diff --git a/system/service.py b/system/service.py
index d08b6cd6746..2b8dbb8696c 100644
--- a/system/service.py
+++ b/system/service.py
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ class LinuxService(Service):
         location = dict()
 
         for binary in binaries:
-            location[binary] = self.module.get_bin_path(binary)
+            location[binary] = self.module.get_bin_path(binary, opt_dirs=paths)
 
         for initdir in initpaths:
             initscript = "%s/%s" % (initdir,self.name)
@@ -403,10 +403,31 @@ class LinuxService(Service):
                 self.svc_initscript = initscript
 
         def check_systemd():
-            return os.path.exists("/run/systemd/system/") or os.path.exists("/dev/.run/systemd/") or os.path.exists("/dev/.systemd/")
+
+            # tools must be installed
+            if location.get('systemctl',False):
+
+                # this should show if systemd is the boot init system
+                # these mirror systemd's own sd_boot test http://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/sd_booted.html
+                for canary in ["/run/systemd/system/", "/dev/.run/systemd/", "/dev/.systemd/"]:
+                    if os.path.exists(canary):
+                        return True
+
+                # If all else fails, check if init is the systemd command, using comm as cmdline could be symlink
+                try:
+                    f = open('/proc/1/comm', 'r')
+                except IOError:
+                    # If comm doesn't exist, old kernel, no systemd
+                    return False
+
+                for line in f:
+                    if 'systemd' in line:
+                        return True
+
+            return False
 
         # Locate a tool to enable/disable a service
-        if location.get('systemctl',False) and check_systemd():
+        if check_systemd():
             # service is managed by systemd
             self.__systemd_unit = self.name
             self.svc_cmd = location['systemctl']
@@ -684,7 +705,8 @@ class LinuxService(Service):
                 (rc, out, err) = self.execute_command("%s --list %s" % (self.enable_cmd, self.name))
             if not self.name in out:
                 self.module.fail_json(msg="service %s does not support chkconfig" % self.name)
-            state = out.split()[-1]
+            #TODO: look back on why this is here
+            #state = out.split()[-1]
 
             # Check if we're already in the correct state
             if "3:%s" % action in out and "5:%s" % action in out:
@@ -946,7 +968,6 @@ class FreeBsdService(Service):
                 self.rcconf_file = rcfile
 
         rc, stdout, stderr = self.execute_command("%s %s %s %s" % (self.svc_cmd, self.name, 'rcvar', self.arguments))
-        cmd = "%s %s %s %s" % (self.svc_cmd, self.name, 'rcvar', self.arguments)
         try:
             rcvars = shlex.split(stdout, comments=True)
         except: