     char pkg_fullname[FILENAME_MAX];
     char home[FILENAME_MAX];
+    char *tmp;
     FILE *cfile;
     int code = 0;
     PackingList p;
@@ -131,9 +132,10 @@ pkg_do(char *pkg)
     }
     setenv(PKG_PREFIX_VNAME,
 	   (p = find_plist(&Plist, PLIST_CWD)) ? p->name : NULL, 1);
-    PkgName = (p = find_plist(&Plist, PLIST_NAME)) ? p->name : "anonymous";
     /* Protect against old packages with bogus @name fields */
-    sprintf(LogDir, "%s/%s", LOG_DIR, basename_of(PkgName));
+    PkgName = (p = find_plist(&Plist, PLIST_NAME)) ? p->name : "anonymous";
+    sprintf(LogDir, "%s/%s", (tmp = getenv(PKG_DBDIR)) ? tmp : DEF_LOG_DIR,
+    	    basename_of(PkgName));
     if (isdir(LogDir)) {
 	whinge("Package `%s' already recorded as installed.\n", PkgName);
 	code = 1;
@@ -269,8 +271,9 @@ pkg_do(char *pkg)
 	    code = 1;
 	    goto success;	/* well, partial anyway */
 	}
-	/* Protect against old packages with bogus @name fields */
-	sprintf(LogDir, "%s/%s", LOG_DIR, basename_of(PkgName));
+	sprintf(LogDir, "%s/%s",
+		(tmp = getenv(PKG_DBDIR)) ? tmp : DEF_LOG_DIR,
+    	    	basename_of(PkgName));
 	if (Verbose)
 	    printf("Attempting to record package into %s..\n", LogDir);
 	if (make_hierarchy(LogDir)) {
@@ -305,8 +308,9 @@ pkg_do(char *pkg)
 	    if (Verbose)
 		printf("Attempting to record dependency on package `%s'\n",
 		       p->name);
-	    sprintf(contents, "%s/%s/%s", LOG_DIR, basename_of(p->name),
-		    REQUIRED_BY_FNAME);
+	    sprintf(contents, "%s/%s/%s",
+	    	    (tmp = getenv(PKG_DBDIR)) ? tmp : DEF_LOG_DIR,
+	    	    basename_of(p->name), REQUIRED_BY_FNAME);
 	    cfile = fopen(contents, "a");
 	    if (!cfile) {
 		whinge("Can't open dependency file '%s'!\n\tDependency registration incomplete.",
diff --git a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/add/pkg_add.1 b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/add/pkg_add.1
index 2cabaee119b..5dba67c2035 100644
--- a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/add/pkg_add.1
+++ b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/add/pkg_add.1
@@ -262,7 +262,10 @@ for subsequent possible use by
 .Xr pkg_delete 8 .
 Any package dependencies are recorded in the other packages' 
 .Pa /var/db/pkg/<other-pkg>/+REQUIRED_BY
-file.
+file
+(if the environment variable PKG_DBDIR is set, this overrides the
+.Pa /var/db/pkg/
+path shown above).
 .It
 Finally, the staging area is deleted and the program terminates.
 .El
diff --git a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/delete/perform.c b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/delete/perform.c
index 9986ee15d49..6449fd49b8f 100644
--- a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/delete/perform.c
+++ b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/delete/perform.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #ifndef lint
-static const char *rcsid = "$Id: perform.c,v 1.5 1994/09/29 13:19:39 jkh Exp $";
+static const char *rcsid = "$Id: perform.c,v 1.6 1994/12/06 00:51:40 jkh Exp $";
 #endif
 
 /*
@@ -50,12 +50,14 @@ pkg_do(char *pkg)
     FILE *cfile;
     char home[FILENAME_MAX];
     PackingList p;
+    char *tmp;
 
     /* Reset some state */
     if (Plist.head)
 	free_plist(&Plist);
 
