diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 7be3e3d8aa4315fcb7a9def1e45c03f1193e9bd3..e911624155b1f3f4a26a164044cf4555b113cf9f 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -26855,8 +26855,7 @@ esac
 
 
 #  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-#  Compile application with SZLIB library, needed for GRIB1 or for
-#  linking against hdf5/netcdf4
+#  Compile application with SZLIB library, needed for GRIB1
 SZLIB_INCLUDE=''
 SZLIB_LIBS=''
 
@@ -27430,7 +27429,7 @@ for ac_lib in '' netcdf; do
     ac_res="none required"
   else
     ac_res=-l$ac_lib
-    LIBS="-l$ac_lib -lhdf5_hl -lhdf5 $ac_func_search_save_LIBS"
+    LIBS="-l$ac_lib  $ac_func_search_save_LIBS"
   fi
   if ac_fn_c_try_link "$LINENO"; then :
   ac_cv_search_H5TS_mutex_lock=$ac_res
@@ -27461,6 +27460,67 @@ fi
 
 fi
 
+if test "x$ENABLE_NC4HDF5" = "xyes"; then :
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for library containing H5get_libversion" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for library containing H5get_libversion... " >&6; }
+if ${ac_cv_search_H5get_libversion+:} false; then :
+  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
+else
+  ac_func_search_save_LIBS=$LIBS
+cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+
+/* Override any GCC internal prototype to avoid an error.
+   Use char because int might match the return type of a GCC
+   builtin and then its argument prototype would still apply.  */
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C"
+#endif
+char H5get_libversion ();
+int
+main ()
+{
+return H5get_libversion ();
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+for ac_lib in '' netcdf; do
+  if test -z "$ac_lib"; then
+    ac_res="none required"
+  else
+    ac_res=-l$ac_lib
+    LIBS="-l$ac_lib  $ac_func_search_save_LIBS"
+  fi
+  if ac_fn_c_try_link "$LINENO"; then :
+  ac_cv_search_H5get_libversion=$ac_res
+fi
+rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext \
+    conftest$ac_exeext
+  if ${ac_cv_search_H5get_libversion+:} false; then :
+  break
+fi
+done
+if ${ac_cv_search_H5get_libversion+:} false; then :
+
+else
+  ac_cv_search_H5get_libversion=no
+fi
+rm conftest.$ac_ext
+LIBS=$ac_func_search_save_LIBS
+fi
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ac_cv_search_H5get_libversion" >&5
+$as_echo "$ac_cv_search_H5get_libversion" >&6; }
+ac_res=$ac_cv_search_H5get_libversion
+if test "$ac_res" != no; then :
+  test "$ac_res" = "none required" || LIBS="$ac_res $LIBS"
+
+$as_echo "#define HAVE_H5GET_LIBVERSION 1" >>confdefs.h
+
+fi
+
+fi
+
 
 
 
diff --git a/m4/acx_options.m4 b/m4/acx_options.m4
index 5a557c63269a9478d658195bad138baf516c79e8..8782e5893883b0c57738dbc5c76303fd15394c35 100644
--- a/m4/acx_options.m4
+++ b/m4/acx_options.m4
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ AS_CASE([$with_threads],
 AC_SUBST([THREADS_INCLUDE])
 AC_SUBST([THREADS_LIBS])
 #  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-#  Compile application with SZLIB library, needed for GRIB1 or for
-#  linking against hdf5/netcdf4
+#  Compile application with SZLIB library, needed for GRIB1
 SZLIB_INCLUDE=''
 SZLIB_LIBS=''
 AC_ARG_WITH([szlib],
@@ -138,8 +137,11 @@ AC_ARG_WITH([netcdf],
 
