diff --git a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default
index bd57bf6a..182a278d 100644
--- a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default
+++ b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default
@@ -1,14 +1,18 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-# default settings for repmgrd. This file is source by /bin/sh from
-# /etc/init.d/repmgrd
-
-# Options for repmgrd
-REPMGRD_OPTS=""
-
-# repmgrd binary
-REPMGR_BIN="/usr/bin/repmgr"
-
-# pid file
-REPMGR_PIDFILE="/var/run/repmgrd.pid"
-
-
+# default settings for repmgrd. This file is source by /bin/sh from
+# /etc/init.d/repmgrd
+
+# disable repmgrd by default so it won't get started upon installation
+# valid values: yes/no
+REPMGRD_ENABLED=no
+
+# Options for repmgrd (required)
+#REPMGRD_OPTS="--config_file /path/to/repmgr.conf"
+
+# User to run repmgrd as
+#REPMGRD_USER=postgres
+
+# repmgrd binary
+#REPMGR_BIN=/usr/bin/repmgr
+
+# pid file
+#REPMGR_PIDFILE=/var/run/repmgrd.pid
diff --git a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init
index 11bd2dee..bf7eb73b 100644
--- a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init
+++ b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init
@@ -1,48 +1,101 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-### BEGIN INIT INFO
-# Provides:          repmgrd
-# Required-Start:    $local_fs $remote_fs $network $syslog $postgresql
-# Required-Stop:     $local_fs $remote_fs $network $syslog $postgresql
-# Should-Start:      $syslog $postgresql
-# Should-Start:      $syslog $postgresql
-# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
-# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
-# Short-Description: Start/stop repmgrd
-### END INIT INFO
-
-set -e
-
-if test -f /etc/default/repmgrd; then
-    . /etc/default/repmgrd
-fi
-
-if [ -z "$REPMGRD_BIN" ]; then
-    REPMGRD_BIN="/usr/bin/repmgrd"
-fi
-
-if [ -z "$REPMGRD_PIDFILE" ]; then
-    REPMGRD_PIDFILE="/var/run/repmgrd.pid"
-fi
-
-test -x $REPMGRD_BIN || exit 0
-
-case "$1" in
-    start)
-        start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --make-pidfile --pidfile $REPMGRD_PIDFILE --exec $REPMGRD_BIN $REPMGRD_OPTS
-        ;;
-
-    stop)
-        start-stop-daemon --stop --oknodo --quiet --pidfile $REPMGRD_PIDFILE
-        ;;
-
-    restart)
-        $0 stop && $0 start || exit 1
-        ;;
-
-    *)
-        echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|restart}"
-        exit 1
-        ;;
-esac
-
-exit 0
+#!/bin/sh
+### BEGIN INIT INFO
+# Provides:	     repmgrd
+# Required-Start:    $local_fs $remote_fs $network $syslog postgresql
+# Required-Stop:     $local_fs $remote_fs $network $syslog postgresql
+# Should-Start:	     $syslog postgresql
+# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
+# Default-Stop:	     0 1 6
+# Short-Description: Start/stop repmgrd
+# Description:       Enable repmgrd replication management and monitoring daemon for PostgreSQL
+### END INIT INFO
+
+set -e
+
+DESC="PostgreSQL replication management and monitoring daemon"
+NAME=repmgrd
+
+REPMGRD_ENABLED=no
+REPMGRD_OPTS=
+REPMGRD_USER=postgres
+REPMGRD_BIN=/usr/bin/repmgrd
+REPMGRD_PIDFILE=/var/run/repmgrd.pid
+
+# Read configuration variable file if it is present
+[ -r /etc/default/$NAME ] && . /etc/default/$NAME
+
+test -x $REPMGRD_BIN || exit 0
+
+case "$REPMGRD_ENABLED" in
+    [Yy]*)
+	break
+	;;
+    *)
+	exit 0
+	;;
+esac
+
+# Define LSB log_* functions.
+. /lib/lsb/init-functions
+
+if [ -z "$REPMGRD_OPTS" ]
+then
+    log_warning_msg "Not starting $NAME, REPMGRD_OPTS not set in /etc/default/$NAME"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+do_start()
+{
+	# Return
+	#   0 if daemon has been started
+	#   1 if daemon was already running
+	#   other if daemon could not be started or a failure occured
+	start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --chuid $REPMGRD_USER --make-pidfile --pidfile $REPMGRD_PIDFILE --exec $REPMGRD_BIN -- $REPMGRD_OPTS
+}
+
+do_stop()
+{
+	# Return
+	#   0 if daemon has been stopped
+	#   1 if daemon was already stopped
+	#   other if daemon could not be stopped or a failure occurred
+	start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --retry=TERM/30/KILL/5 --pidfile $REPMGRD_PIDFILE --exec $REPMGRD_BIN
+}
+
+case "$1" in
+  start)
+	log_daemon_msg "Starting $DESC" "$NAME"
+	do_start
+	case "$?" in
+		0) log_end_msg 0 ;;
+		1) log_progress_msg "already started"
+		   log_end_msg 0 ;;
+		*) log_end_msg 1 ;;
+	esac
+
+	;;
+  stop)
+	log_daemon_msg "Stopping $DESC" "$NAME"
+	do_stop
+	case "$?" in
+		0) log_end_msg 0 ;;
+		1) log_progress_msg "already stopped"
+		   log_end_msg 0 ;;
+		*) log_end_msg 1 ;;
+	esac
+
+	;;
+  restart|force-reload)
+	$0 stop
+	$0 start
+	;;
+  status)
+	status_of_proc -p $PIDFILE $DAEMON $NAME && exit 0 || exit $?
+	;;
+  *)
+	echo "Usage: $SCRIPTNAME {start|stop|restart|force-reload|status}" >&2
+	exit 3
+	;;
+esac
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/log.c b/log.c
index be083b57..bde662db 100644
--- a/log.c
+++ b/log.c
@@ -144,7 +144,14 @@ bool logger_init(t_configuration_options *opts, const char* ident, const char* l
 
