diff --git a/repos/base/include/base/shared_object.h b/repos/base/include/base/shared_object.h
index fc24b71cf9..f4dd1622fe 100644
--- a/repos/base/include/base/shared_object.h
+++ b/repos/base/include/base/shared_object.h
@@ -149,6 +149,8 @@ class Genode::Dynamic_linker
 
 		static void _for_each_loaded_object(Env &, For_each_fn const &);
 
+		static void *_respawn(Env &, char const *, char const *);
+
 	public:
 
 		/**
@@ -169,6 +171,31 @@ class Genode::Dynamic_linker
 
 			_for_each_loaded_object(env, wrapped_fn);
 		}
+
+		/**
+		 * Prevent loaded shared object 'name' to be unloaded
+		 */
+		static void keep(Env &, char const *name);
+
+		typedef Shared_object::Invalid_rom_module Invalid_rom_module;
+		typedef Shared_object::Invalid_symbol     Invalid_symbol;
+
+		/**
+		 * Replace executable binary
+		 *
+		 * \param binary_name   ROM module name of new executable binary
+		 * \param start_symbol  symbol name of the binary's entry point
+		 *
+		 * \return  pointer to entry point of the new executable
+		 *
+		 * \throw Invalid_rom_module
+		 * \throw Invalid_symbol
+		 */
+		template<typename T = void *>
+		static T respawn(Env &env, char const *binary_name, char const *entrypoint_name)
+		{
+			return reinterpret_cast<T>(_respawn(env, binary_name, entrypoint_name));
+		}
 };
 
 #endif /* _INCLUDE__BASE__SHARED_OBJECT_H_ */
diff --git a/repos/base/lib/symbols/ld b/repos/base/lib/symbols/ld
index 0afaeb5f61..aebb9d3dc0 100644
--- a/repos/base/lib/symbols/ld
+++ b/repos/base/lib/symbols/ld
@@ -107,6 +107,8 @@ _ZN6Genode13Shared_objectD2Ev T
 _ZN6Genode13sleep_foreverEv T
 _ZN6Genode14Capability_map6insertEmm T
 _ZN6Genode14Dynamic_linker23_for_each_loaded_objectERNS_3EnvERKNS0_11For_each_fnE T
+_ZN6Genode14Dynamic_linker4keepERNS_3EnvEPKc T
+_ZN6Genode14Dynamic_linker8_respawnERNS_3EnvEPKcS4_ T
 _ZN6Genode14Rpc_entrypoint13_free_rpc_capERNS_10Pd_sessionENS_17Native_capabilityE T
 _ZN6Genode14Rpc_entrypoint14_alloc_rpc_capERNS_10Pd_sessionENS_17Native_capabilityEm T
 _ZN6Genode14Rpc_entrypoint17_activation_entryEv T
diff --git a/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/dependency.cc b/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/dependency.cc
index cb66211c4e..50d8dafaac 100644
--- a/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/dependency.cc
+++ b/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/dependency.cc
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@ Linker::Dependency::Dependency(Env &env, Allocator &md_alloc,
 
 Linker::Dependency::~Dependency()
 {
+	if (!_unload_on_destruct)
+		return;
+
 	if (!_obj.unload())
 		return;
 
diff --git a/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/include/debug.h b/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/include/debug.h
index e3099c6222..c59c793dce 100644
--- a/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/include/debug.h
+++ b/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/include/debug.h
@@ -103,6 +103,11 @@ struct Linker::Link_map
 
 	static void add(Link_map *map)
 	{
+		/* prevent duplicates */
+		for (Link_map *m = first; m; m = m->next)
+			if (m == map)
+				return;
+
 		map->next = nullptr;
 		if (!first) {
 			first           = map;
diff --git a/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/include/linker.h b/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/include/linker.h
index 8ce581902c..3dab1fef28 100644
--- a/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/include/linker.h
+++ b/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/include/linker.h
@@ -166,6 +166,8 @@ class Linker::Object : private Fifo<Object>::Element,
 
 		virtual void relocate(Bind) = 0;
 
+		virtual bool keep() const = 0;
+
 		virtual void load() = 0;
 		virtual bool unload() { return false;}
 
@@ -219,6 +221,7 @@ class Linker::Dependency : public Fifo<Dependency>::Element, Noncopyable
 		Object      &_obj;
 		Root_object *_root     = nullptr;
 		Allocator   *_md_alloc = nullptr;
+		bool   const _unload_on_destruct = true;
 
 		/**
 		 * Check if file is in this dependency tree
@@ -232,7 +235,10 @@ class Linker::Dependency : public Fifo<Dependency>::Element, Noncopyable
 		/*
 		 * Called by 'Ld' constructor
 		 */
-		Dependency(Object &obj, Root_object *root) : _obj(obj), _root(root) { }
+		Dependency(Object &obj, Root_object *root)
+		:
+			_obj(obj), _root(root), _unload_on_destruct(false)
+		{ }
 
