diff --git a/src/configfile.c b/src/configfile.c
index 080a5e83..8acc3212 100644
--- a/src/configfile.c
+++ b/src/configfile.c
@@ -116,11 +116,9 @@ CONFIGELEMENT config_elements[] = {
     { 1,1,0,CONFIG_TYPE_INT,"port",(void*)&config.port,config_emit_int },
     { 1,1,0,CONFIG_TYPE_STRING,"admin_pw",(void*)&config.adminpassword,config_emit_string },
     { 1,1,0,CONFIG_TYPE_STRING,"mp3_dir",(void*)&config.mp3dir,config_emit_string },
-#ifdef WITH_GDBM
-    { 1,1,0,CONFIG_TYPE_STRING,"db_dir",(void*)&config.dbdir,config_emit_string },
-#else
     { 1,0,0,CONFIG_TYPE_STRING,"db_dir",(void*)&config.dbdir,config_emit_string },
-#endif
+    { 1,0,0,CONFIG_TYPE_STRING,"db_type",(void*)&config.dbtype,config_emit_string },
+    { 1,0,0,CONFIG_TYPE_STRING,"db_parms",(void*)&config.dbparms,config_emit_string },
     { 1,0,0,CONFIG_TYPE_INT,"debuglevel",(void*)&err_debuglevel,config_emit_int },
     { 1,1,0,CONFIG_TYPE_STRING,"servername",(void*)&config.servername,config_emit_string },
     { 1,0,0,CONFIG_TYPE_INT,"rescan_interval",(void*)&config.rescan_interval,config_emit_int },
diff --git a/src/daapd.h b/src/daapd.h
index cd30e387..90f54696 100644
--- a/src/daapd.h
+++ b/src/daapd.h
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 typedef struct tag_stats {
     time_t start_time;          /**< When the server was started */
     int songs_served;           /**< How many songs have been served */
- 
+
     unsigned int gb_served;     /**< How many gigs of data have been served (unused) */
     unsigned int bytes_served;  /**< How many bytes of data served (unused) */
 } STATS;
@@ -73,9 +73,11 @@ typedef struct tag_config {
     char *artfilename;    /**< What filename to merge coverart with */
     char *logfile;        /**< What file to use as a logfile */
     char *compdirs;       /**< Compilations directories */
+    char *dbtype;         /**< db backend type */
+    char *dbparms;        /**< parameters for the db backend */
     char **complist;      /**< list of compilation directories */
     STATS stats;          /**< Stats structure (see above) */
-    WSHANDLE server;      /**< webserver handle */    
+    WSHANDLE server;      /**< webserver handle */
 } CONFIG;
 
 extern CONFIG config;
diff --git a/src/db-generic.c b/src/db-generic.c
index 018a5886..c0f56518 100644
--- a/src/db-generic.c
+++ b/src/db-generic.c
@@ -276,7 +276,8 @@ char *db_error_list[] = {
     "No rows returned",
     "Invalid playlist id: %d",
     "Invalid song id: %d",
-    "Parse error"
+    "Parse error",
+    "No backend database support for type: %s"
 };
 
 /* Globals */
@@ -406,34 +407,6 @@ void db_init_once(void) {
     pthread_rwlock_init(&db_rwlock,NULL);
 }
 
-
-/**
- * Set the database backend. This should show a friendly error about
- * what databse types are supported.
- *
- * \param type what database backend to use (by friendly name)
- */
-extern int db_set_backend(char *type) {
-    DPRINTF(E_DBG,L_DB,"Setting backend database to %s\n",type);
-
-    if(!db_functions[0].name) {
-        DPRINTF(E_FATAL,L_DB,"No database backends are available.  Install sqlite!\n");
-    }
-
-    db_current=&db_functions[0];
-    while((db_current->name) && (strcasecmp(db_current->name,type))) {
-        db_current++;
-    }
-
-    if(!db_current->name) {
-        DPRINTF(E_WARN,L_DB,"Could not find db backend %s.  Aborting.\n",type);
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    DPRINTF(E_DBG,L_DB,"Backend database set\n");
-    return 0;
-}
-
 /**
  * Open the database.  This is done before we drop privs, that
  * way if the database only has root perms, then it can still
@@ -441,7 +414,7 @@ extern int db_set_backend(char *type) {
  *
  * \param parameters This is backend-specific (mysql, sqlite, etc)
  */
-int db_open(char **pe, char *parameters) {
+int db_open(char **pe, char *type, char *parameters) {
     int result;
 
     DPRINTF(E_DBG,L_DB,"Opening database\n");
@@ -449,8 +422,22 @@ int db_open(char **pe, char *parameters) {
     if(pthread_once(&db_initlock,db_init_once))
         return -1;
 
+    db_current = &db_functions[0];
+    if(type) {
+        while((db_current->name) && (strcasecmp(db_current->name,type))) {
+            db_current++;
+        }
+
+        if(!db_current->name) {
+            /* end of list -- no match */
+            db_get_error(pe,DB_E_BADPROVIDER,type);
+            return DB_E_BADPROVIDER;
+        }
+    }
+
     result=db_current->dbs_open(pe, parameters);
 
+
     DPRINTF(E_DBG,L_DB,"Results: %d\n",result);
     return result;
 }
diff --git a/src/db-generic.h b/src/db-generic.h
index e06c7d82..331dbe1e 100644
--- a/src/db-generic.h
+++ b/src/db-generic.h
@@ -135,9 +135,7 @@ typedef struct tag_daap_items {
 
 extern DAAP_ITEMS taglist[];
 
-extern int db_set_backend(char *type);
-
-extern int db_open(char **pe, char *parameters);
+extern int db_open(char **pe, char *type, char *parameters);
 extern int db_init(int reload);
 extern int db_deinit(void);
 
@@ -200,6 +198,7 @@ extern void db_dispose_playlist(M3UFILE *pm3u);
 #define DB_E_INVALID_PLAYLIST        0x06 /**< bad playlist id */
 #define DB_E_INVALID_SONGID          0x07 /**< bad song id */
 #define DB_E_PARSE                   0x08 /**< could not parse result */
+#define DB_E_BADPROVIDER             0x09 /**< requested db backend not there */
 
 /* describes the individual database handlers */
 typedef struct tag_dbinfo {
diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c
index 42149239..56b43bc2 100644
--- a/src/main.c
+++ b/src/main.c
@@ -360,6 +360,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
     int pid_fd;
     FILE *pid_fp=NULL;
+    int err;
     char *perr;
 
     config.use_mdns=1;
@@ -483,7 +484,13 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     }
 
     /* this will require that the db be readable by the runas user */
-    if(db_open(&perr,config.dbdir))
+    if(config.dbtype) {
+        err=db_open(&perr,config.dbtype,config.dbparms);
+    } else {
+        err=db_open(&perr,NULL,config.dbdir);
+    }
+
+    if(err)
         DPRINTF(E_FATAL,L_MAIN|L_DB,"Error in db_open: %s\n",perr);
 
     /* Initialize the database before starting */