diff --git a/bin/python/Makefile.in b/bin/python/Makefile.in
index 534fd72b96..3920a8072a 100644
--- a/bin/python/Makefile.in
+++ b/bin/python/Makefile.in
@@ -59,9 +59,11 @@ install:: ${TARGETS} installdirs
 	${INSTALL_DATA} ${srcdir}/dnssec-checkds.8 ${DESTDIR}${mandir}/man8
 	${INSTALL_DATA} ${srcdir}/dnssec-coverage.8 ${DESTDIR}${mandir}/man8
 	${INSTALL_DATA} ${srcdir}/dnssec-keymgr.8 ${DESTDIR}${mandir}/man8
+	test -z "${PYTHON}" || ${PYTHON} setup.py install --prefix=${DESTDIR}${prefix}
 
 clean distclean::
 	rm -f ${TARGETS}
+	rm -rf build
 
 distclean::
 	rm -f dnssec-checkds.py dnssec-coverage.py dnssec-keymgr.py
diff --git a/bin/python/isc/Makefile.in b/bin/python/isc/Makefile.in
index 322c802f26..0bc39e42cf 100644
--- a/bin/python/isc/Makefile.in
+++ b/bin/python/isc/Makefile.in
@@ -24,9 +24,7 @@ PYTHON	=	@PYTHON@
 
 PYSRCS =	__init__.py dnskey.py eventlist.py keydict.py \
 		keyevent.py keyzone.py policy.py
-TARGETS =	parsetab.py parsetab.pyc \
-		__init__.pyc dnskey.pyc eventlist.py keydict.py \
-		keyevent.pyc keyzone.pyc policy.pyc
+TARGETS =	parsetab.py
 
 @BIND9_MAKE_RULES@
 
@@ -34,35 +32,15 @@ TARGETS =	parsetab.py parsetab.pyc \
 .py.pyc:
 	$(PYTHON) -m compileall .
 
-parsetab.py parsetab.pyc: policy.py
+parsetab.py: policy.py
 	$(PYTHON) policy.py parse /dev/null > /dev/null
 	$(PYTHON) -m parsetab
 
-installdirs:
-	$(SHELL) ${top_srcdir}/mkinstalldirs ${DESTDIR}${libdir}/isc
-
-install:: ${PYSRCS} installdirs
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} __init__.py ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} __init__.pyc ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} dnskey.py ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} dnskey.pyc ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} eventlist.py ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} eventlist.pyc ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} keydict.py ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} keydict.pyc ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} keyevent.py ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} keyevent.pyc ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} keyzone.py ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} keyzone.pyc ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} policy.py ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} policy.pyc ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} parsetab.py ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-	${INSTALL_SCRIPT} parsetab.pyc ${DESTDIR}${libdir}
-
 check test: subdirs
 
 clean distclean::
 	rm -f *.pyc parser.out parsetab.py
+	rm -rf __pycache__ build
 
 distclean::
 	rm -Rf utils.py
diff --git a/bin/python/isc/__init__.py b/bin/python/isc/__init__.py
index f0770859ec..f408af24fb 100644
--- a/bin/python/isc/__init__.py
+++ b/bin/python/isc/__init__.py
@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@
 # PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
 ############################################################################
 
-__all__ = ['dnskey', 'eventlist', 'keydict', 'keyevent', 'keyseries',
-           'keyzone', 'policy', 'parsetab', 'utils']
+__all__ = ['checkds', 'coverage', 'keymgr', 'dnskey', 'eventlist',
+           'keydict', 'keyevent', 'keyseries', 'keyzone', 'policy',
+           'parsetab', 'utils']
+
 from isc.dnskey import *
 from isc.eventlist import *
 from isc.keydict import *
diff --git a/bin/python/isc/checkds.py b/bin/python/isc/checkds.py
index 6be5e444b8..57e027a977 100644
--- a/bin/python/isc/checkds.py
+++ b/bin/python/isc/checkds.py
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class SECRR:
         if not rrtext:
             raise Exception
 
-        fields = rrtext.split()
+        fields = rrtext.decode('ascii').split()
         if len(fields) < 7:
             raise Exception
 
@@ -75,7 +75,8 @@ class SECRR:
             fields = fields[2:]
 
         if fields[0].upper() != self.rrtype:
-            raise Exception
+            raise Exception('%s does not match %s' %
+                            (fields[0].upper(), self.rrtype))
 
         self.keyid, self.keyalg, self.hashalg = map(int, fields[1:4])
         self.digest = ''.join(fields[4:]).upper()
diff --git a/bin/python/isc/coverage.py b/bin/python/isc/coverage.py
index 01ceef2730..fe566275bc 100644
--- a/bin/python/isc/coverage.py
+++ b/bin/python/isc/coverage.py
@@ -27,9 +27,7 @@ from collections import defaultdict
 
 prog = 'dnssec-coverage'
 
-from isc import *
-from isc.utils import prefix
-
+from isc import dnskey, eventlist, keydict, keyevent, keyzone, utils
 
