diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 30886d07e5..5baad605ae 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 ## v0.9.0-rc9 [2015-03-06]
 
 ### Bugfixes
-
 - [1872](https://github.com/influxdb/influxdb/pull/1872): Fix "stale term" errors with raft
 - [#1867](https://github.com/influxdb/influxdb/pull/1867): Fix race accessing topic replicas map
 - [#1864](https://github.com/influxdb/influxdb/pull/1864): fix race in startStateLoop
+- [#1753] (https://github.com/influxdb/influxdb/pull/1874): Do Not Panic on Missing Dirs
 
 ## v0.9.0-rc8 [2015-03-05]
 
diff --git a/cmd/influxd/run.go b/cmd/influxd/run.go
index 712177c20d..050a00e81b 100644
--- a/cmd/influxd/run.go
+++ b/cmd/influxd/run.go
@@ -31,7 +31,16 @@ func Run(config *Config, join, version string, logWriter *os.File) (*messaging.B
 	if config == nil {
 		config = NewConfig()
 	}
-	initializing := !fileExists(config.BrokerDir()) && !fileExists(config.DataDir())
+
+	var initBroker, initServer bool
+	if initBroker = !fileExists(config.BrokerDir()); initBroker {
+		log.Printf("Broker directory missing. Need to create a broker.")
+	}
+
+	if initServer = !fileExists(config.DataDir()); initServer {
+		log.Printf("Data directory missing. Need to create data directory.")
+	}
+	initServer = initServer || initBroker
 
 	// Parse join urls from the --join flag.
 	var joinURLs []*url.URL
@@ -42,7 +51,7 @@ func Run(config *Config, join, version string, logWriter *os.File) (*messaging.B
 	}
 
 	// Open broker, initialize or join as necessary.
-	b := openBroker(config.BrokerDir(), config.BrokerURL(), initializing, joinURLs, logWriter)
+	b := openBroker(config.BrokerDir(), config.BrokerURL(), initBroker, joinURLs, logWriter)
 
 	// Start the broker handler.
 	var h *Handler
@@ -65,7 +74,7 @@ func Run(config *Config, join, version string, logWriter *os.File) (*messaging.B
 	}
 
 	// Open server, initialize or join as necessary.
-	s := openServer(config, b, initializing, configExists, joinURLs, logWriter)
+	s := openServer(config, b, initServer, initBroker, configExists, joinURLs, logWriter)
 	s.SetAuthenticationEnabled(config.Authentication.Enabled)
 
 	// Enable retention policy enforcement if requested.
@@ -158,8 +167,11 @@ func Run(config *Config, join, version string, logWriter *os.File) (*messaging.B
 
 	// unless disabled, start the loop to report anonymous usage stats every 24h
 	if !config.ReportingDisabled {
-		clusterID := b.Broker.Log().Config().ClusterID
-		go s.StartReportingLoop(version, clusterID)
+		// Make sure we have a config object b4 we try to use it.
+		if configObj := b.Broker.Log().Config(); configObj != nil {
+			clusterID := configObj.ClusterID
+			go s.StartReportingLoop(version, clusterID)
+		}
 	}
 
 	return b.Broker, s
@@ -172,7 +184,7 @@ func writePIDFile(path string) {
 	}
 
 	// Ensure the required directory structure exists.
-	err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0700)
+	err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0755)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -207,11 +219,6 @@ func parseConfig(path, hostname string) *Config {
 
 // creates and initializes a broker.
 func openBroker(path string, u *url.URL, initializing bool, joinURLs []*url.URL, w io.Writer) *influxdb.Broker {
-	// Ignore if there's no existing broker and we're not initializing or joining.
-	if !fileExists(path) && !initializing && len(joinURLs) == 0 {
-		return nil
-	}
-
 	// Create broker.
 	b := influxdb.NewBroker()
 	b.SetLogOutput(w)
@@ -220,7 +227,7 @@ func openBroker(path string, u *url.URL, initializing bool, joinURLs []*url.URL,
 		log.Fatalf("failed to open broker: %s", err)
 	}
 
