diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ddba941..8ed244a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -40,12 +40,13 @@ include $(TEST_DIR)/Makefile
 cc-option = $(shell if $(CC) $(1) -S -o /dev/null -xc /dev/null \
               > /dev/null 2>&1; then echo "$(1)"; else echo "$(2)"; fi ;)
 
-CFLAGS += -g
-CFLAGS += $(autodepend-flags) -Wall
-CFLAGS += $(call cc-option, -fomit-frame-pointer, "")
-CFLAGS += $(call cc-option, -fno-stack-protector, "")
-CFLAGS += $(call cc-option, -fno-stack-protector-all, "")
+main_CFLAGS = -g
+main_CFLAGS += $(autodepend-flags) -Wall
+main_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option, -fomit-frame-pointer, "")
+main_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option, -fno-stack-protector, "")
+main_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option, -fno-stack-protector-all, "")
 
+CFLAGS += $(main_CFLAGS)
 CXXFLAGS += $(CFLAGS)
 
 autodepend-flags = -MMD -MF $(dir $*).$(notdir $*).d
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index a685cca..0043ee9 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ ar=ar
 arch=`uname -m | sed -e 's/i.86/i386/;s/arm.*/arm/;s/ppc64.*/ppc64/'`
 host=$arch
 cross_prefix=
+endian=big # default for ppc64, the only user
 
 usage() {
     cat <<-EOF
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ usage() {
 	    --ld=LD		   ld linker to use ($ld)
 	    --prefix=PREFIX        where to install things ($prefix)
 	    --kerneldir=DIR        kernel build directory for kvm.h ($kerneldir)
+	    --endian=ENDIAN        endianness to compile for (little or big)
 EOF
     exit 1
 }
@@ -50,6 +52,9 @@ while [[ "$1" = -* ]]; do
 	--cross-prefix)
 	    cross_prefix="$arg"
 	    ;;
+        --endian)
+            endian="$arg"
+            ;;
 	--cc)
 	    cc="$arg"
 	    ;;
@@ -139,4 +144,5 @@ AR=$cross_prefix$ar
 API=$api
 TEST_DIR=$testdir
 FIRMWARE=$firmware
+ENDIAN=$endian
 EOF
diff --git a/lib/powerpc/asm/ppc_asm.h b/lib/powerpc/asm/ppc_asm.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f0ab241
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/powerpc/asm/ppc_asm.h
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#ifndef _ASMPOWERPC_PPC_ASM_H
+#define _ASMPOWERPC_PPC_ASM_H
+
+#if __BYTE_ORDER__ == __ORDER_BIG_ENDIAN__
+
+#define B_BE(addr)				\
+	mtctr	addr;				\
+	nop;					\
+	bctr
+
+#define RETURN_FROM_BE
+
+#elif __BYTE_ORDER__ == __ORDER_LITTLE_ENDIAN__
+
+#define B_BE(addr)				\
+	mfmsr	r11;				\
+	xori	r11,r11,1;			\
+	mtsrr0	addr;				\
+	mtsrr1	r11;				\
+	rfid;					\
+	b       .
+
+#define RETURN_FROM_BE				\
+	.long 0x05000048; /* bl . + 4        */ \
+	.long 0xa602487d; /* mflr r10        */	\
+	.long 0x20004a39; /* addi r10,r10,32 */	\
+	.long 0xa600607d; /* mfmsr r11       */	\
+	.long 0x01006b69; /* xori r11,r11,1  */	\
+	.long 0xa6035a7d; /* mtsrr0 r10	     */	\
+	.long 0xa6037b7d; /* mtsrr1 r11      */	\
+	.long 0x2400004c; /* rfid            */ \
+	.long 0x00000048; /* b .             */ \
+
+#endif /* __BYTE_ORDER__ */
+
+#endif /* _ASMPOWERPC_PPC_ASM_H */
diff --git a/lib/ppc64/asm/io.h b/lib/ppc64/asm/io.h
index c0801d4..4f2c31b 100644
--- a/lib/ppc64/asm/io.h
+++ b/lib/ppc64/asm/io.h
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 #ifndef _ASMPPC64_IO_H_
 #define _ASMPPC64_IO_H_
+
+#if __BYTE_ORDER__ == __ORDER_LITTLE_ENDIAN__
+#define __cpu_is_be() (0)
+#elif __BYTE_ORDER__ == __ORDER_BIG_ENDIAN__
 #define __cpu_is_be() (1)
+#else
+#error Undefined byte order
+#endif
+
 #include <asm-generic/io.h>
 #endif
diff --git a/lib/ppc64/asm/ppc_asm.h b/lib/ppc64/asm/ppc_asm.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e3929ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/ppc64/asm/ppc_asm.h
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+#include "../../powerpc/asm/ppc_asm.h"
diff --git a/powerpc/Makefile b/powerpc/Makefile
index 369a38b..cc39a09 100644
--- a/powerpc/Makefile
+++ b/powerpc/Makefile
@@ -1 +1 @@
-include $(TEST_DIR)/Makefile.$(ARCH)
+include $(TEST_DIR)/Makefile.$(ENDIAN)
diff --git a/powerpc/Makefile.big b/powerpc/Makefile.big
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d81c52d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/powerpc/Makefile.big
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#
+# ppc64 big-endian makefile
+#
+# Authors: Andrew Jones <drjones@redhat.com>
+#
+bits = 64
+
+arch_CFLAGS = -mbig-endian
+arch_LDFLAGS = -EB
+
+cstart.o = $(TEST_DIR)/cstart64.o
+reloc.o  = $(TEST_DIR)/reloc64.o
+cflatobjs += lib/ppc64/spinlock.o
+
+# ppc64 specific tests
+tests =
+
+include $(TEST_DIR)/Makefile.common
+
+arch_clean: powerpc_clean
+	$(RM) lib/ppc64/.*.d
diff --git a/powerpc/Makefile.common b/powerpc/Makefile.common
index cc27ac8..b088af6 100644
--- a/powerpc/Makefile.common
+++ b/powerpc/Makefile.common
@@ -11,14 +11,15 @@ all: $(TEST_DIR)/boot_rom.bin test_cases
 
