diff --git a/config/CONFIG_COMPAT b/config/CONFIG_COMPAT
index b30ce06eb..d68d91ada 100644
--- a/config/CONFIG_COMPAT
+++ b/config/CONFIG_COMPAT
@@ -22,3 +22,15 @@ endif
 endif
 
 HOST_ARCH := $(EPICS_HOST_ARCH)
+
+# Note: 
+# The EPICS_HOST_ARCH solaris-sparc-gnu is new for base release R3.14
+# so existing R3.13 applications, when HOST_ARCH is set to solaris and
+# when built with R3.14, will look for base solaris-sparc directories
+# and not solaris-sparc-gnu. If you plan to build R3.13 applications 
+# against a solaris-sparc-gnu built R3.14 base, you should set
+# ANSI=GCC and CPLUSPLUS=G++ in base/config/CONFIG_SITE.Host.solaris
+# and change ARCH_solaris=solaris-sparc to ARCH_solaris=solaris-sparc-gnu
+# in base/config/CONFIG_COMPAT.
+
+