-    sprintf(LogDir, "%s/%s", LOG_DIR, pkg);
+    sprintf(LogDir, "%s/%s", (tmp = getenv(PKG_DBDIR)) ? tmp : DEF_LOG_DIR,
+    	    pkg);
     if (!fexists(LogDir)) {
 	whinge("No such package '%s' installed.", pkg);
 	return 1;
@@ -154,9 +156,12 @@ undepend(PackingList p, char *pkgname)
      char fname[FILENAME_MAX], ftmp[FILENAME_MAX];
      char fbuf[FILENAME_MAX];
      FILE *fp, *fpwr;
+     char *tmp;
      int s;
 
-     sprintf(fname, "%s/%s/%s", LOG_DIR, p->name, REQUIRED_BY_FNAME);
+     sprintf(fname, "%s/%s/%s",
+	     (tmp = getenv(PKG_DBDIR)) ? tmp : DEF_LOG_DIR,
+	     p->name, REQUIRED_BY_FNAME);
      fp = fopen(fname, "r");
      if (fp == NULL) {
 	 whinge("Couldn't open dependency file `%s'", fname);
diff --git a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/info/perform.c b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/info/perform.c
index bde7b2e49e7..902436b9296 100644
--- a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/info/perform.c
+++ b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/info/perform.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #ifndef lint
-static const char *rcsid = "$Id: perform.c,v 1.10 1994/12/06 00:51:45 jkh Exp $";
+static const char *rcsid = "$Id: perform.c,v 1.11 1995/01/05 01:10:12 swallace Exp $";
 #endif
 
 /*
@@ -33,16 +33,20 @@ int
 pkg_perform(char **pkgs)
 {
     int i, err_cnt = 0;
+    char *tmp;
 
     signal(SIGINT, cleanup);
 
+    tmp = getenv(PKG_DBDIR);
+    if (!tmp)
+	tmp = DEF_LOG_DIR;
     /* Overriding action? */
     if (AllInstalled || CheckPkg) {
-	if (isdir(LOG_DIR)) {
+	if (isdir(tmp)) {
 	    DIR *dirp;
 	    struct dirent *dp;
 
-	    dirp = opendir(LOG_DIR);
+	    dirp = opendir(tmp);
 	    if (dirp) {
 		for (dp = readdir(dirp); dp != NULL; dp = readdir(dirp)) {
 		    if (strcmp(dp->d_name, ".") && strcmp(dp->d_name, "..")) {
@@ -106,7 +110,10 @@ pkg_do(char *pkg)
 	}
     }
     else {
-	sprintf(log_dir, "%s/%s", LOG_DIR, pkg);
+	char *tmp;
+
+	sprintf(log_dir, "%s/%s", (tmp = getenv(PKG_DBDIR)) ? tmp : DEF_LOG_DIR,
+		pkg);
 	if (!fexists(log_dir)) {
 	    whinge("Can't find package '%s' installed or in a file!", pkg);
 	    return 1;
diff --git a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/lib/lib.h b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/lib/lib.h
index abcfed74116..80d69f26732 100644
--- a/usr.sbin/pkg_install/lib/lib.h
+++ b/usr.sbin/pkg_install/lib/lib.h
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* $Id: lib.h,v 1.11 1994/11/17 10:51:46 jkh Exp $ */
+/* $Id: lib.h,v 1.12 1994/12/06 00:51:49 jkh Exp $ */
 
 /*
  * FreeBSD install - a package for the installation and maintainance
@@ -56,8 +56,10 @@
 /* Usually "rm", but often "echo" during debugging! */
 #define RMDIR_CMD	"rmdir"
 
-/* Where we put logging information */
-#define LOG_DIR		"/var/db/pkg"
+/* Where we put logging information by default, else ${PKG_DBDIR} if set */
+#define DEF_LOG_DIR		"/var/db/pkg"
+/* just in case we change the environment variable name */
+#define PKG_DBDIR		"PKG_DBDIR"
 
 /* The names of our "special" files */
 #define CONTENTS_FNAME	"+CONTENTS"