diff --git a/petrified.service b/petrified.service
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index 0000000..6514978
--- /dev/null
+++ b/petrified.service
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#
+# /usr/lib/systemd/system/petrified.service
+#
+# This unit is intended for out-of-the-box turnkey operation
+# and runs as the root user using the predefined defaults for
+# files and directories in /etc/petrified.conf
+#
+# The provided petrified.timer unit is what should be enabled,
+# not this service unit file directly:
+#
+#  systemctl start petrified.timer
+#  systemctl enable petrified.timer
+#
+
+[Unit]
+Description=Run petrified in system mode
+After=network-online.target
+Requires=network-online.target
+
+[Service]
+Type=simple
+ExecStart=/usr/bin/petrified -c /etc/petrified.conf
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