 		Dependency(Env &, Allocator &, char const *path, Root_object *,
 		           Fifo<Dependency> &, Keep);
@@ -282,7 +288,8 @@ class Linker::Root_object
 		~Root_object()
 		{
 			_deps.dequeue_all([&] (Dependency &d) {
-				destroy(_md_alloc, &d); });
+				if (!d.obj().keep())
+					destroy(_md_alloc, &d); });
 		}
 
 		Link_map const &link_map() const
@@ -303,6 +310,8 @@ class Linker::Root_object
 
 		void enqueue(Dependency &dep) { _deps.enqueue(dep); }
 
+		void remove_dependency(Dependency &dep) { _deps.remove(dep); }
+
 		Fifo<Dependency> &deps() { return _deps; }
 };
 
diff --git a/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/main.cc b/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/main.cc
index 69fac32a1b..c639c7ae65 100644
--- a/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/main.cc
+++ b/repos/base/src/lib/ldso/main.cc
@@ -84,10 +84,10 @@ class Linker::Elf_object : public Object, private Fifo<Elf_object>::Element
 
 		friend class Fifo<Elf_object>;
 
-		Link_map       _map       { };
-		unsigned       _ref_count { 1 };
-		unsigned const _keep      { KEEP };
-		bool           _relocated { false };
+		Link_map _map       { };
+		unsigned _ref_count { 1 };
+		Keep     _keep      { KEEP };
+		bool     _relocated { false };
 
 		/*
 		 * Optional ELF file, skipped for initial 'Ld' initialization
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ class Linker::Elf_object : public Object, private Fifo<Elf_object>::Element
 
 			/* remove from loaded objects list */
 			obj_list()->remove(*this);
+			Init::list()->remove(this);
 		}
 
 		/**
@@ -191,6 +192,8 @@ class Linker::Elf_object : public Object, private Fifo<Elf_object>::Element
 			Link_map::add(&_map);
 		};
 
+		void force_keep() { _keep = KEEP; }
+
 		Link_map const &link_map() const override { return _map; }
 		Dynamic  const &dynamic()  const override { return _dyn; }
 
@@ -241,6 +244,8 @@ class Linker::Elf_object : public Object, private Fifo<Elf_object>::Element
 		void load()   override { _ref_count++; }
 		bool unload() override { return (_keep == DONT_KEEP) && !(--_ref_count); }
 
+		bool keep() const override { return _keep == KEEP; }
+
 		bool is_linker() const override { return false; }
 		bool is_binary() const override { return false; }
 };
@@ -272,6 +277,8 @@ struct Linker::Ld : private Dependency, Elf_object
 
 	bool is_linker() const override { return true; }
 
+	bool keep() const override { return true; }
+
 	/**
 	 * Entry point for jump relocations, it is called from assembly code and is implemented
 	 * right below)
@@ -349,11 +356,11 @@ struct Linker::Binary : private Root_object, public Elf_object
 
 	bool static_construction_finished = false;
 
-	Binary(Env &env, Allocator &md_alloc, Config const &config)
+	Binary(Env &env, Allocator &md_alloc, Config const &config, char const *name)
 	:
 		Root_object(md_alloc),
-		Elf_object(env, md_alloc, binary_name(),
-		           *new (md_alloc) Dependency(*this, this), KEEP),
+		Elf_object(env, md_alloc, name,
+		           *new (md_alloc) Dependency(*this, this), DONT_KEEP),
 		_check_ctors(config.check_ctors())
 	{
 		/* create dep for binary and linker */
@@ -697,6 +704,35 @@ void Genode::Dynamic_linker::_for_each_loaded_object(Env &, For_each_fn const &f
 }
 
 
+void Dynamic_linker::keep(Env &, char const *binary)
+{
+	Elf_object::obj_list()->for_each([&] (Elf_object &obj) {
+		if (Object::Name(binary) == obj.name())
+			obj.force_keep(); });
+}
+
+
+void *Dynamic_linker::_respawn(Env &env, char const *binary, char const *entry_name)
+{
+	Object::Name const name(binary);
+
+	/* unload original binary */
+	binary_ptr->~Binary();
+
+	Config const config(env);
+
+	/* load new binary */
+	construct_at<Binary>(binary_ptr, env, *heap(), config, name.string());
+
+	try {
+		return (void *)binary_ptr->lookup_symbol(entry_name);
+	}
+	catch (...) { }
+
+	throw Dynamic_linker::Invalid_symbol();
+}
+
+
 void Component::construct(Genode::Env &env)
 {
 	/* read configuration */
@@ -706,7 +742,7 @@ void Component::construct(Genode::Env &env)
 
 	/* load binary and all dependencies */
 	try {
-		binary_ptr = unmanaged_singleton<Binary>(env, *heap(), config);
+		binary_ptr = unmanaged_singleton<Binary>(env, *heap(), config, binary_name());
 	} catch(Linker::Not_found &symbol) {
 		error("LD: symbol not found: '", symbol, "'");
 		throw;