diff --git a/modules/services/logging/klogd.nix b/modules/services/logging/klogd.nix
index 0b2e3d9ddc7e..98d9d5eeabf9 100644
--- a/modules/services/logging/klogd.nix
+++ b/modules/services/logging/klogd.nix
@@ -2,28 +2,17 @@
 
 ###### implementation
 
-let
-
-  klogdCmd = "${pkgs.sysklogd}/sbin/klogd -c 1 -2 -k $(dirname $(readlink -f /var/run/booted-system/kernel))/System.map";
-
-in
-
 {
 
   jobs.klogd =
     { description = "Kernel log daemon";
 
-      startOn = "syslogd";
+      startOn = "started syslogd";
       stopOn = "shutdown";
 
-      preStart =
-        ''
-          # !!! this hangs for some reason (it blocks reading from
-          # /proc/kmsg).
-          #${klogdCmd} -o
-        '';
-
-      exec = "${klogdCmd} -n";
+      exec =
+        "${pkgs.sysklogd}/sbin/klogd -c 1 -2 -n " +
+        "-k $(dirname $(readlink -f /var/run/booted-system/kernel))/System.map";
     };
     
 }
diff --git a/modules/services/logging/syslogd.nix b/modules/services/logging/syslogd.nix
index bc6b6eb43899..7c3e54cadb05 100644
--- a/modules/services/logging/syslogd.nix
+++ b/modules/services/logging/syslogd.nix
@@ -50,12 +50,13 @@ in
     jobs.syslogd =
       { description = "Syslog daemon";
 
-        startOn = "udev";
-        stopOn = "shutdown";
+        startOn = "started udev";
 
         environment = { TZ = config.time.timeZone; };
 
-        exec = "${pkgs.sysklogd}/sbin/syslogd -n -f ${syslogConf}";
+        daemonType = "fork";
+
+        exec = "${pkgs.sysklogd}/sbin/syslogd -f ${syslogConf}";
       };
 
   };
diff --git a/modules/services/networking/ssh/sshd.nix b/modules/services/networking/ssh/sshd.nix
index 8c18a560748b..87cb942f2f90 100644
--- a/modules/services/networking/ssh/sshd.nix
+++ b/modules/services/networking/ssh/sshd.nix
@@ -112,8 +112,7 @@ in
 
         description = "OpenSSH server";
 
-        startOn = "network-interfaces/started";
-        stopOn = "network-interfaces/stop";
+        startOn = "started network-interfaces";
 
         environment = { LD_LIBRARY_PATH = nssModulesPath; };
 
@@ -126,7 +125,9 @@ in
             fi
           '';
 
-        exec = "${openssh}/sbin/sshd -D -h /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key -f ${sshdConfig}";
+        daemonType = "fork";
+
+        exec = "${openssh}/sbin/sshd -h /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key -f ${sshdConfig}";
       };
 
     networking.firewall.allowedTCPPorts = [22];
diff --git a/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix b/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix
index fea8f9e880ca..9edb0153cb27 100644
--- a/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix
+++ b/modules/system/upstart/upstart.nix
@@ -31,8 +31,7 @@ let
           console output
 
           ${if isList job.startOn then
-              # This is a hack to support or-dependencies on Upstart 0.3.
-              concatMapStrings (x: "start on ${x}\n") job.startOn
+              "start on ${concatStringsSep " or " job.startOn}"
             else if job.startOn != "" then
               "start on ${job.startOn}"
             else ""
diff --git a/modules/tasks/network-interfaces.nix b/modules/tasks/network-interfaces.nix
index 4b53da876dad..098828469a67 100644
--- a/modules/tasks/network-interfaces.nix
+++ b/modules/tasks/network-interfaces.nix
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ in
     jobs.networkInterfaces = 
       { name = "network-interfaces";
 
-        startOn = "udev";
+        startOn = "started udev";
 
         preStart =
           ''