diff --git a/servers/slapd/main.c b/servers/slapd/main.c
index c2d055540a9dcda1e8a2e77de5212181a9c7310f..46629e73aa098ef947dc2b6a8e67a525d1b1a572 100644
--- a/servers/slapd/main.c
+++ b/servers/slapd/main.c
@@ -345,9 +345,6 @@ usage( char *name )
 #endif
 		"\t-V\t\tprint version info (-VV exit afterwards, -VVV print\n"
 		"\t\t\tinfo about static overlays and backends)\n"
-#ifndef HAVE_WINSOCK
-		"\t-w Wait for database startup before exiting\n"
-#endif
     );
 }
 
@@ -372,7 +369,7 @@ int main( int argc, char **argv )
 #endif
 	
 #ifndef HAVE_WINSOCK
-	int pid, wait_for_start = 0, waitfds[2];
+	int pid, waitfds[2];
 #endif
 	int g_argc = argc;
 	char **g_argv = argv;
@@ -477,9 +474,6 @@ int main( int argc, char **argv )
 #endif
 #if defined(HAVE_SETUID) && defined(HAVE_SETGID)
 				"u:g:"
-#endif
-#ifndef HAVE_WINSOCK
-				"w"
 #endif
 			     )) != EOF ) {
 		switch ( i ) {
@@ -648,12 +642,6 @@ int main( int argc, char **argv )
 			version++;
 			break;
 
-#ifndef HAVE_WINSOCK
-		case 'w':
-			wait_for_start = 1;
-			break;
-#endif
-
 		case 'T':
 			if ( firstopt == 0 ) {
 				fprintf( stderr, "warning: \"-T %s\" "
@@ -918,29 +906,23 @@ unhandled_option:;
 #endif
 
 #ifndef HAVE_WINSOCK
-	if ( wait_for_start ) {
-		if ( lutil_pair( waitfds ) < 0 ) {
-			Debug( LDAP_DEBUG_ANY,
-				"main: lutil_pair failed: %d\n",
-				0, 0, 0 );
-			rc = 1;
-			goto destroy;
-		}
+	if ( lutil_pair( waitfds ) < 0 ) {
+		Debug( LDAP_DEBUG_ANY,
+			"main: lutil_pair failed: %d\n",
+			0, 0, 0 );
+		rc = 1;
+		goto destroy;
 	}
 	pid = lutil_detach( no_detach, 0 );
 	if ( pid ) {
+		char buf[4];
 		rc = EXIT_SUCCESS;
-		if ( wait_for_start ) {
-			char buf[4];
-			close( waitfds[1] );
-			if ( read( waitfds[0], buf, 1 ) != 1 )
-				rc = EXIT_FAILURE;
-		}
+		close( waitfds[1] );
+		if ( read( waitfds[0], buf, 1 ) != 1 )
+			rc = EXIT_FAILURE;
 		_exit( rc );
 	} else {
-		if ( wait_for_start ) {
-			close( waitfds[0] );
-		}
+		close( waitfds[0] );
 	}
 #endif /* HAVE_WINSOCK */
 
@@ -1013,10 +995,8 @@ unhandled_option:;
 	Debug( LDAP_DEBUG_ANY, "slapd starting\n", 0, 0, 0 );
 
 #ifndef HAVE_WINSOCK
-	if ( wait_for_start ) {
-		write( waitfds[1], "1", 1 );
-		close( waitfds[1] );
-	}
+	write( waitfds[1], "1", 1 );
+	close( waitfds[1] );
 #endif
 
 #ifdef HAVE_NT_EVENT_LOG