diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 53e92aaf..68409409 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -17838,3 +17838,8 @@
 2018-10-19 Fred Gleason <fredg@paravelsystems.com>
 	* Added code in the %post and %preun rules in 'rivendell.spec.in'
 	to enable and disable the 'rivendell' service.
+2018-10-19 Fred Gleason <fredg@paravelsystems.com>
+	* Modified rdservice(8) to log errors to syslog.
+	* Added an rdservice(8) man page.
+	* Modified 'systemd/rivendell.service.in' to enable automatic
+	start retries.
diff --git a/docs/manpages/Makefile.am b/docs/manpages/Makefile.am
index f822221f..f4b74b7e 100644
--- a/docs/manpages/Makefile.am
+++ b/docs/manpages/Makefile.am
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ all-local:	rdclilogedit.1\
                 rdimport.1\
                 rdmarkerset.8\
                 rdrender.1\
-                rmlsend.1
+                rmlsend.1\
+                rdservice.8
 
 man_MANS = rdclilogedit.1\
            rdconvert.1\
@@ -47,7 +48,8 @@ man_MANS = rdclilogedit.1\
            rdimport.1\
            rdmarkerset.8\
            rdrender.1\
-           rmlsend.1
+           rmlsend.1\
+           rdservice.8
 
 EXTRA_DIST = rdclilogedit.1\
              rdclilogedit.xml\
@@ -64,7 +66,9 @@ EXTRA_DIST = rdclilogedit.1\
              rdrender.1\
              rdrender.xml\
              rmlsend.1\
-             rmlsend.xml
+             rmlsend.xm\
+             rdservice.8\
+             rdservice.xml
 
 CLEANFILES = *~
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = *~\
diff --git a/docs/manpages/rdservice.xml b/docs/manpages/rdservice.xml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a9ba9117
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/manpages/rdservice.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
+<refentry id="stdin" xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" version="5.0">
+  <!--
+      Header
+  -->
+  <refmeta>
+    <refentrytitle>rdservice</refentrytitle>
+    <manvolnum>8</manvolnum>
+    <refmiscinfo class='source'>October 2018</refmiscinfo>
+    <refmiscinfo class='manual'>Linux Audio Manual</refmiscinfo>
+  </refmeta>
+  <refnamediv>
+    <refname>rdservice</refname>
+    <refpurpose>Rivendell service manager</refpurpose>
+  </refnamediv>
+  <info>
+    <author>
+      <personname>
+	<firstname>Fred</firstname>
+	<surname>Gleason</surname>
+	<email>fredg@paravelsystems.com</email>
+      </personname>
+      <contrib>Application Author</contrib>
+    </author>
+  </info>
+
+  <!--
+      Body
+  -->
+  <refsynopsisdiv id='synopsis'>
+    <cmdsynopsis>
+      <command>rdservice</command>
+      <sbr/>
+    </cmdsynopsis>
+  </refsynopsisdiv>
+
+  <refsect1 id='description'><title>Description</title>
+  <para>
+    <command>rdservice</command><manvolnum>8</manvolnum> manages the various
+    background service components of the Rivendell Radio Automation
+    System, including <command>caed</command><manvolnum>8</manvolnum>,
+    <command>rdcatchd</command><manvolnum>8</manvolnum>,
+    <command>ripcd</command><manvolnum>8</manvolnum>,
+    <command>rdvairplayd</command><manvolnum>8</manvolnum>,
+    <command>rdimport</command><manvolnum>1</manvolnum> (in dropbox mode)
+    as well as periodic system maintenance tasks using
+    <command>rdmaint</command><manvolnum>8</manvolnum>.
+    It is normally invoked by the host's boot system
+    (such as Systemd) at system boot-time and runs continuously thereafter.
+    There should only be one instance of
+    <command>rdservice</command><manvolnum>8</manvolnum> running at any
+    given time; attempts to start an additional instance will terminate
+    with exit code <computeroutput>1</computeroutput>.
+  </para>
+  </refsect1>
+  
+  <refsect1 id='exit_values'><title>Exit Values</title>
+<para>
+  <segmentedlist>
+    <?dbhtml list-presentation="tabular"?>
+    <?dbfo   list-presentation="tabular"?>
+    <!-- Is there a way to suppress the title line entirely? -->
+    <segtitle></segtitle>
+    <segtitle></segtitle>
+    <seglistitem><seg>0</seg><seg>Normal shutdown</seg></seglistitem>
+    <seglistitem><seg>1</seg><seg>Prior instance found</seg></seglistitem>
+    <seglistitem><seg>2</seg><seg>Unable to open database</seg></seglistitem>
+    <seglistitem><seg>3</seg><seg>Unable to start a service component</seg></seglistitem>
+  </segmentedlist>
+</para>
+  </refsect1>
+
+  <refsect1 id='see_also'><title>See Also</title>
+  <para>
+  <citerefentry>
+    <refentrytitle>rddbmgr</refentrytitle><manvolnum>8</manvolnum>
+  </citerefentry>
+  <literal>, </literal>
+  <citerefentry>
+    <refentrytitle>rdimport</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
+  </citerefentry>
+  </para>
+  </refsect1>
+
+
+</refentry>
+
diff --git a/rdservice/rdservice.cpp b/rdservice/rdservice.cpp
index 378d2ad6..86620bb0 100644
--- a/rdservice/rdservice.cpp
+++ b/rdservice/rdservice.cpp
@@ -56,11 +56,16 @@ MainObject::MainObject(QObject *parent)
 {
   QString err_msg;
 
