diff --git a/doc/build-sdk-quick.txt b/doc/build-sdk-quick.txt
index b5f752e..662ef63 100644
--- a/doc/build-sdk-quick.txt
+++ b/doc/build-sdk-quick.txt
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ Build variables
 	D         debug dependencies
 	O         build directory (default: build/ - install default: ./)
 	DESTDIR   second-stage install directory
+	prefix    root install directory
 	T         target template - used with config or install
 			format: <arch-machine-execenv-toolchain>
 			templates in config/defconfig_*
diff --git a/mk/internal/rte.extvars.mk b/mk/internal/rte.extvars.mk
index e248d19..dfba2f2 100644
--- a/mk/internal/rte.extvars.mk
+++ b/mk/internal/rte.extvars.mk
@@ -51,7 +51,15 @@ endif
 RTE_EXTMK ?= $(RTE_SRCDIR)/Makefile
 export RTE_EXTMK
 
+# RTE_SDK_BIN must point to .config, include/ and lib/.
 RTE_SDK_BIN := $(RTE_SDK)/$(RTE_TARGET)
+ifeq ($(wildcard $(RTE_SDK_BIN)/.config),)
+# RTE_TARGET is empty when using a default SDK installation.
+RTE_SDK_BIN := $(RTE_SDK)
+ifeq ($(wildcard $(RTE_SDK_BIN)/.config),)
+$(error Cannot find .config in $(RTE_SDK))
+endif
+endif
 
 #
 # Output files wil go in a separate directory: default output is
diff --git a/mk/rte.sdkinstall.mk b/mk/rte.sdkinstall.mk
index ed3ed86..91273be 100644
--- a/mk/rte.sdkinstall.mk
+++ b/mk/rte.sdkinstall.mk
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #   BSD LICENSE
 #
 #   Copyright(c) 2010-2014 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
+#   Copyright 2015 6WIND S.A.
 #   All rights reserved.
 #
 #   Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
@@ -32,10 +33,30 @@
 # Build directory is given with O=
 O ?= .
 
+prefix      ?=     /usr/local
+exec_prefix ?=      $(prefix)
+bindir      ?= $(exec_prefix)/bin
+libdir      ?= $(exec_prefix)/lib
+includedir  ?=      $(prefix)/include/dpdk
+datarootdir ?=      $(prefix)/share
+datadir     ?=       $(datarootdir)/dpdk
+sdkdir      ?= $(datadir)
+
+# The install directories may be staged in DESTDIR
+
 # Configuration, compilation and installation can be done at once
 # with make install T=<config>
 # The build directory is T and may be prepended with O
 BUILD_DIR := $O/$T
+# Default usage of T= will install an almost flat staging tree
+export prefix =
+
+# Create the directory $1 if not exists
+rte_mkdir = test -d $1 || mkdir -p $1
+
+# Create the relative symbolic link $2 -> $1
+# May be replaced with --relative option of ln from coreutils-8.16
+rte_symlink = ln -snf $$($(RTE_SDK)/scripts/relpath.sh $1 $(dir $2)) $2
 
 .PHONY: pre_install
 pre_install:
@@ -58,16 +79,28 @@ pre_install:
 
 .PHONY: install
 install: pre_install
-	@echo ================== Installing $(DESTDIR)
-	$(Q)mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)
-	$(Q)tar -C $(RTE_SDK) -cf - mk scripts/*.sh | tar -C $(DESTDIR) -x \
-	  --keep-newer-files --warning=no-ignore-newer -f -
-	$(Q)mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)/$T
-	$(Q)tar -C $(BUILD_DIR) -chf - \
-	  --exclude app --exclude hostapp --exclude build \
-	  --exclude Makefile --exclude .depdirs . | \
-	  tar -C $(DESTDIR)/$T -x --keep-newer-files \
-	  --warning=no-ignore-newer -f -
-	$(Q)install -D $(BUILD_DIR)/app/testpmd \
-	  $(DESTDIR)/$T/app/testpmd
-	@echo Installation in $(DESTDIR) complete
+ifeq '$(DESTDIR)$(if $T,,+)' ''
+	@echo Installation cannot run with T defined and DESTDIR undefined
+else
+	@echo ================== Installing $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/
+	$(Q)$(call rte_mkdir, $(DESTDIR)$(libdir))
+	$(Q)cp -a $(BUILD_DIR)/lib/* $(DESTDIR)$(libdir)
+	$(Q)$(call rte_mkdir, $(DESTDIR)$(bindir))
+	$(Q)tar -cf -      -C $(BUILD_DIR) app  --exclude 'app/*.map' \
+		--exclude 'app/cmdline*' --exclude app/test \
+		--exclude app/testacl --exclude app/testpipeline | \
+	    tar -xf -      -C $(DESTDIR)$(bindir) --strip-components=1 \
+		--keep-newer-files --warning=no-ignore-newer
+	$(Q)$(call rte_mkdir,      $(DESTDIR)$(datadir))
+	$(Q)cp -a $(RTE_SDK)/tools $(DESTDIR)$(datadir)
+	$(Q)$(call rte_mkdir, $(DESTDIR)$(includedir))
+	$(Q)tar -chf -     -C $(BUILD_DIR) include | \
+	    tar -xf -      -C $(DESTDIR)$(includedir) --strip-components=1 \
+		--keep-newer-files --warning=no-ignore-newer
+	$(Q)$(call rte_mkdir,                            $(DESTDIR)$(sdkdir))
+	$(Q)cp -a               $(BUILD_DIR)/.config     $(DESTDIR)$(sdkdir)
+	$(Q)cp -a               $(RTE_SDK)/{mk,scripts}  $(DESTDIR)$(sdkdir)
+	$(Q)$(call rte_symlink, $(DESTDIR)$(includedir), $(DESTDIR)$(sdkdir)/include)
+	$(Q)$(call rte_symlink, $(DESTDIR)$(libdir),     $(DESTDIR)$(sdkdir)/lib)
+	@echo Installation in $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/ complete
+endif
diff --git a/mk/rte.vars.mk b/mk/rte.vars.mk
index f87cf4b..e26d193 100644
--- a/mk/rte.vars.mk
+++ b/mk/rte.vars.mk
@@ -67,13 +67,6 @@ endif
 
 RTE_LIBNAME := dpdk
 
-# RTE_TARGET is deducted from config when we are building the SDK.
-# Else, when building an external app, RTE_TARGET must be specified
-# by the user.
-ifeq ($(RTE_TARGET),)
-$(error RTE_TARGET is not defined)
-endif
-
 ifeq ($(BUILDING_RTE_SDK),)
 # if we are building an external app/lib, include internal/rte.extvars.mk that will
 # define RTE_OUTPUT, RTE_SRCDIR, RTE_EXTMK, RTE_SDK_BIN, (etc ...)
