diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a61b800..a133568 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -112,6 +112,8 @@ install: install-dirs
 
 	# profiles & system config
 	cp -a profiles/* $(DESTDIR)$(TUNED_PROFILESDIR)/
+	mv $(DESTDIR)$(TUNED_PROFILESDIR)/realtime/realtime-variables.conf \
+		$(DESTDIR)/etc/tuned/realtime-variables.conf
 	install -pm 0644 recommend.conf $(DESTDIR)$(TUNED_PROFILESDIR)/recommend.conf
 
 	# bash completion
diff --git a/profiles/realtime/realtime-variables.conf b/profiles/realtime/realtime-variables.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b51e118
--- /dev/null
+++ b/profiles/realtime/realtime-variables.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Examples:
+# isolated_cores=2,4-7
+# isolated_cores=2-23
+#
+#
+#
diff --git a/profiles/realtime/tuned.conf b/profiles/realtime/tuned.conf
index 6ad2ee1..2f27a7b 100644
--- a/profiles/realtime/tuned.conf
+++ b/profiles/realtime/tuned.conf
@@ -8,9 +8,10 @@ include = network-latency
 
 [variables]
 # User is responsible for updating variables.conf with variable content such as isolated_cores=X-Y 
-include = variables.conf
+include = /etc/tuned/realtime-variables.conf
 # Non-isolated cores including offline cores
 isolated_cores_complement_all = ${f:cpulist_invert:${isolated_cores}}
+not_isolated_cpumask = ${f:cpulist2hex:${isolated_cores_complement_all}}
 # Non-isolated cores which are online
 isolated_cores_complement = ${f:cpulist_online:${isolated_cores_complement_all}}
 
diff --git a/profiles/realtime/variables.conf b/profiles/realtime/variables.conf
deleted file mode 100644
index f8fe509..0000000
--- a/profiles/realtime/variables.conf
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-[variables]
-# Examples:
-# isolated_cores=2,4-7
-# isolated_cores=2-23
-#
-#
-#
-
-not_isolated_cpumask = ${f:cpulist2hex_invert:${isolated_cores}}
-
diff --git a/tuned.spec b/tuned.spec
index 68b0d88..a302852 100644
--- a/tuned.spec
+++ b/tuned.spec
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ fi
 %{python_sitelib}/tuned
 %{_sbindir}/tuned
 %{_sbindir}/tuned-adm
+%exclude %{_sysconfdir}/tuned/realtime-variables.conf
 %exclude %{_prefix}/lib/tuned/default
 %exclude %{_prefix}/lib/tuned/desktop-powersave
 %exclude %{_prefix}/lib/tuned/laptop-ac-powersave
@@ -247,6 +248,7 @@ fi
 
 %files profiles-realtime
 %defattr(-,root,root,-)
+%config(noreplace) %{_sysconfdir}/tuned/realtime-variables.conf
 %{_prefix}/lib/tuned/realtime
 %{_mandir}/man7/tuned-profiles-realtime.7*