diff --git a/rw_core/config/config.go b/rw_core/config/config.go
index 2b5017e..6510964 100644
--- a/rw_core/config/config.go
+++ b/rw_core/config/config.go
@@ -24,104 +24,113 @@
 
 // RW Core service default constants
 const (
-	EtcdStoreName                    = "etcd"
-	defaultGrpcAddress               = ":50057"
-	defaultKafkaAdapterAddress       = "127.0.0.1:9092"
-	defaultKafkaClusterAddress       = "127.0.0.1:9094"
-	defaultKVStoreType               = EtcdStoreName
-	defaultKVStoreTimeout            = 5 * time.Second
-	defaultKVStoreAddress            = "127.0.0.1:2379" // Etcd = 2379
-	defaultKVTxnKeyDelTime           = 60
-	defaultLogLevel                  = "WARN"
-	defaultBanner                    = false
-	defaultDisplayVersionOnly        = false
-	defaultCoreTopic                 = "rwcore"
-	defaultEventTopic                = "voltha.events"
-	defaultRWCoreEndpoint            = "rwcore"
-	defaultRWCoreKey                 = "pki/voltha.key"
-	defaultRWCoreCert                = "pki/voltha.crt"
-	defaultRWCoreCA                  = "pki/voltha-CA.pem"
-	defaultLongRunningRequestTimeout = 2000 * time.Millisecond
-	defaultDefaultRequestTimeout     = 1000 * time.Millisecond
-	defaultCoreTimeout               = 1000 * time.Millisecond
-	defaultCoreBindingKey            = "voltha_backend_name"
-	defaultMaxConnectionRetries      = -1 // retries forever
-	defaultConnectionRetryInterval   = 2 * time.Second
-	defaultLiveProbeInterval         = 60 * time.Second
-	defaultNotLiveProbeInterval      = 5 * time.Second // Probe more frequently when not alive
-	defaultProbeAddress              = ":8080"
-	defaultTraceEnabled              = false
-	defaultTraceAgentAddress         = "127.0.0.1:6831"
-	defaultLogCorrelationEnabled     = true
-	defaultVolthaStackID             = "voltha"
+	EtcdStoreName                      = "etcd"
+	defaultGrpcAddress                 = ":50057"
+	defaultKafkaAdapterAddress         = "127.0.0.1:9092"
+	defaultKafkaClusterAddress         = "127.0.0.1:9094"
+	defaultKVStoreType                 = EtcdStoreName
+	defaultKVStoreTimeout              = 5 * time.Second
+	defaultKVStoreAddress              = "127.0.0.1:2379" // Etcd = 2379
+	defaultKVTxnKeyDelTime             = 60
+	defaultLogLevel                    = "WARN"
+	defaultBanner                      = false
+	defaultDisplayVersionOnly          = false
+	defaultCoreTopic                   = "rwcore"
+	defaultEventTopic                  = "voltha.events"
+	defaultRWCoreEndpoint              = "rwcore"
+	defaultRWCoreKey                   = "pki/voltha.key"
+	defaultRWCoreCert                  = "pki/voltha.crt"
+	defaultRWCoreCA                    = "pki/voltha-CA.pem"
+	defaultLongRunningRequestTimeout   = 2000 * time.Millisecond
+	defaultDefaultRequestTimeout       = 1000 * time.Millisecond
+	defaultCoreTimeout                 = 1000 * time.Millisecond
+	defaultCoreBindingKey              = "voltha_backend_name"
+	defaultMaxConnectionRetries        = -1 // retries forever
+	defaultConnectionRetryInterval     = 2 * time.Second
+	defaultLiveProbeInterval           = 60 * time.Second
+	defaultNotLiveProbeInterval        = 5 * time.Second // Probe more frequently when not alive
+	defaultProbeAddress                = ":8080"
+	defaultTraceEnabled                = false
+	defaultTraceAgentAddress           = "127.0.0.1:6831"
+	defaultLogCorrelationEnabled       = true
+	defaultVolthaStackID               = "voltha"
