diff --git a/lib/puppet/provider/service/debian.rb b/lib/puppet/provider/service/debian.rb
index 3d09e2849..58b808a8e 100755
--- a/lib/puppet/provider/service/debian.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/provider/service/debian.rb
@@ -1,48 +1,52 @@
 # Manage debian services.  Start/stop is the same as InitSvc, but enable/disable
 # is special.
 Puppet::Type.type(:service).provide :debian, :parent => :init do
   desc "Debian's form of `init`-style management.
 
   The only difference is that this supports service enabling and disabling
   via `update-rc.d` and determines enabled status via `invoke-rc.d`.
 
   "
 
   commands :update_rc => "/usr/sbin/update-rc.d"
   # note this isn't being used as a command until
   # http://projects.reductivelabs.com/issues/2538
   # is resolved.
   commands :invoke_rc => "/usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d"
 
   defaultfor :operatingsystem => [:debian, :ubuntu]
 
   def self.defpath
     superclass.defpath
   end
 
   # Remove the symlinks
   def disable
-    update_rc "-f", @resource[:name], "remove"
-    update_rc @resource[:name], "stop", "00", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "."
+    if `dpkg --compare-versions $(dpkg-query -W --showformat '${Version}' sysv-rc) ge 2.88 ; echo $?`.to_i == 0
+      update_rc @resource[:name], "disable"
+    else
+      update_rc "-f", @resource[:name], "remove"
+      update_rc @resource[:name], "stop", "00", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "."
+    end
   end
 
   def enabled?
     # TODO: Replace system call when Puppet::Util.execute gives us a way
     # to determine exit status.  http://projects.reductivelabs.com/issues/2538
     system("/usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d", "--quiet", "--query", @resource[:name], "start")
 
     # 104 is the exit status when you query start an enabled service.
     # 106 is the exit status when the policy layer supplies a fallback action
     # See x-man-page://invoke-rc.d
     if [104, 106].include?($CHILD_STATUS.exitstatus)
       return :true
     else
       return :false
     end
   end
 
   def enable
     update_rc "-f", @resource[:name], "remove"
     update_rc @resource[:name], "defaults"
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/unit/provider/service/debian_spec.rb b/spec/unit/provider/service/debian_spec.rb
index 8dee2ee94..440d4491b 100755
--- a/spec/unit/provider/service/debian_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/unit/provider/service/debian_spec.rb
@@ -1,89 +1,101 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env ruby
 #
 # Unit testing for the debian service provider
 #
 
 require File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../../../spec_helper'
 
 provider_class = Puppet::Type.type(:service).provider(:debian)
 
 describe provider_class do
 
   before(:each) do
     # Create a mock resource
     @resource = stub 'resource'
 
     @provider = provider_class.new
 
     # A catch all; no parameters set
     @resource.stubs(:[]).returns(nil)
 
     # But set name, source and path
     @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:name).returns "myservice"
     @resource.stubs(:[]).with(:ensure).returns :enabled
     @resource.stubs(:ref).returns "Service[myservice]"
 
     @provider.resource = @resource
 
     @provider.stubs(:command).with(:update_rc).returns "update_rc"
     @provider.stubs(:command).with(:invoke_rc).returns "invoke_rc"
 
     @provider.stubs(:update_rc)
     @provider.stubs(:invoke_rc)
   end
 
   it "should have an enabled? method" do
     @provider.should respond_to(:enabled?)
   end
 
   it "should have an enable method" do
     @provider.should respond_to(:enable)
   end
 
   it "should have a disable method" do
     @provider.should respond_to(:disable)
   end
 
   describe "when enabling" do
     it "should call update-rc.d twice" do
       @provider.expects(:update_rc).twice
       @provider.enable
     end
   end
 
   describe "when disabling" do
-    it "should call update-rc.d twice" do
-      @provider.expects(:update_rc).twice
+    it "should be able to disable services with newer sysv-rc versions" do
+      @provider.stubs(:`).with("dpkg --compare-versions $(dpkg-query -W --showformat '${Version}' sysv-rc) ge 2.88 ; echo $?").returns "0"
+
+      @provider.expects(:update_rc).with(@resource[:name], "disable")
+
+      @provider.disable
+    end
+
+    it "should be able to enable services with older sysv-rc versions" do
+      @provider.stubs(:`).with("dpkg --compare-versions $(dpkg-query -W --showformat '${Version}' sysv-rc) ge 2.88 ; echo $?").returns "1"
+
+      @provider.expects(:update_rc).with("-f", @resource[:name], "remove")
+      @provider.expects(:update_rc).with(@resource[:name], "stop", "00", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", ".")
+
       @provider.disable
     end
   end
 
   describe "when checking whether it is enabled" do
     it "should call Kernel.system() with the appropriate parameters" do
       @provider.expects(:system).with("/usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d", "--quiet", "--query", @resource[:name], "start").once
       @provider.enabled?
     end
 
     it "should return true when invoke-rc.d exits with 104 status" do
       @provider.stubs(:system)
       $CHILD_STATUS.stubs(:exitstatus).returns(104)
       @provider.enabled?.should == :true
     end
 
     it "should return true when invoke-rc.d exits with 106 status" do
       @provider.stubs(:system)
       $CHILD_STATUS.stubs(:exitstatus).returns(106)
       @provider.enabled?.should == :true
     end
 
     # pick a range of non-[104.106] numbers, strings and booleans to test with.
     [-100, -1, 0, 1, 100, "foo", "", :true, :false].each do |exitstatus|
       it "should return false when invoke-rc.d exits with #{exitstatus} status" do
         @provider.stubs(:system)
         $CHILD_STATUS.stubs(:exitstatus).returns(exitstatus)
         @provider.enabled?.should == :false
       end
     end
   end
 
 end