-	// If this is a new broker then we can initialie two ways:
+	// If this is a new broker then we can initialize two ways:
 	//   1) Start a brand new cluster.
 	//   2) Join an existing cluster.
 	if initializing {
@@ -256,12 +263,7 @@ func joinBroker(b *influxdb.Broker, joinURLs []*url.URL) {
 }
 
 // creates and initializes a server.
-func openServer(config *Config, b *influxdb.Broker, initializing, configExists bool, joinURLs []*url.URL, w io.Writer) *influxdb.Server {
-	// Ignore if there's no existing server and we're not initializing or joining.
-	if !fileExists(config.Data.Dir) && !initializing && len(joinURLs) == 0 {
-		return nil
-	}
-
+func openServer(config *Config, b *influxdb.Broker, initServer, initBroker, configExists bool, joinURLs []*url.URL, w io.Writer) *influxdb.Server {
 	// Create and open the server.
 	s := influxdb.NewServer()
 	s.SetLogOutput(w)
@@ -276,14 +278,15 @@ func openServer(config *Config, b *influxdb.Broker, initializing, configExists b
 	}
 
 	// If the server is uninitialized then initialize or join it.
-	if initializing {
+	if initServer {
 		if len(joinURLs) == 0 {
-			initializeServer(config.DataURL(), s, b, w)
+			initializeServer(config.DataURL(), s, b, w, initBroker)
 		} else {
 			joinServer(s, config.DataURL(), joinURLs)
-			openServerClient(s, joinURLs, w)
 		}
-	} else if !configExists {
+	}
+
+	if !configExists {
 		// We are spining up a server that has no config,
 		// but already has an initialized data directory
 		joinURLs = []*url.URL{b.URL()}
@@ -301,12 +304,14 @@ func openServer(config *Config, b *influxdb.Broker, initializing, configExists b
 }
 
 // initializes a new server that does not yet have an ID.
-func initializeServer(u *url.URL, s *influxdb.Server, b *influxdb.Broker, w io.Writer) {
+func initializeServer(u *url.URL, s *influxdb.Server, b *influxdb.Broker, w io.Writer, initBroker bool) {
 	// TODO: Create replica using the messaging client.
 
-	// Create replica on broker.
-	if err := b.CreateReplica(1, u); err != nil {
-		log.Fatalf("replica creation error: %s", err)
+	if initBroker {
+		// Create replica on broker.
+		if err := b.CreateReplica(1, u); err != nil {
+			log.Fatalf("replica creation error: %s", err)
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Create messaging client.
@@ -319,9 +324,11 @@ func initializeServer(u *url.URL, s *influxdb.Server, b *influxdb.Broker, w io.W
 		log.Fatalf("set client error: %s", err)
 	}
 
-	// Initialize the server.
-	if err := s.Initialize(b.URL()); err != nil {
-		log.Fatalf("server initialization error: %s", err)
+	if initBroker {
+		// Initialize the server.
+		if err := s.Initialize(b.URL()); err != nil {
+			log.Fatalf("server initialization error: %s", err)
+		}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/messaging/broker.go b/messaging/broker.go
index 60ecb73175..7a4d11a386 100644
--- a/messaging/broker.go
+++ b/messaging/broker.go
@@ -785,7 +785,7 @@ func (t *topic) open() error {
 	assert(t.file == nil, "topic already open: %d", t.id)
 
 	// Ensure the parent directory exists.
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(t.path), 0700); err != nil {
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(t.path), 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
diff --git a/raft/log.go b/raft/log.go
index cac7fb3747..f578f49e3a 100644
--- a/raft/log.go
+++ b/raft/log.go
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ func (l *Log) Open(path string) error {
 	}
 
 	// Create directory, if not exists.
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(path, 0700); err != nil {
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(path, 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	l.path = path
diff --git a/server.go b/server.go
index 66c49cdf8e..5e33d776fb 100644
--- a/server.go
+++ b/server.go
@@ -165,10 +165,10 @@ func (s *Server) Open(path string) error {
 	s.path = path
 
 	// Create required directories.
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(path, 0700); err != nil {
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(path, 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(path, "shards"), 0700); err != nil {
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(path, "shards"), 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}