diff --git a/buildscripts/verify-build.sh b/buildscripts/verify-build.sh
index 9bb6b288c..54ee84eed 100755
--- a/buildscripts/verify-build.sh
+++ b/buildscripts/verify-build.sh
@@ -154,34 +154,6 @@ function run_test_erasure_sets() {
     return "$rv"
 }
 
-function run_test_dist_erasure_sets_ipv6()
-{
-    minio_pids=( $(start_minio_dist_erasure_sets_ipv6) )
-
-    export SERVER_ENDPOINT="[::1]:9000"
-
-    (cd "$WORK_DIR" && "$FUNCTIONAL_TESTS")
-    rv=$?
-
-    for pid in "${minio_pids[@]}"; do
-        kill "$pid"
-    done
-    sleep 3
-
-    if [ "$rv" -ne 0 ]; then
-        for i in $(seq 0 9); do
-            echo "server$i log:"
-            cat "$WORK_DIR/dist-minio-v6-900$i.log"
-        done
-    fi
-
-    for i in $(seq 0 9); do
-        rm -f "$WORK_DIR/dist-minio-v6-900$i.log"
-    done
-
-    return "$rv"
-}
-
 function run_test_zone_erasure_sets()
 {
     minio_pids=( $(start_minio_zone_erasure_sets) )
diff --git a/cmd/server-main.go b/cmd/server-main.go
index 57c436880..210f8f745 100644
--- a/cmd/server-main.go
+++ b/cmd/server-main.go
@@ -208,20 +208,24 @@ func initSafeMode() (err error) {
 	//    version is needed, migration is needed etc.
 	rquorum := InsufficientReadQuorum{}
 	wquorum := InsufficientWriteQuorum{}
-	optimeout := OperationTimedOut{}
-	for n := range newRetryTimerSimple(retryCtx) {
+	for range newRetryTimerSimple(retryCtx) {
 		// let one of the server acquire the lock, if not let them timeout.
 		// which shall be retried again by this loop.
-		if err = txnLk.GetLock(leaderLockTimeout); err == nil {
-			// Migrate all backend configs to encrypted backend configs, optionally
-			// handles rotating keys for encryption, if there is any retriable failure
-			// that shall be retried if there is an error.
-			if err = handleEncryptedConfigBackend(newObject, true); err == nil {
-				// Upon success migrating the config, initialize all sub-systems
-				// if all sub-systems initialized successfully return right away
-				if err = initAllSubsystems(newObject); err == nil {
-					return nil
-				}
+		if err = txnLk.GetLock(leaderLockTimeout); err != nil {
+			logger.Info("Waiting for all MinIO sub-systems to be initialized.. trying to acquire lock")
+			continue
+		}
+		logger.Info("Waiting for all MinIO sub-systems to be initialized.. lock acquired")
+
+		// Migrate all backend configs to encrypted backend configs, optionally
+		// handles rotating keys for encryption, if there is any retriable failure
+		// that shall be retried if there is an error.
+		if err = handleEncryptedConfigBackend(newObject, true); err == nil {
+			// Upon success migrating the config, initialize all sub-systems
+			// if all sub-systems initialized successfully return right away
+			if err = initAllSubsystems(newObject); err == nil {
+				// All successful return.
+				return nil
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -230,15 +234,11 @@ func initSafeMode() (err error) {
 			errors.Is(err, errConfigNotFound) ||
 			errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) ||
 			errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) ||
-			errors.As(err, &optimeout) ||
 			errors.As(err, &rquorum) ||
 			errors.As(err, &wquorum) ||
 			isErrBucketNotFound(err) {
-			if n < 5 {
-				logger.Info("Waiting for all MinIO sub-systems to be initialized..")
-			} else {
-				logger.Info("Waiting for all MinIO sub-systems to be initialized.. possible cause (%v)", err)
-			}
+			logger.Info("Waiting for all MinIO sub-systems to be initialized.. possible cause (%v)", err)
+			txnLk.Unlock() // Unlock the transaction lock and allow other nodes to acquire the lock if possible.
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -256,10 +256,41 @@ func initSafeMode() (err error) {
 }
 
