diff --git a/racket/collects/openssl/libcrypto.rkt b/racket/collects/openssl/libcrypto.rkt
index a2ba657ffe..8eeefd4120 100644
--- a/racket/collects/openssl/libcrypto.rkt
+++ b/racket/collects/openssl/libcrypto.rkt
@@ -4,7 +4,38 @@
          (for-syntax racket/base))
 
 (provide libcrypto
-         libcrypto-load-fail-reason)
+         libcrypto-load-fail-reason
+         openssl-lib-versions)
+
+;; Notes on shared library versions when provided by OS
+;; ie, VERSION s.t. OS provides "lib{crypto,ssl}.{so,dylib}.$VERSION"
+;;
+;; - Debian and Ubuntu use a few fixed library versions even though
+;;   actual OpenSSL version changes:
+;;   - Debian squeeze: lib{crypto,ssl}.so.0.9.8
+;;   - Debian {wheezy, jessie, stretch, sid}: lib{crypto,ssl}.so.1.0.0
+;;   - Ubuntu {14.04, 14.10, 15.04}: lib{crypto,ssl}.so.1.0.0
+;;   - Debian and Ubuntu also provide versionless library in pkg "libssl-dev"
+;; - Fedora provides libraries suffixed with actual versions (eg
+;;   1.0.1k) as well as a simply-versioned symlink (eg libssl.so.10):
+;;   - Fedora {19, 20}: lib{crypto,ssl}.so.1.0.1e, also lib{crypto,ssl}.so.10
+;;   - Fedora 21: lib{crypto,ssl}.so.1.0.1j, also lib{crypto,ssl}.so.10
+;;   - Fedora 22: lib{crypto,ssl}.so.1.0.1k, also lib{crypto,ssl}.so.10
+;;   - Fedora also provides a versionless library in pkg "openssl-devel"
+;; - Mac OS X includes 0.9.8, 0.9.7, and versionless
+
+(define openssl-lib-versions
+  '(;; Versionless (eg from devel pkg)
+    ""
+
+    ;; Compatibility-based version / SONAME
+    "10"     ;; Fedora
+    "1.0.0"  ;; Debian, Ubuntu
+
+    ;; Other specific known versions
+    "1.0.1k" "1.0.1j" "1.0.1g" "1.0.1e"
+    "1.0" "1.0.0" "1.0.0e" "1.0.0d" "1.0.0c" "1.0.0b" "1.0.0a"
+    "0.9.8e" "0.9.8b" "0.9.8" "0.9.7"))
 
 (define libcrypto-load-fail-reason #f)
 
@@ -19,7 +50,4 @@
   (with-handlers ([exn:fail? (lambda (x)
                                (set! libcrypto-load-fail-reason (exn-message x))
                                #f)])
-    (ffi-lib libcrypto-so '(""
-                            "1.0.1e"
-                            "1.0.0" "1.0"
-                            "0.9.8b" "0.9.8" "0.9.7"))))
+    (ffi-lib libcrypto-so openssl-lib-versions)))
diff --git a/racket/collects/openssl/libssl.rkt b/racket/collects/openssl/libssl.rkt
index 4f4dd305ba..122a346fa1 100644
--- a/racket/collects/openssl/libssl.rkt
+++ b/racket/collects/openssl/libssl.rkt
@@ -22,8 +22,4 @@
                         (lambda (x)
                           (set! libssl-load-fail-reason (exn-message x))
                           #f)])
-         (ffi-lib libssl-so
-                  '(""
-                    "1.0.1j" "1.0.1g" "1.0.1e"
-                    "1.0" "1.0.0" "1.0.0e" "1.0.0d" "1.0.0c" "1.0.0b" "1.0.0a"
-                    "0.9.8e" "0.9.8b" "0.9.8" "0.9.7")))))
+         (ffi-lib libssl-so openssl-lib-versions))))