diff --git a/master/buildbot/buildbot_net_usage_data.py b/master/buildbot/buildbot_net_usage_data.py
index f73495ce3f2..954c8cf6684 100644
--- a/master/buildbot/buildbot_net_usage_data.py
+++ b/master/buildbot/buildbot_net_usage_data.py
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 import hashlib
 import inspect
 import json
+import os
 import platform
 import socket
 
@@ -42,12 +43,21 @@
 PHONE_HOME_URL = "https://events.buildbot.net/events/phone_home"
 
 
-def get_distro():
-    try:
-        from distro import linux_distribution
-    except ImportError:
-        linux_distribution = None
+def linux_distribution():
+    os_release = "/etc/os-release"
+    meta_data = {'ID': "unknown_linux", 'VERSION_ID': "unknown_version"}
+    if os.path.exists(os_release):
+        with open("/etc/os-release") as f:
+            for line in f:
+                try:
+                    k, v  = line.strip().split("=")
+                    meta_data[k] = v.strip('""')
+                except Exception:
+                    pass
+    return meta_data['ID'], meta_data['VERSION_ID']
 
+
+def get_distro():
     system = platform.system()
     if system == "Linux":
         dist = linux_distribution()
diff --git a/master/buildbot/test/unit/test_buildbot_net_usage_data.py b/master/buildbot/test/unit/test_buildbot_net_usage_data.py
index b8ffaa206b9..709c804a91f 100644
--- a/master/buildbot/test/unit/test_buildbot_net_usage_data.py
+++ b/master/buildbot/test/unit/test_buildbot_net_usage_data.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 from future.moves.urllib import request as urllib_request
 
 import os
+import platform
 from unittest.case import SkipTest
 
 from twisted.internet import reactor
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@
 from buildbot import config
 from buildbot.buildbot_net_usage_data import _sendBuildbotNetUsageData
 from buildbot.buildbot_net_usage_data import computeUsageData
+from buildbot.buildbot_net_usage_data import linux_distribution
 from buildbot.config import BuilderConfig
 from buildbot.config import ConfigWarning
 from buildbot.master import BuildMaster
@@ -143,3 +145,12 @@ def test_real(self):
                 " TEST_BUILDBOTNET_USAGEDATA is set")
 
         _sendBuildbotNetUsageData({'foo': 'bar'})
+
+    def test_linux_distro(self):
+        system = platform.system()
+        if system != "Linux":
+            raise SkipTest("test is only for linux")
+        distro = linux_distribution()
+        self.assertEqual(len(distro), 2)
+        self.assertNotIn("unknown", distro[0])
+        self.assertNotIn("unknown", distro[1])
diff --git a/master/setup.py b/master/setup.py
index 8d501e5b4de..135507b3bbf 100755
--- a/master/setup.py
+++ b/master/setup.py
@@ -458,12 +458,6 @@ def define_plugin_entries(groups):
     'PyJWT',
 ]
 
-# based on https://discourse.numenta.org/t/setup-py-error-invalid-environment-marker/1298/4
-if LooseVersion(setuptools_version.__version__) >= LooseVersion("20.2.2"):
-    setup_args['install_requires'].append('distro;platform_system==="Linux"')
-elif platform.system() == 'Linux':
-    setup_args['install_requires'].append('distro')
-
 # Unit test dependencies.
 test_deps = [
     # http client libraries