Set the these variables in your distribution configuration file as follows:
DISTRO_FEATURES_append = " systemd" VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager = "systemd"
You can also prevent the SysVinit distribution feature from being automatically enabled as follows:
DISTRO_FEATURES_BACKFILL_CONSIDERED = "sysvinit"
Doing so removes any redundant SysVinit scripts.
To remove initscripts from your image altogether, set this variable also:
VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_initscripts = ""
For information on the backfill variable, see
DISTRO_FEATURES_BACKFILL_CONSIDERED
.