diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index bb7abe112e..c1c81c2276 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign 1.4
 ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
 EXTRA_DIST = ChangeLog COPYING LICENSE suricata.yaml.in \
-             classification.config threshold.config \
-             reference.config $(SURICATA_UPDATE_DIR) \
+             threshold.config \
+             $(SURICATA_UPDATE_DIR) \
 	     lua
 SUBDIRS = $(HTP_DIR) rust src qa rules doc contrib etc python ebpf \
           $(SURICATA_UPDATE_DIR)
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ install-full:
 install-conf:
 	install -d "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)"
 	@test -e "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)/suricata.yaml" || install -m 600 "$(top_srcdir)/suricata.yaml" "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)"
-	@test -e "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)/classification.config" || install -m 600 "$(top_srcdir)/classification.config" "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)"
-	@test -e "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)/reference.config" || install -m 600 "$(top_srcdir)/reference.config" "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)"
+	@test -e "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)/classification.config" || install -m 600 "$(top_srcdir)/etc/classification.config" "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)"
+	@test -e "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)/reference.config" || install -m 600 "$(top_srcdir)/etc/reference.config" "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)"
 	@test -e "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)/threshold.config" || install -m 600 "$(top_srcdir)/threshold.config" "$(DESTDIR)$(e_sysconfdir)"
 	install -d "$(DESTDIR)$(e_logfilesdir)"
 	install -d "$(DESTDIR)$(e_logcertsdir)"
diff --git a/etc/Makefile.am b/etc/Makefile.am
index b01b85d927..0466d5b7dd 100644
--- a/etc/Makefile.am
+++ b/etc/Makefile.am
@@ -1,2 +1,7 @@
+etcdatadir =	$(datadir)/suricata
+
 EXTRA_DIST =	suricata.logrotate.in \
 		suricata.service.in
+
+dist_etcdata_DATA =	classification.config \
+			reference.config
diff --git a/classification.config b/etc/classification.config
similarity index 100%
rename from classification.config
rename to etc/classification.config
diff --git a/reference.config b/etc/reference.config
similarity index 100%
rename from reference.config
rename to etc/reference.config