diff --git a/common/misc.c b/common/misc.c
index e9fdacc65..806649431 100644
--- a/common/misc.c
+++ b/common/misc.c
@@ -125,3 +125,20 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(perror);
 
 void (*do_execute)(void *func, int argc, char *argv[]);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(do_execute);
+
+static const char *boardinfo;
+
+const char *barebox_boardinfo(void)
+{
+	if (boardinfo)
+		return boardinfo;
+
+	boardinfo = of_get_model();
+	if (boardinfo)
+		boardinfo = xstrdup(boardinfo);
+	else
+		boardinfo = CONFIG_BOARDINFO;
+
+	return boardinfo;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(barebox_boardinfo);
diff --git a/common/version.c b/common/version.c
index d33f4d007..e21dbbedf 100644
--- a/common/version.c
+++ b/common/version.c
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #include <common.h>
 #include <generated/compile.h>
 #include <generated/utsrelease.h>
-#include <of.h>
 
 const char version_string[] =
 	"barebox " UTS_RELEASE " " UTS_VERSION "\n";
@@ -9,13 +8,6 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(version_string);
 
 void barebox_banner (void)
 {
-	const char *board;
-
-	board = of_get_model();
-
-	if (!board)
-		board = CONFIG_BOARDINFO;
-
 	pr_info("\n\n%s\n\n", version_string);
-	pr_info("Board: %s\n", board);
+	pr_info("Board: %s\n", barebox_boardinfo());
 }
diff --git a/include/common.h b/include/common.h
index 59fcd35ac..88af93111 100644
--- a/include/common.h
+++ b/include/common.h
@@ -233,6 +233,8 @@ void barebox_banner(void);
 static inline void barebox_banner(void) {}
 #endif
 
+const char *barebox_boardinfo(void);
+
 #define IOMEM(addr)	((void __force __iomem *)(addr))
 
 #define DIV_ROUND_UP(n,d)	(((n) + (d) - 1) / (d))
diff --git a/lib/process_escape_sequence.c b/lib/process_escape_sequence.c
index 7cc3898d5..612976b9d 100644
--- a/lib/process_escape_sequence.c
+++ b/lib/process_escape_sequence.c
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ int process_escape_sequence(const char *source, char *dest, int destlen)
 				dest[i++] = 0x1b;
 				break;
 			case 'h':
-				i += snprintf(dest + i, destlen - i, "%s", CONFIG_BOARDINFO);
+				i += snprintf(dest + i, destlen - i, "%s", barebox_boardinfo());
 				break;
 			case 'w':
 				i += snprintf(dest + i, destlen - i, "%s", getcwd());