diff --git a/ABI_VERSION b/ABI_VERSION
index 2e73f8d2aa..fcc01369af 100644
--- a/ABI_VERSION
+++ b/ABI_VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-20.1
+20.0.1
diff --git a/config/meson.build b/config/meson.build
index 364a8d7394..01911ecf94 100644
--- a/config/meson.build
+++ b/config/meson.build
@@ -20,9 +20,19 @@ pver = meson.project_version().split('.')
 major_version = '@0@.@1@'.format(pver.get(0), pver.get(1))
 abi_version = run_command(find_program('cat', 'more'),
 	abi_version_file).stdout().strip()
-# experimental libraries are versioned as 0.majorminor versions, e.g. 0.201
-ever = abi_version.split('.')
-experimental_abi_version = '0.@0@@1@'.format(ever.get(0), ever.get(1))
+
+# Regular libraries have the abi_version as the filename extension
+# and have the soname be all but the final part of the abi_version.
+# Experimental libraries have soname with '0.major'
+# and the filename suffix as 0.majorminor versions,
+# e.g. v20.1 => librte_stable.so.20.1, librte_experimental.so.0.201
+#    sonames => librte_stable.so.20, librte_experimental.so.0.20
+# e.g. v20.0.1 => librte_stable.so.20.0.1, librte_experimental.so.0.2001
+#      sonames => librte_stable.so.20.0, librte_experimental.so.0.200
+abi_va = abi_version.split('.')
+stable_so_version = abi_va.length() == 2 ? abi_va[0] : abi_va[0] + '.' + abi_va[1]
+experimental_abi_version = '0.' + ''.join(abi_va)
+experimental_so_version = '0.' + ''.join(stable_so_version.split('.'))
 
 # extract all version information into the build configuration
 dpdk_conf.set('RTE_VER_YEAR', pver.get(0).to_int())
diff --git a/drivers/meson.build b/drivers/meson.build
index 72eec46088..4b17662b7d 100644
--- a/drivers/meson.build
+++ b/drivers/meson.build
@@ -132,10 +132,10 @@ foreach class:dpdk_driver_classes
 
 			if is_experimental != 0
 				lib_version = experimental_abi_version
-				so_version = experimental_abi_version
+				so_version = experimental_so_version
 			else
 				lib_version = abi_version
-				so_version = abi_version
+				so_version = stable_so_version
 			endif
 
 			# now build the static driver
diff --git a/examples/ethtool/lib/Makefile b/examples/ethtool/lib/Makefile
index 9da7dc3ba2..6494741270 100644
--- a/examples/ethtool/lib/Makefile
+++ b/examples/ethtool/lib/Makefile
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ endif
 # library name
 LIB = librte_ethtool.a
 
-LIBABIVER := 1
+LIBABIVER := 0.1
 
 # all source are stored in SRC-Y
 SRCS-y := rte_ethtool.c
diff --git a/lib/meson.build b/lib/meson.build
index 6ceb5e756e..0af3efab29 100644
--- a/lib/meson.build
+++ b/lib/meson.build
@@ -113,10 +113,10 @@ foreach l:libraries
 
 			if is_experimental != 0
 				lib_version = experimental_abi_version
-				so_version = experimental_abi_version
+				so_version = experimental_so_version
 			else
 				lib_version = abi_version
-				so_version = abi_version
+				so_version = stable_so_version
 			endif
 
 			# first build static lib
diff --git a/mk/rte.lib.mk b/mk/rte.lib.mk
index 655a1b1437..b1a8372cc2 100644
--- a/mk/rte.lib.mk
+++ b/mk/rte.lib.mk
@@ -11,14 +11,16 @@ EXTLIB_BUILD ?= n
 # VPATH contains at least SRCDIR
 VPATH += $(SRCDIR)
 
-ifneq ($(shell grep -s "^DPDK_" $(SRCDIR)/$(EXPORT_MAP)),)
-LIBABIVER := $(shell cat $(RTE_SRCDIR)/ABI_VERSION)
-else ifeq ($(LIBABIVER),)
+LIBABIVER ?= $(shell cat $(RTE_SRCDIR)/ABI_VERSION)
+SOVER := $(basename $(LIBABIVER))
+ifeq ($(shell grep -s "^DPDK_" $(SRCDIR)/$(EXPORT_MAP)),)
 # EXPERIMENTAL ABI is versioned as 0.major+minor, e.g. 0.201 for 20.1 ABI
-LIBABIVER := 0.$(shell cat $(RTE_SRCDIR)/ABI_VERSION | tr -d '.')
+LIBABIVER := 0.$(shell echo $(LIBABIVER) | tr -d '.')
+SOVER := 0.$(shell echo $(SOVER) | tr -d '.')
 endif
 
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_RTE_BUILD_SHARED_LIB),y)
+SONAME := $(patsubst %.a,%.so.$(SOVER),$(LIB))
 LIB := $(patsubst %.a,%.so.$(LIBABIVER),$(LIB))
 ifeq ($(EXTLIB_BUILD),n)
 CPU_LDFLAGS += --version-script=$(SRCDIR)/$(EXPORT_MAP)
@@ -74,7 +76,7 @@ NO_UNDEFINED := -z defs
 endif
 
 O_TO_S = $(LD) -L$(RTE_SDK_BIN)/lib $(_CPU_LDFLAGS) $(EXTRA_LDFLAGS) \
-	  -shared $(OBJS-y) $(NO_UNDEFINED) $(LDLIBS) -Wl,-soname,$(LIB) -o $(LIB)
+	  -shared $(OBJS-y) $(NO_UNDEFINED) $(LDLIBS) -Wl,-soname,$(SONAME) -o $(LIB)
 O_TO_S_STR = $(subst ','\'',$(O_TO_S)) #'# fix syntax highlight
 O_TO_S_DISP = $(if $(V),"$(O_TO_S_STR)","  LD $(@)")
 O_TO_S_DO = @set -e; \
@@ -133,6 +135,7 @@ $(RTE_OUTPUT)/lib/$(LIB): $(LIB)
 	$(Q)cp -f $(LIB) $(RTE_OUTPUT)/lib
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_RTE_BUILD_SHARED_LIB),y)
 	$(Q)ln -s -f $< $(shell echo $@ | sed 's/\.so.*/.so/')
+	$(Q)ln -s -f $< $(shell echo $@ | sed 's/\.so.*/.so.$(SOVER)/')
 endif
 
 #