diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 716b0a23e1..dcef0963ff 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ detect-http-client-body.c detect-http-client-body.h \
 util-print.c util-print.h \
 util-fmemopen.c util-fmemopen.h \
 util-cpu.c util-cpu.h \
+util-pidfile.c util-pidfile.h \
 util-mpm.c util-mpm.h \
 util-spm.c util-spm.h util-clock.h \
 util-spm-bs.c util-spm-bs.h \
diff --git a/src/suricata-common.h b/src/suricata-common.h
index 278a9283c7..5df2e38feb 100644
--- a/src/suricata-common.h
+++ b/src/suricata-common.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
 
 #if HAVE_SYS_SYSCALL_H
 #include <sys/syscall.h>
diff --git a/src/suricata.c b/src/suricata.c
index 20aeca8b63..9ab6bfe6f3 100644
--- a/src/suricata.c
+++ b/src/suricata.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #include "util-pool.h"
 #include "util-byte.h"
 #include "util-cpu.h"
+#include "util-pidfile.h"
 
 #include "detect-parse.h"
 #include "detect-engine.h"
@@ -371,6 +372,7 @@ void usage(const char *progname)
     printf("\t--list-unittests             : list unit tests\n");
     printf("\t--fatal-unittests            : enable fatal failure on unittest error\n");
 #endif /* UNITTESTS */
+    printf("\t--pidfile                    : write pid to this file (only for daemon mode)\n");
     printf("\t--init-errors-fatal          : enable fatal failure on signature init error\n");
     printf("\t--dump-config                : show the running configuration\n");
     printf("\t--pfring-int <dev>           : run in pfring mode\n");
@@ -392,6 +394,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     char *sig_file = NULL;
     char *nfq_id = NULL;
     char *conf_filename = NULL;
+    char *pid_filename = NULL;
 #ifdef UNITTESTS
     char *regex_arg = NULL;
 #endif
@@ -425,6 +428,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         {"pfring-cluster-type",  required_argument, 0, 0},
         {"unittest-filter", required_argument, 0, 'U'},
         {"list-unittests", 0, &list_unittests, 1},
+        {"pidfile", required_argument, 0, 0},
         {"init-errors-fatal", 0, 0, 0},
         {"fatal-unittests", 0, 0, 0},
         {NULL, 0, NULL, 0}
@@ -472,6 +476,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
                 exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 #endif /* UNITTESTS */
             }
+            else if(strcmp((long_opts[option_index]).name, "pidfile") == 0) {
+                pid_filename = optarg;
+            }
             else if(strcmp((long_opts[option_index]).name, "fatal-unittests") == 0) {
 #ifdef UNITTESTS
                 if (ConfSet("unittests.failure_fatal", "1", 0) != 1) {
@@ -803,7 +810,17 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 #endif /* UNITTESTS */
 
-    if (daemon) Daemonize();
+    if (daemon == 1) {
+        Daemonize();
+        if (pid_filename != NULL) {
+            if (SCPidfileCreate(pid_filename) != 0)
+                pid_filename = NULL;
+        }
+    } else {
+        if (pid_filename != NULL)
+            SCLogWarning(SC_ERR_PIDLOG, "The pidfile file option apply only to daemon modes");
+        pid_filename = NULL;
+    }
 
 #ifndef OS_WIN32
     /* registering signals we use */
@@ -989,6 +1006,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 #endif
 #endif
 
+    SCPidfileRemove(pid_filename);
+
     /** \todo review whats needed here */
 #ifdef __SC_CUDA_SUPPORT__
     if (PatternMatchDefaultMatcher() == MPM_B2G_CUDA) {
diff --git a/src/util-error.c b/src/util-error.c
index 6d65d1a62a..4864ff0cbc 100644
--- a/src/util-error.c
+++ b/src/util-error.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ const char * SCErrorToString(SCError err)
     switch (err) {
         CASE_CODE (SC_OK);
         CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_MEM_ALLOC);
+        CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_PIDLOG);
         CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_PCRE_MATCH);
         CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_PCRE_GET_SUBSTRING);
         CASE_CODE (SC_ERR_PCRE_COMPILE);
diff --git a/src/util-error.h b/src/util-error.h
index cc32e86c78..8961305d8d 100644
--- a/src/util-error.h
+++ b/src/util-error.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 typedef enum {
     SC_OK,
     SC_ERR_MEM_ALLOC,
+    SC_ERR_PIDLOG,
     SC_ERR_PCRE_MATCH,
     SC_ERR_PCRE_GET_SUBSTRING,
     SC_ERR_PCRE_COMPILE,
diff --git a/src/util-pidfile.c b/src/util-pidfile.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1aa2c65b8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util-pidfile.c
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/* Copyright (c) 2010 Open Infomation Security Foundation */
+
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) 2009 Open Information Security Foundation
+ *
+ * \author Pablo Rincon Crespo <pablo.rincon.crespo@gmail.com>
+ *         Adaptation of Steve Grubbs patch to our conding guidelines
+ *         (thanks for the patch Steve ;)
+ */
+
+#include "suricata-common.h"
+#include "util-pidfile.h"
+
+/**
+ * \brief Write a pid file (used at the startup)
+ *        This commonly needed by the init scripts
+ * \param pointer to the name of the pid file to write (optarg)
+ * \retval 0 if succes; -1 on failure
+ */
+int SCPidfileCreate(const char *pidfile)
+{
+    SCEnter();
+    int pidfd, len;
+    char val[16];
+
+    len = snprintf(val, sizeof(val), "%u\n", getpid());
+    if (len <= 0) {
+        SCLogError(SC_ERR_PIDLOG, "Pid error (%s)", strerror(errno));
+        SCReturnInt(-1);
+    }
+    pidfd = open(pidfile, O_CREAT | O_TRUNC | O_NOFOLLOW | O_WRONLY, 0644);
+    if (pidfd < 0) {
+        SCLogError(SC_ERR_PIDLOG, "Unable to set pidfile (%s)", strerror(errno));
+        SCReturnInt(-1);
+    }
+    write(pidfd, val, (unsigned int)len);
+    close(pidfd);
+    SCReturnInt(0);
+}
+
+/**
+ * \brief Remove the pid file (used at the startup)
+ * \param pointer to the name of the pid file to write (optarg)
+ */
+void SCPidfileRemove(const char *pid_filename) {
+    if (pid_filename != NULL)
+        unlink(pid_filename);
+}
diff --git a/src/util-pidfile.h b/src/util-pidfile.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6c162d29a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util-pidfile.h
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#ifndef __UTIL_PID_H__
+#define __UTIL_PID_H__
+
+int SCPidfileCreate(const char *);
+void SCPidfileRemove(const char *);
+#endif