diff --git a/util/mksymtbl.pl b/util/mksymtbl.pl
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..b0fef5f42f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/mksymtbl.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+
+# Copyright (C) 2009  Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. ("ISC")
+#
+# Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
+# purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
+# copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
+#
+# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND ISC DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH
+# REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY
+# AND FITNESS.  IN NO EVENT SHALL ISC BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT,
+# INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM
+# LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE
+# OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR
+# PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
+
+# $Id: mksymtbl.pl,v 1.2 2009/09/01 18:50:52 jinmei Exp $
+
+use strict;
+use diagnostics;
+$^W = 1;
+
+my $rev = '$Id: mksymtbl.pl,v 1.2 2009/09/01 18:50:52 jinmei Exp $';
+$rev =~ s/\$//g;
+$rev =~ s/,v//g;
+$rev =~ s/Id: //;
+
+use Getopt::Std;
+my %options;
+getopts('i:o:', \%options);
+
+my ($binname, $need_uscorefix, $outputfile, $nsyms, $ostype, $nm_prog);
+my %symmap;
+
+$binname = $ARGV[0];
+$need_uscorefix = 0;
+if ($options{'o'}) {
+	$outputfile = $options{'o'};
+} else {
+	$outputfile = "symtbl.c";
+}
+
+# OS-depending configuration
+$nm_prog = "nm";
+$ostype = `uname -s`;
+chop($ostype);
+if ($ostype eq "SunOS" || $ostype eq "HP-UX") {
+	$nm_prog = "/usr/ccs/bin/nm -x"
+}
+
+if ($options{'i'}) {
+	open(SYMBOLS, $options{'i'}) || die "failed to open $options{'i'}";
+} else {
+	open(SYMBOLS, "$nm_prog $binname |") ||
+	    die "failed to invoke utility to get symbols";
+}
+open(TBLFILE, ">$outputfile") || die "failed to open output file: $outputfile";
+
+$nsyms = 0;
+while (<SYMBOLS>) {
+	my ($addr, $symbol) = (0, "");
+	if ($ostype eq "SunOS") {
+		if (/\[\d*\]\s*\|\s*0x([0-9a-f]*)\|\s*0x[0-9a-f]*\|FUNC\s*(.*)\|([^|]+)$/) {
+			next if ($2 =~ /UNDEF/); # skip undefined symbols
+			$addr = $1;
+			$symbol = $3;
+			chop($symbol);
+		}
+	} elsif ($ostype eq "HP-UX") {
+		if (/(\S*)\s*\|0x([0-9a-f]*)\|([^|]*\|entry|extern\|code)/) {
+			$addr = $2;
+			$symbol = $1;
+			# this filter catches a massive number of awkward
+			# symbols such as "$START$".  we are not interested in
+			# those and ignore them.
+			next if ($symbol =~ /\$/);
+		}
+	} else {
+		# *BSDs, Linux, etc.
+		if (/([0-9a-f]*)\s[tT]\s(.*)/) {
+			($addr, $symbol) = ($1, $2);
+			# heuristics: some compilers add a "_" to all program
+			# defined symbols.  Detect and fix it for a well known
+			# symbol of "main".
+			$need_uscorefix = 1 if ($symbol eq "_main");
+		}
+	}
+	if ($symbol ne "") {
+		# XXX: HP-UX's nm can produce a duplicate entry for the same
+		# address.  Ignore duplicate entries except the first one.
+		next if ($symmap{$addr});
+
+		$symmap{$addr} = $symbol;
+		$nsyms++;
+	}
+}
+
+print TBLFILE "/*\n * Generated by $rev \n */\n";
+print TBLFILE "#include <isc/backtrace.h>\n";
+print TBLFILE "const int isc__backtrace_nsymbols = $nsyms;\n";
+print TBLFILE "const isc_backtrace_symmap_t isc__backtrace_symtable[] = {\n";
+foreach (sort {hex($a) <=> hex($b)} keys(%symmap)) {
+	my ($addr, $symbol) = ($_, $symmap{$_});
+	if ($need_uscorefix && $symbol =~ /^_(.*)/) {
+		$symbol = $1;
+	}
+	print TBLFILE "\t{ (void *)0x$addr, \"$symbol\" },\n";
+}
+print TBLFILE "\t{ (void *)0x0, \"\" },\n";
+print TBLFILE "};\n";
+
+close(TBLFILE);
+close(SYMBOLS);