diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-configdrives-dynamic/defaults/main.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-configdrives-dynamic/defaults/main.yml
index 5471b29a1..46b32a6f0 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-configdrives-dynamic/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-configdrives-dynamic/defaults/main.yml
@@ -21,3 +21,6 @@ network_mtu: 1500
 
 # Default URL to Ironic
 ironic_url: "http://localhost:6385/"
+
+# Default ISO generation utility
+iso_gen_utility: "mkisofs"
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-configdrives-dynamic/tasks/main.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-configdrives-dynamic/tasks/main.yml
index 90b053c8f..c3b40b3bf 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-configdrives-dynamic/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-configdrives-dynamic/tasks/main.yml
@@ -62,9 +62,17 @@
 - name: "Write network Debian style interface template"
   local_action: template src=interfaces.j2 dest={{ variable_configdrive_location.stdout }}/{{ uuid }}/openstack/content/0000
   when: write_interfaces_file | bool
+- name: "Check if mkisofs is available"
+  shell: mkisofs --help >>/dev/null
+  ignore_errors: yes
+  register: test_mkisofs
+- name: "If mkisofs is not available, fallback to genisoimage"
+  set_fact:
+    iso_gen_utility: "genisoimage"
+  when: test_mkisofs.rc != 0
 - name: "Make config drive files"
   become: yes
-  command: mkisofs -R -V config-2 -o {{http_boot_folder}}/configdrive-{{ uuid }}.iso {{ variable_configdrive_location.stdout }}/{{ uuid }}
+  command: "{{iso_gen_utility}} -R -V config-2 -o {{http_boot_folder}}/configdrive-{{ uuid }}.iso {{ variable_configdrive_location.stdout }}/{{ uuid }}"
 - name: "Make config drive files base64 encoded and gzip compressed"
   become:  yes
   shell: gzip -c {{http_boot_folder}}/configdrive-{{ uuid }}.iso | base64 > {{http_boot_folder}}/configdrive-{{ uuid }}.iso.gz
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-ironic-install/defaults/required_defaults_Debian_jessie.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-ironic-install/defaults/required_defaults_Debian_jessie.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..efe3cc16c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-ironic-install/defaults/required_defaults_Debian_jessie.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+---
+init_template: systemd_template.j2
+init_dest_dir: /usr/lib/systemd/system/
+init_ext: .service
+syslinux_tftp_dir: /usr/lib/PXELINUX/
+ipxe_dir: /usr/lib/ipxe/
+ipxe_full_binary: ipxe.pxe
+sgabios_dir: /usr/share/qemu/
+nginx_user: www-data
+virt_group: libvirt
+mysql_service_name: mysql
+required_packages:
+  - mysql-server
+  - rabbitmq-server
+  - python-dev
+  - python-mysqldb
+  - python-configparser
+  - libffi-dev
+  - libxslt1-dev
+  - libssl-dev
+  - libxml2-dev
+  - ipxe
+  - tftpd-hpa
+  - tftp-hpa
+  - syslinux-common
+  - syslinux
+  - pxelinux
+  - xinetd
+  - parted
+  - ipmitool
+  - psmisc
+  - nginx
+  - wget
+  - genisoimage
+  - kpartx
+  - qemu-utils
+  - amtterm
+  - sgabios
+  - libvirt-bin
+  - debootstrap
+  - uuid-runtime
+  - dnsmasq
+# NOTE(TheJulia): The above entry for dnsmasq must be the last entry in the
+# package list as the installation causes name resolution changes that can
+# temporarily block packages following it while the system is being
+# reconfigured. See: https://review.openstack.org/#/c/223813
+
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-ironic-install/tasks/main.yml b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-ironic-install/tasks/main.yml
index 18655829f..0e5729ac4 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/bifrost-ironic-install/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/bifrost-ironic-install/tasks/main.yml
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 - name: Include OS version-specific defaults
   include_vars: "{{ item }}"
   with_first_found:
+    - "../defaults/required_defaults_{{ ansible_distribution }}_{{ansible_distribution_release }}.yml"
     - "../defaults/required_defaults_{{ ansible_distribution }}_{{ ansible_distribution_version }}.yml"
     - "../defaults/dummy-defaults.yml"
 - name: "Update Package Cache"
@@ -136,6 +137,12 @@
 - name: "Create authorized_keys file for ironic user"
   command: cp -p /home/ironic/.ssh/id_rsa.pub /home/ironic/.ssh/authorized_keys
   when: testing == true
+- name: "Create service folder if systemd template is defined"
+  file:
+    path: "{{ init_dest_dir }}"
+    state: directory
+    mode: 0755
+  when: init_template == 'systemd_template.j2'
 - name: "Install ironic-inspector to permit use of inspection interface"
   include: inspector_install.yml
   when: enable_inspector | bool