diff --git a/configure b/configure
index b1f8f742..45b89c6d 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -4262,6 +4262,212 @@ done
 
 fi
 
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for compress in -lz" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking for compress in -lz... $ECHO_C" >&6
+if test "${ac_cv_lib_z_compress+set}" = set; then
+  echo $ECHO_N "(cached) $ECHO_C" >&6
+else
+  ac_check_lib_save_LIBS=$LIBS
+LIBS="-lz  $LIBS"
+cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+#line $LINENO "configure"
+/* confdefs.h.  */
+_ACEOF
+cat confdefs.h >>conftest.$ac_ext
+cat >>conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+
+/* Override any gcc2 internal prototype to avoid an error.  */
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C"
+#endif
+/* We use char because int might match the return type of a gcc2
+   builtin and then its argument prototype would still apply.  */
+char compress ();
+int
+main ()
+{
+compress ();
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext
+if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_link\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_link) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); } &&
+         { ac_try='test -s conftest$ac_exeext'
+  { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_try\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_try) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); }; }; then
+  ac_cv_lib_z_compress=yes
+else
+  echo "$as_me: failed program was:" >&5
+sed 's/^/| /' conftest.$ac_ext >&5
+
+ac_cv_lib_z_compress=no
+fi
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest$ac_exeext conftest.$ac_ext
+LIBS=$ac_check_lib_save_LIBS
+fi
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: $ac_cv_lib_z_compress" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}$ac_cv_lib_z_compress" >&6
+if test $ac_cv_lib_z_compress = yes; then
+  result=yes
+else
+  result=no
+fi
+
+if test "$result" = "yes"; then
+  LIBS="$LIBS -lz"
+
+for ac_header in zlib.h
+do
+as_ac_Header=`echo "ac_cv_header_$ac_header" | $as_tr_sh`
+if eval "test \"\${$as_ac_Header+set}\" = set"; then
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for $ac_header" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking for $ac_header... $ECHO_C" >&6
+if eval "test \"\${$as_ac_Header+set}\" = set"; then
+  echo $ECHO_N "(cached) $ECHO_C" >&6
+fi
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: `eval echo '${'$as_ac_Header'}'`" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}`eval echo '${'$as_ac_Header'}'`" >&6
+else
+  # Is the header compilable?
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking $ac_header usability" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking $ac_header usability... $ECHO_C" >&6
+cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+#line $LINENO "configure"
+/* confdefs.h.  */
+_ACEOF
+cat confdefs.h >>conftest.$ac_ext
+cat >>conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+$ac_includes_default
+#include <$ac_header>
+_ACEOF
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext
+if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_compile\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_compile) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); } &&
+         { ac_try='test -s conftest.$ac_objext'
+  { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_try\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_try) 2>&5
+  ac_status=$?
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); }; }; then
+  ac_header_compiler=yes
+else
+  echo "$as_me: failed program was:" >&5
+sed 's/^/| /' conftest.$ac_ext >&5
+
+ac_header_compiler=no
+fi
+rm -f conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: $ac_header_compiler" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}$ac_header_compiler" >&6
+
+# Is the header present?
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking $ac_header presence" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking $ac_header presence... $ECHO_C" >&6
+cat >conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+#line $LINENO "configure"
+/* confdefs.h.  */
+_ACEOF
+cat confdefs.h >>conftest.$ac_ext
+cat >>conftest.$ac_ext <<_ACEOF
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+#include <$ac_header>
+_ACEOF
+if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_cpp conftest.$ac_ext\"") >&5
+  (eval $ac_cpp conftest.$ac_ext) 2>conftest.er1
+  ac_status=$?
+  grep -v '^ *+' conftest.er1 >conftest.err
+  rm -f conftest.er1
+  cat conftest.err >&5
+  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \$? = $ac_status" >&5
+  (exit $ac_status); } >/dev/null; then
+  if test -s conftest.err; then
+    ac_cpp_err=$ac_c_preproc_warn_flag
+  else
+    ac_cpp_err=
+  fi
+else
+  ac_cpp_err=yes
+fi
+if test -z "$ac_cpp_err"; then
+  ac_header_preproc=yes
+else
+  echo "$as_me: failed program was:" >&5
+sed 's/^/| /' conftest.$ac_ext >&5
+
+  ac_header_preproc=no
+fi
+rm -f conftest.err conftest.$ac_ext
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: $ac_header_preproc" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}$ac_header_preproc" >&6
+
+# So?  What about this header?
+case $ac_header_compiler:$ac_header_preproc in
+  yes:no )
+    { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: WARNING: $ac_header: accepted by the compiler, rejected by the preprocessor!" >&5
+echo "$as_me: WARNING: $ac_header: accepted by the compiler, rejected by the preprocessor!" >&2;}
+    { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: WARNING: $ac_header: proceeding with the preprocessor's result" >&5
+echo "$as_me: WARNING: $ac_header: proceeding with the preprocessor's result" >&2;}
+    (
+      cat <<\_ASBOX
+## ------------------------------------ ##
+## Report this to bug-autoconf@gnu.org. ##
+## ------------------------------------ ##
+_ASBOX
+    ) |
+      sed "s/^/$as_me: WARNING:     /" >&2
+    ;;
+  no:yes )
+    { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: WARNING: $ac_header: present but cannot be compiled" >&5
+echo "$as_me: WARNING: $ac_header: present but cannot be compiled" >&2;}
+    { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: WARNING: $ac_header: check for missing prerequisite headers?" >&5
+echo "$as_me: WARNING: $ac_header: check for missing prerequisite headers?" >&2;}
+    { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: WARNING: $ac_header: proceeding with the preprocessor's result" >&5
+echo "$as_me: WARNING: $ac_header: proceeding with the preprocessor's result" >&2;}
+    (
+      cat <<\_ASBOX
+## ------------------------------------ ##
+## Report this to bug-autoconf@gnu.org. ##
+## ------------------------------------ ##
+_ASBOX
+    ) |
+      sed "s/^/$as_me: WARNING:     /" >&2
+    ;;
+esac
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for $ac_header" >&5
+echo $ECHO_N "checking for $ac_header... $ECHO_C" >&6
+if eval "test \"\${$as_ac_Header+set}\" = set"; then
+  echo $ECHO_N "(cached) $ECHO_C" >&6
+else
+  eval "$as_ac_Header=$ac_header_preproc"
+fi
+echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: `eval echo '${'$as_ac_Header'}'`" >&5
+echo "${ECHO_T}`eval echo '${'$as_ac_Header'}'`" >&6
+
+fi
+if test `eval echo '${'$as_ac_Header'}'` = yes; then
+  cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
+#define `echo "HAVE_$ac_header" | $as_tr_cpp` 1
+_ACEOF
+
+fi
+
+done
+
+fi
+
 echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for ANSI C header files" >&5
 echo $ECHO_N "checking for ANSI C header files... $ECHO_C" >&6
 if test "${ac_cv_header_stdc+set}" = set; then
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index e47d9f61..00eb7fef 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -123,6 +123,12 @@ if test "$result" = "yes"; then
   AC_CHECK_HEADERS(sys/types.h)
 fi
 
+AC_CHECK_LIB(z,compress,result=yes,result=no)
+if test "$result" = "yes"; then
+  LIBS="$LIBS -lz"
+  AC_CHECK_HEADERS(zlib.h)
+fi
+
 dnl Checks for header files.
 AC_HEADER_STDC
 AC_HEADER_DIRENT