diff --git a/spacewalk-backend.spec b/spacewalk-backend.spec
index 22ad9d0..d4177ff 100644
--- a/spacewalk-backend.spec
+++ b/spacewalk-backend.spec
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Name: spacewalk-backend
 Summary: Common programs needed to be installed on the Spacewalk servers/proxies
 License: GPLv2
 Version: 2.8.48
-Release: 3%{?dist}
+Release: 4%{?dist}
 URL:       https://github.com/spacewalkproject/spacewalk
 Source0: https://github.com/spacewalkproject/spacewalk/archive/%{name}-%{version}.tar.gz
 BuildArch: noarch
@@ -50,11 +50,7 @@ This package includes the common code required by all servers/proxies.
 Summary: Spacewalk client tools libraries for Fedora 23
 BuildRequires: python3-devel
 Conflicts: %{name} < 1.7.0
-%if 0%{?suse_version}
-Requires:       python3-base
-%else
 Requires: python3-libs
-%endif
 Requires: python3-spacewalk-usix
 
 %description -n python3-%{name}-libs
@@ -64,49 +60,13 @@ Libraries required by Spacewalk client tools on Fedora 23.
 %setup -q
 
 %build
-make -f Makefile.backend all
 
 %install
-install -d $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{rhnroot}
-install -d $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{pythonrhnroot}
-make -f Makefile.backend install PREFIX=$RPM_BUILD_ROOT \
-    MANDIR=%{_mandir} APACHECONFDIR=%{apacheconfd}
-
-%if 0%{?build_py3}
-install -d $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{python3rhnroot}/common
-cp $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{pythonrhnroot}/__init__.py \
-    $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{python3rhnroot}/
-cp $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{pythonrhnroot}/common/__init__.py \
-    $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{python3rhnroot}/common
-cp $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{pythonrhnroot}/common/{checksum.py,cli.py,rhn_deb.py,rhn_mpm.py,rhn_pkg.py,rhn_rpm.py,stringutils.py,fileutils.py,rhnLib.py} \
-    $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{python3rhnroot}/common
-%endif
-export PYTHON_MODULE_NAME=%{name}
-export PYTHON_MODULE_VERSION=%{version}
-%find_lang %{name}-server
-
-%if 0%{?fedora} || 0%{?rhel} > 6
-sed -i 's/#LOGROTATE-3.8#//' $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_sysconfdir}/logrotate.d/spacewalk-backend-*
-sed -i 's/#DOCUMENTROOT#/\/var\/www\/html/' $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{rhnconfigdefaults}/rhn.conf
-%endif
-%if 0%{?suse_version}
-sed -i 's/#LOGROTATE-3.8#.*/    su root www/' $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{_sysconfdir}/logrotate.d/spacewalk-backend-*
-sed -i 's/#DOCUMENTROOT#/\/srv\/www\/htdocs/' $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{rhnconfigdefaults}/rhn.conf
-pushd $RPM_BUILD_ROOT
-find -name '*.py' -print0 | xargs -0 python %py_libdir/py_compile.py
-popd
-
-%if 0%{?build_py3}
-%py3_compile -O %{buildroot}/%{python3rhnroot}
-%endif
-%endif
-
-rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{rhnroot}
-rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{pythonrhnroot}
-rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT/etc
-rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT/usr/share/locale
-rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT/usr/bin
-
+install -m 0755 -d $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{python3rhnroot}/common
+install -m 0644 __init__.py $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{python3rhnroot}/__init__.py
+install -m 0644 common/__init__.py $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{python3rhnroot}/common/__init__.py
+install -m 0644 common/{checksum.py,cli.py,rhn_deb.py,rhn_mpm.py,rhn_pkg.py,rhn_rpm.py,stringutils.py,fileutils.py,rhnLib.py} \
+    $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{python3rhnroot}/common/
 
 %clean
 
@@ -125,13 +85,11 @@ rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT/usr/bin
 %{python3rhnroot}/common/__init__.py
 %{python3rhnroot}/__pycache__/__init__.*
 %{python3rhnroot}/common/__pycache__
-%if 0%{?suse_version}
-%dir %{python3rhnroot}
-%dir %{python3rhnroot}/common
-%dir %{python3rhnroot}/__pycache__
-%endif
 
 %changelog
+* Mon Apr 16 2018 Tomas Kasparek <tkasparek@redhat.com> 2.8.48-4
+- don't rely on Makefile for build (tkasparek@redhat.com)
+
 * Fri Apr 13 2018 Tomas Kasparek <tkasparek@redhat.com> 2.8.48-3
 - build just backend-libs, nothing else is needed for RHEL8
   (tkasparek@redhat.com)