diff --git a/spec/unit/provider/service/base_spec.rb b/spec/unit/provider/service/base_spec.rb
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..9522fd7f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/unit/provider/service/base_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env rspec
+require 'spec_helper'
+require 'rbconfig'
+require 'fileutils'
+
+provider_class = Puppet::Type.type(:service).provider(:init)
+
+describe "base service provider" do
+  include PuppetSpec::Files
+
+  let :type do Puppet::Type.type(:service) end
+  let :provider do type.provider(:base) end
+
+  subject { provider }
+
+  context "basic operations" do
+    # Cross-platform file interactions.  Fun times.
+    Ruby = File.join(RbConfig::CONFIG["bindir"],
+                     RbConfig::CONFIG["RUBY_INSTALL_NAME"] +
+                     RbConfig::CONFIG["EXEEXT"])
+
+    Start  = "#{Ruby} -rfileutils -e 'FileUtils.touch(ARGV[0])'"
+    Status = "#{Ruby} -e 'exit File.file?(ARGV[0])'"
+    Stop   = "#{Ruby} -e 'File.exist?(ARGV[0]) and File.unlink(ARGV[0])'"
+
+    let :flag do tmpfile('base-service-test') end
+
+    subject do
+      type.new(:name  => "test", :provider => :base,
+               :start  => "#{Start}  #{flag}",
+               :status => "#{Status} #{flag}",
+               :stop   => "#{Stop}   #{flag}"
+      ).provider
+    end
+
+    before :each do
+      File.unlink(flag) if File.exist?(flag)
+    end
+
+    it { should be }
+
+    it "should invoke the start command if not running" do
+      File.should_not be_file flag
+      subject.start
+      File.should be_file flag
+    end
+
+    it "should be stopped before being started" do
+      subject.status.should == :stopped
+    end
+
+    it "should be running after being started" do
+      subject.start
+      subject.status.should == :running
+    end
+
+    it "should invoke the stop command when asked" do
+      subject.start
+      subject.status.should == :running
+      subject.stop
+      subject.status.should == :stopped
+      File.should_not be_file flag
+    end
+
+    it "should start again even if already running" do
+      subject.start
+      subject.expects(:ucommand).with(:start)
+      subject.start
+    end
+
+    it "should stop again even if already stopped" do
+      subject.stop
+      subject.expects(:ucommand).with(:stop)
+      subject.stop
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/ral/providers/service/base.rb b/test/ral/providers/service/base.rb
deleted file mode 100755
index 1b5a63e7d..000000000
--- a/test/ral/providers/service/base.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,76 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env ruby
-require File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../../../lib/puppettest')
-
-require 'puppettest'
-
-class TestBaseServiceProvider < Test::Unit::TestCase
-  include PuppetTest
-
-  def test_base
-    running = tempfile
-
-    commands = {}
-    %w{touch rm test}.each do |c|
-      path = %x{which #{c}}.chomp
-      if path == ""
-        $stderr.puts "Cannot find '#{c}'; cannot test base service provider"
-        return
-      end
-      commands[c.to_sym] = path
-    end
-
-          service = Puppet::Type.type(:service).new(
-                
-      :name => "yaytest", :provider => :base,
-      :start => "#{commands[:touch]} #{running}",
-      :status => "#{commands[:test]} -f #{running}",
-        
-      :stop => "#{commands[:rm]} #{running}"
-    )
-
-    provider = service.provider
-    assert(provider, "did not get base provider")
-
-    assert_nothing_raised do
-      provider.start
-    end
-    assert(FileTest.exists?(running), "start was not called correctly")
-    assert_nothing_raised do
-      assert_equal(:running, provider.status, "status was not returned correctly")
-    end
-    assert_nothing_raised do
-      provider.stop
-    end
-    assert(! FileTest.exists?(running), "stop was not called correctly")
-    assert_nothing_raised do
-      assert_equal(:stopped, provider.status, "status was not returned correctly")
-    end
-  end
-
-  # Testing #454
-  def test_that_failures_propagate
-    nope = "/no/such/command"
-
-          service = Puppet::Type.type(:service).new(
-                
-      :name => "yaytest", :provider => :base,
-      :start => nope,
-      :status => nope,
-      :stop => nope,
-        
-      :restart => nope
-    )
-
-    provider = service.provider
-    assert(provider, "did not get base provider")
-
-    # We can't fail well when status is messed up, because we depend on the return code
-    # of the command for data.
-    %w{start stop restart}.each do |command|
-      assert_raise(Puppet::Error, "did not throw error when #{command} failed") do
-        provider.send(command)
-      end
-    end
-  end
-end
-