diff --git a/buildtools/meson.build b/buildtools/meson.build
index 32c79c1308..78ce69977d 100644
--- a/buildtools/meson.build
+++ b/buildtools/meson.build
@@ -12,3 +12,5 @@ if python3.found()
 else
 	map_to_def_cmd = ['meson', 'runpython', files('map_to_def.py')]
 endif
+
+is_experimental_cmd = [find_program('grep', 'findstr'), '^DPDK_']
diff --git a/config/ABI_VERSION b/config/ABI_VERSION
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9a7c1e503f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/ABI_VERSION
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+20.0
diff --git a/config/meson.build b/config/meson.build
index acacba704a..40ad34345f 100644
--- a/config/meson.build
+++ b/config/meson.build
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ endforeach
 # depending on the configuration options
 pver = meson.project_version().split('.')
 major_version = '@0@.@1@'.format(pver.get(0), pver.get(1))
+abi_version = run_command(find_program('cat', 'more'),
+	files('ABI_VERSION')).stdout().strip()
 
 # extract all version information into the build configuration
 dpdk_conf.set('RTE_VER_YEAR', pver.get(0).to_int())
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ endif
 
 pmd_subdir_opt = get_option('drivers_install_subdir')
 if pmd_subdir_opt.contains('<VERSION>')
-	pmd_subdir_opt = major_version.join(pmd_subdir_opt.split('<VERSION>'))
+	pmd_subdir_opt = abi_version.join(pmd_subdir_opt.split('<VERSION>'))
 endif
 driver_install_path = join_paths(get_option('libdir'), pmd_subdir_opt)
 eal_pmd_path = join_paths(get_option('prefix'), driver_install_path)
diff --git a/drivers/meson.build b/drivers/meson.build
index 4a1cb8b5be..1c1190053e 100644
--- a/drivers/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/meson.build
@@ -119,12 +119,19 @@ foreach class:dpdk_driver_classes
 					output: out_filename,
 					depends: [pmdinfogen, tmp_lib])
 
-			if get_option('per_library_versions')
-				lib_version = '@0@.1'.format(version)
-				so_version = '@0@'.format(version)
+			version_map = '@0@/@1@/@2@_version.map'.format(
+					meson.current_source_dir(),
+					drv_path, lib_name)
+
+			is_experimental = run_command(is_experimental_cmd,
+				files(version_map)).returncode()
+
+			if is_experimental != 0
+				lib_version = '0.1'
+				so_version = '0'
 			else
-				lib_version = major_version
-				so_version = major_version
+				lib_version = abi_version
+				so_version = abi_version
 			endif
 
 			# now build the static driver
@@ -137,9 +144,6 @@ foreach class:dpdk_driver_classes
 				install: true)
 
 			# now build the shared driver
-			version_map = '@0@/@1@/@2@_version.map'.format(
-					meson.current_source_dir(),
-					drv_path, lib_name)
 			shared_lib = shared_library(lib_name,
 				sources,
 				objects: objs,
diff --git a/lib/meson.build b/lib/meson.build
index 8ea3671c04..6302c0b680 100644
--- a/lib/meson.build
+++ b/lib/meson.build
@@ -100,12 +100,18 @@ foreach l:libraries
 				cflags += '-DALLOW_EXPERIMENTAL_API'
 			endif
 
-			if get_option('per_library_versions')
-				lib_version = '@0@.1'.format(version)
-				so_version = '@0@'.format(version)
+			version_map = '@0@/@1@/rte_@2@_version.map'.format(
+					meson.current_source_dir(), dir_name, name)
+
+			is_experimental = run_command(is_experimental_cmd,
+					files(version_map)).returncode()
+
+			if is_experimental != 0
+				lib_version = '0.1'
+				so_version = '0'
 			else
-				lib_version = major_version
-				so_version = major_version
+				lib_version = abi_version
+				so_version = abi_version
 			endif
 
 			# first build static lib
@@ -123,8 +129,6 @@ foreach l:libraries
 			# then use pre-build objects to build shared lib
 			sources = []
 			objs += static_lib.extract_all_objects(recursive: false)
-			version_map = '@0@/@1@/rte_@2@_version.map'.format(
-					meson.current_source_dir(), dir_name, name)
 			implib = dir_name + '.dll.a'
 
 			def_file = custom_target(name + '_def',
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 89650b0e9c..da6a7f0302 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -30,8 +30,6 @@ option('max_lcores', type: 'integer', value: 128,
 	description: 'maximum number of cores/threads supported by EAL')
 option('max_numa_nodes', type: 'integer', value: 4,
 	description: 'maximum number of NUMA nodes supported by EAL')
-option('per_library_versions', type: 'boolean', value: true,
-	description: 'true: each lib gets its own version number, false: DPDK version used for each lib')
 option('tests', type: 'boolean', value: true,
 	description: 'build unit tests')
 option('use_hpet', type: 'boolean', value: false,
diff --git a/mk/rte.lib.mk b/mk/rte.lib.mk
index 4df8849a08..e1ea292b6e 100644
--- a/mk/rte.lib.mk
+++ b/mk/rte.lib.mk
@@ -11,20 +11,15 @@ EXTLIB_BUILD ?= n
 # VPATH contains at least SRCDIR
 VPATH += $(SRCDIR)
 
-ifneq ($(CONFIG_RTE_MAJOR_ABI),)
-ifneq ($(LIBABIVER),)
-LIBABIVER := $(CONFIG_RTE_MAJOR_ABI)
-endif
+ifneq ($(shell grep "^DPDK_" $(SRCDIR)/$(EXPORT_MAP)),)
+LIBABIVER := $(shell cat $(RTE_SRCDIR)/config/ABI_VERSION)
+else
+LIBABIVER := 0
 endif
 
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_RTE_BUILD_SHARED_LIB),y)
 LIB := $(patsubst %.a,%.so.$(LIBABIVER),$(LIB))
 ifeq ($(EXTLIB_BUILD),n)
-ifeq ($(CONFIG_RTE_MAJOR_ABI),)
-ifeq ($(CONFIG_RTE_NEXT_ABI),y)
-LIB := $(LIB).1
-endif
-endif
 CPU_LDFLAGS += --version-script=$(SRCDIR)/$(EXPORT_MAP)
 endif
 endif
