diff --git a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default
index 1eb55921..182a278d 100644
--- a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default
+++ b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-#!/bin/sh
 # default settings for repmgrd. This file is source by /bin/sh from
 # /etc/init.d/repmgrd
 
@@ -6,13 +5,14 @@
 # valid values: yes/no
 REPMGRD_ENABLED=no
 
-# Options for repmgrd
-REPMGRD_OPTS=""
+# 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"
+#REPMGR_BIN=/usr/bin/repmgr
 
 # pid file
-REPMGR_PIDFILE="/var/run/repmgrd.pid"
-
-
+#REPMGR_PIDFILE=/var/run/repmgrd.pid
diff --git a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init
index 2473c2c9..bf7eb73b 100644
--- a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init
+++ b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init
@@ -1,53 +1,100 @@
 #!/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
+# 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
 
-if test -f /etc/default/repmgrd; then
-    . /etc/default/repmgrd
-fi
+DESC="PostgreSQL replication management and monitoring daemon"
+NAME=repmgrd
 
-if [ -z "$REPMGRD_BIN" ]; then
-    REPMGRD_BIN="/usr/bin/repmgrd"
-fi
+REPMGRD_ENABLED=no
+REPMGRD_OPTS=
+REPMGRD_USER=postgres
+REPMGRD_BIN=/usr/bin/repmgrd
+REPMGRD_PIDFILE=/var/run/repmgrd.pid
 
-if [ -z "$REPMGRD_PIDFILE" ]; then
-    REPMGRD_PIDFILE="/var/run/repmgrd.pid"
-fi
+# Read configuration variable file if it is present
+[ -r /etc/default/$NAME ] && . /etc/default/$NAME
 
 test -x $REPMGRD_BIN || exit 0
 
-case "$REPMGRD_ENABLE" in
-    [Nn]*)
+case "$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)
-	start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --make-pidfile --pidfile $REPMGRD_PIDFILE --exec $REPMGRD_BIN $REPMGRD_OPTS
-	;;
+  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)
-	start-stop-daemon --stop --oknodo --quiet --pidfile $REPMGRD_PIDFILE
 	;;
+  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)
-	$0 stop && $0 start || exit 1
 	;;
-
-    *)
-	echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|restart}"
-	exit 1
+  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