diff --git a/src/damon.c b/src/damon.c
index ba64157..8a85729 100644
--- a/src/damon.c
+++ b/src/damon.c
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ static void _damon_destroy(DaMon * damon);
 
 static int _damon_perror(char const * message, int error);
 
-static int _damon_update(DaMon * damon, char const * filename,
+static int _damon_update(DaMon * damon, RRDType type, char const * filename,
 		int args_cnt, ...);
 
 
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ static int _refresh_uptime(AppClient * ac, Host * host, char * rrd)
 	if(appclient_call(ac, (void **)&ret, "uptime") != 0)
 		return error_print(PROGNAME);
 	sprintf(rrd, "%s%c%s", host->hostname, DAMON_SEP, "uptime.rrd");
-	_damon_update(host->damon, rrd, 1, ret);
+	_damon_update(host->damon, RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN, rrd, 1, ret);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -213,7 +213,8 @@ static int _refresh_load(AppClient * ac, Host * host, char * rrd)
 	if(res != 0)
 		return 0;
 	sprintf(rrd, "%s%c%s", host->hostname, DAMON_SEP, "load.rrd");
-	_damon_update(host->damon, rrd, 3, load[0], load[1], load[2]);
+	_damon_update(host->damon, RRDTYPE_LOAD, rrd, 3,
+			load[0], load[1], load[2]);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -224,7 +225,7 @@ static int _refresh_procs(AppClient * ac, Host * host, char * rrd)
 	if(appclient_call(ac, (void **)&res, "procs") != 0)
 		return 1;
 	sprintf(rrd, "%s%c%s", host->hostname, DAMON_SEP, "procs.rrd");
-	_damon_update(host->damon, rrd, 1, res);
+	_damon_update(host->damon, RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN, rrd, 1, res);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -237,7 +238,8 @@ static int _refresh_ram(AppClient * ac, Host * host, char * rrd)
 				&ram[3]) != 0)
 		return 1;
 	sprintf(rrd, "%s%c%s", host->hostname, DAMON_SEP, "ram.rrd");
-	_damon_update(host->damon, rrd, 4, ram[0], ram[1], ram[2], ram[3]);
+	_damon_update(host->damon, RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN, rrd, 4,
+			ram[0], ram[1], ram[2], ram[3]);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -249,7 +251,7 @@ static int _refresh_swap(AppClient * ac, Host * host, char * rrd)
 	if(appclient_call(ac, (void **)&res, "swap", &swap[0], &swap[1]) != 0)
 		return 1;
 	sprintf(rrd, "%s%c%s", host->hostname, DAMON_SEP, "swap.rrd");
-	_damon_update(host->damon, rrd, 2, swap[0], swap[1]);
+	_damon_update(host->damon, RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN, rrd, 2, swap[0], swap[1]);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -260,7 +262,7 @@ static int _refresh_users(AppClient * ac, Host * host, char * rrd)
 	if(appclient_call(ac, (void **)&res, "users") != 0)
 		return 1;
 	sprintf(rrd, "%s%c%s", host->hostname, DAMON_SEP, "users.rrd");
-	_damon_update(host->damon, rrd, 1, res);
+	_damon_update(host->damon, RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN, rrd, 1, res);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -288,7 +290,7 @@ static int _ifaces_if(AppClient * ac, Host * host, char * rrd,
 				iface) != 0)
 		return 1;
 	sprintf(rrd, "%s%c%s%s", host->hostname, DAMON_SEP, iface, ".rrd");
-	_damon_update(host->damon, rrd, 2, res[0], res[1]);
+	_damon_update(host->damon, RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN, rrd, 2, res[0], res[1]);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -314,7 +316,7 @@ static int _vols_vol(AppClient * ac, Host * host, char * rrd, char * vol)
 			!= 0)
 		return 1;
 	sprintf(rrd, "%s%s%s", host->hostname, vol, ".rrd"); /* FIXME */
-	_damon_update(host->damon, rrd, 2, res[0], res[1]);
+	_damon_update(host->damon, RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN, rrd, 2, res[0], res[1]);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -512,7 +514,7 @@ static int _damon_perror(char const * message, int ret)
 
 
 /* damon_update */
-static int _damon_update(DaMon * damon, char const * filename,
+static int _damon_update(DaMon * damon, RRDType type, char const * filename,
 		int args_cnt, ...)
 {
 	int ret;
@@ -523,7 +525,7 @@ static int _damon_update(DaMon * damon, char const * filename,
 			== NULL)
 		return -1;
 	va_start(args, args_cnt);
-	ret = rrd_updatev(RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN, path, args_cnt, args);
+	ret = rrd_updatev(type, path, args_cnt, args);
 	va_end(args);
 	string_delete(path);
 	return ret;
diff --git a/src/rrd.c b/src/rrd.c
index c72a1aa..b58f196 100644
--- a/src/rrd.c
+++ b/src/rrd.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 
 
+#include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <sys/wait.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
@@ -28,6 +29,18 @@
 #ifndef RRDTOOL
 # define RRDTOOL		"rrdtool"
 #endif
+#ifndef RRD_XFF
+# define RRD_XFF		"0.5"
+#endif
+#ifndef RRD_AVERAGE_DAY
+# define RRD_AVERAGE_DAY	"RRA:AVERAGE:" RRD_XFF ":1:288"
+#endif
+#ifndef RRD_AVERAGE_WEEK
+# define RRD_AVERAGE_WEEK	"RRA:AVERAGE:" RRD_XFF ":2:1008"
+#endif
+#ifndef RRD_AVERAGE_4WEEK
+# define RRD_AVERAGE_4WEEK	"RRA:AVERAGE:" RRD_XFF ":8:1008"
+#endif
 
 
 /* RRD */
@@ -35,10 +48,47 @@
 /* prototypes */
 static int _rrd_exec(char * argv[]);
 static int _rrd_perror(char const * message, int ret);
+static char * _rrd_timestamp(void);
 
 
 /* public */
 /* functions */
+/* rrd_create */
+int rrd_create(RRDType type, char const * filename)
+{
+	int ret;
+	char * argv[16] = { RRDTOOL, "create", NULL, "--start", NULL, NULL };
+
+	switch(type)
+	{
+		case RRDTYPE_LOAD:
+			argv[5] = "--step";
+			argv[6] = "300";
+			argv[7] = "DS:load1:GAUGE:600:0:U";
+			argv[8] = "DS:load5:GAUGE:600:0:U";
+			argv[9] = "DS:load15:GAUGE:600:0:U";
+			argv[10] = RRD_AVERAGE_DAY;
+			argv[11] = RRD_AVERAGE_WEEK;
+			argv[12] = RRD_AVERAGE_4WEEK;
+			argv[13] = NULL;
+			break;
+		default:
+			/* FIXME implement */
+			return -1;
+	}
+	argv[2] = string_new(filename);
+	argv[4] = _rrd_timestamp();
+	/* create the database */
+	if(argv[2] != NULL && argv[4] != NULL)
+		ret = _rrd_exec(argv);
+	else
+		ret = -1;
+	string_delete(argv[4]);
+	string_delete(argv[2]);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
 /* rrd_update */
 int rrd_update(RRDType type, char const * filename, int args_cnt, ...)
 {
@@ -55,6 +105,7 @@ int rrd_update(RRDType type, char const * filename, int args_cnt, ...)
 /* rrd_updatev */
 int rrd_updatev(RRDType type, char const * filename, int args_cnt, va_list args)
 {
+	struct stat st;
 	char * argv[] = { RRDTOOL, "update", NULL, NULL, NULL };
 	struct timeval tv;
 	size_t s;
@@ -65,6 +116,14 @@ int rrd_updatev(RRDType type, char const * filename, int args_cnt, va_list args)
 #ifdef DEBUG
 	fprintf(stderr, "DEBUG: %s(%u, \"%s\")\n", __func__, type, filename);
 #endif
+	/* create the database if not available */
+	if(stat(filename, &st) != 0)
+	{
+		if(errno != ENOENT)
+			return _rrd_perror(filename, -errno);
+		if(rrd_create(type, filename) != 0)
+			return -1;
+	}
 	/* prepare the parameters */
 	if(gettimeofday(&tv, NULL) != 0)
 		return _rrd_perror("gettimeofday", -errno);
@@ -126,3 +185,17 @@ static int _rrd_perror(char const * message, int ret)
 	return error_set_code(ret, "%s%s%s", (message != NULL) ? message : "",
 			(message != NULL) ? ": " : "", strerror(errno));
 }
+
+
+/* rrd_timestamp */
+static char * _rrd_timestamp(void)
+{
+	struct timeval tv;
+
+	if(gettimeofday(&tv, NULL) != 0)
+	{
+		_rrd_perror("gettimeofday", -errno);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	return string_new_format("%ld", tv.tv_sec);
+}
diff --git a/src/rrd.h b/src/rrd.h
index 9f3b21a..864f86b 100644
--- a/src/rrd.h
+++ b/src/rrd.h
@@ -25,11 +25,14 @@
 /* types */
 typedef enum _RRDType
 {
-	RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN = 0
+	RRDTYPE_UNKNOWN = 0,
+	RRDTYPE_LOAD
 } RRDType;
 
 
 /* functions */
+int rrd_create(RRDType type, char const * filename);
+
 int rrd_update(RRDType type, char const * filename, int args_cnt, ...);
 int rrd_updatev(RRDType type, char const * filename,
 		int args_cnt, va_list args);