diff --git a/mysql-plugin-bool.patch b/mysql-plugin-bool.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a8458f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mysql-plugin-bool.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+Fix plugin boolean variables to receive the value "1", not "-1", when they
+are set to 1.  Aside from being bizarre, the existing behavior is unportable:
+machines where char is unsigned print "255" instead.  Filed upstream at
+http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=59905
+
+
+diff -Naur mysql-5.5.8.orig/sql/sql_plugin.cc mysql-5.5.8/sql/sql_plugin.cc
+--- mysql-5.5.8.orig/sql/sql_plugin.cc	2010-12-03 12:58:26.000000000 -0500
++++ mysql-5.5.8/sql/sql_plugin.cc	2011-02-01 20:34:10.218305349 -0500
+@@ -2024,7 +2024,7 @@
+       goto err;
+     result= (int) tmp;
+   }
+-  *(my_bool *) save= -result;
++  *(my_bool *) save= result ? true : false;
+   return 0;
+ err:
+   return 1;
+diff -Naur mysql-5.5.8.orig/mysql-test/suite/sys_vars/r/rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled_basic.result mysql-5.5.8/mysql-test/suite/sys_vars/r/rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled_basic.result
+--- mysql-5.5.8.orig/mysql-test/suite/sys_vars/r/rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled_basic.result	2010-12-03 12:58:25.000000000 -0500
++++ mysql-5.5.8/mysql-test/suite/sys_vars/r/rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled_basic.result	2011-02-01 21:53:20.006302245 -0500
+@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
+ ERROR HY000: Variable 'rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled' is a GLOBAL variable and should be set with SET GLOBAL
+ select @@global.rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled;
+ @@global.rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled
+--1
++1
+ select @@session.rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled;
+ ERROR HY000: Variable 'rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled' is a GLOBAL variable
+ show global variables like 'rpl_semi_sync_master_enabled';
+diff -Naur mysql-5.5.8.orig/mysql-test/suite/sys_vars/r/rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled_basic.result mysql-5.5.8/mysql-test/suite/sys_vars/r/rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled_basic.result
+--- mysql-5.5.8.orig/mysql-test/suite/sys_vars/r/rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled_basic.result	2010-12-03 12:58:26.000000000 -0500
++++ mysql-5.5.8/mysql-test/suite/sys_vars/r/rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled_basic.result	2011-02-01 21:53:59.689249491 -0500
+@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
+ ERROR HY000: Variable 'rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled' is a GLOBAL variable and should be set with SET GLOBAL
+ select @@global.rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled;
+ @@global.rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled
+--1
++1
+ select @@session.rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled;
+ ERROR HY000: Variable 'rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled' is a GLOBAL variable
+ show global variables like 'rpl_semi_sync_slave_enabled';
diff --git a/mysql.spec b/mysql.spec
index 4f5a8f6..daad5bb 100644
--- a/mysql.spec
+++ b/mysql.spec
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Name: mysql
 Version: 5.5.8
-Release: 6%{?dist}
+Release: 7%{?dist}
 Summary: MySQL client programs and shared libraries
 Group: Applications/Databases
 URL: http://www.mysql.com
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ Patch8: mysql-dubious-exports.patch
 Patch9: mysql-disable-test.patch
 Patch10: mysql-embedded-crash.patch
 Patch11: mysql-home.patch
+Patch12: mysql-plugin-bool.patch
 
 BuildRoot: %{_tmppath}/%{name}-%{version}-%{release}-root
 BuildRequires: gperf, perl, readline-devel, openssl-devel
@@ -49,8 +50,8 @@ BuildRequires: gcc-c++, cmake, ncurses-devel, zlib-devel, libaio-devel
 BuildRequires: systemtap-sdt-devel
 # make test requires time and ps
 BuildRequires: time procps
-# Socket is needed to run regression tests
-BuildRequires: perl(Socket)
+# Socket and Time::HiRes are needed to run regression tests
+BuildRequires: perl(Socket), perl(Time::HiRes)
 
 Requires: grep, fileutils
 Requires: %{name}-libs = %{version}-%{release}
@@ -181,6 +182,7 @@ the MySQL sources.
 %patch9 -p1
 %patch10 -p1
 %patch11 -p1
+%patch12 -p1
 
 # workaround for upstream bug #56342
 rm -f mysql-test/t/ssl_8k_key-master.opt
@@ -206,6 +208,11 @@ CFLAGS="%{optflags} -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -D_LARGEFILE_SOURCE"
 CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -fno-strict-aliasing -fwrapv"
 # force PIC mode so that we can build libmysqld.so
 CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -fPIC"
+# MySQL 5.5.8 fails its gis regression test on PPC without -ffloat-store;
+# filed upstream at http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=59908
+%ifarch ppc ppc64
+CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -ffloat-store"
+%endif
 # gcc seems to have some bugs on sparc as of 4.4.1, back off optimization
 # submitted as bz #529298
 %ifarch sparc sparcv9 sparc64
@@ -599,6 +606,10 @@ fi
 %{_mandir}/man1/mysql_client_test.1*
 
 %changelog
+* Wed Feb  2 2011 Tom Lane <tgl@redhat.com> 5.5.8-7
+- Work around some portability issues on PPC64
+Resolves: #674253
+
 * Thu Jan 20 2011 Tom Lane <tgl@redhat.com> 5.5.8-6
 - Remove no-longer-needed special switches in CXXFLAGS, per yesterday's
   discussion in fedora-devel about -fexceptions.