diff --git a/pkgs/tools/networking/inetutils/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/networking/inetutils/default.nix
index caa91bdbe4b..37c5f8db71d 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/networking/inetutils/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/networking/inetutils/default.nix
@@ -1,13 +1,19 @@
-{stdenv, fetchurl}:
+{ stdenv, fetchurl, ncurses }:
 
 stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
-  name = "inetutils-1.6";
+  name = "inetutils-1.7";
 
   src = fetchurl {
     url = "mirror://gnu/inetutils/${name}.tar.gz";
-    sha256 = "1pjv2h8mwbyjrw75xn1k1z7ps4z4y0x6ljizwrzkh83n7d3xjaq5";
+    sha256 = "09v9nycqpc3j7bsi5aj4hm8gxw1xgxr4lz14brnzv0i80qqxjb7p";
   };
 
+  buildInputs = [ ncurses /* for `talk' */ ];
+
+  configureFlags = "--with-ncurses-include-dir=${ncurses}/include";
+
+  doCheck = true;
+
   postInstall = ''
     # XXX: These programs are normally installed setuid but since it
     # fails, they end up being non-executable, hence this hack.
@@ -17,13 +23,17 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   meta = {
     description = "GNU Inetutils, a collection of common network programs";
 
-    longDescription = ''
-      GNU Inetutils is a collection of common network programs,
-      including telnet, FTP, RSH, rlogin and TFTP clients and servers,
-      among others.
-    '';
+    longDescription =
+      '' The GNU network utilities suite provides the
+         following tools: ftp(d), hostname, ifconfig, inetd, logger, ping, rcp,
+         rexec(d), rlogin(d), rsh(d), syslogd, talk(d), telnet(d), tftp(d),
+         traceroute, uucpd, and whois.
+      '';
 
     homepage = http://www.gnu.org/software/inetutils/;
     license = "GPLv3+";
+
+    maintainers = [ stdenv.lib.maintainers.ludo ];
+    platforms = stdenv.lib.platforms.gnu;
   };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index ac87810b339..616705a587a 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -861,7 +861,7 @@ let
   };
 
   inetutils = import ../tools/networking/inetutils {
-    inherit fetchurl stdenv;
+    inherit fetchurl stdenv ncurses;
   };
 
   iodine = import ../tools/networking/iodine {