diff --git a/utils/mariadb/Makefile b/utils/mariadb/Makefile
index 321ee70a9..7dfd96f5e 100644
--- a/utils/mariadb/Makefile
+++ b/utils/mariadb/Makefile
@@ -137,8 +137,7 @@ MARIADB_SERVER := \
 	mysql_install_db \
 	mysql_upgrade \
 	mysqladmin \
-	mysqld \
-	mysqld_safe
+	mysqld
 
 MARIADB_SERVER_EXTRA := \
 	aria_chk \
@@ -157,6 +156,7 @@ MARIADB_SERVER_EXTRA := \
 	mysql_setpermission \
 	mysql_tzinfo_to_sql \
 	mysqld_multi \
+	mysqld_safe \
 	mysqld_safe_helper \
 	mysqldumpslow \
 	mysqlhotcopy \
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ CMAKE_OPTIONS += \
 	-DINSTALL_SQLBENCHDIR="" \
 	-DINSTALL_SUPPORTFILESDIR=share/mariadb \
 	-DINSTALL_UNIX_ADDRDIR=$(MARIADB_SOCKET) \
-	-DMYSQL_DATADIR=/var/lib/mysql \
+	-DMYSQL_DATADIR=/srv/mysql \
 	-DMYSQL_UNIX_ADDR=$(MARIADB_SOCKET) \
 	-DSKIP_TESTS=ON \
 	-DWITH_DEBUG=OFF \
diff --git a/utils/mariadb/files/mysqld.init b/utils/mariadb/files/mysqld.init
index 3e3538907..bf0d86827 100644
--- a/utils/mariadb/files/mysqld.init
+++ b/utils/mariadb/files/mysqld.init
@@ -5,15 +5,19 @@
 START=95
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 STOP=10
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+USE_PROCD=1
 
 NAME=mysqld
+my_user="mariadb"
+my_group="mariadb"
 
 LOGGER="/usr/bin/logger -p user.err -s -t $NAME --"
 [ -x "$LOGGER" ] || LOGGER="echo"
 
-MYSQLADMIN="/usr/bin/mysqladmin"
 MYSQLD="/usr/bin/$NAME"
-MYSQLDSAFE="/usr/bin/mysqld_safe"
+
+pidfile=""
 
 # mysqladmin likes to read /root/.my.cnf which could cause issues.
 export HOME="/etc/mysql"
@@ -22,35 +26,39 @@ export HOME="/etc/mysql"
 cd /
 
 mysqld_get_param() {
-	$MYSQLD --print-defaults \
-		| tr " " "\n" \
-		| grep -- "--$1" \
-		| tail -n 1 \
-		| cut -d= -f2
+	"$MYSQLD" --help --verbose | sed -n 's|^'"$1"'[[:blank:]]\+||p'
+}
+
+# Send kill signal to MariaDB process
+#
+# Usage: boolean mysqld_kill signal
+mysql_kill() {
+	[ -n "$pidfile" ] || pidfile="$(mysqld_get_param pid-file)"
+	[ -f "$pidfile" ] || return 1
+	pid="$(cat "$pidfile")"
+	[ -n "$pid" ] || return 2
+	kill "$1" "$pid"
 }
 
 # Checks if a server is running and accessible.
 #
-# check_alive insists on a pingable server
-# check_dead also fails if there is a lost mysqld in the process list
+# Supported modes are 'check_alive' and 'check_dead'.
+# Both check for pidfile and whether the specified process is running and is
+# indeed mysqld. We could use mysqladmin for the check, but to be able to do
+# so, mysqladmin requires access to the database, which sounds like overkill
+# and potential security issue.
 #
 # Usage: boolean mysqld_status [check_alive|check_dead]
 mysqld_status() {
-	if $MYSQLADMIN ping >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-		ping_alive=1
-	else
-		ping_alive=0
-	fi
-
 	ps_alive=0
 	pidfile="$(mysqld_get_param pid-file)"
-	if [ -f "$pidfile" ] && kill -0 "$(cat "$pidfile")" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	if [ -f "$pidfile" ] && mysql_kill -0 2> /dev/null && \
+	   [ "$(readlink "/proc/$(cat "$pidfile")/exe")" = "$MYSQLD" ]; then
 		ps_alive=1
 	fi
 
