init script:

#!/bin/sh -e

NAME=saslauthd
DAEMON="/usr/sbin/${NAME}"
DESC="SASL Authentication Daemon"
DEFAULTS=/etc/default/saslauthd
PWDIR=/var/run/saslauthd
PIDFILE="/var/run/${NAME}/saslauthd.pid"

createdir() {
# $1 = user
# $2 = group
# $3 = permissions (octal)
# $4 = path to directory
        [ -d "$4" ] || mkdir -p "$4"
        chown -c -h "$1:$2" "$4"
        chmod -c "$3" "$4"
}

test -f "${DAEMON}" || exit 0

# Source defaults file; edit that file to configure this script.
if [ -e "${DEFAULTS}" ]; then
    . "${DEFAULTS}"
fi

# If we're not to start the daemon, simply exit
if [ "${START}" != "yes" ]; then
    exit 0
fi

# If we have no mechanisms defined
if [ "x${MECHANISMS}" = "x" ]; then
    echo "You need to configure ${DEFAULTS} with mechanisms to be used"
    exit 0
fi

# Add our mechanimsms with the necessary flag
PARAMS="${PARAMS} -a ${MECHANISMS}"

START="--start --quiet --pidfile ${PIDFILE} --startas ${DAEMON} --name ${NAME} -- ${PARAMS}"

# Consider our options
case "${1}" in
  start)
        echo -n "Starting ${DESC}: "
    dir=`dpkg-statoverride --list $PWDIR`
    test -z "$dir" || createdir $dir
    if start-stop-daemon ${START} >/dev/null 2>&1 ; then
        echo "${NAME}."
    else
        if start-stop-daemon --test ${START} >/dev/null 2>&1; then
            echo "(failed)."
            exit 1
        else
            echo "${DAEMON} already running."
            exit 0
        fi
    fi
        ;;
  stop)
        echo -n "Stopping ${DESC}: "
        if start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --pidfile "${PIDFILE}" \
        --startas ${DAEMON} --retry 10 --name ${NAME} \
        >/dev/null 2>&1 ; then
            echo "${NAME}."
    else
        if start-stop-daemon --test ${START} >/dev/null 2>&1; then
            echo "(not running)."
            exit 0
        else
            echo "(failed)."
            exit 1
        fi
    fi
        ;;
  restart|force-reload)
    $0 stop
    exec $0 start
        ;;
  *)
        echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/${NAME} {start|stop|restart|force-reload}" >&2
        exit 1
        ;;
esac

exit 0

shell script fragment, /etc/default/saslauthd:

# This needs to be uncommented before saslauthd will be run automatically
START=yes

# You must specify the authentication mechanisms you wish to use.
# This defaults to "pam" for PAM support, but may also include
# "shadow" or "sasldb"
# - saslauthd -v
# saslauthd 2.1.15
# authentication mechanisms: sasldb getpwent kerberos4 kerberos5 pam rimap shadow ldap

MECHANISMS="ldap pam shadow sasldb kerberos5"
PARAMS="-r -O /etc/saslauthd.conf -c -s 256 -t 240"