 func initAllSubsystems(newObject ObjectLayer) (err error) {
-	// List buckets to be re-used for loading configs.
-	buckets, err := newObject.ListBuckets(GlobalContext)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Unable to list buckets: %w", err)
+	// %w is used by all error returns here to make sure
+	// we wrap the underlying error, make sure when you
+	// are modifying this code that you do so, if and when
+	// you want to add extra context to your error. This
+	// ensures top level retry works accordingly.
+	var buckets []BucketInfo
+	if globalIsDistXL || globalIsXL {
+		// List buckets to heal, and be re-used for loading configs.
+		buckets, err = newObject.ListBucketsHeal(GlobalContext)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Unable to list buckets to heal: %w", err)
+		}
+		// Attempt a heal if possible and re-use the bucket names
+		// to reload their config.
+		wquorum := &InsufficientWriteQuorum{}
+		rquorum := &InsufficientReadQuorum{}
+		for _, bucket := range buckets {
+			if err = newObject.MakeBucketWithLocation(GlobalContext, bucket.Name, ""); err != nil {
+				if errors.As(err, &wquorum) || errors.As(err, &rquorum) {
+					// Retrun the error upwards for the caller to retry.
+					return fmt.Errorf("Unable to heal bucket: %w", err)
+				}
+				if _, ok := err.(BucketExists); !ok {
+					// ignore any other error and log for investigation.
+					logger.LogIf(GlobalContext, err)
+					continue
+				}
+				// Bucket already exists, nothing that needs to be done.
+			}
+		}
+	} else {
+		buckets, err = newObject.ListBuckets(GlobalContext)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Unable to list buckets: %w", err)
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Initialize config system.
diff --git a/cmd/xl-sets.go b/cmd/xl-sets.go
index dd57a1460..6de856115 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-sets.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-sets.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"hash/crc32"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
+	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
@@ -1689,20 +1690,18 @@ func (s *xlSets) HealObject(ctx context.Context, bucket, object string, opts mad
 
 // Lists all buckets which need healing.
 func (s *xlSets) ListBucketsHeal(ctx context.Context) ([]BucketInfo, error) {
-	listBuckets := []BucketInfo{}
-	var healBuckets = map[string]BucketInfo{}
+	var listBuckets []BucketInfo
+	var healBuckets = make(map[string]VolInfo)
 	for _, set := range s.sets {
-		buckets, _, err := listAllBuckets(set.getDisks())
-		if err != nil {
+		// lists all unique buckets across drives.
+		if err := listAllBuckets(set.getDisks(), healBuckets); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		for _, currBucket := range buckets {
-			healBuckets[currBucket.Name] = BucketInfo(currBucket)
-		}
 	}
-	for _, bucketInfo := range healBuckets {
-		listBuckets = append(listBuckets, bucketInfo)
+	for _, v := range healBuckets {
+		listBuckets = append(listBuckets, BucketInfo(v))
 	}
+	sort.Sort(byBucketName(listBuckets))
 	return listBuckets, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/xl-v1-healing.go b/cmd/xl-v1-healing.go
index a5bcd50cf..e7c78403f 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-v1-healing.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-v1-healing.go
@@ -173,11 +173,7 @@ func healBucket(ctx context.Context, storageDisks []StorageAPI, bucket string, w
 
 // listAllBuckets lists all buckets from all disks. It also
 // returns the occurrence of each buckets in all disks
-func listAllBuckets(storageDisks []StorageAPI) (buckets map[string]VolInfo,
-	bucketsOcc map[string]int, err error) {
-
-	buckets = make(map[string]VolInfo)
-	bucketsOcc = make(map[string]int)
+func listAllBuckets(storageDisks []StorageAPI, healBuckets map[string]VolInfo) (err error) {
 	for _, disk := range storageDisks {
 		if disk == nil {
 			continue
@@ -188,7 +184,7 @@ func listAllBuckets(storageDisks []StorageAPI) (buckets map[string]VolInfo,
 			if IsErrIgnored(err, bucketMetadataOpIgnoredErrs...) {
 				continue
 			}
-			return nil, nil, err
+			return err
 		}
 		for _, volInfo := range volsInfo {
 			// StorageAPI can send volume names which are
@@ -197,13 +193,14 @@ func listAllBuckets(storageDisks []StorageAPI) (buckets map[string]VolInfo,
 			if isReservedOrInvalidBucket(volInfo.Name, false) {
 				continue
 			}
-			// Increase counter per bucket name
-			bucketsOcc[volInfo.Name]++
-			// Save volume info under bucket name
-			buckets[volInfo.Name] = volInfo
+			// always save unique buckets across drives.
+			if _, ok := healBuckets[volInfo.Name]; !ok {
+				healBuckets[volInfo.Name] = volInfo
+			}
+
 		}
 	}
-	return buckets, bucketsOcc, nil
+	return nil
 }
 
 // Only heal on disks where we are sure that healing is needed. We can expand
diff --git a/cmd/xl-zones.go b/cmd/xl-zones.go
index 559ac4ec2..379334e22 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-zones.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-zones.go
@@ -44,16 +44,6 @@ func (z *xlZones) SingleZone() bool {
 	return len(z.zones) == 1
 }
 
-func (z *xlZones) quickHealBuckets(ctx context.Context) {
-	bucketsInfo, err := z.ListBucketsHeal(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return
-	}
-	for _, bucket := range bucketsInfo {
-		z.MakeBucketWithLocation(ctx, bucket.Name, "")
-	}
-}
-
 // Initialize new zone of erasure sets.
 func newXLZones(ctx context.Context, endpointZones EndpointZones) (ObjectLayer, error) {
 	var (
@@ -88,7 +78,6 @@ func newXLZones(ctx context.Context, endpointZones EndpointZones) (ObjectLayer,
 		}
 	}
 
-	z.quickHealBuckets(ctx)
 	go intDataUpdateTracker.start(GlobalContext, localDrives...)
 	return z, nil
 }