+	defaultBackoffRetryInitialInterval = 500 * time.Millisecond
+	defaultBackoffRetryMaxElapsedTime  = 0
+	defaultBackoffRetryMaxInterval     = 1 * time.Minute
 )
 
 // RWCoreFlags represents the set of configurations used by the read-write core service
 type RWCoreFlags struct {
 	// Command line parameters
-	RWCoreEndpoint            string
-	GrpcAddress               string
-	KafkaAdapterAddress       string
-	KafkaClusterAddress       string
-	KVStoreType               string
-	KVStoreTimeout            time.Duration
-	KVStoreAddress            string
-	KVTxnKeyDelTime           int
-	CoreTopic                 string
-	EventTopic                string
-	LogLevel                  string
-	Banner                    bool
-	DisplayVersionOnly        bool
-	RWCoreKey                 string
-	RWCoreCert                string
-	RWCoreCA                  string
-	LongRunningRequestTimeout time.Duration
-	DefaultRequestTimeout     time.Duration
-	DefaultCoreTimeout        time.Duration
-	CoreBindingKey            string
-	MaxConnectionRetries      int
-	ConnectionRetryInterval   time.Duration
-	LiveProbeInterval         time.Duration
-	NotLiveProbeInterval      time.Duration
-	ProbeAddress              string
-	TraceEnabled              bool
-	TraceAgentAddress         string
-	LogCorrelationEnabled     bool
-	VolthaStackID             string
+	RWCoreEndpoint              string
+	GrpcAddress                 string
+	KafkaAdapterAddress         string
+	KafkaClusterAddress         string
+	KVStoreType                 string
+	KVStoreTimeout              time.Duration
+	KVStoreAddress              string
+	KVTxnKeyDelTime             int
+	CoreTopic                   string
+	EventTopic                  string
+	LogLevel                    string
+	Banner                      bool
+	DisplayVersionOnly          bool
+	RWCoreKey                   string
+	RWCoreCert                  string
+	RWCoreCA                    string
+	LongRunningRequestTimeout   time.Duration
+	DefaultRequestTimeout       time.Duration
+	DefaultCoreTimeout          time.Duration
+	CoreBindingKey              string
+	MaxConnectionRetries        int
+	ConnectionRetryInterval     time.Duration
+	LiveProbeInterval           time.Duration
+	NotLiveProbeInterval        time.Duration
+	ProbeAddress                string
+	TraceEnabled                bool
+	TraceAgentAddress           string
+	LogCorrelationEnabled       bool
+	VolthaStackID               string
+	BackoffRetryInitialInterval time.Duration
+	BackoffRetryMaxElapsedTime  time.Duration
+	BackoffRetryMaxInterval     time.Duration
 }
 
 // NewRWCoreFlags returns a new RWCore config
 func NewRWCoreFlags() *RWCoreFlags {
 	var rwCoreFlag = RWCoreFlags{ // Default values
-		RWCoreEndpoint:            defaultRWCoreEndpoint,
-		GrpcAddress:               defaultGrpcAddress,
-		KafkaAdapterAddress:       defaultKafkaAdapterAddress,
-		KafkaClusterAddress:       defaultKafkaClusterAddress,
-		KVStoreType:               defaultKVStoreType,
-		KVStoreTimeout:            defaultKVStoreTimeout,
-		KVStoreAddress:            defaultKVStoreAddress,
-		KVTxnKeyDelTime:           defaultKVTxnKeyDelTime,
-		CoreTopic:                 defaultCoreTopic,
-		EventTopic:                defaultEventTopic,
-		LogLevel:                  defaultLogLevel,
-		Banner:                    defaultBanner,
-		DisplayVersionOnly:        defaultDisplayVersionOnly,
-		RWCoreKey:                 defaultRWCoreKey,
-		RWCoreCert:                defaultRWCoreCert,
