diff --git a/ietf/checks.py b/ietf/checks.py
index e440d5038..43f1a6d9e 100644
--- a/ietf/checks.py
+++ b/ietf/checks.py
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 import os
+import sys
 import time
 from textwrap import dedent
 
+import debug                            # pyflakes:ignore
+
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.core import checks
 from django.utils.module_loading import import_string
@@ -213,6 +216,19 @@ def check_cache(app_configs, **kwargs):
 @checks.register('cache')
 def check_svn_import(app_configs, **kwargs):
     errors = []
+    # 
+    site_packages_dir = None
+    for p in sys.path:
+        if ('/env/' in p or '/venv/' in p) and '/site-packages' in p:
+            site_packages_dir = p
+            break
+    if site_packages_dir:
+        for path in settings.SVN_PACKAGES:
+            dir, name = os.path.split(path)
+            package_link = os.path.join(site_packages_dir, name)
+            if not os.path.exists(package_link):
+                os.symlink(path, package_link)
+    #
     if settings.SERVER_MODE == 'production':
         try:
             import svn                  # pyflakes:ignore
@@ -225,14 +241,15 @@ def check_svn_import(app_configs, **kwargs):
 
                     However, the subversion bindings seem to be unavailable.  The subversion
                     bindings are not available for install using pip, but must be supplied by
-                    the system package manager.  In order to be available within a python
-                    virtualenv, the virtualenv must have been created with the
-                    --system-site-packages flag, so that the packages installed by the system
-                    package manager are visible.
+                    the system package manager.  In order to be available within the python
+                    virtualenv, ietf.checks.check_svn_import() tries to create a symlink from
+                    the configured location of the system-provided svn package to the
+                    site-packages directory of the virtualenv. If you get this message, that has
+                    failed to provide the svn package.
 
                     Please install 'python-subversion' (Debian), 'subversion-python' (RedHat,
-                    CentOS, Fedora), 'subversion-python27bindings' (BSD); and set up a
-                    virtualenv using the --system-site-packages flag.  Further tips are
+                    CentOS, Fedora), 'subversion-python27bindings' (BSD); and provide the
+                    correct path to the svn package in settings.SVN_PACKAGE.  Further tips are
                     available at https://trac.edgewall.org/wiki/TracSubversion.
 
                     """).replace('\n', '\n   ').rstrip(),
diff --git a/ietf/settings.py b/ietf/settings.py
index 98d3dfc37..56762b927 100644
--- a/ietf/settings.py
+++ b/ietf/settings.py
@@ -666,6 +666,10 @@ TRAC_WIKI_URL_PATTERN = "https://trac.ietf.org/trac/%s/wiki"
 TRAC_ISSUE_URL_PATTERN = "https://trac.ietf.org/trac/%s/report/1"
 TRAC_SVN_DIR_PATTERN = "/a/svn/group/%s"
 TRAC_SVN_URL_PATTERN = "https://svn.ietf.org/svn/group/%s/"
+SVN_PACKAGES = [
+    "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/svn",
+    "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/libsvn",
+]
 
 TRAC_ENV_OPTIONS = [
     ('project', 'name', "{name} Wiki"),