 ############################################################################
 # print a fatal error and exit
@@ -139,7 +137,8 @@ def set_path(command, default=None):
 def parse_args():
     """Read command line arguments, set global 'args' structure"""
     compilezone = set_path('named-compilezone',
-                           os.path.join(prefix('sbin'), 'named-compilezone'))
+                           os.path.join(utils.prefix('sbin'),
+                           'named-compilezone'))
 
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=prog + ': checks future ' +
                                      'DNSKEY coverage for a zone')
diff --git a/bin/python/isc/dnskey.py b/bin/python/isc/dnskey.py
index fa7e9c4a3d..744e239c1f 100644
--- a/bin/python/isc/dnskey.py
+++ b/bin/python/isc/dnskey.py
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class dnskey:
             self.fromtuple(name, alg, keyid, keyttl)
 
         self._dir = directory or os.path.dirname(key) or '.'
-        key = os.path.basename(key).decode('ascii')
+        key = os.path.basename(key)
         (name, alg, keyid) = key.split('+')
         name = name[1:-1]
         alg = int(alg)
@@ -204,11 +204,11 @@ class dnskey:
             raise Exception('unable to generate key: ' + str(stderr))
 
         try:
-            keystr = stdout.splitlines()[0]
+            keystr = stdout.splitlines()[0].decode('ascii')
             newkey = dnskey(keystr, keys_dir, ttl)
             return newkey
         except Exception as e:
-            raise Exception('unable to generate key: %s' % str(e))
+            raise Exception('unable to parse generated key: %s' % str(e))
 
     def generate_successor(self, keygen_bin, **kwargs):
         quiet = kwargs.get('quiet', False)
diff --git a/bin/python/isc/keymgr.py b/bin/python/isc/keymgr.py
index 8aa6cceff8..154f388b12 100644
--- a/bin/python/isc/keymgr.py
+++ b/bin/python/isc/keymgr.py
@@ -20,8 +20,7 @@ from collections import defaultdict
 
 prog='dnssec-keymgr'
 
-from isc import *
-from isc.utils import prefix
+from isc import dnskey, keydict, keyseries, policy, parsetab, utils
 
 ############################################################################
 # print a fatal error and exit
@@ -63,9 +62,9 @@ def parse_args():
     """
 
     keygen = set_path('dnssec-keygen',
-                      os.path.join(prefix('sbin'), 'dnssec-keygen'))
+                      os.path.join(utils.prefix('sbin'), 'dnssec-keygen'))
     settime = set_path('dnssec-settime',
-                       os.path.join(prefix('sbin'), 'dnssec-settime'))
+                       os.path.join(utils.prefix('sbin'), 'dnssec-settime'))
 
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=prog + ': schedule '
                                      'DNSSEC key rollovers according to a '
diff --git a/bin/python/isc/policy.py b/bin/python/isc/policy.py
index 14fd8535da..2f90383890 100644
--- a/bin/python/isc/policy.py
+++ b/bin/python/isc/policy.py
@@ -101,8 +101,12 @@ class PolicyLex:
         t.lexer.skip(1)
 
     def __init__(self, **kwargs):
+        if 'maketrans' in dir(str):
+            trans = str.maketrans('_', '-')
+        else:
+            trans = maketrans('_', '-')
         for r in self.reserved:
-            self.reserved_map[r.lower().translate(str.maketrans('_', '-'))] = r
+            self.reserved_map[r.lower().translate(trans)] = r
         self.lexer = lex.lex(object=self, **kwargs)
 
     def test(self, text):
diff --git a/bin/python/setup.py b/bin/python/setup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d7ea4a4d41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/python/setup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+from distutils.core import setup
+setup(name='isc',
+      version='2.0',
+      description='Python functions to support BIND utilities',
+      url='https://www.isc.org/bind',
+      author='Internet Systems Consortium, Inc',
+      license='ISC',
+      packages=['isc'])
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 36097c774e..0f05532263 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -11893,11 +11893,12 @@ $as_echo_n "checking python module 'ply'... " >&6; }
 					{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: found" >&5
 $as_echo "found" >&6; }
 					break
-				fi
-				{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: not found" >&5
+                                else
+                                        { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: not found" >&5
 $as_echo "not found" >&6; }
-				unset ac_cv_path_PYTHON
-				unset PYTHON
+                                        unset ac_cv_path_PYTHON
+                                        unset PYTHON
+				fi
 			done
 			if test "X$PYTHON" = "X"
 			then
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 413fd26d17..394bc17448 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -258,10 +258,11 @@ case "$use_python" in
 				if ${PYTHON:-false} -c "$testply"; then
 					AC_MSG_RESULT([found])
 					break
+                                else
+                                        AC_MSG_RESULT([not found])
+                                        unset ac_cv_path_PYTHON
+                                        unset PYTHON
 				fi
-				AC_MSG_RESULT([not found])
-				unset ac_cv_path_PYTHON
-				unset PYTHON
 			done
 			if test "X$PYTHON" = "X"
 			then