diff --git a/README b/README
index f8cc426f78..f75fa536d9 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ provided by your OS distributor:
         - GNU Binutils 2.24 or later
     * POSIX compatible awk
     * Development install of zlib (e.g., zlib-dev)
-    * Development install of Python 2.6 or later (e.g., python-dev)
+    * Development install of Python 2.7 or later (e.g., python-dev)
     * Development install of curses (e.g., libncurses-dev)
     * Development install of openssl (e.g., openssl-dev)
     * Development install of x11 (e.g. xorg-x11-dev)
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ Python Runtime Libraries
 
 Various tools, such as pygrub, have the following runtime dependencies:
 
-    * Python 2.6 or later.
+    * Python 2.7 or later.
           URL:    https://www.python.org/
           Debian: python
 
diff --git a/m4/python_devel.m4 b/m4/python_devel.m4
index bbf1e0354b..bb60857b03 100644
--- a/m4/python_devel.m4
+++ b/m4/python_devel.m4
@@ -5,21 +5,21 @@ ac_previous_libs=$LIBS
 AC_PATH_PROG([pyconfig], [$PYTHON-config], [no])
 AS_IF([test x"$pyconfig" = x"no"], [
     dnl For those that don't have python-config
-    CPPFLAGS="$CFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print("-I" + distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("INCLUDEPY"))'`"
-    CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("CFLAGS"))'`"
-    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print("-L" + distutils.sysconfig.get_python_lib(plat_specific=1,\
+    CPPFLAGS="$CFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print("-I" + sysconfig.get_config_var("INCLUDEPY"))'`"
+    CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("CFLAGS"))'`"
+    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print("-L" + sysconfig.get_python_lib(plat_specific=1,\
         standard_lib=1) + "/config")'`"
-    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("LINKFORSHARED"))'`"
-    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("LDFLAGS"))'`"
-    LIBS="$LIBS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("LIBS"))'`"
-    LIBS="$LIBS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("SYSLIBS"))'`"
+    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("LINKFORSHARED"))'`"
+    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("LDFLAGS"))'`"
+    LIBS="$LIBS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("LIBS"))'`"
+    LIBS="$LIBS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("SYSLIBS"))'`"
 ], [
     dnl If python-config is found use it
     CPPFLAGS="$CFLAGS `$PYTHON-config --cflags`"
diff --git a/tools/configure b/tools/configure
index 96218cadc4..ae10f6cecd 100755
--- a/tools/configure
+++ b/tools/configure
@@ -774,7 +774,6 @@ infodir
 docdir
 oldincludedir
 includedir
-runstatedir
 localstatedir
 sharedstatedir
 sysconfdir
@@ -905,7 +904,6 @@ datadir='${datarootdir}'
 sysconfdir='${prefix}/etc'
 sharedstatedir='${prefix}/com'
 localstatedir='${prefix}/var'
-runstatedir='${localstatedir}/run'
 includedir='${prefix}/include'
 oldincludedir='/usr/include'
 docdir='${datarootdir}/doc/${PACKAGE_TARNAME}'
@@ -1158,15 +1156,6 @@ do
   | -silent | --silent | --silen | --sile | --sil)
     silent=yes ;;
 
