diff --git a/lib/Munin/Master/LimitsOld.pm b/lib/Munin/Master/LimitsOld.pm
index e3b18e9247..75bd7898fc 100644
--- a/lib/Munin/Master/LimitsOld.pm
+++ b/lib/Munin/Master/LimitsOld.pm
@@ -346,7 +346,6 @@ sub process_service {
         my $field   = munin_get_node($hash, [$fname]);
         next if (!defined $field or ref($field) ne "HASH");
         my $fpath   = munin_get_node_loc($field);
-        my $oldstate = 'ok';
 
         my ($warn, $crit, $unknown_limit) = get_limits($field);
 
@@ -358,11 +357,14 @@ sub process_service {
 	my ($ds_id) = $sth_ds->fetchrow_array;
 
         DEBUG "[DEBUG] processing field: " . join('::', @$fpath);
-	my $value;
-    	{
-		my $rrd_filename = munin_get_rrd_filename($field, $path);
-		my ($current_updated_timestamp, $current_updated_value) = @{ $state->{value}{"$rrd_filename:42"}{current} || [ ] };
-		my ($previous_updated_timestamp, $previous_updated_value) = @{ $state->{value}{"$rrd_filename:42"}{previous} || [ ] };
+        my $value;
+        $sth_state->execute($ds_id, "ds");
+        my ($current_updated_timestamp, $current_updated_value,
+            $previous_updated_timestamp, $previous_updated_value,
+            $old_state, $old_num_unknowns) = $sth_state->fetchrow_array;
+
+        $old_state ||= 'ok';
+        $old_num_unknowns ||= 0;
 
 		my $heartbeat = 600; # XXX - $heartbeat is a fixed 10 min (2 runs of 5 min).
 		if (! defined $current_updated_value || $current_updated_value eq "U") {
@@ -391,7 +393,6 @@ sub process_service {
 			# compute the value per timeunit
 			$value = ($current_updated_value - $previous_updated_value) / ($current_updated_timestamp - $previous_updated_timestamp);
 		}
-	}
 
     # De-taint.
     if ( !defined $value || $value eq "U" ) {
@@ -438,43 +439,27 @@ sub process_service {
                     : "Value is unknown.";
             my $num_unknowns;
 
-            if ( $oldstate ne "unknown") {
-                $hash->{'state_changed'} = 1;
-            }
-            else {
+            if ($old_state ne "unknown") {
+                # The user may want to ignore a few unknown values before
+                # they should be reported. Thus we need to track the number
+                # of recently received unknown values before we admit that
+                # the value is really "unknown". Thus we may want to postpone
+                # a "change" notification until we reach the limit.
+                if ($old_num_unknowns >= $unknown_limit) {
+                    # The limit is reached - we should report "unknown".
+                    $hash->{'state_changed'} = 1;
+                } else {
+                    # Don't change the state to UNKNOWN yet.
+                    $hash->{'state_changed'} = 0;
+                    $state = $old_state;
+                    $extinfo = $field->{"extinfo"} || "";
+                    # Increment the number of UNKNOWN values seen.
+                    $num_unknowns = $old_num_unknowns + 1;
+                }
+            } else {
                 $hash->{'state_changed'} = 0;
             }
 
-            # First we'll need to check whether the user wants to ignore
-            # a few UNKNOWN values before actually changing the state to
-            # UNKNOWN.
-            if ($unknown_limit > 1) {
-                if (defined $onfield and defined $onfield->{"state"}) {
-                    if ($onfield->{"state"} ne "unknown") {
-                        if (defined $onfield->{"num_unknowns"}) {
-                            if ($onfield->{"num_unknowns"} < $unknown_limit) {
-                                # Don't change the state to UNKNOWN yet.
-                                $hash->{'state_changed'} = 0;
-                                $state = $onfield->{"state"};
-                                $extinfo = $onfield->{$state};
-
-                                # Increment the number of UNKNOWN values seen.
-                                $num_unknowns = $onfield->{"num_unknowns"} + 1;
-                            }
-                        }
-                        else {
-                            # Don't change the state to UNKNOWN yet.
-                            $hash->{'state_changed'} = 0;
-                            $state = $onfield->{"state"};
-                            $extinfo = $onfield->{$state};
-
-                            # Start counting the number of consecutive UNKNOWN
-                            # values seen.
-                            $num_unknowns = 1;
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-            }
 
             if ($state eq "unknown") {
                 $hash->{'worst'} = "UNKNOWN" if $hash->{"worst"} eq "OK";
@@ -521,7 +506,7 @@ sub process_service {
                         . ") exceeded"
                 ));
 
-            if ( $oldstate ne "critical") {
+            if ($old_state ne "critical") {
                 $hash->{'state_changed'} = 1;
             }
         }
@@ -544,7 +529,7 @@ sub process_service {
                         . ") exceeded"
                 ));
 
-            if ( $oldstate ne "warning") {
+            if ($old_state ne "warning") {
                 $hash->{'state_changed'} = 1;
             }
         }
@@ -552,8 +537,8 @@ sub process_service {
             munin_set_var_loc(\%notes, [@$fpath, "state"], "ok");
             munin_set_var_loc(\%notes, [@$fpath, "ok"],    "OK");
 
-	    if ($oldstate ne 'ok') {
-                if ($oldstate eq 'unknown' && munin_get_bool($hobj, 'ignore_unknown', 'false')) {
+	    if ($old_state ne 'ok') {
+                if ($old_state eq 'unknown' && munin_get_bool($hobj, 'ignore_unknown', 'false')) {
                     DEBUG("[DEBUG] ignoring transition from UNKNOWN to OK");
                 } else {
 		    $hash->{'state_changed'} = 1;
@@ -563,7 +548,7 @@ sub process_service {
         }
 
 	# Replicate the state into the SQL DB
-	my $new_state = $onfield->{"state"};
+	my $new_state = $old_state;
 	$sth_state_upt->execute($new_state, $ds_id, "ds");
     }
     generate_service_message($hash);