diff --git a/debian/backports/rules b/debian/backports/rules
index f2ae9cc9ab..4d082af1b1 100644
--- a/debian/backports/rules
+++ b/debian/backports/rules
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ SOURCEFORMAT_$(1) ?= $(strip \
 	$(shell cat debian/backports/$(1)/debian/source/format))
 
 # files checked for the dirhash (see below)
-FINDCMD_$(1) = find debian/backports/$(1)/debian \
+FINDCMD_$(1) = find -L debian/backports/$(1)/debian \
 	-type f \
 	! -path debian/backports/$(1)/debian/changelog
 
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ EXCLUDEROOT_FIND_$(1) = $$(foreach file,$$(EXCLUDEROOT_$(1)),-o -path $$(file))
 
 # find command resulting in all files that *will* be pulled into the backport
 # tarball.
-FINDCMDROOT_$(1) = find debian/ \
+FINDCMDROOT_$(1) = find -L debian/ \
 	'(' -false $$(EXCLUDEROOT_FIND_$(1)) ')' -prune -o \
 	-type f -a '!' '(' -false $$(EXCLUDEROOT_FIND_$(1)) ')'
 
@@ -100,9 +100,9 @@ $(TARBALLDIR)/$(SRCPKG)_$$(DEBIAN_VERSION_$(1)).debian.tar.xz: \
 		$$(BACKPORTDIR_$(1))/$$(DIRHASHROOT_$(1)).root.dirhash \
 		$$(BACKPORTDIR_$(1))/exclude
 	rm -f $$(subst .tar.xz,.tar,$$@) $$@
-	tar -cf $$(subst .tar.xz,.tar,$$@) \
+	tar -chf $$(subst .tar.xz,.tar,$$@) \
 		--exclude-vcs $$(EXCLUDEROOT_TAR_$(1)) debian/
-	cd debian/backports/$(1) && tar -uf $$(subst .tar.xz,.tar,$$@) \
+	cd debian/backports/$(1) && tar -uhf $$(subst .tar.xz,.tar,$$@) \
 		--exclude-vcs debian/
 	xz $$(subst .tar.xz,.tar,$$@)
 
diff --git a/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/control b/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/control
deleted file mode 100644
index 3f30a023c0..0000000000
--- a/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/control
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-Source: frr
-Section: net
-Priority: optional
-Maintainer: Nobody <nobody@freerangerouting.org>
-Uploaders: Nobody <nobody@freerangerouting.org>
-Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 7.0.50~), libncurses5-dev, libreadline-dev, texlive-latex-base, texlive-generic-recommended, libpam0g-dev | libpam-dev, libcap-dev, texinfo (>= 4.7), imagemagick, ghostscript, groff, po-debconf, autotools-dev, hardening-wrapper, libpcre3-dev, gawk, chrpath, libsnmp-dev, git, dh-autoreconf, libjson0, libjson0-dev, python-ipaddr, pkg-config
-Standards-Version: 3.9.6
-Homepage: http://www.freerangerouting.org/
-XS-Testsuite: autopkgtest
-
-Package: frr
-Architecture: any
-Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, logrotate (>= 3.2-11), ${misc:Depends}
-Pre-Depends: adduser
-Conflicts: zebra, zebra-pj, quagga
-Replaces: zebra, zebra-pj, quagga
-Suggests: snmpd
-Description: BGP/OSPF/RIP/RIPng/ISIS/PIM/LDP routing daemon forked from Quagga
- FRR is free software which manages TCP/IP based routing protocols.
- It supports BGP4, BGP4+, OSPFv2, OSPFv3, IS-IS, RIPv1, RIPv2, RIPng,
- PIM and LDP as well as the IPv6 versions of these.
- .
- FRR is a fork of Quagga with an open community model. The main git
- lives on https://github.com/freerangerouting/frr.git
-
-Package: frr-dbg
-Architecture: any
-Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}, frr (= ${binary:Version})
-Priority: extra
-Section: debug
-Description: BGP/OSPF/RIP/RIPng/ISIS/PIM/LDP routing daemon forked from Quagga (debug symbols)
- This package provides debugging symbols for all binary packages built 
- from frr source package. It's highly recommended to have this package
- installed before reporting any FRR crashes to either FRR developers or 
- Debian package maintainers.
-
-Package: frr-doc
-Section: net
-Architecture: all
-Depends: ${misc:Depends}
-Suggests: frr
-Description: Documentation files for FRR
- This package includes info files for frr, a free software which manages
- TCP/IP based routing protocols.  It supports BGP4, BGP4+, OSPFv2, OSPFv3,
- IS-IS, RIPv1, RIPv2, RIPng, PIM and LDP as well as the IPv6 versions of these.
diff --git a/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/control b/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/control
new file mode 120000
index 0000000000..31862f4099
--- /dev/null
+++ b/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/control
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+../../ubuntu14.04/debian/control
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/frr.install b/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/frr.install
deleted file mode 100644
index 95916754e9..0000000000
--- a/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/frr.install
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-etc/frr/
-usr/bin/vtysh
-usr/include/frr/
-usr/lib/
-tools/frr-reload.py usr/lib/frr/
-tools/frr etc/init.d/
-usr/share/doc/frr/
-usr/share/man/man1/vtysh.1
-usr/share/man/man1/frr.1
-usr/share/man/man8
-usr/share/man/man8/bgpd.8
-usr/share/man/man8/ospf6d.8
-usr/share/man/man8/ospfd.8
-usr/share/man/man8/ripd.8
-usr/share/man/man8/ripngd.8
-usr/share/man/man8/zebra.8
-usr/share/man/man8/isisd.8
-usr/share/man/man8/pimd.8
-usr/share/man/man8/ldpd.8
-usr/share/man/man8/watchfrr.8
-usr/share/snmp/mibs/
-cumulus/etc/* etc/
-tools/*.service    lib/systemd/system
-debian/frr.conf  usr/lib/tmpfiles.d
diff --git a/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/frr.install b/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/frr.install
new file mode 120000
index 0000000000..83ecca5958
--- /dev/null
+++ b/debian/backports/ubuntu12.04/debian/frr.install
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+../../ubuntu14.04/debian/frr.install
\ No newline at end of file