diff --git a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerIO.cc b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerIO.cc
index 4c01ee843..2e52c70ae 100644
--- a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerIO.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerIO.cc
@@ -27,7 +27,10 @@
 namespace db
 {
 
-DB_PLUGIN_PUBLIC std::string net_tracer_component_name ("connectivity");
+std::string net_tracer_component_name ()
+{
+  return std::string ("connectivity");
+}
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 //  NetTracerLayerExpressionInfo implementation
@@ -486,13 +489,13 @@ Net::define_layer (unsigned int l, const db::LayerProperties &lp, const db::Laye
 //  NetTracerTechnologyComponent implementation
 
 NetTracerTechnologyComponent::NetTracerTechnologyComponent ()
-  : db::TechnologyComponent (net_tracer_component_name, tl::to_string (tr ("Connectivity")))
+  : db::TechnologyComponent (net_tracer_component_name (), tl::to_string (tr ("Connectivity")))
 {
   // .. nothing yet ..
 }
 
 NetTracerTechnologyComponent::NetTracerTechnologyComponent (const NetTracerTechnologyComponent &d)
-  : db::TechnologyComponent (net_tracer_component_name, tl::to_string (tr ("Connectivity")))
+  : db::TechnologyComponent (net_tracer_component_name (), tl::to_string (tr ("Connectivity")))
 {
   m_connections = d.m_connections;
   m_symbols = d.m_symbols;
diff --git a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerIO.h b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerIO.h
index de7a6c138..2553cf16d 100644
--- a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerIO.h
+++ b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerIO.h
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ namespace db
 
 class NetTracerTechnologyComponent;
 
+DB_PLUGIN_PUBLIC std::string net_tracer_component_name ();
+
 class DB_PLUGIN_PUBLIC NetTracerLayerExpressionInfo
 {
 public:
diff --git a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerPlugin.cc b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerPlugin.cc
index bca948d0b..b95f9a605 100644
--- a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerPlugin.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/dbNetTracerPlugin.cc
@@ -68,8 +68,6 @@ namespace tl
 namespace db
 {
 
-extern std::string net_tracer_component_name;
-
 class NetTracerTechnologyComponentProvider
   : public db::TechnologyComponentProvider
 {
@@ -87,7 +85,7 @@ public:
 
   virtual tl::XMLElementBase *xml_element () const
   {
-    return new db::TechnologyComponentXMLElement<NetTracerTechnologyComponent> (net_tracer_component_name,
+    return new db::TechnologyComponentXMLElement<NetTracerTechnologyComponent> (net_tracer_component_name (),
       tl::make_member ((NetTracerTechnologyComponent::const_iterator (NetTracerTechnologyComponent::*) () const) &NetTracerTechnologyComponent::begin, (NetTracerTechnologyComponent::const_iterator (NetTracerTechnologyComponent::*) () const) &NetTracerTechnologyComponent::end, &NetTracerTechnologyComponent::add, "connection") +
       tl::make_member ((NetTracerTechnologyComponent::const_symbol_iterator (NetTracerTechnologyComponent::*) () const) &NetTracerTechnologyComponent::begin_symbols, (NetTracerTechnologyComponent::const_symbol_iterator (NetTracerTechnologyComponent::*) () const) &NetTracerTechnologyComponent::end_symbols, &NetTracerTechnologyComponent::add_symbol, "symbols")
     );
diff --git a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/gsiDeclDbNetTracer.cc b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/gsiDeclDbNetTracer.cc
index 0260491ca..0a12bca78 100644
--- a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/gsiDeclDbNetTracer.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/db_plugin/gsiDeclDbNetTracer.cc
@@ -25,11 +25,6 @@
 
 #include "gsiDecl.h"
 
-namespace db
-{
-  extern std::string net_tracer_component_name;
-}
-
 namespace gsi
 {
 
@@ -107,7 +102,7 @@ static db::NetTracerData get_tracer_data_from_tech (const std::string &tech_name
   const db::Technology *tech = db::Technologies::instance ()->technology_by_name (tech_name);
   tl_assert (tech != 0);
 
-  const db::NetTracerTechnologyComponent *tech_component = dynamic_cast <const db::NetTracerTechnologyComponent *> (tech->component_by_name (db::net_tracer_component_name));
+  const db::NetTracerTechnologyComponent *tech_component = dynamic_cast <const db::NetTracerTechnologyComponent *> (tech->component_by_name (db::net_tracer_component_name ()));
   tl_assert (tech_component != 0);
 
   return tech_component->get_tracer_data (layout);
diff --git a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/lay_plugin/layNetTracerDialog.cc b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/lay_plugin/layNetTracerDialog.cc
index 8b6858afa..18d07bad0 100644
--- a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/lay_plugin/layNetTracerDialog.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/lay_plugin/layNetTracerDialog.cc
@@ -47,11 +47,6 @@
 #include <fstream>
 #include <sstream>
 
-namespace db
-{
-  extern std::string net_tracer_component_name;
-}
-
 namespace lay
 {
 
@@ -341,7 +336,7 @@ NetTracerDialog::do_trace (const db::DBox &start_search_box, const db::DBox &sto
   if (! tech) {
     return 0;
   }
-  const db::NetTracerTechnologyComponent *tech_component = dynamic_cast <const db::NetTracerTechnologyComponent *> (tech->component_by_name (db::net_tracer_component_name));
+  const db::NetTracerTechnologyComponent *tech_component = dynamic_cast <const db::NetTracerTechnologyComponent *> (tech->component_by_name (db::net_tracer_component_name ()));
   if (! tech_component) {
     return 0;
   }
@@ -1203,7 +1198,7 @@ BEGIN_PROTECTED
   db::Technology tech = *db::Technologies::instance ()->technology_by_name (tech_name);
 
   //  call the dialog and if successful, install the new technology
-  lay::TechComponentSetupDialog dialog (this, &tech, db::net_tracer_component_name);
+  lay::TechComponentSetupDialog dialog (this, &tech, db::net_tracer_component_name ());
   if (dialog.exec ()) {
     *db::Technologies::instance ()->technology_by_name (tech.name ()) = tech;
   }
diff --git a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/lay_plugin/layNetTracerPlugin.cc b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/lay_plugin/layNetTracerPlugin.cc
index cdd46419b..c7e0fcdba 100644
--- a/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/lay_plugin/layNetTracerPlugin.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/tools/net_tracer/lay_plugin/layNetTracerPlugin.cc
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 */
 
+#include "dbNetTracerIO.h"
 
 #include "layNetTracerIO.h"
 #include "layNetTracerDialog.h"
@@ -30,11 +31,6 @@
 
 #include "gsiDecl.h"
 
-namespace db
-{
-  DB_PLUGIN_PUBLIC std::string net_tracer_component_name;
-}
-
 namespace lay
 {
 
@@ -93,7 +89,7 @@ public:
   }
 };
 
-static tl::RegisteredClass<lay::TechnologyEditorProvider> editor_decl (new NetTracerTechnologyEditorProvider (), 13000, db::net_tracer_component_name.c_str ());
+static tl::RegisteredClass<lay::TechnologyEditorProvider> editor_decl (new NetTracerTechnologyEditorProvider (), 13000, db::net_tracer_component_name ().c_str ());
 
 }