diff --git a/gnuviechadmin/Defaults.py b/gnuviechadmin/defaults.cfg
similarity index 78%
rename from gnuviechadmin/Defaults.py
rename to gnuviechadmin/defaults.cfg
index 45dea90..fe1f85f 100644
--- a/gnuviechadmin/Defaults.py
+++ b/gnuviechadmin/defaults.cfg
@@ -19,16 +19,16 @@
 #
 # Version: $Id$
 
-"""Distributed default settings for significant GnuviechAdmin config
-variables."""
-
+# Distributed default settings for significant GnuviechAdmin config
+# variables.
+#
 # NEVER make site configuration changes to this file.  ALWAYS make
-# them in gva_cfg.py instead, in the designated area.  See the
-# comments in that file for details.
+# them in gva.cfg instead, in the designated area.  See the comments
+# in that file for details.
 
-#----------------------------------------------------------------------
+[database]
 # The database connection string in a format usable for
 # sqlalchemy. The default is an sqlite in memory database which is not
 # very usable for a real installation.
 #
-GVA_DBE = 'sqlite:///:memory:'
+uri = sqlite:///:memory:
diff --git a/gnuviechadmin/gva_cfg.py.tmpl b/gnuviechadmin/gva.cfg.tmpl
similarity index 52%
rename from gnuviechadmin/gva_cfg.py.tmpl
rename to gnuviechadmin/gva.cfg.tmpl
index 17b6338..93a920f 100644
--- a/gnuviechadmin/gva_cfg.py.tmpl
+++ b/gnuviechadmin/gva.cfg.tmpl
@@ -19,30 +19,9 @@
 #
 # Version: $Id$
 
-"""This is the module which takes your site-specific settings.
-
-From a raw distribution it should be copied to gva_cfg.py.  If you
-already have a gva_cfg.py, be careful to add in only the new settings
-you want.  The complete set of distributed defaults, with annotation,
-are in ./Defaults.  In mm_cfg, override only those you want to change,
-after the
-
-  from Defaults import *
-
-line (see below)."""
-
-###############################################################
-#    Here's where we get the distributed defaults.            #
-
-from Defaults import *
-
-###############################################################
-# Put YOUR site-specific configuration below, in gva_cfg.py . #
-# See Defaults.py for explanations of the values.             #
-
-#--------------------------------------------------------------
+[database]
 # The database connection string in a format usable for
 # sqlalchemy. For examples see
 # http://www.sqlalchemy.org/docs/dbengine.myt
 #
-GVA_DBE = 'sqlite:///database.txt'
+uri = sqlite:///database.txt
diff --git a/gnuviechadmin/tables.py b/gnuviechadmin/tables.py
index 7c26e9b..f973f48 100644
--- a/gnuviechadmin/tables.py
+++ b/gnuviechadmin/tables.py
@@ -20,9 +20,19 @@
 # Version: $Id$
 
 from sqlalchemy import *
-from gnuviechadmin import gva_cfg
+from pkg_resources import Requirement, resource_filename
+import ConfigParser, os
 
-meta = BoundMetaData(gva_cfg.GVA_DBE)
+config = ConfigParser.ConfigParser()
+config.readfp(
+    open(resource_filename(Requirement.parse('gnuviechadmin'),
+                           'gnuviechadmin/defaults.cfg')))
+config.read([
+    resource_filename(Requirement.parse('gnuviechadmin'),
+                      'gnuviechadmin/gva.cfg'),
+    os.path.expanduser('~/.gva.cfg')])
+
+meta = BoundMetaData(config.get('database', 'uri'))
 client_table = Table(
     'client', meta,
     Column('clientid', Integer, primary_key=True),
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c3455b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+[egg_info]
+tag_build = .dev
+tag_svn_revision = 1
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 648cedf..87a85ff 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 #
 # Version: $Id$
 
-from setuptools import setup,find_packages
+from setuptools import setup, find_packages
 
 try:
     import buildutils
@@ -30,15 +30,21 @@ except ImportError:
 setup(
     name = 'gnuviechadmin',
     version = '0.1',
+    packages = find_packages(),
+    scripts = ['bin/createclient', 'bin/listclients'],
+
+    install_requires = ['sqlalchemy >= 0.3.0'],
+    setup_requires = [],
+
+    include_package_data = True,
+    exclude_package_data = { '' : ['gva.cfg'] },
+
+    author = 'Jan Dittberner',
+    author_email = 'jan@dittberner.info',
     description = 'gnuviechadmin server administration suite',
     long_description = """this is a suite of tools for administering a server
 it contains tools for maintaining e.g. clients, domains, users, mail
 accounts""",
-    author = 'Jan Dittberner',
-    author_email = 'jan@dittberner.info',
-    url = 'http://www.gnuviech-server.de/gnuviechadmin',
-    packages = ['gnuviechadmin'],
-    scripts = ['bin/createclient', 'bin/listclients'],
-    install_requires = ['sqlalchemy >= 0.3.0'],
     license=  'GPL',
+    url = 'http://www.gnuviech-server.de/gnuviechadmin',
     )