diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index aa7ce2d23..c396b2f40 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@
 /* 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 3d4b28c30..6efbac7ce 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -25283,7 +25283,8 @@ 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 glob initgroups
+
+for ac_func in tzset sigprocmask fcntl getpwnam getrlimit setsid sbrk chroot kill sleep usleep random srandom recvmsg sendmsg writev setresuid setreuid setresgid setregid glob initgroups 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 91202521b..5cd331b2b 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -854,7 +854,7 @@ 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 glob initgroups])
+AC_CHECK_FUNCS([tzset sigprocmask fcntl getpwnam getrlimit setsid sbrk chroot kill sleep usleep random srandom recvmsg sendmsg writev setresuid setreuid setresgid setregid glob initgroups daemon])
 
 # check if setreuid en setregid fail, on MacOSX10.4(darwin8).
 if echo $build_os | grep darwin8 > /dev/null; then
diff --git a/daemon/unbound.c b/daemon/unbound.c
index 6c5fb6f28..5fc3d6217 100644
--- a/daemon/unbound.c
+++ b/daemon/unbound.c
@@ -294,6 +294,11 @@ checkoldpid(char* pidfile, int inchroot)
 static void
 detach(void)
 {
+#ifdef HAVE_DAEMON
+	/* use POSIX daemon(3) function */
+	if(daemon(1, 0) != 0)
+		fatal_exit("daemon failed: %s", strerror(errno));
+#else /* no HAVE_DAEMON */
 #ifdef HAVE_WORKING_FORK
 	int fd;
 	/* Take off... */
@@ -319,6 +324,7 @@ detach(void)
 			(void)close(fd);
 	}
 #endif /* HAVE_WORKING_FORK */
+#endif /* HAVE_DAEMON */
 }
 
 /** daemonize, drop user priviliges and chroot if needed */
diff --git a/doc/Changelog b/doc/Changelog
index bd76d2549..7e7140d92 100644
--- a/doc/Changelog
+++ b/doc/Changelog
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 	  inluded ldns package with the unbound source.  The -I include
 	  is put before the others, so it avoids bad include files from
 	  an older ldns install.
+	- daemon(3) posix call is used when available.
 
 4 February 2009: Wouter
 	- tag for release 1.2.1.
diff --git a/doc/TODO b/doc/TODO
index fdd2177bb..9484292cb 100644
--- a/doc/TODO
+++ b/doc/TODO
@@ -69,7 +69,6 @@ o unbound_control forward [addr {addr}] | [off]
 o #231: unbound_checkconf options to output config file data.
 o config entry to denote that a zone is to be treated as unsigned (even if 
   a DS exists to higher trust anchor).
-o see if we can use daemon(3), cleaner posix usage.
 o see if we can include the python bindings (contrib).
 o see if we can suport var:value (nospace) by parser.
 o remote control read ssl information while priviledged.