diff --git a/PVE/API2.pm b/PVE/API2.pm
index ff2592b7..847736af 100644
--- a/PVE/API2.pm
+++ b/PVE/API2.pm
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use strict;
 use warnings;
 
 use Apache2::Const qw(:http);
+use PVE::pvecfg;
 use PVE::RESTHandler;
 
 use base qw(PVE::RESTHandler);
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
     code => sub {
 	my ($resp, $param) = @_;
     
-	my $res = [];
+	my $res = [ { subdir => 'version' } ];
 
 	my $ma = PVE::API2->method_attributes();
 
@@ -72,4 +73,27 @@ __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 	return $res;
     }});
 
+__PACKAGE__->register_method ({
+    name => 'version', 
+    path => 'version',
+    method => 'GET',
+    permissions => { user => 'all' },
+    description => "API version details",
+    parameters => {
+	additionalProperties => 0,
+	properties => {},
+    },
+    returns => {
+	type => "object",
+	properties => {
+	    version => { type => 'string' },
+	    release => { type => 'string' },
+	    repoid => { type => 'string' },
+	},
+    },
+    code => sub {
+	my ($resp, $param) = @_;
+    
+	return PVE::pvecfg::version_info();
+    }});
 1;
diff --git a/PVE/API2/Nodes.pm b/PVE/API2/Nodes.pm
index d2be863b..fe6249c3 100644
--- a/PVE/API2/Nodes.pm
+++ b/PVE/API2/Nodes.pm
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 	my ($param) = @_;
     
 	my $result = [
+	    { name => 'version' },
 	    { name => 'syslog' },
 	    { name => 'status' },
 	    { name => 'tasks' },
@@ -115,6 +116,33 @@ __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 	return $result;
     }});
 
+__PACKAGE__->register_method ({
+    name => 'version', 
+    path => 'version',
+    method => 'GET',
+    proxyto => 'node',
+    permissions => { user => 'all' },
+    description => "API version details",
+    parameters => {
+    	additionalProperties => 0,
+	properties => {
+	    node => get_standard_option('pve-node'),
+	},
+    },
+    returns => {
+	type => "object",
+	properties => {
+	    version => { type => 'string' },
+	    release => { type => 'string' },
+	    repoid => { type => 'string' },
+	},
+    },
+    code => sub {
+	my ($resp, $param) = @_;
+    
+	return PVE::pvecfg::version_info();
+    }});
+
 __PACKAGE__->register_method({
     name => 'beancounters_failcnt', 
     path => 'ubcfailcnt',
@@ -266,8 +294,7 @@ __PACKAGE__->register_method({
 	};
 
 	$res->{pveversion} = PVE::pvecfg::package() . "/" .
-	    PVE::pvecfg::version() . "/" .
-	    PVE::pvecfg::repoid();
+	    PVE::pvecfg::version_text();
 
 	my $dinfo = df('/', 1);     # output is bytes
 
diff --git a/PVE/Makefile b/PVE/Makefile
index ec604fde..4f42ce14 100644
--- a/PVE/Makefile
+++ b/PVE/Makefile
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ all: pvecfg.pm ${SUBDIRS}
 REPOID=`../repoid.pl ../.git`
 
 pvecfg.pm: pvecfg.pm.in
-	sed -e s/@VERSION@/${VERSION}/ -e s/@PACKAGE@/${PACKAGE}/ -e s/@REPOID@/${REPOID}/ $< >$@.tmp
+	sed -e s/@VERSION@/${VERSION}/ -e s/@PACKAGERELEASE@/${PACKAGERELEASE}/ -e s/@PACKAGE@/${PACKAGE}/ -e s/@REPOID@/${REPOID}/ $< >$@.tmp
 	mv $@.tmp $@
 
 %:
diff --git a/PVE/pvecfg.pm.in b/PVE/pvecfg.pm.in
index 12a633db..376ed5d1 100644
--- a/PVE/pvecfg.pm.in
+++ b/PVE/pvecfg.pm.in
@@ -12,8 +12,26 @@ sub version {
 	return '@VERSION@';
 }
 
+sub release {
+	return '@PACKAGERELEASE@';
+}
+
 sub repoid {
 	return '@REPOID@';
 }
 
-1;
\ No newline at end of file
+# this is diplayed on the GUI
+sub version_text {
+    return '@VERSION@-@PACKAGERELEASE@/@REPOID@';
+}
+
+# this is returned by the API
+sub version_info {
+    return {
+	'version' => '@VERSION@',
+	'release' => '@PACKAGERELEASE@',
+	'repoid' => '@REPOID@',
+    }
+}
+
+1;
diff --git a/www/manager/index.pl b/www/manager/index.pl
index 7f89a948..ddde3867 100644
--- a/www/manager/index.pl
+++ b/www/manager/index.pl
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ if (my $cookie = $r->headers_in->{Cookie}) {
 	$token = PVE::AccessControl::assemble_csrf_prevention_token($username);
     }
 }
-my $version = PVE::pvecfg::version() . "/" . PVE::pvecfg::repoid();
+my $version = PVE::pvecfg::version_text();
 $username = '' if !$username;
 
 my $cgi = CGI->new($r);