diff --git a/cmd/admin-handlers-config-kv.go b/cmd/admin-handlers-config-kv.go
index 4f5f2c517..3b9a2a48c 100644
--- a/cmd/admin-handlers-config-kv.go
+++ b/cmd/admin-handlers-config-kv.go
@@ -178,16 +178,7 @@ func (a adminAPIHandlers) GetConfigKVHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Requ
 		return
 	}
 
-	cfg := globalServerConfig
-	if newObjectLayerFn() == nil {
-		var err error
-		cfg, err = getValidConfig(objectAPI)
-		if err != nil {
-			writeErrorResponseJSON(ctx, w, toAdminAPIErr(ctx, err), r.URL)
-			return
-		}
-	}
-
+	cfg := globalServerConfig.Clone()
 	vars := mux.Vars(r)
 	var buf = &bytes.Buffer{}
 	cw := config.NewConfigWriteTo(cfg, vars["key"])
@@ -421,11 +412,7 @@ func (a adminAPIHandlers) GetConfigHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Reques
 		return
 	}
 
-	cfg, err := readServerConfig(ctx, objectAPI)
-	if err != nil {
-		writeErrorResponseJSON(ctx, w, toAdminAPIErr(ctx, err), r.URL)
-		return
-	}
+	cfg := globalServerConfig.Clone()
 
 	var s strings.Builder
 	hkvs := config.HelpSubSysMap[""]
diff --git a/cmd/common-main.go b/cmd/common-main.go
index d81a48493..38f5dd195 100644
--- a/cmd/common-main.go
+++ b/cmd/common-main.go
@@ -575,6 +575,7 @@ func handleCommonEnvVars() {
 		}
 		GlobalKMS = KMS
 	}
+
 	if tiers := env.Get("_MINIO_DEBUG_REMOTE_TIERS_IMMEDIATELY", ""); tiers != "" {
 		globalDebugRemoteTiersImmediately = strings.Split(tiers, ",")
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/config-current.go b/cmd/config-current.go
index dc5e2e915..08c7c73b6 100644
--- a/cmd/config-current.go
+++ b/cmd/config-current.go
@@ -100,10 +100,6 @@ func initHelp() {
 			Key:         config.PolicyOPASubSys,
 			Description: "[DEPRECATED] enable external OPA for policy enforcement",
 		},
-		config.HelpKV{
-			Key:         config.KmsKesSubSys,
-			Description: "enable external MinIO key encryption service",
-		},
 		config.HelpKV{
 			Key:         config.APISubSys,
 			Description: "manage global HTTP API call specific features, such as throttling, authentication types, etc.",
diff --git a/cmd/config-encrypted.go b/cmd/config-encrypted.go
index 2d2b81670..0fdd13133 100644
--- a/cmd/config-encrypted.go
+++ b/cmd/config-encrypted.go
@@ -97,15 +97,17 @@ func migrateIAMConfigsEtcdToEncrypted(ctx context.Context, client *etcd.Client)
 		if !utf8.Valid(data) {
 			pdata, err := madmin.DecryptData(globalActiveCred.String(), bytes.NewReader(data))
 			if err != nil {
-				pdata, err = config.DecryptBytes(GlobalKMS, data, kms.Context{
-					minioMetaBucket: path.Join(minioMetaBucket, string(kv.Key)),
-				})
-				if err != nil {
+				if GlobalKMS != nil {
 					pdata, err = config.DecryptBytes(GlobalKMS, data, kms.Context{
-						minioMetaBucket: string(kv.Key),
+						minioMetaBucket: path.Join(minioMetaBucket, string(kv.Key)),
 					})
 					if err != nil {
-						return fmt.Errorf("Decrypting IAM config failed %w, possibly credentials are incorrect", err)
+						pdata, err = config.DecryptBytes(GlobalKMS, data, kms.Context{
+							minioMetaBucket: string(kv.Key),
+						})
+						if err != nil {
+							return fmt.Errorf("Decrypting IAM config failed %w, possibly credentials are incorrect", err)
+						}
 					}
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/cmd/config.go b/cmd/config.go
index 18eebf1f3..efa76af37 100644
--- a/cmd/config.go
+++ b/cmd/config.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ package cmd
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"path"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
@@ -149,13 +150,13 @@ func saveServerConfig(ctx context.Context, objAPI ObjectLayer, cfg interface{})
 }
 
