diff --git a/contrib/init.d/rc.redhat.asterisk b/contrib/init.d/rc.redhat.asterisk
index 1ef812463b3b8706e5c35ce9e94cfa03cea82082..615ec2746524cc02ce05dbc09d6447757f666ada 100755
--- a/contrib/init.d/rc.redhat.asterisk
+++ b/contrib/init.d/rc.redhat.asterisk
@@ -20,15 +20,29 @@
 # - Added support for -U and -G command line options
 # - Modified "reload" to call asterisk -rx 'reload' 
 
+# Use this option to specify a different configuration directory
+#AST_CONFIG=/etc/asterisk
+
+# Installation directory
+AST_SBIN=/usr/sbin
+
+# Uncomment the following and set them to the user/groups that you
+# want to run Asterisk as. NOTE: this requires substantial work to
+# be sure that Asterisk's environment has permission to write the
+# files required  for  its  operation, including logs, its comm
+# socket, the asterisk database, etc.
+#AST_USER="asterisk"
+#AST_GROUP="asterisk"
+
 # Source function library.
 . /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions
 
-if ! [ -x /usr/sbin/asterisk ] ; then
+if ! [ -x $AST_SBIN/asterisk ] ; then
 	echo "ERROR: /usr/sbin/asterisk not found"
 	exit 0
 fi
 
-if ! [ -d /etc/asterisk ] ; then
+if ! [ -d $AST_CONFIG ] ; then
 	echo "ERROR: /etc/asterisk directory not found"
 	exit 0
 fi
@@ -37,18 +51,19 @@ fi
 # export LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.4.1
 
 # Full path to asterisk binary
-DAEMON=/usr/sbin/asterisk
+DAEMON=$AST_SBIN/asterisk
 
 # Full path to safe_asterisk script
-SAFE_ASTERISK=/usr/sbin/safe_asterisk
+SAFE_ASTERISK=$AST_SBIN/safe_asterisk
 
-# Uncomment the following and set them to the user/groups that you
-# want to run Asterisk as. NOTE: this requires substantial work to
-# be sure that Asterisk's environment has permission to write the
-# files required  for  its  operation, including logs, its comm
-# socket, the asterisk database, etc.
-#AST_USER="asterisk"
-#AST_GROUP="asterisk"
+# Allow configuration overrides in /etc/sysconfig/asterisk
+CONFIG0=`readlink $0`
+if [ $CONFIG0 = "" ]; then
+	CONFIGFILE=/etc/sysconfig/`basename $0`
+else
+	CONFIGFILE=/etc/sysconfig/`basename $CONFIG0`
+fi
+[ -x $CONFIGFILE ] && . $CONFIGFILE
 
 RETVAL=0
 
@@ -62,7 +77,10 @@ start() {
 		ASTARGS="-U $AST_USER"
 	fi
 	if [ $AST_GROUP ] ; then
-		ASTARGS="`echo $ASTARGS` -G $AST_GROUP"
+		ASTARGS="$ASTARGS -G $AST_GROUP"
+	fi
+	if [ $AST_CONFIG ]; then
+		ASTARGS="$ASTARGS -C $AST_CONFIG"
 	fi
 	daemon $DAEMON $ASTARGS
 	RETVAL=$?