diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6c43468cd..440e2c916 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
-current-*.tar.gz
 *.pyc
 *.py.bak
 *.swp
 *.tiny.css
-data/*.log
-data/cherrypy_sessions
-data/sessions
-data/store.sqlite3
+data/var/log/plinth/*.log
+data/var/lib/plinth/*.sqlite3
+data/var/lib/plinth/sessions/*
+data/var/run/*.pid
 doc/*.tex
 doc/*.pdf
 doc/*.html
@@ -24,10 +23,8 @@ TODO
 \#*
 .#*
 *~
-data/plinth.sqlite3
 predepend
 build/
-*.pid
 .emacs.desktop*
 *.egg-info/
 dist/
diff --git a/data/var/lib/plinth/.gitkeep b/data/var/lib/plinth/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/data/var/lib/plinth/sessions/.gitkeep b/data/var/lib/plinth/sessions/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/data/var/log/plinth/.gitkeep b/data/var/log/plinth/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/data/var/run/.gitkeep b/data/var/run/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/plinth.config b/plinth.config
index 193d18c72..8aeb93ba6 100644
--- a/plinth.config
+++ b/plinth.config
@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ box_name = FreedomBox
 [Path]
 # directory locations
 file_root = %(root)s
-data_dir = %(file_root)s/data
-log_dir = %(data_dir)s
-pid_dir = %(data_dir)s
-server_dir = plinth/
+data_dir = %(file_root)s/data/var/lib/plinth
+log_dir = %(file_root)s/data/var/log/plinth
+pid_dir = %(file_root)s/data/var/run
+server_dir = /
 actions_dir = %(file_root)s/actions
 doc_dir = %(file_root)s/doc
 
diff --git a/plinth/__main__.py b/plinth/__main__.py
index 4910ce8d0..9fee788c3 100644
--- a/plinth/__main__.py
+++ b/plinth/__main__.py
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ def configure_django():
         ROOT_URLCONF='plinth.urls',
         SESSION_ENGINE='django.contrib.sessions.backends.file',
         SESSION_FILE_PATH=sessions_directory,
-        STATIC_URL=cfg.server_dir + '/static/',
+        STATIC_URL='/'.join([cfg.server_dir, 'static/']).replace('//', '/'),
         TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS=context_processors,
         TEMPLATE_DIRS=template_directories)
 
diff --git a/plinth/cfg.py b/plinth/cfg.py
index 9e394f591..54b801ea7 100644
--- a/plinth/cfg.py
+++ b/plinth/cfg.py
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ def read():
 
     parser = SafeConfigParser(
         defaults={
-            'root': directory,
+            'root': os.path.realpath(directory),
         })
     parser.read(config_file)