diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/populate_sdk_base.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/populate_sdk_base.bbclass
index b427ff2761..c63601b1da 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/populate_sdk_base.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/populate_sdk_base.bbclass
@@ -189,6 +189,8 @@ create_merged_usr_symlinks() {
     install -d $root${base_bindir} $root${base_sbindir} $root${base_libdir}
     ln -rs $root${base_bindir} $root/bin
     ln -rs $root${base_sbindir} $root/sbin
+    # if base_sbindir == base_bindir, aka binmerge
+    test -e $root/usr/sbin || ln -rs $root${base_bindir} $root/usr/sbin
     ln -rs $root${base_libdir} $root/${baselib}
 
     if [ "${nonarch_base_libdir}" != "${base_libdir}" ]; then
diff --git a/meta/conf/bitbake.conf b/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
index bdf37d0da2..18aa1441e6 100644
--- a/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
+++ b/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ root_prefix = "${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'usrmerge', '${exec_prefi
 
 # Base paths
 export base_bindir = "${root_prefix}/bin"
-export base_sbindir = "${root_prefix}/sbin"
+export base_sbindir = "${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'usrmerge', '${base_bindir}', '${root_prefix}/sbin', d)}"
 export base_libdir = "${root_prefix}/${baselib}"
 export nonarch_base_libdir = "${root_prefix}/lib"
 
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ firmwaredir = "${nonarch_base_libdir}/firmware"
 
 # Architecture dependent paths
 export bindir = "${exec_prefix}/bin"
-export sbindir = "${exec_prefix}/sbin"
+export sbindir = "${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'usrmerge', '${bindir}', '${exec_prefix}/sbin', d)}"
 export libdir = "${exec_prefix}/${baselib}"
 export libexecdir = "${exec_prefix}/libexec"
 export includedir = "${exec_prefix}/include"
@@ -66,9 +66,9 @@ bindir_cross = "/bin"
 bindir_crossscripts = "${bindir}/crossscripts"
 prefix_nativesdk = "/usr"
 bindir_nativesdk = "${prefix_nativesdk}/bin"
-sbindir_nativesdk = "${prefix_nativesdk}/sbin"
+sbindir_nativesdk = "${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'usrmerge', '${bindir_nativesdk}', '${prefix_nativesdk}/sbin', d)}"
 base_bindir_nativesdk = "/bin"
-base_sbindir_nativesdk = "/sbin"
+base_sbindir_nativesdk = "${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'usrmerge', '${base_bindir_nativesdk}', '/sbin', d)}"
 includedir_nativesdk = "${prefix_nativesdk}/include"
 libdir_nativesdk = "${prefix_nativesdk}/lib"
 base_libdir_nativesdk = "/lib"
diff --git a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_261.1.bb b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_261.1.bb
index 0a1d4870bf..97a91ff5e2 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_261.1.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_261.1.bb
@@ -195,7 +195,6 @@ def build_epoch(d):
 PACKAGECONFIG[set-time-epoch] = "${@build_epoch(d)},-Dtime-epoch=0"
 PACKAGECONFIG[timedated] = "-Dtimedated=true,-Dtimedated=false"
 PACKAGECONFIG[timesyncd] = "-Dtimesyncd=true,-Dtimesyncd=false"
-PACKAGECONFIG[sbinmerge] = "-Dsplit-bin=false,-Dsplit-bin=true"
 PACKAGECONFIG[userdb] = "-Duserdb=true,-Duserdb=false"
 PACKAGECONFIG[utmp] = "-Dutmp=true,-Dutmp=false"
 PACKAGECONFIG[valgrind] = "-DVALGRIND=1,,valgrind"
@@ -226,6 +225,7 @@ EXTRA_OEMESON += "-Dnobody-user=nobody \
                   -Dtranslations=${@'false' if d.getVar('USE_NLS') == 'no' else 'true'} \
                   ${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'zeroconf', '-Ddefault-mdns=no -Ddefault-llmnr=no', '', d)} \
                   -Ddbus=disabled \
+                  -Dsplit-bin=${@'false' if '${bindir}' == '${sbindir}' else 'true'} \
                   -Dtests=false \
                   -Dlibc=${TCLIBC} \
                   "
@@ -342,8 +342,8 @@ do_install() {
 		install -m 0644 ${UNPACKDIR}/org.freedesktop.hostname1_no_polkit.conf ${D}${datadir}/dbus-1/system.d/
 	fi
 
-	# create link for existing udev rules
-	ln -s ${base_bindir}/udevadm ${D}${base_sbindir}/udevadm
+	# create link for old udev rules
+	test -e ${D}${base_sbindir}/udevadm || ln -s ${base_bindir}/udevadm ${D}${base_sbindir}/udevadm
 
 	# install default policy for presets
 	# https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/Preset/#howto