diff --git a/chapter03/patches.xml b/chapter03/patches.xml
index 9473dbbf5..76a756b94 100644
--- a/chapter03/patches.xml
+++ b/chapter03/patches.xml
@@ -18,125 +18,125 @@ needed to build an LFS system:</para>
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Bash Various Fixes - 23 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;bash-&bash-version;-fixes-3.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&bash-fixes-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Bash Avoid Wcontinued Patch - 1 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;bash-&bash-version;-avoid_WCONTINUED-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&bash-avoid_WCONTINUED-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Bzip2 Documentation Patch - 1 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;bzip2-&bzip2-version;-install_docs-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&bzip2-docs-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Bzip2 Bzgrep Security Fixes Patch - 1 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;bzip2-&bzip2-version;-bzgrep_security-1"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&bzip2-bzgrep-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Coreutils Suppress Uptime, Kill, Su Patch - 15 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;coreutils-&coreutils-version;-suppress_uptime_kill_su-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&coreutils-suppress-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Coreutils Uname Patch - 4 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;coreutils-&coreutils-version;-uname-2.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&coreutils-uname-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Expect Spawn Patch - 7 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;expect-&expect-version;-spawn-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&expect-spawn-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Flex Brokenness Patch - 156 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;flex-&flex-version;-debian_fixes-3.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&flex-fixes-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term> GCC Linkonce Patch - 12 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;gcc-&gcc-version;-linkonce-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&gcc-linkonce-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>GCC No-Fixincludes Patch - 1 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;gcc-&gcc-version;-no_fixincludes-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&gcc-no_fixincludes-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>GCC Specs Patch - 14 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;gcc-&gcc-version;-specs-2.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&gcc-specs-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Glibc Fix Testsuite Patch - 1 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;glibc-&glibc-version;-fix_test-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&glibc-testfix-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Gzip Security Patch - 2 KB:</term><listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;gzip-&gzip-version;-security_fixes-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&gzip-security_fix-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Inetutils Kernel Headers Patch - 1 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;inetutils-&inetutils-version;-kernel_headers-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&inetutils-kernel_headers-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Inetutils No-Server-Man-Pages Patch - 4 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;inetutils-&inetutils-version;-no_server_man_pages-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&inetutils-man_pages-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>IPRoute2 Disable DB Patch - 1 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;iproute2-&iproute2-patch-version;-remove_db-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&iproute2-remove_db-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Mktemp Tempfile Patch - 3 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;mktemp-&mktemp-version;-add_tempfile-2.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&mktemp-tempfile-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Perl Libc Patch - 1 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;perl-&perl-version;-libc-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&perl-libc-patch;"/></para>
 <beginpage/>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
@@ -144,46 +144,46 @@ needed to build an LFS system:</para>
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Readline Fixes Patch - 7 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;readline-&readline-version;-fixes-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&readline-fixes-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Sysklogd Fixes Patch - 27 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;sysklogd-&sysklogd-version;-fixes-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&sysklogd-fixes-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Tar Sparse Fix Patch - 1 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;tar-&tar-version;-sparse_fix-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&tar-sparse_fix-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Texinfo Tempfile Fix Patch - 2 KB:</term>
 <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;texinfo-&texinfo-version;-tempfile_fix-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&texinfo-tempfile_fix-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Util-linux Cramfs Patch - 3 KB:</term> <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;util-linux-&util-linux-version;-cramfs-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&util-linux-cramfs-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Util-linux Umount Patch - 1 KB:</term> <listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;util-linux-&util-linux-version;-umount_fix-1.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&util-linux-umount-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
 <varlistentry>
 <term>Vim Security Patch - 8 KB:</term><listitem>
-<para><ulink url="&patches-root;vim-&vim-version;-security_fix-2.patch"/></para>
+<para><ulink url="&patches-root;&vim-security_fix-patch;"/></para>
 </listitem>
 </varlistentry>
 
diff --git a/general.ent b/general.ent
index 6edb43685..77bb70d57 100644
--- a/general.ent
+++ b/general.ent
@@ -80,3 +80,6 @@
 <!ENTITY util-linux-version "2.12q">
 <!ENTITY vim-version "6.3">
 <!ENTITY zlib-version "1.2.3">
+
+<!ENTITY % patches-entities SYSTEM "patches.ent">
+%patches-entities;