diff --git a/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/compute/callables/BlockUntilInitScriptStatusIsZeroThenReturnOutput.java b/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/compute/callables/BlockUntilInitScriptStatusIsZeroThenReturnOutput.java
index 1d964534e4..ded9d6d971 100644
--- a/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/compute/callables/BlockUntilInitScriptStatusIsZeroThenReturnOutput.java
+++ b/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/compute/callables/BlockUntilInitScriptStatusIsZeroThenReturnOutput.java
@@ -28,8 +28,6 @@ import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;
 
 import javax.annotation.PostConstruct;
 import javax.annotation.Resource;
-import javax.inject.Inject;
-import javax.inject.Named;
 
 import org.jclouds.Constants;
 import org.jclouds.compute.domain.ExecResponse;
@@ -43,7 +41,9 @@ import org.jclouds.ssh.SshClient;
 import com.google.common.base.Predicate;
 import com.google.common.base.Throwables;
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.AbstractFuture;
+import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.google.inject.assistedinject.Assisted;
+import com.google.inject.name.Named;
 
 /**
  * A future that works in tandem with a task that was invoked by {@link InitBuilder}
@@ -69,11 +69,12 @@ public class BlockUntilInitScriptStatusIsZeroThenReturnOutput extends AbstractFu
    @Inject
    public BlockUntilInitScriptStatusIsZeroThenReturnOutput(
             @Named(Constants.PROPERTY_USER_THREADS) ExecutorService userThreads,
+            ComputeServiceConstants.InitStatusProperties properties,
             final ScriptStatusReturnsZero stateRunning, @Assisted final SudoAwareInitManager commandRunner) {
       
       long retryMaxWait = TimeUnit.DAYS.toMillis(365); // arbitrarily high value, but Long.MAX_VALUE doesn't work!
-      long retryPeriod = 500;
-      long retryMaxPeriod = 5000;
+      long retryInitialPeriod = properties.initStatusInitialPeriod;
+      long retryMaxPeriod = properties.initStatusMaxPeriod;
       
       this.commandRunner = checkNotNull(commandRunner, "commandRunner");
       this.userThreads = checkNotNull(userThreads, "userThreads");
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@ public class BlockUntilInitScriptStatusIsZeroThenReturnOutput extends AbstractFu
          public boolean apply(String arg0) {
             return commandRunner.runAction(arg0).getOutput().trim().equals("");
          }
-      }, retryMaxWait, retryPeriod, retryMaxPeriod, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS) {
+      }, retryMaxWait, retryInitialPeriod, retryMaxPeriod, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS) {
          /**
           * make sure we stop the retry loop if someone cancelled the future, this keeps threads
           * from being consumed on dead tasks
diff --git a/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/compute/reference/ComputeServiceConstants.java b/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/compute/reference/ComputeServiceConstants.java
index 745af1cd2f..649a00aca4 100644
--- a/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/compute/reference/ComputeServiceConstants.java
+++ b/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/compute/reference/ComputeServiceConstants.java
@@ -36,9 +36,13 @@ public interface ComputeServiceConstants {
    public static final String PROPERTY_TIMEOUT_NODE_SUSPENDED = "jclouds.compute.timeout.node-suspended";
    public static final String PROPERTY_TIMEOUT_SCRIPT_COMPLETE = "jclouds.compute.timeout.script-complete";
    public static final String PROPERTY_TIMEOUT_PORT_OPEN = "jclouds.compute.timeout.port-open";
+   
+   public static final String PROPERTY_INIT_STATUS_INITIAL_PERIOD = "jclouds.compute.init-status.initial-period";
+   public static final String PROPERTY_INIT_STATUS_MAX_PERIOD = "jclouds.compute.init-status.max-period";
+
    /**
-    * comma-separated nodes that we shouldn't attempt to list as they are dead in the provider for
-    * some reason.
+    * comma-separated nodes that we shouldn't attempt to list as they are dead
+    * in the provider for some reason.
     */
    public static final String PROPERTY_BLACKLIST_NODES = "jclouds.compute.blacklist-nodes";
 
@@ -53,6 +57,17 @@ public interface ComputeServiceConstants {
     */
    public static final String PROPERTY_OS_VERSION_MAP_JSON = "jclouds.compute.os-version-map-json";
 
+   @Singleton
+   public static class InitStatusProperties {
+      @Inject(optional = true)
+      @Named(PROPERTY_INIT_STATUS_INITIAL_PERIOD)
+      public long initStatusInitialPeriod = 500;
+
+      @Inject(optional = true)
+      @Named(PROPERTY_INIT_STATUS_MAX_PERIOD)
+      public long initStatusMaxPeriod = 5000;
+   }
+
    @Singleton
    public static class ReferenceData {
       @Inject(optional = true)