diff --git a/cmd/geth/js.go b/cmd/geth/js.go
index 4ddb3bd9ca..f99051a1e9 100644
--- a/cmd/geth/js.go
+++ b/cmd/geth/js.go
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ type jsre struct {
 	prompter
 }
 
-func newJSRE(ethereum *eth.Ethereum, libPath, solcPath, corsDomain string, interactive bool, f xeth.Frontend) *jsre {
+func newJSRE(ethereum *eth.Ethereum, libPath, corsDomain string, interactive bool, f xeth.Frontend) *jsre {
 	js := &jsre{ethereum: ethereum, ps1: "> "}
 	// set default cors domain used by startRpc from CLI flag
 	js.corsDomain = corsDomain
@@ -81,7 +81,6 @@ func newJSRE(ethereum *eth.Ethereum, libPath, solcPath, corsDomain string, inter
 	js.xeth = xeth.New(ethereum, f)
 	js.wait = js.xeth.UpdateState()
 	// update state in separare forever blocks
-	js.xeth.SetSolc(solcPath)
 	js.re = re.New(libPath)
 	js.apiBindings(f)
 	js.adminBindings()
diff --git a/cmd/geth/js_test.go b/cmd/geth/js_test.go
index 2f29612d3e..8ffef49700 100644
--- a/cmd/geth/js_test.go
+++ b/cmd/geth/js_test.go
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ func testJEthRE(t *testing.T) (string, *testjethre, *eth.Ethereum) {
 		AccountManager: am,
 		MaxPeers:       0,
 		Name:           "test",
+		SolcPath:       testSolcPath,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal("%v", err)
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ func testJEthRE(t *testing.T) (string, *testjethre, *eth.Ethereum) {
 		t.Errorf("Error creating DocServer: %v", err)
 	}
 	tf := &testjethre{ds: ds, stateDb: ethereum.ChainManager().State().Copy()}
-	repl := newJSRE(ethereum, assetPath, testSolcPath, "", false, tf)
+	repl := newJSRE(ethereum, assetPath, "", false, tf)
 	tf.jsre = repl
 	return tmp, tf, ethereum
 }
diff --git a/cmd/geth/main.go b/cmd/geth/main.go
index 2afc92f10e..d102e3158c 100644
--- a/cmd/geth/main.go
+++ b/cmd/geth/main.go
@@ -326,7 +326,6 @@ func console(ctx *cli.Context) {
 	repl := newJSRE(
 		ethereum,
 		ctx.String(utils.JSpathFlag.Name),
-		ctx.String(utils.SolcPathFlag.Name),
 		ctx.GlobalString(utils.RPCCORSDomainFlag.Name),
 		true,
 		nil,
@@ -348,7 +347,6 @@ func execJSFiles(ctx *cli.Context) {
 	repl := newJSRE(
 		ethereum,
 		ctx.String(utils.JSpathFlag.Name),
-		ctx.String(utils.SolcPathFlag.Name),
 		ctx.GlobalString(utils.RPCCORSDomainFlag.Name),
 		false,
 		nil,
diff --git a/cmd/utils/flags.go b/cmd/utils/flags.go
index f646e4fccd..2766e75171 100644
--- a/cmd/utils/flags.go
+++ b/cmd/utils/flags.go
@@ -313,6 +313,7 @@ func MakeEthConfig(clientID, version string, ctx *cli.Context) *eth.Config {
 		Dial:               true,
 		BootNodes:          ctx.GlobalString(BootnodesFlag.Name),
 		GasPrice:           common.String2Big(ctx.GlobalString(GasPriceFlag.Name)),
+		SolcPath:           ctx.GlobalString(SolcPathFlag.Name),
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/eth/backend.go b/eth/backend.go
index 519a4c4108..44ceb89e8e 100644
--- a/eth/backend.go
+++ b/eth/backend.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/ethash"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/accounts"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/compiler"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
@@ -79,6 +80,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	GasPrice       *big.Int
 	MinerThreads   int
 	AccountManager *accounts.Manager
+	SolcPath       string
 
 	// NewDB is used to create databases.
 	// If nil, the default is to create leveldb databases on disk.
@@ -181,6 +183,8 @@ type Ethereum struct {
 	pow             *ethash.Ethash
 	protocolManager *ProtocolManager
 	downloader      *downloader.Downloader
+	SolcPath        string
+	solc            *compiler.Solidity
 
 	net      *p2p.Server
 	eventMux *event.TypeMux
@@ -264,6 +268,7 @@ func New(config *Config) (*Ethereum, error) {
 		netVersionId:    config.NetworkId,
 		NatSpec:         config.NatSpec,
 		MinerThreads:    config.MinerThreads,
+		SolcPath:        config.SolcPath,
 	}
 
 	eth.pow = ethash.New()
@@ -571,3 +576,18 @@ func saveBlockchainVersion(db common.Database, bcVersion int) {
 		db.Put([]byte("BlockchainVersion"), common.NewValue(bcVersion).Bytes())
 	}
 }
+
+func (self *Ethereum) Solc() (*compiler.Solidity, error) {
+	var err error
+	if self.solc == nil {
+		self.solc, err = compiler.New(self.SolcPath)
+	}
+	return self.solc, err
+}
+
+// set in js console via admin interface or wrapper from cli flags
+func (self *Ethereum) SetSolc(solcPath string) (*compiler.Solidity, error) {
+	self.SolcPath = solcPath
+	self.solc = nil
+	return self.Solc()
+}
diff --git a/xeth/xeth.go b/xeth/xeth.go
index 7de3e31be4..81197d3818 100644
--- a/xeth/xeth.go
+++ b/xeth/xeth.go
@@ -66,9 +66,6 @@ type XEth struct {
 	// regmut   sync.Mutex
 	// register map[string][]*interface{} // TODO improve return type
 
-	solcPath string
-	solc     *compiler.Solidity
-
 	agent *miner.RemoteAgent
 }
 
@@ -379,17 +376,12 @@ func (self *XEth) Accounts() []string {
 // accessor for solidity compiler.
 // memoized if available, retried on-demand if not
 func (self *XEth) Solc() (*compiler.Solidity, error) {
-	var err error
-	if self.solc == nil {
-		self.solc, err = compiler.New(self.solcPath)
-	}
-	return self.solc, err
+	return self.backend.Solc()
 }
 
 // set in js console via admin interface or wrapper from cli flags
 func (self *XEth) SetSolc(solcPath string) (*compiler.Solidity, error) {
-	self.solcPath = solcPath
-	self.solc = nil
+	self.backend.SetSolc(solcPath)
 	return self.Solc()
 }