diff --git a/manifests/init.pp b/manifests/init.pp
index 649b48f..dc8259f 100644
--- a/manifests/init.pp
+++ b/manifests/init.pp
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
 # [*user*]
 #   The user to run sickbeard service as. Default: sickbeard
 #
+# [*use_daemon*]
+#   Whether or not to start sickbeard as a daemon
+#
 # === Examples
 #
 # include sickbeard
@@ -25,6 +28,8 @@
   $port = '8081',
   $login_user = '',
   $login_pass = '',
+  $use_daemon = true,
+  $data_dir = undef
 ) {
 
   # Install required  dependencies. Doing it this way to get around conflicts
@@ -66,16 +71,25 @@
 
   file { '/etc/init.d/sickbeard':
     ensure  => file,
-    content => template('sickbeard/ubuntu-init-sickbeard.erb'),
+    content => $use_daemon ? {
+      true => template('sickbeard/init.ubuntu.erb'),
+      false => template('sickbeard/ubuntu-init-sickbeard.erb') },
     mode    => '0755',
     require => Vcsrepo[$install_dir],
+    notify  => Service["sickbeard"]
+  }
+
+  if $use_daemon {
+    file { '/etc/default/sickbeard':
+      content => template('sickbeard/default.sickbeard.erb')
+    }
   }
 
   service {'sickbeard':
     ensure     => running,
     enable     => true,
     hasrestart => true,
-    hasstatus  => false,
+    hasstatus  => $use_daemon,
     require    => File['/etc/init.d/sickbeard'],
   }
 
