diff --git a/debian/koha-sysv.install b/debian/koha-sysv.install
deleted file mode 100644
index c2dca6c03c..0000000000
--- a/debian/koha-sysv.install
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-debian/koha-sysv.init etc/init.d/koha-common
diff --git a/debian/koha-sysv.init b/debian/koha-sysv.koha-common.init
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/koha-sysv.init
rename to debian/koha-sysv.koha-common.init
diff --git a/debian/koha-sysv.postinst b/debian/koha-sysv.postinst
index ec8edf56f9..81b3e74a0c 100755
--- a/debian/koha-sysv.postinst
+++ b/debian/koha-sysv.postinst
@@ -2,19 +2,10 @@
 
 set -e
 
-case "$1" in
-    configure)
-        # Bug 18250: Correct startup order of koha-common and memcached.
-        # On non-systemd systems only: force the rc.d ordering.
-        # On systemd hosts, systemd-sysv-generator wraps /etc/init.d/koha-common
-        # as koha-common.service and honors the rc.d symlinks; no manual
-        # enable needed.
-        if [ ! -d /run/systemd/system ]; then
-            update-rc.d koha-common disable
-            update-rc.d koha-common enable
-        fi
-        ;;
-esac
+# /etc/init.d/koha-common is installed by dh_installinit --name=koha-common
+# (see debian/rules), which also generates the update-rc.d / invoke-rc.d
+# handling below. On systemd hosts systemd-sysv-generator wraps the script
+# as koha-common.service and honours those rc.d links.
 
 #DEBHELPER#
 
diff --git a/debian/koha-sysv.postrm b/debian/koha-sysv.postrm
deleted file mode 100755
index 3936c791c1..0000000000
--- a/debian/koha-sysv.postrm
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-set -e
-
-if [ "$1" = "purge" ]; then
-    # Disable the service on systemd systems
-    if [ -d /run/systemd/system ]; then
-        deb-systemd-helper purge koha-common.service >/dev/null || true
-        deb-systemd-helper unmask koha-common.service >/dev/null || true
-    fi
-fi
-
-#DEBHELPER#
-
-exit 0
diff --git a/debian/koha-sysv.prerm b/debian/koha-sysv.prerm
deleted file mode 100755
index ad89ea127c..0000000000
--- a/debian/koha-sysv.prerm
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-set -e
-
-if [ "$1" = "remove" ]; then
-    # Stop the service
-    if [ -d /run/systemd/system ]; then
-        deb-systemd-invoke stop koha-common.service >/dev/null || true
-    else
-        invoke-rc.d koha-common stop || true
-    fi
-fi
-
-#DEBHELPER#
-
-exit 0
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index 8027ea5299..852a5a2b9b 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -8,6 +8,13 @@ export PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1
 %:
 	dh $@ --fail-missing --with bash-completion
 
+# koha-sysv ships the SysV init script under its historical name so that
+# dpkg hands /etc/init.d/koha-common over from the old monolithic koha-common
+# package and debhelper generates the matching update-rc.d/invoke-rc.d code.
+override_dh_installinit:
+	dh_installinit -pkoha-sysv --name=koha-common
+	dh_installinit --remaining-packages
+
 override_dh_gencontrol:
 	debian/bd-to-depends >> debian/koha-common.substvars
 	debian/bd-to-depends >> debian/koha-core.substvars