diff --git a/sys/arch/vax/include/limits.h b/sys/arch/vax/include/limits.h
index 8b1b6396c239..248ac983a5f9 100644
--- a/sys/arch/vax/include/limits.h
+++ b/sys/arch/vax/include/limits.h
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*	$NetBSD: limits.h,v 1.10 2000/08/08 22:31:14 tshiozak Exp $	*/
+/*	$NetBSD: limits.h,v 1.11 2001/04/15 14:16:08 kleink Exp $	*/
 
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 1988 The Regents of the University of California.
@@ -61,7 +61,11 @@
 #define LONG_MIN        (-0x7fffffffL-1)/* min value for a long */
 
 #if !defined(_ANSI_SOURCE)
+#ifdef __ELF__
+#define SSIZE_MAX       LONG_MAX        /* max value for a ssize_t */
+#else
 #define SSIZE_MAX       INT_MAX         /* max value for a ssize_t */
+#endif
 
 #if !defined(_POSIX_C_SOURCE) && !defined(_XOPEN_SOURCE) || \
      defined(_ISOC99_SOURCE) || (__STDC_VERSION__ - 0) >= 199901L
@@ -71,7 +75,11 @@
 #endif
 
 #if !defined(_POSIX_C_SOURCE) && !defined(_XOPEN_SOURCE)
+#ifdef __ELF__
+#define SIZE_T_MAX      ULONG_MAX       /* max value for a size_t */
+#else
 #define SIZE_T_MAX      UINT_MAX        /* max value for a size_t */
+#endif
 
 #define UQUAD_MAX       0xffffffffffffffffULL           /* max unsigned quad */
 #define QUAD_MAX        0x7fffffffffffffffLL            /* max signed quad */