diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index f3b24a448..7e5a64595 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 if you have the `chroot' function. */
 #undef HAVE_CHROOT
 
+/* Define to 1 if you have the `daemon' function. */
+#undef HAVE_DAEMON
+
 /* Define to 1 if you have the <dlfcn.h> header file. */
 #undef HAVE_DLFCN_H
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index c6cdeaf2e..bd0afe6d4 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -24666,7 +24666,8 @@ fi
 
 
 
-for ac_func in tzset sigprocmask fcntl getpwnam getrlimit setsid sbrk chroot kill sleep usleep random srandom recvmsg sendmsg writev setresuid setreuid setresgid setregid
+
+for ac_func in tzset sigprocmask fcntl getpwnam getrlimit setsid sbrk chroot kill sleep usleep random srandom recvmsg sendmsg writev setresuid setreuid setresgid setregid daemon
 do
 as_ac_var=`echo "ac_cv_func_$ac_func" | $as_tr_sh`
 { echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for $ac_func" >&5
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 676c96cf6..6e008ebe7 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -781,7 +781,7 @@ AC_CHECK_GETADDRINFO_WITH_INCLUDES
 if test $ac_cv_func_getaddrinfo = no; then
 AC_LIBOBJ([fake-rfc2553])
 fi
-AC_CHECK_FUNCS([tzset sigprocmask fcntl getpwnam getrlimit setsid sbrk chroot kill sleep usleep random srandom recvmsg sendmsg writev setresuid setreuid setresgid setregid])
+AC_CHECK_FUNCS([tzset sigprocmask fcntl getpwnam getrlimit setsid sbrk chroot kill sleep usleep random srandom recvmsg sendmsg writev setresuid setreuid setresgid setregid daemon])
 
 # check mkdir
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether mkdir has one arg])
diff --git a/daemon/unbound.c b/daemon/unbound.c
index d8eef1d8a..b286a7212 100644
--- a/daemon/unbound.c
+++ b/daemon/unbound.c
@@ -287,15 +287,24 @@ checkoldpid(struct config_file* cfg)
 static void
 detach(struct config_file* cfg)
 {
+#ifdef HAVE_DAEMON
+	int err;
+	if(daemon(1,0)!=0) {
+		err=errno;
+		unlink(cfg->pidfile);
+		fatal_exit("daemon(3) failed: %s", strerror(err));
+	}
+#else /* !HAVE_DAEMON */
 #ifdef HAVE_WORKING_FORK
-	int fd;
+	int fd, err;
 	/* Take off... */
 	switch (fork()) {
 		case 0:
 			break;
 		case -1:
+			err=errno;
 			unlink(cfg->pidfile);
-			fatal_exit("fork failed: %s", strerror(errno));
+			fatal_exit("fork failed: %s", strerror(err));
 		default:
 			/* exit interactive session */
 			exit(0);
@@ -315,6 +324,7 @@ detach(struct config_file* cfg)
 #else
 	(void)cfg;
 #endif /* HAVE_WORKING_FORK */
+#endif /* HAVE_DAEMON */
 }
 
 /** daemonize, drop user priviliges and chroot if needed */
diff --git a/doc/Changelog b/doc/Changelog
index e6aeb864e..ef062a297 100644
--- a/doc/Changelog
+++ b/doc/Changelog
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 	- added scrub filter for overreaching NSEC records and unit test.
 	- iana portlist update
 	- use of setresuid or setreuid when available.
+	- use daemon(3) if available.
 
 25 August 2008: Wouter
 	- realclean patch from Robert Edmonds.