+  //
+  // Open the syslog
+  //
+  openlog("rdservice",LOG_PERROR,LOG_DAEMON);
+
   //
   // Check for prior instance
   //
   if(RDGetPids("rdservice").size()>1) {
-    fprintf(stderr,"rdservice: prior instance found\n");
+    syslog(LOG_ERR,"prior instance found");
     exit(1);
   }
 
@@ -69,8 +74,9 @@ MainObject::MainObject(QObject *parent)
   //
   rda=new RDApplication("rdservice","rdservice","\n\n",this);
   if(!rda->open(&err_msg)) {
-    fprintf(stderr,"rdservice: %s\n",(const char *)err_msg.utf8());
-    exit(1);
+    syslog(LOG_ERR,"unable to open database [%s]",
+	   (const char *)err_msg.utf8());
+    exit(2);
   }
 
   //
@@ -85,8 +91,9 @@ MainObject::MainObject(QObject *parent)
 
   if(!Startup(&err_msg)) {
     Shutdown();
-    fprintf(stderr,"rdservice: %s\n",(const char *)err_msg.toUtf8());
-    exit(1);
+    syslog(LOG_ERR,"unable to start service component [%s]",
+	   (const char *)err_msg.toUtf8());
+    exit(3);
   }
 
   //
@@ -105,7 +112,8 @@ MainObject::MainObject(QObject *parent)
   }
 
   if(!RDWritePid(RD_PID_DIR,"rdservice.pid",getuid())) {
-    fprintf(stderr,"rdservice: can't write pid file\n");
+    syslog(LOG_WARNING,"unable to write pid file to \"%s/rdservice.pid\"",
+	   RD_PID_DIR);
   }
 }
 
@@ -124,6 +132,7 @@ void MainObject::exitData()
   if(global_exiting) {
     Shutdown();
     RDDeletePid(RD_PID_DIR,"rdservice.pid");
+    syslog(LOG_DEBUG,"shutting down normally");
     exit(0);
   }
 
