diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/filesearch.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/filesearch.rs
index fd8c620dc4e96..c9fb747ba1160 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/filesearch.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/filesearch.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 // except according to those terms.
 
 use std::cell::RefCell;
-use std::option;
 use std::os;
 use std::io;
 use std::io::fs;
@@ -160,32 +159,22 @@ fn make_rustpkg_target_lib_path(dir: &Path,
 }
 
 pub fn get_or_default_sysroot() -> Path {
-    // Follow symlinks.  If the resolved path is relative, make it absolute.
-    fn canonicalize(path: Option<Path>) -> Option<Path> {
-        path.and_then(|mut path|
-            match io::io_error::cond.trap(|_| ()).inside(|| fs::readlink(&path)) {
-                Some(canon) => {
-                    if canon.is_absolute() {
-                        Some(canon)
-                    } else {
-                        path.pop();
-                        Some(path.join(canon))
-                    }
-                },
-                None => Some(path),
-            })
-    }
-
-    match canonicalize(os::self_exe_name()) {
-      option::Some(p) => { let mut p = p; p.pop(); p.pop(); p }
-      option::None => fail!("can't determine value for sysroot")
+    // Use the realpath function order to get the true real path of `rustc`, we
+    // want to avoid dealing with symlinks.
+    match os::self_exe_path() {
+        Some(p) => {
+            let mut p = fs::realpath(&p);
+            p.pop();
+            p
+        }
+        None => fail!("can't determine value for sysroot")
     }
 }
 
 fn get_sysroot(maybe_sysroot: &Option<@Path>) -> @Path {
     match *maybe_sysroot {
-      option::Some(sr) => sr,
-      option::None => @get_or_default_sysroot()
+        Some(sr) => sr,
+        None => @get_or_default_sysroot()
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libstd/io/fs.rs b/src/libstd/io/fs.rs
index cb98ff21105bb..2c3e5040a4ca8 100644
--- a/src/libstd/io/fs.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/io/fs.rs
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ use super::{SeekStyle, Read, Write, Open, IoError, Truncate,
 use rt::rtio::{RtioFileStream, IoFactory, LocalIo};
 use io;
 use option::{Some, None, Option};
+use os;
 use result::{Ok, Err};
 use path;
 use path::{Path, GenericPath};
@@ -437,6 +438,65 @@ pub fn readlink(path: &Path) -> Option<Path> {
     LocalIo::maybe_raise(|io| io.fs_readlink(&path.to_c_str()))
 }
 
+/// Returns an absolute path in the filesystem that `path` points to. The
+/// returned path does not contain any symlinks in its hierarchy.
+///
+/// # Errors
+///
+/// If this function encounters errors, it will raise the error on the
+/// `io_error` condition and the original path argument is returned.
+pub fn realpath(original: &Path) -> Path {
+    static MAX_LINKS_FOLLOWED: uint = 256;
+    let mut io = match LocalIo::borrow() {
+        Some(io) => io,
+        None => {
+            io_error::cond.raise(io::standard_error(io::IoUnavailable));
+            return original.clone()
+        }
+    };
+    let original = os::make_absolute(original);
+
+    let result = original.root_path();
+    let mut result = result.expect("make_absolute has no root_path");
+    let mut followed = 0;
+
+    for part in original.components() {
+        result.push(part);
+
+        loop {
+            if followed == MAX_LINKS_FOLLOWED {
+                io_error::cond.raise(io::IoError {
+                    kind: io::OtherIoError,
+                    desc: "too many symlinks",
+                    detail: None,
+                });
+                return original.clone();
+            }
+
+            let to_test = result.to_c_str();
+            match io.get().fs_lstat(&to_test) {
+                Err(..) => break,
+                Ok(ref stat) if stat.kind != io::TypeSymlink => break,
+                Ok(..) => {
+                    followed += 1;
+                    match io.get().fs_readlink(&to_test) {
+                        Ok(path) => {
+                            result.pop();
+                            result.push(path);
+                        }
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            io_error::cond.raise(e);
+                            return original.clone();
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return result;
+}
+
 /// Create a new, empty directory at the provided path
 ///
 /// # Example
@@ -704,7 +764,7 @@ mod test {
     use str;
     use io::fs::{File, rmdir, mkdir, readdir, rmdir_recursive,
                  mkdir_recursive, copy, unlink, stat, symlink, link,
-                 readlink, chmod, lstat, change_file_times};
+                 readlink, chmod, lstat, change_file_times, realpath};
     use util;
     use path::Path;
     use io;
@@ -1252,4 +1312,46 @@ mod test {
             Err(..) => {}
         }
     }
+
+    iotest!(fn realpath_works() {
+        let tmpdir = tmpdir();
+        let tmpdir = realpath(tmpdir.path());
+        let file = tmpdir.join("test");
+        let dir = tmpdir.join("test2");
+        let link = dir.join("link");
+        let linkdir = tmpdir.join("test3");
+
+        File::create(&file);
+        mkdir(&dir, io::UserRWX);
+        symlink(&file, &link);
+        symlink(&dir, &linkdir);
+
+        assert_eq!(realpath(&tmpdir), tmpdir);
+        assert_eq!(realpath(&file), file);
+        assert_eq!(realpath(&link), file);
+        assert_eq!(realpath(&linkdir), dir);
+        assert_eq!(realpath(&linkdir.join("link")), file);
+    } #[ignore(cfg(windows))])
+
+    iotest!(fn realpath_works_tricky() {
+        let tmpdir = tmpdir();
+        let tmpdir = realpath(tmpdir.path());
+
+        let a = tmpdir.join("a");
+        let b = a.join("b");
+        let c = b.join("c");
+        let d = a.join("d");
+        let e = d.join("e");
+        let f = a.join("f");
+
+        mkdir_recursive(&b, io::UserRWX);
+        mkdir_recursive(&d, io::UserRWX);
+        File::create(&f);
+        symlink(&Path::new("../d/e"), &c);
+        symlink(&Path::new("../f"), &e);
+
+        assert_eq!(realpath(&c), f);
+        assert_eq!(realpath(&e), f);
+
+    } #[ignore(cfg(windows))])
 }