diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index 53fb54d67e..c5318aa00a 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -556,6 +556,9 @@
 /* define if PKCS11 is used for Public-Key Cryptography */
 #undef USE_PKCS11
 
+/* Define if you want to use pthread rwlock implementation */
+#undef USE_PTHREAD_RWLOCK
+
 /* Enable extensions on AIX 3, Interix.  */
 #ifndef _ALL_SOURCE
 # undef _ALL_SOURCE
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 9805770823..b2e4836f78 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -15602,14 +15602,14 @@ esac
 #
 # Check whether --enable-pthread_rwlock was given.
 if test "${enable_pthread_rwlock+set}" = set; then :
-  enableval=$enable_pthread_rwlock; use_pthread_rwlock=$enableval
+  enableval=$enable_pthread_rwlock;
 else
-  use_pthread_rwlock=no
+  enable_pthread_rwlock=no
 fi
 
 
-if test "x$use_pthread_rwlock" != "xno"; then
-	for ac_func in pthread_rwlock_rdlock
+if test "$enable_pthread_rwlock" = "yes"; then :
+  for ac_func in pthread_rwlock_rdlock
 do :
   ac_fn_c_check_func "$LINENO" "pthread_rwlock_rdlock" "ac_cv_func_pthread_rwlock_rdlock"
 if test "x$ac_cv_func_pthread_rwlock_rdlock" = xyes; then :
@@ -15617,9 +15617,15 @@ if test "x$ac_cv_func_pthread_rwlock_rdlock" = xyes; then :
 #define HAVE_PTHREAD_RWLOCK_RDLOCK 1
 _ACEOF
 
+else
+  as_fn_error $? "pthread_rwlock_rdlock requested but not found" "$LINENO" 5
 fi
 done
 
+
+$as_echo "#define USE_PTHREAD_RWLOCK 1" >>confdefs.h
+
+
 fi
 
 #
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index eee8bd0a6e..71862813ec 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -727,14 +727,16 @@ AC_SUBST(INSTALL_LIBRARY)
 
 # Do we want to use pthread rwlock? (useful for ThreadSanitizer)
 #
-AC_ARG_ENABLE(pthread_rwlock,
-	      AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-pthread-rwlock],
-			     [use pthread rwlock instead of internal rwlock implementation]),
-	      use_pthread_rwlock=$enableval, use_pthread_rwlock=no)
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([pthread_rwlock],
+	      [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-pthread-rwlock],
+			      [use pthread rwlock instead of internal rwlock implementation])],
+	      [], [enable_pthread_rwlock=no])
 
-if test "x$use_pthread_rwlock" != "xno"; then
-	AC_CHECK_FUNCS([pthread_rwlock_rdlock])
-fi
+AS_IF([test "$enable_pthread_rwlock" = "yes"],
+      [AC_CHECK_FUNCS([pthread_rwlock_rdlock], [],
+		      [AC_MSG_ERROR([pthread_rwlock_rdlock requested but not found])])
+       AC_DEFINE([USE_PTHREAD_RWLOCK],[1],[Define if you want to use pthread rwlock implementation])
+      ])
 
 #
 # If PIC is disabled, shared libraries must also be