 AS_IF([test "x$ENABLE_NC4HDF5" = "xyes"],
       [AC_SEARCH_LIBS([H5TS_mutex_lock], [netcdf],
-               [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_NC4HDF5_THREADSAFE],[1],[Define to 1 for NetCDF4/HDF5 threadsafe support])],,
-	       [-lhdf5_hl -lhdf5])])
+               [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_NC4HDF5_THREADSAFE],[1],[Define to 1 for NetCDF4/HDF5 threadsafe support])],,)])
+
+AS_IF([test "x$ENABLE_NC4HDF5" = "xyes"],
+      [AC_SEARCH_LIBS([H5get_libversion], [netcdf],
+               [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_H5GET_LIBVERSION],[1],[Define to 1 for H5get_libversion support])],,)])
 
 AC_SUBST([ENABLE_NETCDF])
 AC_SUBST([ENABLE_NC2])
diff --git a/src/cdf.c b/src/cdf.c
index cc5cbbc5063dda77358d993cbeaad60a68fa3f52..cde2c37a7fdb704edbdd61eab65346b6e0e9a63e 100644
--- a/src/cdf.c
+++ b/src/cdf.c
@@ -17,13 +17,13 @@
 const char *cdfLibraryVersion(void)
 {
 #if  defined  (HAVE_LIBNETCDF)
-  return (nc_inq_libvers());
+  return nc_inq_libvers();
 #else
-  return ("library undefined");
+  return "library undefined";
 #endif
 }
 
-#if  defined(HAVE_NC4HDF5)
+#if  defined(HAVE_H5GET_LIBVERSION)
 #if  defined(__cplusplus)
 extern "C" {
 #endif
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ extern "C" {
 
 const char *hdfLibraryVersion(void)
 {
-#if  defined(HAVE_NC4HDF5)
+#if  defined(HAVE_H5GET_LIBVERSION)
   static char hdf_libvers[256];
   unsigned majnum, minnum, relnum;
 
@@ -43,9 +43,9 @@ const char *hdfLibraryVersion(void)
 
   sprintf(hdf_libvers, "%u.%u.%u", majnum, minnum, relnum);
 
-  return (hdf_libvers);
+  return hdf_libvers;
 #else
-  return ("library undefined");
+  return "library undefined";
 #endif
 }
 
@@ -137,24 +137,23 @@ static int cdfOpenFile(const char *filename, const char *mode, int *filetype)
     }
 #endif
 
-  return (ncid);
+  return ncid;
 }
 
 
 int cdfOpen(const char *filename, const char *mode)
 {
-  int fileID = 0;
   int filetype = FILETYPE_NC;
 
   if ( CDF_Debug )
     Message("Open %s with mode %c", filename, *mode);
 
-  fileID = cdfOpenFile(filename, mode, &filetype);
+  int fileID = cdfOpenFile(filename, mode, &filetype);
 
   if ( CDF_Debug )
     Message("File %s opened with id %d", filename, fileID);
 
-  return (fileID);
+  return fileID;
 }
 
 
@@ -185,7 +184,7 @@ int cdfOpen64(const char *filename, const char *mode)
       fileID = CDI_ELIBNAVAIL;
     }
 
-  return (fileID);
+  return fileID;
 }
 
 
@@ -213,7 +212,7 @@ int cdf4Open(const char *filename, const char *mode, int *filetype)
       fileID = CDI_ELIBNAVAIL;
     }
 
-  return (fileID);
+  return fileID;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/config.h.in b/src/config.h.in
index f8848fc02cf53d03f2d24a6cfcc97e9ce9f73ffe..8f6932de4a47db0698cb1c59cf9fa5520b51ad15 100644
--- a/src/config.h.in
+++ b/src/config.h.in
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 if you have the `grib_get_length' function. */
 #undef HAVE_GRIB_GET_LENGTH
 
+/* Define to 1 for H5get_libversion support */
+#undef HAVE_H5GET_LIBVERSION
+
 /* Define to 1 if you have the <inttypes.h> header file. */
 #undef HAVE_INTTYPES_H