diff --git a/rdservice/startup.cpp b/rdservice/startup.cpp
index 00b6efe7..02178d74 100644
--- a/rdservice/startup.cpp
+++ b/rdservice/startup.cpp
@@ -232,85 +232,6 @@ bool MainObject::StartDropboxes(QString *err_msg)
       return false;
     }
     id++;
-
-
-
-    /*
-    QString cmd=QString().
-      sprintf("nice rdimport --persistent-dropbox-id=%d --drop-box --log-mode",
-	      q->value(15).toInt());
-    sql=QString("select SCHED_CODE from DROPBOX_SCHED_CODES where ")+
-      QString().sprintf("DROPBOX_ID=%d",q->value(0).toInt());
-    q1=new RDSqlQuery(sql);
-    while(q1->next()) {
-      cmd+=QString(" --add-scheduler-code=\"")+q1->value(0).toString()+"\"";
-    }
-    delete q1;
-    cmd+=
-      QString().sprintf(" --normalization-level=%d",q->value(3).toInt()/100);
-    cmd+=
-      QString().sprintf(" --autotrim-level=%d",q->value(4).toInt()/100);
-    if(q->value(5).toUInt()>0) {
-      cmd+=QString().sprintf(" --to-cart=%u",q->value(5).toUInt());
-    }
-    if(q->value(6).toString()=="Y") {
-      cmd+=" --use-cartchunk-cutid";
-    }
-    if(q->value(21).toInt()<1) {
-        cmd+=
-          QString().sprintf(" --segue-level=%d",q->value(21).toInt());
-        cmd+=
-          QString().sprintf(" --segue-length=%u",q->value(22).toUInt());
-    }
-    if(q->value(7).toString()=="Y") {
-      cmd+=" --title-from-cartchunk-cutid";
-    }
-    if(q->value(8).toString()=="Y") {
-      cmd+=" --delete-cuts";
-    }
-    if(q->value(20).toString()=="Y") {
-      cmd+=" --to-mono";
-    }
-    if(!q->value(9).toString().isEmpty()) {
-      cmd+=QString().sprintf(" \"--metadata-pattern=%s\"",
-			     (const char *)q->value(9).toString());
-    }
-    if(q->value(10).toString()=="Y") {
-      cmd+=" --fix-broken-formats";
-    }
-    if(q->value(12).toString()=="Y") {
-      cmd+=" --delete-source";
-    }
-    if(q->value(16).toString()=="Y") {
-      cmd+=QString().sprintf(" --create-startdate-offset=%d",
-			     q->value(17).toInt());
-      cmd+=QString().sprintf(" --create-enddate-offset=%d",
-			     q->value(18).toInt());
-    }
-    if(!q->value(19).toString().isEmpty()) {
-      cmd+=" --set-user-defined="+RDEscapeString(q->value(19).toString());
-    }
-    cmd+=QString().sprintf(" --startdate-offset=%d",q->value(13).toInt());
-    cmd+=QString().sprintf(" --enddate-offset=%d",q->value(14).toInt());
-    cmd+=QString().sprintf(" %s \"%s\"",(const char *)q->value(1).toString(),
-			   (const char *)q->value(2).toString());
-    if(!q->value(11).toString().isEmpty()) {
-      cmd+=QString().sprintf(" >> %s 2>> %s",
-			     (const char *)q->value(11).toString(),
-			     (const char *)q->value(11).toString());
-    }
-    else {
-      cmd+=" > /dev/null 2> /dev/null";
-    }
-    cmd+=" &";
-    LogLine(RDConfig::LogInfo,QString().
-	    sprintf("launching dropbox configuration: \"%s\"",
-		    (const char *)cmd));
-    if(fork()==0) {
-      system(cmd);
-      exit(0);
-    }
-    */
   }
   delete q;
   return true;
@@ -324,8 +245,8 @@ void MainObject::KillProgram(const QString &program)
   while(pids.size()>0) {
     for(int i=0;i<pids.size();i++) {
       kill(pids.at(i),SIGKILL);
-      fprintf(stderr,"rdservice: killing stale program \"%s\" [%d]\n",
-	      (const char *)program.toUtf8(),pids.at(i));
+      syslog(LOG_WARNING,"killing unresponsive program \"%s\" [PID: %d]",
+	     (const char *)program.toUtf8(),pids.at(i));
     }
     sleep(1);
     pids=RDGetPids(program);
diff --git a/rivendell.spec.in b/rivendell.spec.in
index 4520b135..6a09e0cb 100644
--- a/rivendell.spec.in
+++ b/rivendell.spec.in
@@ -380,6 +380,7 @@ rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT
 %{_mandir}/man1/rmlsend.1.gz
 %{_mandir}/man8/rddbmgr.8.gz
 %{_mandir}/man8/rdmarkerset.8.gz
+%{_mandir}/man8/rdservice.8.gz
 @DOC_PATH@/*
 @LOCAL_PREFIX@/@RD_LIB_PATH@/librd-@VERSION@.so
 @LOCAL_PREFIX@/@RD_LIB_PATH@/librd.a
diff --git a/systemd/rivendell.service.in b/systemd/rivendell.service.in
index 0ee7764d..551d3015 100644
--- a/systemd/rivendell.service.in
+++ b/systemd/rivendell.service.in
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ Type=simple
 ExecStart=@prefix@/sbin/rdservice
 PrivateTmp=true
 Restart=always
+RestartSec=10
+RestartLimitInterval=120
+StartLimitBurst=10
 
 [Install]
 WantedBy=multi-user.target