diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index b51e1e1..3ef8ccd 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ AS_IF([test "$HAVE_POD2MAN" != "yes"],
 	AC_MSG_FAILURE([pod2man is needed to generate manual from POD]))
 
 
- AC_ARG_ENABLE(
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(
 		asm,
 		[AC_HELP_STRING([--enable-asm],[Enable native Assembly code])],
 		ASM=$enableval,
@@ -80,6 +80,14 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE([static-bin],
 	)
 AM_CONDITIONAL([STATIC], [test "x$static" = "xyes"])
 
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([debug-build],
+	[AC_HELP_STRING([--enable-debug],[Build debugging code in @<:@default=no@:>@])],
+	[debugbuild=$enableval]
+	)
+if test x"$debugbuild" = xyes; then
+	AC_DEFINE(DEBUG_BUILD, 1, [ ])
+fi
+
 AC_CHECK_HEADERS(fcntl.h sys/time.h unistd.h sys/mman.h)
 AC_CHECK_HEADERS(ctype.h errno.h sys/resource.h)
 AC_CHECK_HEADERS(endian.h sys/endian.h arpa/inet.h)