-		RWCoreCA:                  defaultRWCoreCA,
-		DefaultRequestTimeout:     defaultDefaultRequestTimeout,
-		LongRunningRequestTimeout: defaultLongRunningRequestTimeout,
-		DefaultCoreTimeout:        defaultCoreTimeout,
-		CoreBindingKey:            defaultCoreBindingKey,
-		MaxConnectionRetries:      defaultMaxConnectionRetries,
-		ConnectionRetryInterval:   defaultConnectionRetryInterval,
-		LiveProbeInterval:         defaultLiveProbeInterval,
-		NotLiveProbeInterval:      defaultNotLiveProbeInterval,
-		ProbeAddress:              defaultProbeAddress,
-		TraceEnabled:              defaultTraceEnabled,
-		TraceAgentAddress:         defaultTraceAgentAddress,
-		LogCorrelationEnabled:     defaultLogCorrelationEnabled,
-		VolthaStackID:             defaultVolthaStackID,
+		RWCoreEndpoint:              defaultRWCoreEndpoint,
+		GrpcAddress:                 defaultGrpcAddress,
+		KafkaAdapterAddress:         defaultKafkaAdapterAddress,
+		KafkaClusterAddress:         defaultKafkaClusterAddress,
+		KVStoreType:                 defaultKVStoreType,
+		KVStoreTimeout:              defaultKVStoreTimeout,
+		KVStoreAddress:              defaultKVStoreAddress,
+		KVTxnKeyDelTime:             defaultKVTxnKeyDelTime,
+		CoreTopic:                   defaultCoreTopic,
+		EventTopic:                  defaultEventTopic,
+		LogLevel:                    defaultLogLevel,
+		Banner:                      defaultBanner,
+		DisplayVersionOnly:          defaultDisplayVersionOnly,
+		RWCoreKey:                   defaultRWCoreKey,
+		RWCoreCert:                  defaultRWCoreCert,
+		RWCoreCA:                    defaultRWCoreCA,
+		DefaultRequestTimeout:       defaultDefaultRequestTimeout,
+		LongRunningRequestTimeout:   defaultLongRunningRequestTimeout,
+		DefaultCoreTimeout:          defaultCoreTimeout,
+		CoreBindingKey:              defaultCoreBindingKey,
+		MaxConnectionRetries:        defaultMaxConnectionRetries,
+		ConnectionRetryInterval:     defaultConnectionRetryInterval,
+		LiveProbeInterval:           defaultLiveProbeInterval,
+		NotLiveProbeInterval:        defaultNotLiveProbeInterval,
+		ProbeAddress:                defaultProbeAddress,
+		TraceEnabled:                defaultTraceEnabled,
+		TraceAgentAddress:           defaultTraceAgentAddress,
+		LogCorrelationEnabled:       defaultLogCorrelationEnabled,
+		VolthaStackID:               defaultVolthaStackID,
+		BackoffRetryInitialInterval: defaultBackoffRetryInitialInterval,
+		BackoffRetryMaxElapsedTime:  defaultBackoffRetryMaxElapsedTime,
+		BackoffRetryMaxInterval:     defaultBackoffRetryMaxInterval,
 	}
 	return &rwCoreFlag
 }
@@ -209,5 +218,14 @@
 	help = fmt.Sprintf("ID for the current voltha stack")
 	flag.StringVar(&cf.VolthaStackID, "stack_id", defaultVolthaStackID, help)
 
+	help = fmt.Sprintf("The initial number of milliseconds an exponential backoff will wait before a retry")
+	flag.DurationVar(&(cf.BackoffRetryInitialInterval), "backoff_retry_initial_interval", defaultBackoffRetryInitialInterval, help)
+
+	help = fmt.Sprintf("The maximum number of milliseconds an exponential backoff can elasped")
+	flag.DurationVar(&(cf.BackoffRetryMaxElapsedTime), "backoff_retry_max_elapsed_time", defaultBackoffRetryMaxElapsedTime, help)
+
+	help = fmt.Sprintf("The maximum number of milliseconds of an exponential backoff interval")
+	flag.DurationVar(&(cf.BackoffRetryMaxInterval), "backoff_retry_max_interval", defaultBackoffRetryMaxInterval, help)
+
 	flag.Parse()
 }