diff --git a/bind-fix-build-with-older-sphinx.patch b/bind-fix-build-with-older-sphinx.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1df9bb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bind-fix-build-with-older-sphinx.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+Index: b/doc/arm/conf.py
+===================================================================
+--- a/doc/arm/conf.py
++++ b/doc/arm/conf.py
+@@ -18,54 +18,58 @@ from docutils.nodes import Node, system_
+ from docutils.parsers.rst import roles
+ 
+ from sphinx import addnodes
+-from sphinx.util.docutils import ReferenceRole
++try:
++    from sphinx.util.docutils import ReferenceRole
+ 
++    GITLAB_BASE_URL = 'https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/-/'
+ 
+-GITLAB_BASE_URL = 'https://gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9/-/'
+ 
+-
+-# Custom Sphinx role enabling automatic hyperlinking to GitLab issues/MRs.
+-class GitLabRefRole(ReferenceRole):
+-    def __init__(self, base_url: str) -> None:
+-        self.base_url = base_url
+-        super().__init__()
+-
+-    def run(self) -> Tuple[List[Node], List[system_message]]:
+-        gl_identifier = '[GL %s]' % self.target
+-
+-        target_id = 'index-%s' % self.env.new_serialno('index')
+-        entries = [('single', 'GitLab; ' + gl_identifier, target_id, '', None)]
+-
+-        index = addnodes.index(entries=entries)
+-        target = nodes.target('', '', ids=[target_id])
+-        self.inliner.document.note_explicit_target(target)
+-
+-        try:
+-            refuri = self.build_uri()
+-            reference = nodes.reference('', '', internal=False, refuri=refuri,
+-                                        classes=['gl'])
+-            if self.has_explicit_title:
+-                reference += nodes.strong(self.title, self.title)
+-            else:
+-                reference += nodes.strong(gl_identifier, gl_identifier)
+-        except ValueError:
+-            error_text = 'invalid GitLab identifier %s' % self.target
+-            msg = self.inliner.reporter.error(error_text, line=self.lineno)
+-            prb = self.inliner.problematic(self.rawtext, self.rawtext, msg)
+-            return [prb], [msg]
+-
+-        return [index, target, reference], []
+-
+-    def build_uri(self):
+-        if self.target[0] == '#':
+-            return self.base_url + 'issues/%d' % int(self.target[1:])
+-        if self.target[0] == '!':
+-            return self.base_url + 'merge_requests/%d' % int(self.target[1:])
+-        raise ValueError
+-
+-
+-def setup(_):
+-    roles.register_local_role('gl', GitLabRefRole(GITLAB_BASE_URL))
++    # Custom Sphinx role enabling automatic hyperlinking to GitLab issues/MRs.
++    class GitLabRefRole(ReferenceRole):
++        def __init__(self, base_url: str) -> None:
++            self.base_url = base_url
++            super().__init__()
++
++        def run(self) -> Tuple[List[Node], List[system_message]]:
++            gl_identifier = '[GL %s]' % self.target
++
++            target_id = 'index-%s' % self.env.new_serialno('index')
++            entries = [('single', 'GitLab; ' + gl_identifier, target_id, '', None)]
++
++            index = addnodes.index(entries=entries)
++            target = nodes.target('', '', ids=[target_id])
++            self.inliner.document.note_explicit_target(target)
++
++            try:
++                refuri = self.build_uri()
++                reference = nodes.reference('', '', internal=False, refuri=refuri,
++                                            classes=['gl'])
++                if self.has_explicit_title:
++                    reference += nodes.strong(self.title, self.title)
++                else:
++                    reference += nodes.strong(gl_identifier, gl_identifier)
++            except ValueError:
++                error_text = 'invalid GitLab identifier %s' % self.target
++                msg = self.inliner.reporter.error(error_text, line=self.lineno)
++                prb = self.inliner.problematic(self.rawtext, self.rawtext, msg)
++                return [prb], [msg]
++
++            return [index, target, reference], []
++
++        def build_uri(self):
++            if self.target[0] == '#':
++                return self.base_url + 'issues/%d' % int(self.target[1:])
++            if self.target[0] == '!':
++                return self.base_url + 'merge_requests/%d' % int(self.target[1:])
++            raise ValueError
++
++
++    def setup(_):
++        roles.register_local_role('gl', GitLabRefRole(GITLAB_BASE_URL))
++
++except ImportError:
++    # better loose this feature, than failing the build
++    pass
+ 
+ #
+ # Configuration file for the Sphinx documentation builder.
diff --git a/bind.changes b/bind.changes
index 818db74..fef4432 100644
--- a/bind.changes
+++ b/bind.changes
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+Thu Jun 24 15:02:14 UTC 2021 - Hans-Peter Jansen <hpj@urpla.net>
+
+- Add patch bind-fix-build-with-older-sphinx.patch and sed fix
+  in order to build with older distributions.
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Wed Jun 23 06:46:55 UTC 2021 - Josef Möllers <josef.moellers@suse.com>
 
diff --git a/bind.spec b/bind.spec
index f324cde..431cc48 100644
--- a/bind.spec
+++ b/bind.spec
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ Source70:       bind.conf
 Source72:       named.conf
 Patch52:        named-bootconf.diff
 Patch56:        bind-ldapdump-use-valid-host.patch
+Patch68:        bind-fix-build-with-older-sphinx.patch
 BuildRequires:  libcap-devel
 BuildRequires:  libmysqlclient-devel
 BuildRequires:  libopenssl-devel
@@ -167,6 +168,13 @@ for file in docu/README* config/{README,named.conf} sysconfig/named-named; do
 done
 popd
 
+%if 0%{?sle_version} >= 150000 && 0%{?sle_version} <= 150300
+# the Administration Reference Manual doesn't build with Leap/SLES due to an way too old Sphinx package
+# that is missing sphinx.util.docutils.ReferenceRole.
+# patch68 disables this extension, and here, we're removing the :gl: tags in the notes
+sed -i 's|:gl:||g' doc/notes/notes*.rst
+%endif
+
 %build
 autoreconf -fvi
 export CFLAGS="%{optflags} -fPIE -DNO_VERSION_DATE"