diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 411ef633420..019913e27d3 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
+2012-10-04  Paul Eggert  <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>
+
+	Port timers to OpenBSD, plus check for timer failures.
+	OpenBSD problem reported by Han Boetes.
+	* profiler.c (setup_cpu_timer): Check for failure of timer_settime
+	and/or setitimer.
+	(Fprofiler_cpu_stop): Don't assume HAVE_SETITIMER.
+	* syssignal.h (HAVE_ITIMERSPEC): New macro.  This is for platforms
+	like OpenBSD, which has timer_settime but does not declare it.
+	OpenBSD does not define SIGEV_SIGNAL, so use that when deciding
+	whether to use itimerspec-related primitives.  All uses of
+	HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME replaced with HAVE_ITIMERSPEC.
+
 2012-09-30  Paul Eggert  <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>
 
 	Merge from gnulib, incorporating:
diff --git a/src/atimer.c b/src/atimer.c
index 048c62798ef..5752192be76 100644
--- a/src/atimer.c
+++ b/src/atimer.c
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ static struct atimer *atimers;
 
 /* The alarm timer and whether it was properly initialized, if
    POSIX timers are available.  */
-#ifdef HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME
+#ifdef HAVE_ITIMERSPEC
 static timer_t alarm_timer;
 static bool alarm_timer_ok;
 #endif
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ set_alarm (void)
 #endif
       EMACS_TIME now, interval;
 
-#ifdef HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME
+#ifdef HAVE_ITIMERSPEC
       if (alarm_timer_ok)
 	{
 	  struct itimerspec ispec;
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ void
 init_atimer (void)
 {
   struct sigaction action;
-#ifdef HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME
+#ifdef HAVE_ITIMERSPEC
   struct sigevent sigev;
   sigev.sigev_notify = SIGEV_SIGNAL;
   sigev.sigev_signo = SIGALRM;
diff --git a/src/profiler.c b/src/profiler.c
index 7b4ffc7f7bf..461aae3e09f 100644
--- a/src/profiler.c
+++ b/src/profiler.c
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ record_backtrace (log_t *log, EMACS_INT count)
 
 /* The profiler timer and whether it was properly initialized, if
    POSIX timers are available.  */
-#ifdef HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME
+#ifdef HAVE_ITIMERSPEC
 static timer_t profiler_timer;
 static bool profiler_timer_ok;
 #endif
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ handle_profiler_signal (int signal)
     {
       Lisp_Object oquit;
       EMACS_INT count = 1;
-#ifdef HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME
+#ifdef HAVE_ITIMERSPEC
       if (profiler_timer_ok)
 	{
 	  int overruns = timer_getoverrun (profiler_timer);
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ setup_cpu_timer (Lisp_Object sampling_interval)
   emacs_sigaction_init (&action, deliver_profiler_signal);
   sigaction (SIGPROF, &action, 0);
 
-#ifdef HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME
+#ifdef HAVE_ITIMERSPEC
   if (! profiler_timer_ok)
     {
       /* System clocks to try, in decreasing order of desirability.  */
@@ -322,14 +322,18 @@ setup_cpu_timer (Lisp_Object sampling_interval)
     {
       struct itimerspec ispec;
       ispec.it_value = ispec.it_interval = interval;
-      timer_settime (profiler_timer, 0, &ispec, 0);
-      return TIMER_SETTIME_RUNNING;
+      if (timer_settime (profiler_timer, 0, &ispec, 0) == 0)
+	return TIMER_SETTIME_RUNNING;
     }
 #endif
 
+#ifdef HAVE_SETITIMER
   timer.it_value = timer.it_interval = make_timeval (interval);
-  setitimer (ITIMER_PROF, &timer, 0);
-  return SETITIMER_RUNNING;
+  if (setitimer (ITIMER_PROF, &timer, 0) == 0)
+    return SETITIMER_RUNNING;
+#endif
+
+  return NOT_RUNNING;
 }
 
 DEFUN ("profiler-cpu-start", Fprofiler_cpu_start, Sprofiler_cpu_start,
@@ -367,7 +371,7 @@ Return non-nil if the profiler was running.  */)
     case NOT_RUNNING:
       return Qnil;
 
-#ifdef HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME
+#ifdef HAVE_ITIMERSPEC
     case TIMER_SETTIME_RUNNING:
       {
 	struct itimerspec disable;
@@ -377,6 +381,7 @@ Return non-nil if the profiler was running.  */)
       break;
 #endif
 
+#ifdef HAVE_SETITIMER
     case SETITIMER_RUNNING:
       {
 	struct itimerval disable;
@@ -384,6 +389,7 @@ Return non-nil if the profiler was running.  */)
 	setitimer (ITIMER_PROF, &disable, 0);
       }
       break;
+#endif
     }
 
   signal (SIGPROF, SIG_IGN);
diff --git a/src/syssignal.h b/src/syssignal.h
index 66538aad100..83ab19698dd 100644
--- a/src/syssignal.h
+++ b/src/syssignal.h
@@ -29,8 +29,12 @@ extern void init_signals (bool);
 #define FORWARD_SIGNAL_TO_MAIN_THREAD
 #endif
 
-#if (defined SIGPROF && (defined HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME || defined HAVE_SETITIMER) \
-     && !defined PROFILING)
+#if defined HAVE_TIMER_SETTIME && defined SIGEV_SIGNAL
+# define HAVE_ITIMERSPEC
+#endif
+
+#if (defined SIGPROF && !defined PROFILING \
+     && (defined HAVE_SETITIMER || defined HAVE_ITIMERSPEC))
 # define PROFILER_CPU_SUPPORT
 #endif