diff --git a/tests/kdc/check-kadmin.in b/tests/kdc/check-kadmin.in
index 45d679ceb..2fe76e3ab 100644
--- a/tests/kdc/check-kadmin.in
+++ b/tests/kdc/check-kadmin.in
@@ -100,6 +100,11 @@ echo Starting kdc ; > messages.log
 ${kdc} --detach --testing || { echo "kdc failed to start"; cat messages.log; exit 1; }
 kdcpid=`getpid kdc`
 
+echo Starting kadmind
+${kadmind} --detach --list-chunk-size=1 \
+    || { echo "kadmind failed to start"; cat messages.log; exit 1; }
+kadmpid=`getpid kadmind`
+
 trap "kill -9 ${kdcpid} ${kadmpid}" EXIT
 
 #----------------------------------
@@ -107,58 +112,34 @@ echo "kinit (no admin); test mod --alias authorization"
 ${kinit} --password-file=${objdir}/foopassword \
     -S kadmin/admin@${R} hasalias@${R} || exit 1
 
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 # Check that one non-permitted alias -> failure
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} -p hasalias@${R} modify --alias=goodalias1@${R} --alias=badalias@${R} hasalias@${R} &&
 	{ echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-wait $kadmpid || { echo "kadmind failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
 
 # Check that all permitted aliases -> success
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} -p hasalias@${R} modify --alias=goodalias1@${R} --alias=goodalias2@${R} hasalias@${R} ||
 	{ echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-wait $kadmpid || { echo "kadmind failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
 
 # Check that we can drop aliases
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} -p hasalias@${R} modify --alias=goodalias3@${R} hasalias@${R} ||
 	{ echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-wait $kadmpid || { echo "kadmind failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 ${kadmin} -l get hasalias@${R} | grep Aliases: > kadmin.tmp
 read junk aliases < kadmin.tmp
 rm kadmin.tmp
 [ "$aliases" != "goodalias3@${R}" ] && { echo "kadmind failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} -p hasalias@${R} modify --alias=goodalias1@${R} --alias=goodalias2@${R} --alias=goodalias3@${R} hasalias@${R} ||
 	{ echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-wait $kadmpid || { echo "kadmind failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 ${kadmin} -l get hasalias@${R} | grep Aliases: > kadmin.tmp
 read junk aliases < kadmin.tmp
 rm kadmin.tmp
 [ "$aliases" != "goodalias1@${R} goodalias2@${R} goodalias3@${R}" ] && { echo "FOO failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kinit (no admin)"
 ${kinit} --password-file=${objdir}/foopassword \
     -S kadmin/admin@${R} bar@${R} || exit 1
@@ -171,10 +152,6 @@ ${kadmin} -l get kaka2@${R} > /dev/null ||
 	{ echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kinit (no admin)"
 ${kinit} --password-file=${objdir}/foopassword \
     -S kadmin/admin@${R} baz@${R} || exit 1
@@ -184,10 +161,6 @@ ${kadmin} -p baz@${R} get bar@${R} > /dev/null ||
 	{ echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kinit (no admin)"
 ${kinit} --password-file=${objdir}/foopassword \
     -S kadmin/admin@${R} baz@${R} || exit 1
@@ -197,10 +170,6 @@ ${kadmin} -p baz@${R} passwd -p "$foopassword" bar@${R} > /dev/null 2>/dev/null
 	{ echo "kadmin succesded $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kinit (no admin)"
 ${kinit} --password-file=${objdir}/foopassword \
     -S kadmin/admin@${R} baz@${R} || exit 1
@@ -210,10 +179,6 @@ ${kadmin} -p baz@${R} get bar@${R} > /dev/null ||
 	{ echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kinit (no admin)"
 ${kinit} --password-file=${objdir}/foopassword \
     -S kadmin/admin@${R} bez@${R} || exit 1
@@ -223,10 +188,6 @@ ${kadmin} -p bez@${R} passwd -p "$foopassword" bar@${R} > /dev/null 2>/dev/null
 	{ echo "kadmin succesded $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kinit (no admin)"
 ${kinit} --password-file=${objdir}/foopassword \
     -S kadmin/admin@${R} fez@${R} || exit 1
@@ -236,10 +197,6 @@ ${kadmin} -p fez@${R} get bar@${R} > /dev/null ||
 	{ echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kinit (no admin)"
 ${kinit} --password-file=${objdir}/foopassword \
     -S kadmin/admin@${R} fez@${R} || exit 1
@@ -249,10 +206,6 @@ ${kadmin} -p fez@${R} passwd -p "$foopassword" bar@${R} > /dev/null 2>/dev/null
 	{ echo "kadmin succesded $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kinit (admin)"
 ${kinit} --password-file=${objdir}/foopassword \
     -S kadmin/admin@${R} foo/admin@${R} || exit 1
@@ -290,10 +243,6 @@ cmp kadmin.tmp ${srcdir}/donotexists.txt || \
     { echo "wrong response"; exit 1;}
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kadmin get pkinit-acl"
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} -p foo/admin@${R} get -o pkinit-acl pkinit@${R} \
@@ -301,10 +250,6 @@ ${kadmin} -p foo/admin@${R} get -o pkinit-acl pkinit@${R} \
 	{ echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kadmin get -o principal"
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} -p foo/admin@${R} get -o principal bar@${R} \
@@ -316,10 +261,6 @@ fi
 
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kadmin get -o kvno"
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} -p foo/admin@${R} get -o kvno bar@${R} \
@@ -331,10 +272,6 @@ fi
 
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kadmin get -o princ_expire_time"
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} -p foo/admin@${R} get -o princ_expire_time bar@${R} \
@@ -345,10 +282,6 @@ if test "`cat kadmin.tmp`" != "Principal expires: never" ; then
 fi
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kadmin get -s -o attributes"
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} -p foo/admin@${R} get -s -o attributes bar@${R} \
@@ -359,44 +292,26 @@ if test "`cat kadmin.tmp`" != "Attributes" ; then
 fi
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kadmin prune"
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} prune --kvno=2 prune@${R} \
         > kadmin.tmp 2>&1 || \
         { echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-wait $kadmpid || { echo "kadmind failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} get prune@${R} \
         > kadmin.tmp 2>&1 || \
         { echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-wait $kadmpid || { echo "kadmind failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-
 cat kadmin.tmp | ${EGREP} Keytypes: | cut -d: -f2 | tr ' ' '
 ' | sed 's/^.*[[]\(.*\)[]].*$/\1/' | grep '[0-9]' | sort -nu | tr -d '
 ' | ${EGREP} '^13$' > /dev/null || \
         { echo "kadmin prune failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
 
 #----------------------------------
-${kadmind} -d &
-kadmpid=$!
-sleep 1
-
 echo "kadmin pruneall"
 env KRB5CCNAME=${cache} \
 ${kadmin} get pruneall@${R} \
         > kadmin.tmp 2>&1 || \
         { echo "kadmin failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-wait $kadmpid || { echo "kadmind failed $?"; cat messages.log ; exit 1; }
-
 cat kadmin.tmp | ${EGREP} Keytypes: | cut -d: -f2 | tr ' ' '
 ' | sed 's/^.*[[]\(.*\)[]].*$/\1/' | grep '[0-9]' | sort -nu | tr -d '
 ' | ${EGREP} '^3$' > /dev/null || \