diff -r f2eb2d4488db -r 75982791ddb6 make/linux/makefiles/buildtree.make
--- a/make/linux/makefiles/buildtree.make	Thu Oct 04 20:09:46 2012 -0400
+++ b/make/linux/makefiles/buildtree.make	Mon Oct 08 09:18:54 2012 -0400
@@ -156,6 +156,13 @@
   endif
 endif
 
+# if hotspot-only build and/or OPENJDK isn't passed down, need to set OPENJDK
+ifndef OPENJDK
+  ifneq ($(call if-has-altsrc,$(HS_COMMON_SRC)/,true,false),true)
+    OPENJDK=true
+  endif
+endif
+
 BUILDTREE_VARS += HOTSPOT_RELEASE_VERSION=$(HS_BUILD_VER) HOTSPOT_BUILD_VERSION=  JRE_RELEASE_VERSION=$(JRE_RELEASE_VERSION)
 
 BUILDTREE	= \
@@ -198,6 +205,7 @@
 	echo "SA_BUILD_VERSION = $(HS_BUILD_VER)"; \
 	echo "HOTSPOT_BUILD_USER = $(HOTSPOT_BUILD_USER)"; \
 	echo "HOTSPOT_VM_DISTRO = $(HOTSPOT_VM_DISTRO)"; \
+	echo "OPENJDK = $(OPENJDK)"; \
 	echo; \
 	echo "# Used for platform dispatching"; \
 	echo "TARGET_DEFINES  = -DTARGET_OS_FAMILY_\$$(Platform_os_family)"; \