diff --git a/recipes-core/base-files/base-files_%.bbappend b/recipes-core/base-files/base-files_%.bbappend
index 1f9d5ef..3505b0e 100644
--- a/recipes-core/base-files/base-files_%.bbappend
+++ b/recipes-core/base-files/base-files_%.bbappend
@@ -1 +1,7 @@
-hostname = "diya"
\ No newline at end of file
+hostname = "diya"
+do_install:append () {
+    cat >> ${D}${sysconfdir}/fstab <<EOF
+# add bind mount for /etc
+/etc /var/etc none defaults,bind 0 0
+EOF
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/recipes-core/dropbear/files/default b/recipes-core/dropbear/files/default
index 3b1c11b..36af6d9 100644
--- a/recipes-core/dropbear/files/default
+++ b/recipes-core/dropbear/files/default
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 DROPBEAR_EXTRA_ARGS="-w"
-DROPBEAR_RSAKEY_DIR=/var/etc/dropbear
\ No newline at end of file
+DROPBEAR_RSAKEY_DIR=/etc/dropbear
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/recipes-core/images/core-image-minimal.bbappend b/recipes-core/images/core-image-minimal.bbappend
index f5b4a21..e24100a 100644
--- a/recipes-core/images/core-image-minimal.bbappend
+++ b/recipes-core/images/core-image-minimal.bbappend
@@ -47,13 +47,7 @@ IMAGE_INSTALL:append = "libcurl \
                         raspi-gpio \
                         " 
 patch_rootfs () {
-    install -d ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/var/etc
-    install -m 0644 ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/etc/passwd ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/var/etc/
-    install -m 0644 ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/etc/group ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/var/etc/
-    rm ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/etc/passwd
-    rm ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/etc/group
-    ln -sf /var/etc/passwd ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/etc/passwd
-    ln -sf /var/etc/group ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/etc/group
+    cp -a ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/etc ${IMAGE_ROOTFS}/var/
 }
 
 IMAGE_POSTPROCESS_COMMAND += " patch_rootfs "
diff --git a/recipes-diya/diya-overlay/files/80_diya b/recipes-diya/diya-overlay/files/80_diya
index 8f6f562..bf655f4 100644
--- a/recipes-diya/diya-overlay/files/80_diya
+++ b/recipes-diya/diya-overlay/files/80_diya
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # d root root 0755 /var/etc/dropbear none
 l root root 0644 /etc/network/interfaces /var/etc/network/itf_diya
-l root root 0644 /etc/dropbear /var/etc/dropbear
+# l root root 0644 /etc/dropbear /var/etc/dropbear
 # l root root 0644 /etc/passwd /var/etc/passwd
 # l root root 0644 /etc/group /var/etc/group