diff --git a/xos/synchronizers/base/xos-synchronizer.py b/xos/synchronizers/base/xos-synchronizer.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3fffd33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xos/synchronizers/base/xos-synchronizer.py
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+import os
+import argparse
+import sys
+
+sys.path.append('/opt/xos')
+
+os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "xos.settings")
+from synchronizers.base.backend import Backend
+from xos.config import Config, DEFAULT_CONFIG_FN
+from core.models import Instance
+from xos.logger import Logger, logging, logger
+from django.db import ProgrammingError
+import time
+
+try:
+    from django import setup as django_setup # django 1.7
+except:
+    django_setup = False
+
+config = Config()
+
+# after http://www.erlenstar.demon.co.uk/unix/faq_2.html
+def daemon():
+    """Daemonize the current process."""
+    if os.fork() != 0: os._exit(0)
+    os.setsid()
+    if os.fork() != 0: os._exit(0)
+    os.umask(0)
+    devnull = os.open(os.devnull, os.O_RDWR)
+    os.dup2(devnull, 0)
+    # xxx fixme - this is just to make sure that nothing gets stupidly lost - should use devnull
+    logdir=os.path.dirname(config.observer_logfile)
+    # when installed in standalone we might not have httpd installed
+    if not os.path.isdir(logdir): os.mkdir(logdir)
+    crashlog = os.open('%s'%config.observer_logfile, os.O_RDWR | os.O_APPEND | os.O_CREAT, 0644)
+    os.dup2(crashlog, 1)
+    os.dup2(crashlog, 2)
+
+    if hasattr(config, "observer_pidfile"):
+        pidfile = config.get("observer_pidfile")
+    else:
+        pidfile = "/var/run/xosobserver.pid"
+    try:
+        file(pidfile,"w").write(str(os.getpid()))
+    except:
+        print "failed to create pidfile %s" % pidfile
+
+def main():
+    # Generate command line parser
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(usage='%(prog)s [options]')
+    parser.add_argument('-d', '--daemon', dest='daemon', action='store_true', default=False,
+                        help='Run as daemon.')
+    # smbaker: util/config.py parses sys.argv[] directly to get config file name; include the option here to avoid
+    #   throwing unrecognized argument exceptions
+    parser.add_argument('-C', '--config', dest='config_file', action='store', default=DEFAULT_CONFIG_FN,
+                        help='Name of config file.')
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    if args.daemon: daemon()
+
+    if django_setup: # 1.7
+        django_setup()
+
+    models_active = False
+    wait = False
+    while not models_active:
+        try:
+            _ = Instance.objects.first()
+            models_active = True
+        except ProgrammingError:
+            logger.info('Waiting for data model to come up before starting...')
+            wait = True
+
+    if (wait):
+        time.sleep(60) # Safety factor, seeing that we stumbled waiting for the data model to come up.
+    backend = Backend()
+    backend.run()    
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    
+    main()