diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 25ea649484..bb59bf8354 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -2662,14 +2662,6 @@ $(src_core_libNetworkManagerTest_la_OBJECTS): $(src_libnm_core_public_mkenums_h)
 
 ###############################################################################
 
-# NetworkManager binary also must contain symbols that are not used by the binary
-# itself, but by the plugins (that are dlopened). We need to explicitly include
-# them during linking.
-networkmanager_undefined_symbols = \
-	nm_sudo_call_get_fd \
-	nm_sudo_utils_open_fd \
-	$(NULL)
-
 noinst_PROGRAMS += src/core/NetworkManager-all-sym
 
 src_core_NetworkManager_all_sym_CPPFLAGS = $(src_core_cppflags)
@@ -2684,7 +2676,6 @@ src_core_NetworkManager_all_sym_LDADD = \
 
 src_core_NetworkManager_all_sym_LDFLAGS = \
 	-rdynamic \
-	$(networkmanager_undefined_symbols:%=-u %) \
 	$(SANITIZER_EXEC_LDFLAGS) \
 	$(NULL)
 
@@ -2711,7 +2702,6 @@ src_core_NetworkManager_LDADD = \
 src_core_NetworkManager_LDFLAGS = \
 	-rdynamic \
 	-Wl,--version-script="src/core/NetworkManager.ver" \
-	$(networkmanager_undefined_symbols:%=-u %) \
 	$(SANITIZER_EXEC_LDFLAGS) \
 	$(NULL)
 
diff --git a/config.h.meson b/config.h.meson
index 5979793e5c..901535cf9f 100644
--- a/config.h.meson
+++ b/config.h.meson
@@ -224,6 +224,9 @@
 /* Define if you have oFono support (experimental) */
 #mesondefine WITH_OFONO
 
+/* Whether we build with OVS plugin */
+#mesondefine WITH_OPENVSWITCH
+
 /* Define if you have PPP support */
 #mesondefine WITH_PPP
 
@@ -261,3 +264,4 @@
 
 /* Define to 1 if you have history support from -lreadline. */
 #mesondefine HAVE_READLINE_HISTORY
+
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 3fc92d0892..a5e59514b0 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -851,6 +851,11 @@ if test "${enable_ovs}" != "no"; then
 	fi
 fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL(WITH_OPENVSWITCH, test "${enable_ovs}" = "yes")
+if test "${enable_ovs}" = "yes" ; then
+    AC_DEFINE(WITH_OPENVSWITCH, 1, [Whether we build with OVS plugin])
+else
+    AC_DEFINE(WITH_OPENVSWITCH, 0, [Whether we build with OVS plugin])
+fi
 
 # DHCP client support
 AC_ARG_WITH([dhclient],
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 3c4be61509..40337b0e1b 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -644,6 +644,7 @@ enable_ovs = get_option('ovs')
 if enable_ovs
   assert(jansson_dep.found(), 'jansson is needed for Open vSwitch integration. Use -Dovs=false to disable it')
 endif
+config_h.set10('WITH_OPENVSWITCH', enable_ovs)
 
 # DNS resolv.conf managers
 config_dns_rc_manager_default = get_option('config_dns_rc_manager_default')
diff --git a/src/core/meson.build b/src/core/meson.build
index f935ed1606..1a3f334fd8 100644
--- a/src/core/meson.build
+++ b/src/core/meson.build
@@ -271,17 +271,6 @@ endif
 subdir('devices')
 subdir('settings/plugins')
 
-# NetworkManager binary also must contain symbols that are not used by the binary
-# itself, but by the plugins (that are dlopened). We need to explicitly include
-# them during linking.
-networkmanager_undefined_symbols_args = []
-foreach s: [
-              'nm_sudo_call_get_fd',
-              'nm_sudo_utils_open_fd',
-           ]
-  networkmanager_undefined_symbols_args += ['-u', s]
-endforeach
-
 # NetworkManager binary
 
 # libNetworkManager.a, as built by meson doesn't contain all symbols
@@ -296,9 +285,7 @@ NetworkManager_all_sym = executable(
     nm_deps,
     libudev_dep,
   ],
-  link_args: [
-    '-Wl,--no-gc-sections',
-  ] + networkmanager_undefined_symbols_args,
+  link_args: '-Wl,--no-gc-sections',
   link_whole: [
     libNetworkManager,
     libNetworkManagerBase,
@@ -359,7 +346,7 @@ NetworkManager = executable(
   link_args: [
     '-rdynamic',
     '-Wl,--version-script,@0@'.format(ver_script.full_path()),
-  ] + networkmanager_undefined_symbols_args,
+  ],
   link_depends: ver_script,
   install: true,
   install_dir: nm_sbindir,
diff --git a/src/core/nm-manager.c b/src/core/nm-manager.c
index d2ac7185f0..49c56bf68f 100644
--- a/src/core/nm-manager.c
+++ b/src/core/nm-manager.c
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 #include "nm-rfkill-manager.h"
 #include "nm-session-monitor.h"
 #include "nm-sleep-monitor.h"
+#include "nm-sudo-call.h"
 #include "settings/nm-settings-connection.h"
 #include "settings/nm-settings.h"
 #include "vpn/nm-vpn-manager.h"
@@ -212,6 +213,13 @@ struct _NMManager {
 
 typedef struct {
     NMDBusObjectClass parent;
+
+#if WITH_OPENVSWITCH
+    /* these fields only serve the purpose to use the symbols.*/
+    void (*_use_symbol_nm_sudo_call_get_fd)(void);
+    void (*_use_symbol_nm_sudo_utils_open_fd)(void);
+#endif
+
 } NMManagerClass;
 
 G_DEFINE_TYPE(NMManager, nm_manager, NM_TYPE_DBUS_OBJECT)
@@ -8528,6 +8536,14 @@ nm_manager_class_init(NMManagerClass *manager_class)
     GObjectClass *     object_class      = G_OBJECT_CLASS(manager_class);
     NMDBusObjectClass *dbus_object_class = NM_DBUS_OBJECT_CLASS(manager_class);
 
+#if WITH_OPENVSWITCH
+    /* Use the symbols. These symbols are in NetworkManager binary but will be
+     * used by the OVS device plugin. If we don't use the symbol here, it will
+     * be wrongly dropped. */
+    manager_class->_use_symbol_nm_sudo_call_get_fd   = (void (*)(void)) nm_sudo_call_get_fd;
+    manager_class->_use_symbol_nm_sudo_utils_open_fd = (void (*)(void)) nm_sudo_utils_open_fd;
+#endif
+
     dbus_object_class->export_path     = NM_DBUS_EXPORT_PATH_STATIC(NM_DBUS_PATH);
     dbus_object_class->interface_infos = NM_DBUS_INTERFACE_INFOS(&interface_info_manager);