diff --git a/README b/README
index 2cbeafde..8ab9846b 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ To run pan.do/ra you need to install and setup:
     additinal video packages
 
 
-* Installing required packages
+=== Installing required packages ===
+
 1) add pandora ppa to get all packages in the required version
 
     apt-get install software-properties-common
@@ -31,7 +32,8 @@ To run pan.do/ra you need to install and setup:
             poppler-utils mkvtoolnix gpac imagemagick \
             python-ox oxframe ffmpeg
 
-* Prepare Environment
+=== Prepare Environment ===
+
 1) add pandora user and set permissions
    adduser pandora --disabled-login --disabled-password
 
@@ -50,7 +52,8 @@ Important: "use_your_own" is a password and you have to use the same value here
     rabbitmqctl set_permissions -p /pandora pandora ".*" ".*" ".*"
 
 
-* Install Pan.do/ra
+=== Install Pan.do/ra ===
+
 1) Get code from bazzar
     cd /srv/
     bzr branch http://code.0x2620.org/pandora pandora
@@ -66,7 +69,7 @@ Important: "use_your_own" is a password and you have to use the same value here
 
 2) create local_settings.py and config.jsonc
 
-1) create file /srv/pandora/pandora/local_settings.py with the following content:
+2.1) create file /srv/pandora/pandora/local_settings.py with the following content:
     DATABASES = {
         'default': {
             'NAME': 'pandora',
@@ -84,7 +87,7 @@ Important: "use_your_own" is a password and you have to use the same value here
     #with nginx X-Accel-Redirect set this to True
     XACCELREDIRECT = True
 
-2) create config.jsonc
+2.2) create config.jsonc
     config.jsonc holds the configuration for your site.
     To start you can copy /srv/pandora/pandora/config.pandora.jsonc
     to /srv/pandora/pandora/config.jsonc but have a look at 
@@ -94,15 +97,7 @@ Important: "use_your_own" is a password and you have to use the same value here
 3) initialize database
     su pandora
     cd /srv/pandora/pandora
-    ./manage.py syncdb --noinput
-    ./manage.py migrate item
-    ./manage.py migrate annotation
-    ./manage.py migrate
-    ./manage.py sqlfindindex
-    ./manage.py sync_itemsort
-    ./manage.py collectstatic -l --noinput
-    ./manage.py update_static
-    ./manage.py compile_pyc
+    ./manage.py init_db
 
 4) install init scripts and start daemons
     cp /srv/pandora/etc/init/*.conf /etc/init/
@@ -136,7 +131,7 @@ b) apache2 (if you need it for other sites on the same server)
 
 Now you can open pandora in your browser, the first user to sign up will become admin.
 
-=== Updating ===
+== Updating ==
 To update a pandora installation get the latest version from bzr by running
   su pandora
   cd /srv/pandora
@@ -149,7 +144,7 @@ to update your database run:
   cd /srv/pandora
    ./update.py db
 
-=== Development ===
+== Development ==
   in one terminal:
     ./manage.py runserver 2620
 
@@ -158,5 +153,5 @@ to update your database run:
 
   now you can access your local pandora instace at http://127.0.0.1:8000/
 
-  we use virtual machines for development, you can get a vm from our site
+  we use virtual machines/lxc for development, you can get a vm from our site
   or use the script in vm/build.sh to create one.
diff --git a/pandora/app/management/commands/init_db.py b/pandora/app/management/commands/init_db.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..63be34ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pandora/app/management/commands/init_db.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+# vi:si:et:sw=4:sts=4:ts=4
+from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
+from django.conf import settings
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+
+def run(cmd):
+    r = subprocess.call(cmd)
+    if r != 0:
+        sys.exit(r)
+
+class Command(BaseCommand):
+    """
+    """
+    help = 'initialize pan.do/ra db'
+    args = ''
+
+    def handle(self, **options):
+        manage_py = sys.argv[0]
+        for cmd in [
+            [manage_py, 'syncdb', '--noinput'],
+            [manage_py, 'migrate', 'item'],
+            [manage_py, 'migrate', 'annotation'],
+            [manage_py, 'migrate'],
+            [manage_py, 'sqlfindindex'],
+            [manage_py, 'sync_itemsort'],
+            [manage_py, 'update_static'],
+            [manage_py, 'compile_pyc'],
+        ]:
+            run(cmd)
+        if not os.path.exists(os.path.join(settings.STATIC_ROOT, 'admin')):
+            run([manage_py, 'collectstatic', '-l', '--noinput'])
diff --git a/vm/firstboot.sh b/vm/firstboot.sh
index 03676f62..94f0aa10 100755
--- a/vm/firstboot.sh
+++ b/vm/firstboot.sh
@@ -110,24 +110,17 @@ XACCELREDIRECT = True
 DEBUG = False
 TEMPLATE_DEBUG = DEBUG
 JSON_DEBUG = False
+DB_GIN_TRGM = True
 EOF
 
 MANAGE="sudo -H -u pandora python manage.py"
 
 cd /srv/pandora/pandora
-$MANAGE syncdb --noinput
-$MANAGE migrate item
-$MANAGE migrate annotation
-$MANAGE migrate
-echo "DB_GIN_TRGM = True" >> /srv/pandora/pandora/local_settings.py
-$MANAGE sqlfindindex
-$MANAGE sync_itemsort
+$MANAGE init_db
 echo "UPDATE django_site SET domain = '$HOST.local', name = '$HOST.local' WHERE 1=1;" | $MANAGE dbshell
 
 mkdir /srv/pandora/data
 chown -R pandora:pandora /srv/pandora
-$MANAGE update_static
-$MANAGE collectstatic -l --noinput
 
 if [ "$SYSTEMD" == "yes" ]; then
     cp /srv/pandora/etc/systemd/*.service /lib/systemd/system/