diff --git a/bin/scripts/rhel/solr b/bin/scripts/rhel/solr
index d1164648..7adcf6a2 100644
--- a/bin/scripts/rhel/solr
+++ b/bin/scripts/rhel/solr
@@ -4,9 +4,19 @@
 #
 # Usage:
 #
-# Set the correct SOLR_HOME value, and copy this file to /etc/init.d, then
-# - either run chkconfig --add solr, or
-# - symlink to /etc/init.d/solr to /etc/rc3.<n>/S70solr and /etc/rc5.<n>/k70solr
+# 1. installation
+#    Copy this file to /etc/init.d, then
+#    - either run chkconfig --add solr, or
+#    - symlink to /etc/init.d/solr to /etc/rc3.<n>/S70solr and /etc/rc5.<n>/k70solr
+#
+# 2. configuration
+#    Set options in /etc/sysconfig/solr
+#    Variables which can be defined in /etc/sysconfig/solr:
+#      SOLR_HOME (mandatory)
+#      JAVA_HOME
+#      PIDFILE
+#      LOCKFILE
+#      OPTIONS (for the JVM command-line)
 #
 # Example:
 # cp solr /etc/init.d/solr
@@ -15,31 +25,64 @@
 # cd /etc/rc5.d && ln -s ../init.d/solr S70solr
 # cd /etc/rc3.d && ln -s ../init.d/solr K70solr
 # cd /etc/rc5.d && ln -s ../init.d/solr K70solr
+# echo "SOLR_HOME=/var/www/ezpublish/extension/ezfind/java" > /etc/sysconfig/solr
+#
 #
+# @todo use the standard messages from the init scripts for all operations instead of taking over with our version?
+#
+# @see http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Packaging:SysVInitScript for return codes and general guidelines
 #
 # chkconfig: 2345 64 36
 # description: SOLR indexing server
 # processname: solr
 # pidfile: /var/run/solr.pid
+# config: /etc/sysconfig/solr
+
+source /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions
 
 DESC="Solr indexing server"
 NAME=solr
-SOLR_HOME= # Set solr home here (example: /var/www/ezpublish/extension/ezfind/java)
-JAVA_HOME= # Set java home here if java is not available in /usr/bin/java or /usr/local/bin/java
+SOLR_HOME= # Set solr home here if you can not create /etc/sysconfig/solr (example: /var/www/ezpublish/extension/ezfind/java)
+JAVA_HOME= # Set java home here if java is not available in /usr/bin/java or /usr/local/bin/java and you can not create /etc/sysconfig/solr
+OPTIONS=
 
-source /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions
+if [ -f /etc/sysconfig/solr ]; then
+    . /etc/sysconfig/solr
+fi
 
+# @todo (maybe) allow var names from http://gitorious.org/opensuse/webpin2/blobs/master/solr.init as well
+pidfile=${PIDFILE-/var/run/solr.pid}
+lockfile=${LOCKFILE-/var/lock/subsys/solr}
+
+# check for java
 for JAVA in "$JAVA_HOME/bin/java" "/usr/bin/java" "/usr/local/bin/java"
 do
-	if [ -x $JAVA ]
-        then
-		break
-	fi
+    if [ -x $JAVA ]; then
+        break
+    fi
 done
-if [ ! -x $JAVA ]
-then
-	echo "Unable to locate java. Please set JAVA_HOME environment variable."
-	exit
+if [ ! -x $JAVA ]; then
+    echo "Unable to locate java. Please set JAVA_HOME environment variable."
+    exit 6
+fi
+
+# check for solr
+if [ ! -d "$SOLR_HOME" ]; then
+    echo "the directory $SOLR_HOME (SOLR_HOME) does not exist"; 
+    if [ "$1" = "stop" ]; then
+        exit 0
+    else
+        exit 5
+    fi;
+fi
+SOLR_JAR="$SOLR_HOME/start.jar"
+if [ ! -f "$SOLR_JAR" ]; then
+    echo "$SOLR_JAR not installed"; 
+    if [ "$1" = "stop" ]; then
+        exit 0
+    else
+        exit 5
+    fi
 fi
 
 RETVAL=0
@@ -47,45 +90,47 @@ RETVAL=0
 d_start() {
     CURRENT_DIR=`pwd`
     cd $SOLR_HOME
-    daemon --check $NAME --pidfile /var/run/solr.pid nohup $JAVA -jar start.jar > /dev/null 2>&1 &
+    daemon --check $NAME --pidfile ${pidfile} nohup $JAVA $OPTIONS -jar start.jar > /dev/null 2> /dev/null &
     RETVAL=$?
-    sleep 1 # Sleep 1 second, to make sure java is registered.
-    pid=`pidof java`
-    echo $pid > /var/run/solr.pid
     cd $CURRENT_DIR
-    [ $RETVAL -eq 0 ] && touch /var/lock/subsys/$NAME
+    if [ $RETVAL -eq 0 ]; then
+        sleep 1 # Sleep 1 second, to make sure java is registered.
+        # @bug this is plain wrong, we might get many different java processes here...
+        pid=`pidof java`
+        echo $pid > ${pidfile}
+        touch ${lockfile}
+    fi
     return $RETVAL
 }
 
 d_stop() {
-    killproc -p /var/run/solr.pid $NAME >> /dev/null 2&>1
+    # d_stop returns 0 even when process has been killed by hand. This might be confusing, so we let its std err/out get through
+    killproc -p ${pidfile} $NAME
     RETVAL=$?
-    [ $RETVAL -eq 0 ] && rm -f /var/lock/subsys/$NAME
+    [ $RETVAL -eq 0 ] && rm -f ${lockfile} ${pidfile}
     return $RETVAL
 }
 
 d_restart() {
-    d_stop >> /dev/null 2&>1
+    d_stop >> /dev/null
     sleep 1
-    d_start >> /dev/null 2&>1
+    d_start >> /dev/null
 }
 
 d_reload() {
-    killproc -p /var/run/solr.pid $NAME -HUP 2&>1
-    RETVAL=$?
-    return $RETVAL
+    killproc -p ${pidfile} $NAME -HUP 2> /dev/null
+    return $?
 }
 
 d_status() {
-    status -p /var/run/solr.pid $NAME >> /dev/null 2&>1
+    status -p ${pidfile} $NAME >> /dev/null 2> /dev/null
     return $?
 }
 
 case "$1" in
   start)
     echo " * Starting $DESC ($NAME)"
-    d_status
-    if [ $? -eq 0 ]
+    if d_status
     then
       echo "   ...already running."
     else
@@ -110,12 +155,8 @@ case "$1" in
     ;;
   restart)
     echo " * Restarting $DESC ($NAME)"
-    d_status
-    if [ $? -ne 0 ]
+    if d_status
     then
-      echo "   ...not running."
-      RETVAL=1
-    else
       if d_restart
       then
         echo " * ...done."
@@ -123,6 +164,9 @@ case "$1" in
         echo " * ...failed."
         RETVAL=1
       fi
+    else
+      echo "   ...not running."
+      RETVAL=1
     fi
     ;;
   reload)
@@ -131,8 +175,7 @@ case "$1" in
     echo "   ...done."
     ;;
   status)
-    d_status
-    if [ $? -eq 0 ]
+    if d_status
     then
       echo " * $DESC ($NAME) is running"
     else