diff --git a/lib/keystone b/lib/keystone
index d4c7b06..66e867c 100644
--- a/lib/keystone
+++ b/lib/keystone
@@ -318,25 +318,25 @@
     local admin_role="admin"
     local member_role="member"
 
-    get_or_add_user_domain_role $admin_role $admin_user default
+    async_run ks-domain-role get_or_add_user_domain_role $admin_role $admin_user default
 
     # Create service project/role
     get_or_create_domain "$SERVICE_DOMAIN_NAME"
-    get_or_create_project "$SERVICE_PROJECT_NAME" "$SERVICE_DOMAIN_NAME"
+    async_run ks-project get_or_create_project "$SERVICE_PROJECT_NAME" "$SERVICE_DOMAIN_NAME"
 
     # Service role, so service users do not have to be admins
-    get_or_create_role service
+    async_run ks-service get_or_create_role service
 
     # The ResellerAdmin role is used by Nova and Ceilometer so we need to keep it.
     # The admin role in swift allows a user to act as an admin for their project,
     # but ResellerAdmin is needed for a user to act as any project. The name of this
     # role is also configurable in swift-proxy.conf
-    get_or_create_role ResellerAdmin
+    async_run ks-reseller get_or_create_role ResellerAdmin
 
     # another_role demonstrates that an arbitrary role may be created and used
     # TODO(sleepsonthefloor): show how this can be used for rbac in the future!
     local another_role="anotherrole"
-    get_or_create_role $another_role
+    async_run ks-anotherrole get_or_create_role $another_role
 
     # invisible project - admin can't see this one
     local invis_project
@@ -349,10 +349,12 @@
     demo_user=$(get_or_create_user "demo" \
         "$ADMIN_PASSWORD" "default" "demo@example.com")
 
-    get_or_add_user_project_role $member_role $demo_user $demo_project
-    get_or_add_user_project_role $admin_role $admin_user $demo_project
-    get_or_add_user_project_role $another_role $demo_user $demo_project
-    get_or_add_user_project_role $member_role $demo_user $invis_project
+    async_wait ks-{domain-role,domain,project,service,reseller,anotherrole}
+
+    async_run ks-demo-member get_or_add_user_project_role $member_role $demo_user $demo_project
+    async_run ks-demo-admin get_or_add_user_project_role $admin_role $admin_user $demo_project
+    async_run ks-demo-another get_or_add_user_project_role $another_role $demo_user $demo_project
+    async_run ks-demo-invis get_or_add_user_project_role $member_role $demo_user $invis_project
 
     # alt_demo
     local alt_demo_project
@@ -361,9 +363,9 @@
     alt_demo_user=$(get_or_create_user "alt_demo" \
         "$ADMIN_PASSWORD" "default" "alt_demo@example.com")
 
-    get_or_add_user_project_role $member_role $alt_demo_user $alt_demo_project
-    get_or_add_user_project_role $admin_role $admin_user $alt_demo_project
-    get_or_add_user_project_role $another_role $alt_demo_user $alt_demo_project
+    async_run ks-alt-member get_or_add_user_project_role $member_role $alt_demo_user $alt_demo_project
+    async_run ks-alt-admin get_or_add_user_project_role $admin_role $admin_user $alt_demo_project
+    async_run ks-alt-another get_or_add_user_project_role $another_role $alt_demo_user $alt_demo_project
 
     # groups
     local admin_group
@@ -373,11 +375,15 @@
     non_admin_group=$(get_or_create_group "nonadmins" \
         "default" "non-admin group")
 
-    get_or_add_group_project_role $member_role $non_admin_group $demo_project
-    get_or_add_group_project_role $another_role $non_admin_group $demo_project
-    get_or_add_group_project_role $member_role $non_admin_group $alt_demo_project
-    get_or_add_group_project_role $another_role $non_admin_group $alt_demo_project
-    get_or_add_group_project_role $admin_role $admin_group $admin_project
+    async_run ks-group-memberdemo get_or_add_group_project_role $member_role $non_admin_group $demo_project
+    async_run ks-group-anotherdemo get_or_add_group_project_role $another_role $non_admin_group $demo_project
+    async_run ks-group-memberalt get_or_add_group_project_role $member_role $non_admin_group $alt_demo_project
+    async_run ks-group-anotheralt get_or_add_group_project_role $another_role $non_admin_group $alt_demo_project
+    async_run ks-group-admin get_or_add_group_project_role $admin_role $admin_group $admin_project
+
+    async_wait ks-demo-{member,admin,another,invis}
+    async_wait ks-alt-{member,admin,another}
+    async_wait ks-group-{memberdemo,anotherdemo,memberalt,anotheralt,admin}
 
     if is_service_enabled ldap; then
         create_ldap_domain
diff --git a/lib/nova b/lib/nova
index d742603..0a28cd9 100644
--- a/lib/nova
+++ b/lib/nova
@@ -741,31 +741,36 @@
     sudo install -d -o $STACK_USER ${NOVA_STATE_PATH} ${NOVA_STATE_PATH}/keys
 }
 
+function init_nova_db {
+    local dbname="$1"
+    local conffile="$2"
+    recreate_database $dbname
+    $NOVA_BIN_DIR/nova-manage --config-file $conffile db sync --local_cell
+}
+
 # init_nova() - Initialize databases, etc.
 function init_nova {
     # All nova components talk to a central database.
     # Only do this step once on the API node for an entire cluster.
     if is_service_enabled $DATABASE_BACKENDS && is_service_enabled n-api; then
+        # (Re)create nova databases
+        async_run nova-cell-0 init_nova_db nova_cell0 $NOVA_CONF
+        for i in $(seq 1 $NOVA_NUM_CELLS); do
+            async_run nova-cell-$i init_nova_db nova_cell${i} $(conductor_conf $i)
+        done
+
         recreate_database $NOVA_API_DB
         $NOVA_BIN_DIR/nova-manage --config-file $NOVA_CONF api_db sync
 
-        recreate_database nova_cell0
-
         # map_cell0 will create the cell mapping record in the nova_api DB so
-        # this needs to come after the api_db sync happens. We also want to run
-        # this before the db sync below since that will migrate both the nova
-        # and nova_cell0 databases.
+        # this needs to come after the api_db sync happens.
         $NOVA_BIN_DIR/nova-manage cell_v2 map_cell0 --database_connection `database_connection_url nova_cell0`
 
-        # (Re)create nova databases
-        for i in $(seq 1 $NOVA_NUM_CELLS); do
-            recreate_database nova_cell${i}
-            $NOVA_BIN_DIR/nova-manage --config-file $(conductor_conf $i) db sync --local_cell
+        # Wait for DBs to finish from above
+        for i in $(seq 0 $NOVA_NUM_CELLS); do
+            async_wait nova-cell-$i
         done
 
-        # Migrate nova and nova_cell0 databases.
-        $NOVA_BIN_DIR/nova-manage --config-file $NOVA_CONF db sync
-
         # Run online migrations on the new databases
         # Needed for flavor conversion
         $NOVA_BIN_DIR/nova-manage --config-file $NOVA_CONF db online_data_migrations