 func readServerConfig(ctx context.Context, objAPI ObjectLayer) (config.Config, error) {
+	var srvCfg = config.New()
 	configFile := path.Join(minioConfigPrefix, minioConfigFile)
 	data, err := readConfig(ctx, objAPI, configFile)
 	if err != nil {
-		// Config not found for some reason, allow things to continue
-		// by initializing a new fresh config in safe mode.
-		if err == errConfigNotFound && newObjectLayerFn() == nil {
-			return newServerConfig(), nil
+		if errors.Is(err, errConfigNotFound) {
+			lookupConfigs(srvCfg, objAPI.SetDriveCounts())
+			return srvCfg, nil
 		}
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -165,11 +166,11 @@ func readServerConfig(ctx context.Context, objAPI ObjectLayer) (config.Config, e
 			minioMetaBucket: path.Join(minioMetaBucket, configFile),
 		})
 		if err != nil {
+			lookupConfigs(srvCfg, objAPI.SetDriveCounts())
 			return nil, err
 		}
 	}
 
-	var srvCfg = config.New()
 	var json = jsoniter.ConfigCompatibleWithStandardLibrary
 	if err = json.Unmarshal(data, &srvCfg); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/cmd/object-handlers.go b/cmd/object-handlers.go
index c3382b7ee..e626d5c1f 100644
--- a/cmd/object-handlers.go
+++ b/cmd/object-handlers.go
@@ -845,22 +845,14 @@ var (
 // Returns a minio-go Client configured to access remote host described by destDNSRecord
 // Applicable only in a federated deployment
 var getRemoteInstanceClient = func(r *http.Request, host string) (*miniogo.Core, error) {
-	if newObjectLayerFn() == nil {
-		return nil, errServerNotInitialized
-	}
-
 	cred := getReqAccessCred(r, globalServerRegion)
 	// In a federated deployment, all the instances share config files
 	// and hence expected to have same credentials.
-	core, err := miniogo.NewCore(host, &miniogo.Options{
+	return miniogo.NewCore(host, &miniogo.Options{
 		Creds:     credentials.NewStaticV4(cred.AccessKey, cred.SecretKey, ""),
 		Secure:    globalIsTLS,
 		Transport: getRemoteInstanceTransport,
 	})
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	return core, nil
 }
 
 // Check if the destination bucket is on a remote site, this code only gets executed
diff --git a/internal/config/config.go b/internal/config/config.go
index 6618d5081..67b75286a 100644
--- a/internal/config/config.go
+++ b/internal/config/config.go
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@ const (
 	StorageClassSubSys   = "storage_class"
 	APISubSys            = "api"
 	CompressionSubSys    = "compression"
-	KmsKesSubSys         = "kms_kes"
 	LoggerWebhookSubSys  = "logger_webhook"
 	AuditWebhookSubSys   = "audit_webhook"
 	HealSubSys           = "heal"
@@ -107,7 +106,6 @@ var SubSystems = set.CreateStringSet(
 	APISubSys,
 	StorageClassSubSys,
 	CompressionSubSys,
-	KmsKesSubSys,
 	LoggerWebhookSubSys,
 	AuditWebhookSubSys,
 	PolicyOPASubSys,
@@ -144,7 +142,6 @@ var SubSystemsSingleTargets = set.CreateStringSet([]string{
 	APISubSys,
 	StorageClassSubSys,
 	CompressionSubSys,
-	KmsKesSubSys,
 	PolicyOPASubSys,
 	IdentityLDAPSubSys,
 	IdentityOpenIDSubSys,