Ok, here's the problem: Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.910762] init: portmap main process (524) became new process (527) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.921625] init: portmap state changed from spawned to post-start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.921947] init: portmap state changed from post-start to running Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.922172] init: Handling started event Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.922498] init: ypbind goal changed This shows that ypbind is being started as soon as portmap starts. But the start condition for ypbind is: start on (started portmap ON_BOOT= or (started portmap ON_BOOT=y and ((filesystem and static-network-up) or failsafe-boot))) So it appears that portmap is being started with ON_BOOT= instead of with ON_BOOT=y, confusing ypbind into believing that as soon as portmap starts, ypbind can also be started. I believe this is due to a bug in either the portmap-wait or the statd job, one of which needs to set ON_BOOT=y. Going back a bit in the boot: Jun 5 22:24:03 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 5.844424] init: Handling remote-filesystems event Jun 5 22:24:03 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 6.950731] init: Handling local-filesystems event Jun 5 22:24:03 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 7.038074] init: Handling filesystem event Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 7.415998] init: statd-mounting goal changed from stop to start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 7.422316] init: statd-mounting state changed from waiting to starting Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.364354] init: statd goal changed from stop to start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.371049] init: statd state changed from waiting to starting Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.377212] init: statd state changed from starting to pre-start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.405912] init: statd pre-start process (489) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.565510] init: portmap-wait (statd) goal changed from stop to start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.565696] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from waiting to starting Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.566173] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from starting to pre-start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.566342] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from pre-start to spawned Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.600918] init: portmap-wait (statd) main process (505) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.601291] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from spawned to post-start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.611092] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from post-start to running Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.816319] init: portmap goal changed from stop to start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.816509] init: portmap state changed from waiting to starting Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.816991] init: portmap state changed from starting to pre-start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.844586] init: portmap pre-start process (522) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.848499] init: portmap pre-start process (522) exited normally Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.848698] init: portmap state changed from pre-start to spawned Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.876393] init: portmap main process (524) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.882281] init: portmap main process (524) executable changed Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.910762] init: portmap main process (524) became new process (527) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.921625] init: portmap state changed from spawned to post-start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.921947] init: portmap state changed from post-start to running Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.922498] init: ypbind goal changed from stop to start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.922676] init: ypbind state changed from waiting to starting Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.923185] init: ypserv goal changed from stop to start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.923359] init: ypserv state changed from waiting to starting Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.923996] init: gssd goal changed from stop to start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.928775] init: gssd state changed from waiting to starting Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.939997] init: portmap-wait (statd) goal changed from start to stop Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.943619] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from running to pre-stop Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.950994] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from pre-stop to stopping Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.954260] init: ypbind state changed from starting to pre-start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.976444] init: ypbind pre-start process (531) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 8.977579] init: ypserv state changed from starting to pre-start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.007404] init: ypserv pre-start process (533) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.013541] init: gssd state changed from starting to pre-start Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.035295] init: gssd pre-start process (535) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.040621] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from stopping to killed Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.048656] init: Sending TERM signal to portmap-wait (statd) main process (505) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.072999] init: portmap-wait (statd) main process (505) killed by TERM signal Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.073191] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from killed to post-stop Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.080927] init: portmap-wait (statd) state changed from post-stop to waiting Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.176605] init: statd pre-start process (489) exited normally Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.176798] init: statd state changed from pre-start to spawned Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.194468] init: statd main process (543) Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.194857] init: ypbind pre-start process (531) exited normally Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.200371] init: ypbind state changed from pre-start to spawned Jun 5 22:24:04 intwinxpubuntu6 kernel: [ 9.216443] init: ypbind main process (544)