diff --git a/swift/common/daemon.py b/swift/common/daemon.py
index 464dab49ca..26892824b8 100644
--- a/swift/common/daemon.py
+++ b/swift/common/daemon.py
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ class Daemon(object):
             sys.stderr = utils.LoggerFileObject(self.logger)
 
         utils.drop_privileges(self.conf.get('user', 'swift'))
+        utils.validate_configuration()
 
         try:
             os.setsid()
diff --git a/swift/common/utils.py b/swift/common/utils.py
index f87a0d55d2..0aaa8c0114 100644
--- a/swift/common/utils.py
+++ b/swift/common/utils.py
@@ -57,21 +57,24 @@ _posix_fadvise = None
 # paths. It simply appends this value to all paths; guessing the hash a path
 # will end up with would also require knowing this suffix.
 hash_conf = ConfigParser()
-HASH_PATH_SUFFIX = None
+HASH_PATH_SUFFIX = ''
 if hash_conf.read('/etc/swift/swift.conf'):
     try:
         HASH_PATH_SUFFIX = hash_conf.get('swift-hash',
                                          'swift_hash_path_suffix')
     except (NoSectionError, NoOptionError):
         pass
-if HASH_PATH_SUFFIX is None:
-    sys.exit("Error: [swift-hash]: swift_hash_path_suffix missing "
-             "from /etc/swift/swift.conf")
 
 # Used when reading config values
 TRUE_VALUES = set(('true', '1', 'yes', 'True', 'Yes', 'on', 'On'))
 
 
+def validate_configuration():
+    if HASH_PATH_SUFFIX == '':
+        sys.exit("Error: [swift-hash]: swift_hash_path_suffix missing "
+                 "from /etc/swift/swift.conf")
+
+
 def load_libc_function(func_name):
     """
     Attempt to find the function in libc, otherwise return a no-op func.
diff --git a/swift/common/wsgi.py b/swift/common/wsgi.py
index 5628517264..513ae17220 100644
--- a/swift/common/wsgi.py
+++ b/swift/common/wsgi.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ wsgi.ACCEPT_ERRNO.add(ECONNRESET)
 from eventlet.green import socket, ssl
 
 from swift.common.utils import get_logger, drop_privileges, \
-    LoggerFileObject, NullLogger
+    validate_configuration, LoggerFileObject, NullLogger
 
 
 def monkey_patch_mimetools():
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ def run_wsgi(conf_file, app_section, *args, **kwargs):   # pragma: no cover
     sock.setsockopt(socket.IPPROTO_TCP, socket.TCP_KEEPIDLE, 600)
     worker_count = int(conf.get('workers', '1'))
     drop_privileges(conf.get('user', 'swift'))
+    validate_configuration()
 
     def run_server():
         wsgi.HttpProtocol.default_request_version = "HTTP/1.0"