diff --git a/Lib/hashlib.py b/Lib/hashlib.py
index aacb268..9d860c4 100644
--- a/Lib/hashlib.py
+++ b/Lib/hashlib.py
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-# $Id$
-#
-#  Copyright (C) 2005-2007   Gregory P. Smith (greg@krypto.org)
+#  Copyright (C) 2005-2010   Gregory P. Smith (greg@krypto.org)
 #  Licensed to PSF under a Contributor Agreement.
 #
 
@@ -15,8 +13,9 @@
 
 md5(), sha1(), sha224(), sha256(), sha384(), and sha512()
 
-More algorithms may be available on your platform but the above are
-guaranteed to exist.
+More algorithms may be available on your platform but the above are guaranteed
+to exist.  See the algorithms_guaranteed and algorithms_available attributes
+to find out what algorithm names can be passed to new().
 
 NOTE: If you want the adler32 or crc32 hash functions they are available in
 the zlib module.
@@ -57,9 +56,11 @@
 # always available algorithm is added.
 __always_supported = ('md5', 'sha1', 'sha224', 'sha256', 'sha384', 'sha512')
 
-algorithms = __always_supported
+algorithms_guaranteed = __always_supported
+algorithms_available = frozenset(__always_supported)
 
-__all__ = __always_supported + ('new', 'algorithms')
+__all__ = __always_supported + ('new', 'algorithms_guaranteed',
+                                'algorithms_available')
 
 
 def __get_builtin_constructor(name):
@@ -124,6 +125,8 @@
     import _hashlib
     new = __hash_new
     __get_hash = __get_openssl_constructor
+    algorithms_available = algorithms_available.union(
+            _hashlib.openssl_md_meth_names)
 except ImportError:
     new = __py_new
     __get_hash = __get_builtin_constructor
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_hashlib.py b/Lib/test/test_hashlib.py
index 4fb693e..c8db6a8 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_hashlib.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_hashlib.py
@@ -101,11 +101,15 @@
             c = cons(a)
             c.hexdigest()
 
-    def test_algorithms_attribute(self):
-        self.assertEqual(hashlib.algorithms,
+    def test_algorithms_guaranteed(self):
+        self.assertEqual(hashlib.algorithms_guaranteed,
             tuple(_algo for _algo in self.supported_hash_names
                   if _algo.islower()))
 
+    def test_algorithms_available(self):
+        self.assertTrue(set(hashlib.algorithms_guaranteed).
+                            issubset(hashlib.algorithms_available))
+
     def test_unknown_hash(self):
         try:
             hashlib.new('spam spam spam spam spam')