diff --git a/templates/default.sickbeard.erb b/templates/default.sickbeard.erb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..058a1f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/default.sickbeard.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+## Don't edit this file
+## Edit user configuation in /etc/default/sickbeard to change
+##
+## SB_USER=         #$RUN_AS, username to run sickbeard under, the default is sickbeard
+## SB_HOME=         #$APP_PATH, the location of SickBeard.py, the default is /opt/sickbeard
+## SB_DATA=         #$DATA_DIR, the location of sickbeard.db, cache, logs, the default is /opt/sickbeard
+## SB_PIDFILE=      #$PID_FILE, the location of sickbeard.pid, the default is /var/run/sickbeard/sickbeard.pid
+## PYTHON_BIN=      #$DAEMON, the location of the python binary, the default is /usr/bin/python
+## SB_OPTS=         #$EXTRA_DAEMON_OPTS, extra cli option for sickbeard, i.e. " --config=/home/sickbeard/config.ini"
+## SSD_OPTS=        #$EXTRA_SSD_OPTS, extra start-stop-daemon option like " --group=users"
+##
+## EXAMPLE if want to run as different user
+## add SB_USER=username to /etc/default/sickbeard
+## otherwise default sickbeard is used
+
+SB_USER=<%= @user %>
+SB_HOME=<%= @install_dir %>
+<% if @data_dir %>
+SB_DATA=<%= @data_dir %>
+<% end %>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/templates/init.ubuntu.erb b/templates/init.ubuntu.erb
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..5386625
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/init.ubuntu.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+### BEGIN INIT INFO
+# Provides:          sickbeard
+# Required-Start:    $local_fs $network $remote_fs
+# Required-Stop:     $local_fs $network $remote_fs
+# Should-Start:      $NetworkManager
+# Should-Stop:       $NetworkManager
+# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
+# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
+# Short-Description: starts instance of Sick Beard
+# Description:       starts instance of Sick Beard using start-stop-daemon
+### END INIT INFO
+
+# Source SickBeard configuration
+if [ -f /etc/default/sickbeard ]; then
+    . /etc/default/sickbeard
+else
+    echo "/etc/default/sickbeard not found using default settings.";
+fi
+
+# Script name
+NAME=sickbeard
+
+# App name
+DESC=SickBeard
+
+## Don't edit this file
+## Edit user configuation in /etc/default/sickbeard to change
+##
+## SB_USER=         #$RUN_AS, username to run sickbeard under, the default is sickbeard
+## SB_HOME=         #$APP_PATH, the location of SickBeard.py, the default is /opt/sickbeard
+## SB_DATA=         #$DATA_DIR, the location of sickbeard.db, cache, logs, the default is /opt/sickbeard
+## SB_PIDFILE=      #$PID_FILE, the location of sickbeard.pid, the default is /var/run/sickbeard/sickbeard.pid
+## PYTHON_BIN=      #$DAEMON, the location of the python binary, the default is /usr/bin/python
+## SB_OPTS=         #$EXTRA_DAEMON_OPTS, extra cli option for sickbeard, i.e. " --config=/home/sickbeard/config.ini"
+## SSD_OPTS=        #$EXTRA_SSD_OPTS, extra start-stop-daemon option like " --group=users"
+##
+## EXAMPLE if want to run as different user
+## add SB_USER=username to /etc/default/sickbeard
+## otherwise default sickbeard is used
+
+## The defaults
+# Run as username
+RUN_AS=${SB_USER-sickbeard}
+
+# Path to app SB_HOME=path_to_app_SickBeard.py
+APP_PATH=${SB_HOME-/opt/sickbeard}
+
+# Data directory where sickbeard.db, cache and logs are stored
+DATA_DIR=${SB_DATA-/opt/sickbeard}
+
+# Path to store PID file
+PID_FILE=${SB_PIDFILE-/var/run/sickbeard/sickbeard.pid}
+
+# path to python bin
+DAEMON=${PYTHON_BIN-/usr/bin/python}
+
+# Extra daemon option like: SB_OPTS=" --config=/home/sickbeard/config.ini"
+EXTRA_DAEMON_OPTS=${SB_OPTS-}
+
+# Extra start-stop-daemon option like START_OPTS=" --group=users"
+EXTRA_SSD_OPTS=${SSD_OPTS-}
+##
+
+PID_PATH=`dirname $PID_FILE`
+DAEMON_OPTS=" SickBeard.py -q --daemon --nolaunch --pidfile=${PID_FILE} --datadir=${DATA_DIR} ${EXTRA_DAEMON_OPTS}"
+
+##
+
+test -x $DAEMON || exit 0
+
+set -e
+
+# Create PID directory if not exist and ensure the SickBeard user can write to it
+if [ ! -d $PID_PATH ]; then
+    mkdir -p $PID_PATH
+    chown $RUN_AS $PID_PATH
+fi
+
+if [ ! -d $DATA_DIR ]; then
+    mkdir -p $DATA_DIR
+    chown $RUN_AS $DATA_DIR
+fi
+
+if [ -e $PID_FILE ]; then
+    PID=`cat $PID_FILE`
+    if ! kill -0 $PID > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        echo "Removing stale $PID_FILE"
+        rm $PID_FILE
+    fi
+fi
+
+case "$1" in
+    start)
+        echo "Starting $DESC"
+        start-stop-daemon -d $APP_PATH -c $RUN_AS $EXTRA_SSD_OPTS --start --pidfile $PID_FILE --exec $DAEMON -- $DAEMON_OPTS
+        ;;
+
+    stop)
+        echo "Stopping $DESC"
+        start-stop-daemon --stop --pidfile $PID_FILE --retry 15
+        ;;
+
+    restart|force-reload)
+        echo "Restarting $DESC"
+        start-stop-daemon --stop --pidfile $PID_FILE --retry 15
+        start-stop-daemon -d $APP_PATH -c $RUN_AS $EXTRA_SSD_OPTS --start --pidfile $PID_FILE --exec $DAEMON -- $DAEMON_OPTS
+        ;;
+
+    status)
+        # Use LSB function library if it exists
+        if [ -f /lib/lsb/init-functions ]; then
+            . /lib/lsb/init-functions
+
+            if [ -e $PID_FILE ]; then
+                status_of_proc -p $PID_FILE "$DAEMON" "$NAME" && exit 0 || exit $?
+            else
+                log_daemon_msg "$NAME is not running"
+                exit 3
+            fi
+
+        else
+        # Use basic functions
+            if [ -e $PID_FILE ]; then
+                PID=`cat $PID_FILE`
+                if kill -0 $PID > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+                    echo " * $NAME is running"
+                    exit 0
+                fi
+            else
+                echo " * $NAME is not running"
+                exit 3
+            fi
+        fi
+        ;;
+
+    *)
+        N=/etc/init.d/$NAME
+        echo "Usage: $N {start|stop|restart|force-reload|status}" >&2
+        exit 1
+        ;;
+esac
+
+exit 0
\ No newline at end of file