diff --git a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Utils.pm b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Utils.pm
index c59db5e57..bd47dcfb2 100644
--- a/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Utils.pm
+++ b/perl-xCAT/xCAT/Utils.pm
@@ -3896,30 +3896,55 @@ sub servicemap{
   my $path=undef;
   my $postfix="";
   my $retdefault=$svcname;
+  my $svcmgrcmd;
   if($svcmgrtype == 0){
+     #for sysvinit
      $path="/etc/init.d/";
+     $svcmgrcmd="service";
   }elsif ($svcmgrtype == 1){
-     $path="/usr/lib/systemd/system/";
+     #for systemd
+     #ubuntu 16.04 replace upstart with systemd, 
+     #all the service unit files are placed under /lib/systemd/system/ on ubuntu
+     #all the service unit files are placed under /usr/lib/systemd/system/ on redhat and sles
+     #$path delimited with space
+     $path="/usr/lib/systemd/system/ /lib/systemd/system/";
      $postfix=".service";
+     $svcmgrcmd="systemctl";
 #     $retdefault=$svcname.".service";
   }elsif ($svcmgrtype == 2){
      $path="/etc/init/";
      $postfix=".conf";
+     $svcmgrcmd="initctl";
+  }
+  
+  #check whether service management command is available
+  system "type $svcmgrcmd >/dev/null 2>&1";
+  if($? != 0){
+    return undef;
   }
 
-  
+  my @paths=split(" ",$path);
   my $ret=undef;
   if($svchash{$svcname}){
-    foreach my $file (@{$svchash{$svcname}}){
-       if(-e $path.$file.$postfix ){
-             $ret=$file;
-             last;
+      foreach my $file (@{$svchash{$svcname}}){
+          foreach my $ipath (@paths){
+              if(-e $ipath.$file.$postfix ){
+                  $ret=$file;
+                  last;
+              }
           }
-    }      
+ 
+          if(defined $ret){
+              last; 
+          }
+      }      
   }else{
-    if(-e $path.$retdefault.$postfix){
-        $ret=$retdefault;
-    } 
+      foreach my $ipath (@paths){
+          if(-e $ipath.$retdefault.$postfix){
+              $ret=$retdefault;
+              last;
+          } 
+      }
  }
  
  return $ret;  
diff --git a/xCAT/postscripts/xcatlib.sh b/xCAT/postscripts/xcatlib.sh
index b96f8dee5..fa238a852 100755
--- a/xCAT/postscripts/xcatlib.sh
+++ b/xCAT/postscripts/xcatlib.sh
@@ -278,11 +278,11 @@ function servicemap {
    local svcmgrtype=$2
    local svclistname=   
 
-  # if there are more than 1 possible service names for a service among 
-  # different os distributions and os releases, the service should be 
-  # specified with structure 
-  # INIT_(general service name) = "list of possible service names"
-  #  
+   # if there are more than 1 possible service names for a service among 
+   # different os distributions and os releases, the service should be 
+   # specified with structure 
+   # INIT_(general service name) = "list of possible service names"
+   #  
    INIT_dhcp="dhcp3-server dhcpd isc-dhcp-server";
 
    INIT_nfs="nfsserver nfs-server nfs nfs-kernel-server";
@@ -303,19 +303,37 @@ function servicemap {
 
    local path=
    local postfix=""
+   local svcmgrcmd=
    local retdefault=$svcname
    local svcvar=${svcname//[-.]/_}
    if [ "$svcmgrtype" = "0"  ];then
+      #for sysvinit
       path="/etc/init.d/"
+      svcmgrcmd="service"
    elif [ "$svcmgrtype" = "1"  ];then
+      #for systemd
       #retdefault=$svcname.service
-      path="/usr/lib/systemd/system/"
+      #ubuntu 16.04 replace upstart with systemd, 
+      #all the service unit files are placed under /lib/systemd/system/ on ubuntu
+      #all the service unit files are placed under /usr/lib/systemd/system/ on redhat and sles
+      #path should be delimited with space
+      path="/usr/lib/systemd/system/ /lib/systemd/system/"
       postfix=".service"
+      svcmgrcmd="systemctl"
    elif [ "$svcmgrtype" = "2"  ];then
+      #for upstart
       path="/etc/init/"
       postfix=".conf"
+      svcmgrcmd="initctl"
    fi
-   
+
+   #check whether the service management command exists
+   type $svcmgrcmd >/dev/null 2>&1
+   if [ $? -ne 0 ];then
+       echo ""
+       return
+   fi
+ 
    svclistname=INIT_$svcvar
    local svclist=$(eval echo \$$svclistname)      
 
@@ -325,12 +343,15 @@ function servicemap {
 
    for name in `echo $svclist`
    do
-      if [ -e "$path$name$postfix"  ];then
-         echo $name
-         break
-      fi
+       for ipath in `echo $path`;do
+           if [ -e "$ipath$name$postfix"  ];then
+              echo "$name"
+              return
+           fi
+       done
    done
-   
+  
+   echo ""
 }
 
 #some special services cannot be processed in sysVinit, upstart and systemd framework, should be process here...
@@ -466,7 +487,7 @@ function restartservice {
    elif [ -n "$svcjob"  ];then
       initctl status $svcjob | grep stop
       if [ "$?" = "0" ];then 
-         cmd= "initctl start $svcjob"
+         cmd="initctl start $svcjob"
       else
          cmd="initctl restart $svcjob"
       fi