Index: libexec/rc/rc.d/motd
===================================================================
--- libexec/rc/rc.d/motd
+++ libexec/rc/rc.d/motd
@@ -27,22 +27,19 @@
 	#	to prevent possible race conditions.
 	#
 	check_startmsgs && echo -n 'Updating motd:'
-	if [ ! -f "${TEMPLATE}" ]; then
-		# Create missing template from existing regular motd file, if
-		# one exists.
-		if [ -f "${COMPAT_MOTD}" ]; then
-			sed '1{/^FreeBSD.*/{d;};};' "${COMPAT_MOTD}" > "${TEMPLATE}"
-			chmod $PERMS "${TEMPLATE}"
-			rm -f "${COMPAT_MOTD}"
-		else
-			# Otherwise, create an empty template file.
-			install -c -o root -g wheel -m ${PERMS} /dev/null "${TEMPLATE}"
-		fi
-		# Provide compatibility symlink:
-		if [ ! -h "${COMPAT_MOTD}" ]; then
-			ln -sF "${TARGET}" "${COMPAT_MOTD}"
-		fi
+	# Create template from existing regular motd file, if one exists.
+	if [ -f "${COMPAT_MOTD}" ]; then
+		sed '1{/^FreeBSD.*/{d;};};' "${COMPAT_MOTD}" > "${TEMPLATE}"
+		chmod $PERMS "${TEMPLATE}"
+		rm -f "${COMPAT_MOTD}"
+	elif [ ! -f "${TEMPLATE}" ]; then
+		# If template is missing, create an empty file.
+		install -c -o root -g wheel -m ${PERMS} /dev/null "${TEMPLATE}"
 	fi
+	# Provide compatibility symlink:
+	if [ ! -h "${COMPAT_MOTD}" ]; then
+		ln -sF "${TARGET}" "${COMPAT_MOTD}"
+	fi
 
 	T=`mktemp -t motd`
 	uname -v | sed -e 's,^\([^#]*\) #\(.* [1-2][0-9][0-9][0-9]\).*/\([^\]*\) $,\1 (\3) #\2,' > ${T}
Index: share/man/man5/motd.5
===================================================================
--- share/man/man5/motd.5
+++ share/man/man5/motd.5
@@ -10,12 +10,13 @@
 .Nm motd
 .Nd file containing message(s) of the day
 .Sh DESCRIPTION
-The file
-.Pa /var/run/motd
+The
+.Nm
 is normally displayed by
 .Xr login 1
 after a user has logged in but before the shell is run.
 It is generally used for important system-wide announcements.
+.Pp
 During system startup, a line containing the kernel version string is
 prepended to
 .Pa /etc/motd.template
@@ -30,6 +31,22 @@
 service motd restart
 .Ed
 .Pp
+If
+.Pa /etc/motd
+exists and is a regular file, it will be used to overwrite
+.Pa /etc/motd.template .
+It will then be removed and replaced with a symbolic link to
+.Pa /var/run/motd .
+.Pp
+To use an immutable
+.Pa /etc/motd ,
+create it as a regular file and set
+.Va update_motd
+to
+.Dq Li NO
+in
+.Xr rc.conf 5 .
+.Pp
 Individual users may suppress the display of this file by
 creating a file named
 .Dq Pa .hushlogin
@@ -37,13 +54,17 @@
 .Xr login.conf 5 .
 .Sh FILES
 .Bl -tag -width $HOME/.hushlogin -compact
+.It Pa /etc/motd
+Symbolic link to actual
+.Pa motd
+file or regular file with the message of the day.
 .It Pa /etc/motd.template
 The template file that system administrators can edit.
 .It Pa /var/run/motd
-The message of the day.
+The generated message of the day.
 .It Pa $HOME/.hushlogin
 Suppresses output of
-.Pa /var/run/motd .
+.Pa /etc/motd .
 .El
 .Sh EXAMPLES
 .Bd -literal
@@ -58,5 +79,4 @@
 Prior to
 .Fx 13.0 ,
 .Nm
-lived in
-.Pa /etc .
+was a regular file.
Index: usr.bin/login/Makefile
===================================================================
--- usr.bin/login/Makefile
+++ usr.bin/login/Makefile
@@ -31,5 +31,6 @@
 	echo "./etc/login.conf.db type=file mode=0644 uname=root gname=wheel" | \
 		cat -l >> ${METALOG}
 .endif
+	${INSTALL_SYMLINK} ${TAG_ARGS} ../var/run/motd ${DESTDIR}/etc/motd
 
 .include <bsd.prog.mk>
Index: usr.bin/login/login.1
===================================================================
--- usr.bin/login/login.1
+++ usr.bin/login/login.1
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@
 changes device protections
 .It Pa /etc/login.conf
 login class capabilities database
-.It Pa /var/run/motd
+.It Pa /etc/motd
 message-of-the-day
 .It Pa /var/mail/user
 system mailboxes
Index: usr.bin/login/login.conf
===================================================================
--- usr.bin/login/login.conf
+++ usr.bin/login/login.conf
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 default:\
 	:passwd_format=sha512:\
 	:copyright=/etc/COPYRIGHT:\
-	:welcome=/var/run/motd:\
+	:welcome=/etc/motd:\
 	:setenv=BLOCKSIZE=K:\
 	:mail=/var/mail/$:\
 	:path=/sbin /bin /usr/sbin /usr/bin /usr/local/sbin /usr/local/bin ~/bin:\
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
 ##
 #standard:\
 #	:copyright=/etc/COPYRIGHT:\
-#	:welcome=/var/run/motd:\
+#	:welcome=/etc/motd:\
 #	:setenv=BLOCKSIZE=K:\
 #	:mail=/var/mail/$:\
 #	:path=~/bin /bin /usr/bin /usr/local/bin:\
Index: usr.bin/login/pathnames.h
===================================================================
--- usr.bin/login/pathnames.h
+++ usr.bin/login/pathnames.h
@@ -35,6 +35,6 @@
 #include <paths.h>
 
 #define	_PATH_HUSHLOGIN		".hushlogin"
-#define	_PATH_MOTDFILE		"/var/run/motd"
+#define	_PATH_MOTDFILE		"/etc/motd"
 #define _PATH_FBTAB		"/etc/fbtab"
 #define _PATH_LOGINDEVPERM	"/etc/logindevperm"
Index: usr.sbin/mergemaster/mergemaster.sh
===================================================================
--- usr.sbin/mergemaster/mergemaster.sh
+++ usr.sbin/mergemaster/mergemaster.sh
@@ -714,7 +714,9 @@
 
   # Avoid comparing the following user specified files
   for file in ${IGNORE_FILES}; do
-    test -e ${TEMPROOT}/${file} && unlink ${TEMPROOT}/${file}
+    if [ -L ${TEMPROOT}/${file} -o -e ${TEMPROOT}/${file} ]; then
+      unlink ${TEMPROOT}/${file}
+    fi
   done
 
   # We really don't want to have to deal with files like login.conf.db, pwd.db,