diff --git a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.1.2.nix b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.1.2.nix
index e4e5a7367c64..7ff79488a89f 100644
--- a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.1.2.nix
+++ b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.1.2.nix
@@ -21,4 +21,7 @@ import ./generic.nix {
   postInstall = "
     sed 's|V4.2|V4.1.2|g' < ${docbook42catalog} > catalog.xml
   ";
+  meta = {
+    branch = "4.1.2";
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.2.nix b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.2.nix
index 47cbbf33c019..7071d4a471ff 100644
--- a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.2.nix
+++ b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.2.nix
@@ -7,4 +7,7 @@ import ./generic.nix {
     url = http://www.docbook.org/xml/4.2/docbook-xml-4.2.zip;
     md5 = "73fe50dfe74ca631c1602f558ed8961f";
   };
+  meta = {
+    branch = "4.2";
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.3.nix b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.3.nix
index 6a2e4e65a821..478dd68e8bbb 100644
--- a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.3.nix
+++ b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.3.nix
@@ -7,4 +7,7 @@ import ./generic.nix {
     url = http://www.docbook.org/xml/4.3/docbook-xml-4.3.zip;
     md5 = "ab200202b9e136a144db1e0864c45074";
   };
+  meta = {
+    branch = "4.3";
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.5.nix b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.5.nix
index eb26d185bbe7..669536962a12 100644
--- a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.5.nix
+++ b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/4.5.nix
@@ -7,4 +7,7 @@ import ./generic.nix {
     url = http://www.docbook.org/xml/4.5/docbook-xml-4.5.zip;
     sha256 = "1d671lcjckjri28xfbf6dq7y3xnkppa910w1jin8rjc35dx06kjf";
   };
+  meta = {
+    branch = "4.5";
+  };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/generic.nix b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/generic.nix
index f4ee845b5f19..29a18f4ce69e 100644
--- a/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/generic.nix
+++ b/pkgs/data/sgml+xml/schemas/xml-dtd/docbook/generic.nix
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-{stdenv, fetchurl, unzip, src, name, postInstall ? "true"}:
+{ stdenv, fetchurl, unzip, src, name, postInstall ? "true", meta ? {} }:
 
 assert unzip != null;
 
 stdenv.mkDerivation {
-  inherit src name postInstall;
+  inherit src name postInstall meta;
   builder = ./builder.sh;
   buildInputs = [unzip];
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.4.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.4.nix
index 4a182353f25f..757b1f71405b 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.4.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.4.nix
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@ import ./generic.nix (args // rec {
   version = "4.4.20";
   extraPatches = [ ./cygwin-4.4.patch ];
   sha256 = "0y9vsq8dkarx1mhhip1vaciz6imbbyv37c1dm8b20l7p064bg2i9";
+  branch = "4.4";
 })
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.5.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.5.nix
index 6a0a921d8de6..b1e4b2c47085 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.5.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.5.nix
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@ import ./generic.nix (args // rec {
   version = "4.5.20";
   extraPatches = [ ./cygwin-4.5.patch ./register-race-fix.patch ];
   sha256 = "0bd81k0qv5i8w5gbddrvld45xi9k1gvmcrfm0393v0lrm37dab7m";
+  branch = "4.5";
 })
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.7.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.7.nix
index 62ccfd7d3a56..9a7d586cd042 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.7.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.7.nix
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@
 import ./generic.nix (args // rec {
   version = "4.7.25";
   sha256 = "0gi667v9cw22c03hddd6xd6374l0pczsd56b7pba25c9sdnxjkzi";
+  branch = "4.7";
 })
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.8.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.8.nix
index e77307d6fa5a..9b5e8cb39bda 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.8.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-4.8.nix
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@
 import ./generic.nix (args // rec {
   version = "4.8.30";
   sha256 = "0ampbl2f0hb1nix195kz1syrqqxpmvnvnfvphambj7xjrl3iljg0";
+  branch = "4.8";
 })
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-5.3.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-5.3.nix
index fe376ee3b4f8..b5e62ee686f0 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-5.3.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-5.3.nix
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@ import ./generic.nix (args // rec {
   version = "5.3.28";
   sha256 = "0a1n5hbl7027fbz5lm0vp0zzfp1hmxnz14wx3zl9563h83br5ag0";
   extraPatches = [ ./osx.patch ];
+  branch = "5.3";
 })
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-6.0.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-6.0.nix
index 22e858a9d180..716cad9ab074 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-6.0.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/db-6.0.nix
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@ import ./generic.nix (args // rec {
   version = "6.0.20";
   sha256 = "00r2aaglq625y8r9xd5vw2y070plp88f1mb2gbq3kqsl7128lsl0";
   license = stdenv.lib.licenses.agpl3;
+  branch = "6.0";
 })
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/generic.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/generic.nix
index 6217bc461249..013a7fd35b9d 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/db/generic.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/db/generic.nix
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 , version, sha256
 , extraPatches ? [ ]
 , license ? stdenv.lib.licenses.sleepycat
+, branch ? null
 }:
 
 stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
@@ -37,5 +38,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     description = "Berkeley DB";
     license = license;
     platforms = platforms.unix;
+    branch = branch;
   };
 }