diff --git a/fail2ban/client/fail2banreader.py b/fail2ban/client/fail2banreader.py
index 9b12bba7..709f4b5d 100644
--- a/fail2ban/client/fail2banreader.py
+++ b/fail2ban/client/fail2banreader.py
@@ -53,18 +53,14 @@ class Fail2banReader(ConfigReader):
 		self.__opts = ConfigReader.getOptions(self, "Definition", opts)
 	
 	def convert(self):
+		# Ensure logtarget/level set first so any db errors are captured
+		# Also dbfile should be set before all other database options.
+		# So adding order indices into items, to be stripped after sorting, upon return
+		order = {"syslogsocket":0, "loglevel":1, "logtarget":2,
+			"dbfile":50, "dbpurgeage":51}
 		stream = list()
 		for opt in self.__opts:
-			if opt == "loglevel":
-				stream.append(["set", "loglevel", self.__opts[opt]])
-			elif opt == "logtarget":
-				stream.append(["set", "logtarget", self.__opts[opt]])
-			elif opt == "syslogsocket":
-				stream.append(["set", "syslogsocket", self.__opts[opt]])
-			elif opt == "dbfile":
-				stream.append(["set", "dbfile", self.__opts[opt]])
-			elif opt == "dbpurgeage":
-				stream.append(["set", "dbpurgeage", self.__opts[opt]])
-		# Ensure logtarget/level set first so any db errors are captured
-		return sorted(stream, reverse=True)
+			if opt in order:
+				stream.append((order[opt], ["set", opt, self.__opts[opt]]))
+		return [opt[1] for opt in sorted(stream)]
 	
diff --git a/fail2ban/server/server.py b/fail2ban/server/server.py
index 58857986..6d19544d 100644
--- a/fail2ban/server/server.py
+++ b/fail2ban/server/server.py
@@ -67,10 +67,10 @@ class Server:
 			'FreeBSD': '/var/run/log',
 			'Linux': '/dev/log',
 		}
+		self.setSyslogSocket("auto")
 		# Set logging level
 		self.setLogLevel("INFO")
 		self.setLogTarget("STDOUT")
-		self.setSyslogSocket("auto")
 
 	def __sigTERMhandler(self, signum, frame):
 		logSys.debug("Caught signal %d. Exiting" % signum)
diff --git a/fail2ban/tests/clientreadertestcase.py b/fail2ban/tests/clientreadertestcase.py
index 25633a19..00128c33 100644
--- a/fail2ban/tests/clientreadertestcase.py
+++ b/fail2ban/tests/clientreadertestcase.py
@@ -632,10 +632,11 @@ class JailsReaderTest(LogCaptureTestCase):
 								 % (option, commands))
 
 			# Set up of logging should come first
-			self.assertEqual(find_set('logtarget'), 1)
-			self.assertEqual(find_set('loglevel'), 2)
+			self.assertEqual(find_set('syslogsocket'), 0)
+			self.assertEqual(find_set('loglevel'), 1)
+			self.assertEqual(find_set('logtarget'), 2)
 			# then dbfile should be before dbpurgeage
-			self.assertGreater(find_set('dbpurgeage'), find_set('dbfile'))
+			self.assertTrue(find_set('dbpurgeage') > find_set('dbfile'))
 
 			# and there is logging information left to be passed into the
 			# server