-  -runstatedir | --runstatedir | --runstatedi | --runstated \
-  | --runstate | --runstat | --runsta | --runst | --runs \
-  | --run | --ru | --r)
-    ac_prev=runstatedir ;;
-  -runstatedir=* | --runstatedir=* | --runstatedi=* | --runstated=* \
-  | --runstate=* | --runstat=* | --runsta=* | --runst=* | --runs=* \
-  | --run=* | --ru=* | --r=*)
-    runstatedir=$ac_optarg ;;
-
   -sbindir | --sbindir | --sbindi | --sbind | --sbin | --sbi | --sb)
     ac_prev=sbindir ;;
   -sbindir=* | --sbindir=* | --sbindi=* | --sbind=* | --sbin=* \
@@ -1304,7 +1293,7 @@ fi
 for ac_var in	exec_prefix prefix bindir sbindir libexecdir datarootdir \
 		datadir sysconfdir sharedstatedir localstatedir includedir \
 		oldincludedir docdir infodir htmldir dvidir pdfdir psdir \
-		libdir localedir mandir runstatedir
+		libdir localedir mandir
 do
   eval ac_val=\$$ac_var
   # Remove trailing slashes.
@@ -1457,7 +1446,6 @@ Fine tuning of the installation directories:
   --sysconfdir=DIR        read-only single-machine data [PREFIX/etc]
   --sharedstatedir=DIR    modifiable architecture-independent data [PREFIX/com]
   --localstatedir=DIR     modifiable single-machine data [PREFIX/var]
-  --runstatedir=DIR       modifiable per-process data [LOCALSTATEDIR/run]
   --libdir=DIR            object code libraries [EPREFIX/lib]
   --includedir=DIR        C header files [PREFIX/include]
   --oldincludedir=DIR     C header files for non-gcc [/usr/include]
@@ -3397,7 +3385,7 @@ else
     We can't simply define LARGE_OFF_T to be 9223372036854775807,
     since some C++ compilers masquerading as C compilers
     incorrectly reject 9223372036854775807.  */
-#define LARGE_OFF_T ((((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31) - 1 + (((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31))
+#define LARGE_OFF_T (((off_t) 1 << 62) - 1 + ((off_t) 1 << 62))
   int off_t_is_large[(LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483629 == 721
 		       && LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483647 == 1)
 		      ? 1 : -1];
@@ -3443,7 +3431,7 @@ else
     We can't simply define LARGE_OFF_T to be 9223372036854775807,
     since some C++ compilers masquerading as C compilers
     incorrectly reject 9223372036854775807.  */
-#define LARGE_OFF_T ((((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31) - 1 + (((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31))
+#define LARGE_OFF_T (((off_t) 1 << 62) - 1 + ((off_t) 1 << 62))
   int off_t_is_large[(LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483629 == 721
 		       && LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483647 == 1)
 		      ? 1 : -1];
@@ -3467,7 +3455,7 @@ rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
     We can't simply define LARGE_OFF_T to be 9223372036854775807,
     since some C++ compilers masquerading as C compilers
     incorrectly reject 9223372036854775807.  */
-#define LARGE_OFF_T ((((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31) - 1 + (((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31))
+#define LARGE_OFF_T (((off_t) 1 << 62) - 1 + ((off_t) 1 << 62))
   int off_t_is_large[(LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483629 == 721
 		       && LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483647 == 1)
 		      ? 1 : -1];
@@ -3512,7 +3500,7 @@ else
     We can't simply define LARGE_OFF_T to be 9223372036854775807,
     since some C++ compilers masquerading as C compilers
     incorrectly reject 9223372036854775807.  */
-#define LARGE_OFF_T ((((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31) - 1 + (((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31))
+#define LARGE_OFF_T (((off_t) 1 << 62) - 1 + ((off_t) 1 << 62))
   int off_t_is_large[(LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483629 == 721
 		       && LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483647 == 1)
 		      ? 1 : -1];
@@ -3536,7 +3524,7 @@ rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
     We can't simply define LARGE_OFF_T to be 9223372036854775807,
     since some C++ compilers masquerading as C compilers
     incorrectly reject 9223372036854775807.  */
-#define LARGE_OFF_T ((((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31) - 1 + (((off_t) 1 << 31) << 31))
+#define LARGE_OFF_T (((off_t) 1 << 62) - 1 + ((off_t) 1 << 62))
   int off_t_is_large[(LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483629 == 721
 		       && LARGE_OFF_T % 2147483647 == 1)
 		      ? 1 : -1];
@@ -7852,21 +7840,21 @@ fi
 
 if test x"$pyconfig" = x"no"; then :
 
-        CPPFLAGS="$CFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print("-I" + distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("INCLUDEPY"))'`"
-    CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("CFLAGS"))'`"
-    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print("-L" + distutils.sysconfig.get_python_lib(plat_specific=1,\
+        CPPFLAGS="$CFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print("-I" + sysconfig.get_config_var("INCLUDEPY"))'`"
+    CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("CFLAGS"))'`"
+    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print("-L" + sysconfig.get_python_lib(plat_specific=1,\
         standard_lib=1) + "/config")'`"
-    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("LINKFORSHARED"))'`"
-    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("LDFLAGS"))'`"
-    LIBS="$LIBS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("LIBS"))'`"
-    LIBS="$LIBS `$PYTHON -c 'import distutils.sysconfig; \
-        print(distutils.sysconfig.get_config_var("SYSLIBS"))'`"
+    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("LINKFORSHARED"))'`"
+    LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("LDFLAGS"))'`"
+    LIBS="$LIBS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("LIBS"))'`"
+    LIBS="$LIBS `$PYTHON -c 'import sysconfig; \
+        print(sysconfig.get_config_var("SYSLIBS"))'`"
 
 else
 
diff --git a/tools/libs/stat/Makefile b/tools/libs/stat/Makefile
index ee5c42bf7b..a968eaff48 100644
--- a/tools/libs/stat/Makefile
+++ b/tools/libs/stat/Makefile
@@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ $(PYLIB): $(PYSRC)
 python-bindings: $(PYLIB) $(PYMOD)
 
 pythonlibdir = $(shell $(PYTHON) -c \
-	       'import distutils.sysconfig as cfg; \
-	        print(cfg.get_python_lib(False, False, prefix="$(prefix)"))')
+	       'import sysconfig; \
+	        print(sysconfig.get_python_lib("platlib", vars={"platbase": "$(prefix)"}))')
 
 .PHONY: install-python-bindings
 install-python-bindings: $(PYLIB) $(PYMOD)
