diff --git a/documentation/dev-manual/dev-manual-common-tasks.xml b/documentation/dev-manual/dev-manual-common-tasks.xml
index ddff77cdc2..36c69396cf 100644
--- a/documentation/dev-manual/dev-manual-common-tasks.xml
+++ b/documentation/dev-manual/dev-manual-common-tasks.xml
@@ -3701,6 +3701,46 @@
         </section>
     </section>
 
+    <section id='dev-optionally-using-an-external-toolchain'>
+        <title>Optionally Using an External Toolchain</title>
+
+        <para>
+            You might want to use an external toolchain as part of your
+            development.
+            If this is the case, the fundamental steps you need to accomplish
+            are as follows:
+            <itemizedlist>
+                <listitem><para>
+                    Understand where the installed toolchain resides.
+                    For cases where you need to build the external toolchain,
+                    you would need to take separate steps to build and install
+                    the toolchain.
+                    </para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para>
+                    Make sure you add the layer that contains the toolchain to
+                    your <filename>bblayers.conf</filename> file through the
+                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-BBLAYERS'><filename>BBLAYERS</filename></ulink>
+                    variable.
+                    </para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para>
+                    Set the
+                    <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-EXTERNAL_TOOLCHAIN'><filename>EXTERNAL_TOOLCHAIN</filename></ulink>
+                    variable in your <filename>local.conf</filename> file
+                    to the location in which you installed the toolchain.
+                    </para></listitem>
+            </itemizedlist>
+            A good example of an external toolchain used with the Yocto Project
+            is <trademark class='registered'>Mentor Graphics</trademark>
+            Sourcery G++ Toolchain.
+            You can see information on how to use that particular layer in the
+            <filename>README</filename> file at
+            <ulink url='http://github.com/MentorEmbedded/meta-sourcery/'></ulink>.
+            You can find further information by reading about the
+            <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-TCMODE'><filename>TCMODE</filename></ulink>
+            variable in the Yocto Project Reference Manual's variable glossary.
+        </para>
+    </section>
+
     <section id='creating-partitioned-images'>
         <title>Creating Partitioned Images</title>