diff --git a/configure/os/CONFIG.Common.vxWorksCommon b/configure/os/CONFIG.Common.vxWorksCommon
index 50f626959..2a1365697 100644
--- a/configure/os/CONFIG.Common.vxWorksCommon
+++ b/configure/os/CONFIG.Common.vxWorksCommon
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ VXWORKS_MAJOR_VERSION = $(basename $(basename $(VXWORKS_VERSION)))
 
 # These are needed for vxWorks 6.x; the GNU toolset version number
 # is in the path to the compiler tools:
+VX_GNU_VERSION_5   = 2.96
 VX_GNU_VERSION_6.0 = 3.3.2
 VX_GNU_VERSION_6.1 = 3.3.2
 VX_GNU_VERSION_6.2 = 3.3.2
@@ -73,9 +74,17 @@ VX_GNU_VERSION_6.6 = 4.1.2
 VX_GNU_VERSION_6.7 = 4.1.2
 VX_GNU_VERSION_6.8 = 4.1.2
 VX_GNU_VERSION_6.9 = 4.3.3
-VX_GNU_VERSION = $(VX_GNU_VERSION_$(VXWORKS_VERSION))
+VX_GNU_VERSION_6 = $(VX_GNU_VERSION_$(VXWORKS_VERSION))
+VX_GNU_VERSION = $(VX_GNU_VERSION_$(VXWORKS_MAJOR_VERSION))
 
 VX_GNU_MAJOR_VERSION = $(basename $(basename $(VX_GNU_VERSION)))
+VX_GNU_MINOR_VERSION = $(basename $(patsubst $(VX_GNU_MAJOR_VERSION).%,%,$(VX_GNU_VERSION)))
+
+# gcc version before 3.4 are "old" and need special treatment
+VX_OLD_GCC_2   = OLD
+VX_OLD_GCC_3.3 = OLD
+VX_OLD_GCC_3   = $(VX_OLD_GCC_3.$(VX_GNU_MINOR_VERSION))
+VX_OLD_GCC = $(VX_OLD_GCC_$(VX_GNU_MAJOR_VERSION))
 
 #--------------------------------------------------
 # Fix old Linux WIND_HOST_TYPE
@@ -85,14 +94,20 @@ endif
 
 #--------------------------------------------------
 # vxWorks directory definitions
-VX_DIR = $(WIND_BASE)/vxworks-$(VXWORKS_VERSION)
+VX_DIR_5 = $(WIND_BASE)
+VX_DIR_6 = $(WIND_BASE)/vxworks-$(VXWORKS_VERSION)
+VX_DIR = $(VX_DIR_$(VXWORKS_MAJOR_VERSION))
 
-GNU_TARGET_INCLUDE_DIR = $(VX_DIR)/target/h $(VX_DIR)/target/h/wrn/coreip
+VX_INCLUDE_DIRS_5 = $(VX_DIR)/target/h
+VX_INCLUDE_DIRS_6 = $(VX_DIR)/target/h $(VX_DIR)/target/h/wrn/coreip
+GNU_TARGET_INCLUDE_DIR = $(VX_INCLUDE_DIRS_$(VXWORKS_MAJOR_VERSION))
 
 #--------------------------------------------------
 # vxWorks GNU directories
 
-GNU_DIR = $(WIND_BASE)/gnu/$(VX_GNU_VERSION)-vxworks-$(VXWORKS_VERSION)/$(WIND_HOST_TYPE)
+GNU_DIR_5 = $(WIND_BASE)/host/$(WIND_HOST_TYPE)
+GNU_DIR_6 = $(WIND_BASE)/gnu/$(VX_GNU_VERSION)-vxworks-$(VXWORKS_VERSION)/$(WIND_HOST_TYPE)
+GNU_DIR = $(GNU_DIR_$(VXWORKS_MAJOR_VERSION))
 
 #--------------------------------------------------
 # This finds nm on any supported VxWorks version
@@ -133,12 +148,18 @@ OPT_CXXFLAGS_YES = -O2
 # code flags
 CODE_CFLAGS =
 #
-# For vxWorks versions before 6.3 we need this g++ compiler flag
-CODE_CXXFLAGS_6.0 = -fno-implicit-templates
-CODE_CXXFLAGS_6.1 = -fno-implicit-templates
-CODE_CXXFLAGS_6.2 = -fno-implicit-templates
-CODE_CXXFLAGS_6 = $(CODE_CXXFLAGS_$(VXWORKS_VERSION))
-CODE_CXXFLAGS = $(CODE_CXXFLAGS_$(VXWORKS_MAJOR_VERSION))
+# For gcc versions before 3.4 we need this g++ compiler flag
+CODE_CXXFLAGS_OLD = -fno-implicit-templates
+CODE_CXXFLAGS = $(CODE_CXXFLAGS_$(VX_OLD_GCC))
+
+#--------------------------------------------------
+# Modules we cannot build with old compiler
+
+PV_MODULES = pv% normativeTypes
+SKIP_BUILDS_5 = $(PV_MODULES)
+SKIP_BUILDS_OLD = $(PV_MODULES)
+SKIP_BUILDS_6 = $(SKIP_BUILDS_$(VX_OLD_GCC))
+SKIP_BUILDS = $(SKIP_BUILDS_$(VXWORKS_MAJOR_VERSION))
 
 #--------------------------------------------------
 # no shared libs for vxWorks
diff --git a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
index 6e1a3f3a4..7ec1fa64e 100644
--- a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
+++ b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
@@ -18,13 +18,14 @@
 
 -->
 
-<h3>Skipping build of modules</h3>
+<h3>Skipping build of modules and re-enabling vxWorks 5</h3>
 
 <p>Any module can be skipped during the build for a given architecture by setting
-the variable <tt>SKIP_BUILDS</tt> to a list of patterns matching the
+the Makfile variable <tt>SKIP_BUILDS</tt> to a list of patterns matching the
 module directories to skip. For example to skip building any pvAccess related
 modules set <code>SKIP_BUILDS=pv%&nbsp;normativeTypes</code> in the
 CONFIG.Common.&lt;arch&gt; file for that architecture.
+The builds for vxWorks 5 and up to 6.2 do that.
 </p>
 
 <h3>Git Branches Recombined</h3>