-	if { [ "$1" = check_alive ] && [ $ping_alive = 1 ]; } || \
-		{ [ "$1" = check_dead ] && [ $ping_alive = 0 ] \
-					&& [ $ps_alive = 0 ]; }
+	if { [ "$1" = check_alive ] && [ $ps_alive = 1 ]; } || \
+		{ [ "$1" = check_dead ] && [ $ps_alive = 0 ]; }
 	then
 		return 0 # EXIT_SUCCESS
 	else
@@ -58,25 +66,28 @@ mysqld_status() {
 	fi
 }
 
-start() {
+start_service() {
 	conf=/etc/mysql/my.cnf
 	logdir=/var/log/mysql
 	rundir=/var/run/mysqld
 
 	hint="please fix your server configuration in /etc/mysql/"
-
-	for i in "$MYSQLD" "$MYSQLADMIN" "$MYSQLDSAFE"; do
-		if [ ! -x "$i" ]; then
-			$LOGGER "$i is missing"
-			exit 1
-		fi
-	done
+ 
+	if [ ! -x "$MYSQLD" ]; then
+		$LOGGER "$MYSQLD is missing"
+		exit 1
+	fi
 
 	if [ ! -r "$conf" ]; then
 		$LOGGER "$conf cannot be read"
 		exit 1
 	fi
 
+	if mysqld_status check_alive; then
+		$LOGGER "server is already running"
+		exit 0
+	fi
+
 	config_load "$NAME"
 
 	config_get_bool enabled general enabled 0
@@ -91,18 +102,6 @@ start() {
 	datadir="$(mysqld_get_param datadir)"
 	tmpdir="$(mysqld_get_param tmpdir)"
 
-	if [ -z "$datadir" ]; then
-		$LOGGER "datadir is not set"
-		$LOGGER "$hint"
-		exit 1
-	fi
-
-	if [ -z "$tmpdir" ]; then
-		$LOGGER "tmpdir is not set"
-		$LOGGER "$hint"
-		exit 1
-	fi
-
 	if [ ! -f "$datadir/mysql/tables_priv.MAD" ]; then
 		args="--force"
 		basedir="$(mysqld_get_param basedir)"
@@ -111,41 +110,39 @@ start() {
 		$LOGGER "Cannot detect privileges table. You might need to run"
 		$LOGGER "'mysql_install_db \"$args\"'"
 		$LOGGER "to initialize the system tables."
+		$LOGGER "Then hand it ower to MariaDB user"
+		$LOGGER "'chown -Rh \"$my_user:$my_group\" \"$datadir\"'"
 		exit 1
 	fi
 
-	# Start daemon
-	if mysqld_status check_alive; then
-		$LOGGER "server is already running"
-	else
-		for i in "$logdir" "$rundir"; do
-			opts="-m 0750"
-			if ! [ -e "$i" ]; then
-				# $rundir needs to be accessible for
-				# clients
-				if [ "$i" = "$rundir" ]; then
-					opts=
-				fi
-				# shellcheck disable=SC2086
-				mkdir -p $opts "$i"
-				[ -d "$i" ] && chown mariadb:mariadb "$i"
+	for i in "$logdir" "$rundir" "$tmpdir" "$datadir"; do
+		opts="-m 0750"
+		if ! [ -e "$i" ]; then
+			# $rundir needs to be accessible for
+			# clients
+			if [ "$i" = "$rundir" ]; then
+				opts=
 			fi
-		done
-		# shellcheck disable=SC2154,SC2086
-		"$MYSQLDSAFE" $options >/dev/null 2>&1 &
-	fi
-}
-
-stop() {
-	if ! mysqld_status check_dead; then
-		"$MYSQLADMIN" shutdown
-	fi
-}
+			# shellcheck disable=SC2086
+			mkdir -p $opts "$i"
+			[ -d "$i" ] && chown -Rh "$my_user:$my_group" "$i"
+		fi
+	done
 
-reload() {
-	if mysqld_status check_alive; then
-		"$MYSQLADMIN" reload
-	else
-		$LOGGER "server is not running"
-	fi
+	# Start daemon
+	procd_open_instance
+
+	# shellcheck disable=SC2154 disable=SC2086
+	procd_set_param command "$MYSQLD" $options
+	procd_set_param respawn "${respawn_threshold:-3600}" "${respawn_timeout:-5}" "${respawn_retry:-5}"
+	# run as user
+	procd_set_param user "$my_user"
+	# forward stderr to logd
+	procd_set_param stderr 1
+	# use HUP to reload
+	procd_set_param reload_signal HUP
+	# terminate using signals
+	procd_set_param term_timeout 60
+
+	procd_close_instance
 }