 ##################################################################
 
-CFLAGS += $(arch_CFLAGS)
-CFLAGS += -std=gnu99
-CFLAGS += -ffreestanding
-CFLAGS += -Wextra
-CFLAGS += -O2
-CFLAGS += -I lib -I lib/libfdt
-CFLAGS += -Wa,-mregnames
-CFLAGS += -fpie
+common_CFLAGS = -std=gnu99
+common_CFLAGS += -ffreestanding
+common_CFLAGS += -Wextra
+common_CFLAGS += -O2
+common_CFLAGS += -I lib -I lib/libfdt
+common_CFLAGS += -Wa,-mregnames
+common_CFLAGS += -fpie
+
+CFLAGS += $(arch_CFLAGS) $(common_CFLAGS)
 
 asm-offsets = lib/$(ARCH)/asm-offsets.h
 include scripts/asm-offsets.mak
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ $(TEST_DIR)/boot_rom.bin: $(TEST_DIR)/boot_rom.elf
 	dd if=/dev/zero of=$@ bs=256 count=1
 	$(OBJCOPY) -O binary $^ >(cat - >>$@)
 
+$(TEST_DIR)/boot_rom.elf: CFLAGS = -mbig-endian $(common_CFLAGS) $(main_CFLAGS)
 $(TEST_DIR)/boot_rom.elf: $(TEST_DIR)/boot_rom.o
 	$(LD) -EB -nostdlib -Ttext=0x100 --entry=start --build-id=none -o $@ $<
 
diff --git a/powerpc/Makefile.little b/powerpc/Makefile.little
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c37d2fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/powerpc/Makefile.little
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#
+# ppc64 little-endian makefile
+#
+# Authors: Andrew Jones <drjones@redhat.com>
+#
+bits = 64
+
+arch_CFLAGS = -mlittle-endian
+arch_LDFLAGS = -EL
+
+cstart.o = $(TEST_DIR)/cstart64.o
+reloc.o  = $(TEST_DIR)/reloc64.o
+cflatobjs += lib/ppc64/spinlock.o
+
+# ppc64 specific tests
+tests =
+
+include $(TEST_DIR)/Makefile.common
+
+arch_clean: powerpc_clean
+	$(RM) lib/ppc64/.*.d
diff --git a/powerpc/Makefile.ppc64 b/powerpc/Makefile.ppc64
deleted file mode 100644
index 1cf277e..0000000
--- a/powerpc/Makefile.ppc64
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-#
-# ppc64 makefile
-#
-# Authors: Andrew Jones <drjones@redhat.com>
-#
-bits = 64
-ldarch = elf64-powerpc
-
-arch_CFLAGS = -mbig-endian
-arch_LDFLAGS = -EB
-
-cstart.o = $(TEST_DIR)/cstart64.o
-reloc.o  = $(TEST_DIR)/reloc64.o
-cflatobjs += lib/ppc64/spinlock.o
-
-# ppc64 specific tests
-tests =
-
-include $(TEST_DIR)/Makefile.common
-
-arch_clean: powerpc_clean
-	$(RM) lib/ppc64/.*.d
diff --git a/powerpc/cstart64.S b/powerpc/cstart64.S
index f5530fb..60557a9 100644
--- a/powerpc/cstart64.S
+++ b/powerpc/cstart64.S
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
  */
 #define __ASSEMBLY__
 #include <asm/hcall.h>
+#include <asm/ppc_asm.h>
 
 #define LOAD_REG_IMMEDIATE(reg,expr)		\
 	lis	reg,(expr)@highest;		\
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@
  */
 .globl start
 start:
+	RETURN_FROM_BE
 	/*
 	 * We were loaded at QEMU's kernel load address, but we're not
 	 * allowed to link there due to how QEMU deals with linker VMAs,
@@ -93,11 +95,15 @@ halt:
 enter_rtas:
 	mflr	r0
 	std	r0, 16(r1)
+
+	LOAD_REG_ADDR(r10,rtas_return_loc)
+	mtlr	r10
+
 	LOAD_REG_ADDR(r10, rtas_blob)
-//FIXME: change this bctrl to an rtas-prep, rfid, rtas-return sequence
-	mtctr	r10
-	nop
-	bctrl
+	B_BE(r10)
+
+rtas_return_loc:
+	RETURN_FROM_BE
 	ld	r0, 16(r1)
 	mtlr	r0
 	blr