 	if (*opts->logfile)
 	{
-		freopen(opts->logfile, "a", stderr);
+		FILE *fd;
+		fd = freopen(opts->logfile, "a", stderr);
+
+		if (fd == NULL)
+		{
+			fprintf(stderr, "error reopening stderr to '%s': %s",
+					opts->logfile, strerror(errno));
+		}
 	}
 
 	return true;
diff --git a/repmgr.c b/repmgr.c
index aaf8b4cf..53a35d82 100644
--- a/repmgr.c
+++ b/repmgr.c
@@ -1494,6 +1494,7 @@ do_standby_follow(void)
 	 */
 	strncpy(runtime_options.host, PQhost(master_conn), MAXLEN);
 	strncpy(runtime_options.masterport, PQport(master_conn), MAXLEN);
+	strncpy(runtime_options.username, PQuser(master_conn), MAXLEN);
 	PQfinish(master_conn);
 
 	log_info(_("%s Changing standby's master\n"),progname);
diff --git a/repmgrd.c b/repmgrd.c
index 93c52f9f..88a883ff 100644
--- a/repmgrd.c
+++ b/repmgrd.c
@@ -179,6 +179,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 	int			optindex;
 	int			c, ret;
 	bool		daemonize = false;
+	FILE       *fd;
 
 	char standby_version[MAXVERSIONSTR], *ret_ver;
 
@@ -248,8 +249,19 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		terminate(ERR_BAD_CONFIG);
 	}
 
-	freopen("/dev/null", "r", stdin);
-	freopen("/dev/null", "w", stdout);
+	fd = freopen("/dev/null", "r", stdin);
+	if (fd == NULL)
+	{
+		fprintf(stderr, "error reopening stdin to '/dev/null': %s",
+				strerror(errno));
+	}
+
+	fd = freopen("/dev/null", "w", stdout);
+	if (fd == NULL)
+	{
+		fprintf(stderr, "error reopening stdout to '/dev/null': %s",
+				strerror(errno));
+	}
 
 	logger_init(&local_options, progname, local_options.loglevel, local_options.logfacility);
 	if (verbose)
@@ -257,7 +269,13 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	if (log_type == REPMGR_SYSLOG)
 	{
-		freopen("/dev/null", "w", stderr);
+		fd = freopen("/dev/null", "w", stderr);
+
+		if (fd == NULL)
+		{
+			fprintf(stderr, "error reopening stderr to '/dev/null': %s",
+					strerror(errno));
+		}
 	}
 
 	snprintf(repmgr_schema, MAXLEN, "%s%s", DEFAULT_REPMGR_SCHEMA_PREFIX, local_options.cluster_name);
@@ -365,7 +383,14 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 							if (*local_options.logfile)
 							{
-								freopen(local_options.logfile, "a", stderr);
+								FILE *fd;
+								fd = freopen(local_options.logfile, "a", stderr);
+								if (fd == NULL)
+								{
+									fprintf(stderr, "error reopening stderr to '%s': %s",
+											local_options.logfile, strerror(errno));
+								}
+
 							}
 
 							update_registration();
@@ -1341,6 +1366,7 @@ do_daemonize()
 {
 	char *ptr, path[MAXLEN];
 	pid_t pid = fork();
+	int ret;
 
 	switch (pid)
 	{
@@ -1389,7 +1415,12 @@ do_daemonize()
 			*path = '/';
 		}
 
-		chdir(path);
+		ret = chdir(path);
+		if (ret != 0)
+		{
+			log_err("Error changing directory to '%s': %s", path,
+					strerror(errno));
+		}
 
 		break;
 
@@ -1405,6 +1436,7 @@ check_and_create_pid_file(const char *pid_file)
 	FILE *fd;
 	char buff[MAXLEN];
 	pid_t pid;
+	size_t nread;
 
 	if (stat(pid_file, &st) != -1)
 	{
@@ -1418,7 +1450,14 @@ check_and_create_pid_file(const char *pid_file)
 			exit(ERR_BAD_CONFIG);
 		}
 
-		fread(buff, MAXLEN - 1, 1, fd);
+		nread = fread(buff, MAXLEN - 1, 1, fd);
+
+		if (nread == 0 && ferror(fd))
+		{
+			log_err("Error reading PID file '%s', giving up...\n", pid_file);
+			exit(ERR_BAD_CONFIG);
+		}
+
 		fclose(fd);
 
 		pid = atoi(buff);