diff --git a/core/core.services.yml b/core/core.services.yml
index d9e265f..b98dcff 100644
--- a/core/core.services.yml
+++ b/core/core.services.yml
@@ -79,8 +79,8 @@ services:
     class: Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigInstaller
     arguments: ['@config.factory', '@config.storage', '@config.typed', '@config.manager', '@event_dispatcher']
   config.storage:
-    alias: config.storage.uncached
-  config.storage.uncached:
+    alias: config.storage.active
+  config.storage.active:
     class: Drupal\Core\Config\DatabaseStorage
     arguments: ['@database', 'config']
   config.storage.staging:
diff --git a/core/includes/install.inc b/core/includes/install.inc
index ab818ba..358b259 100644
--- a/core/includes/install.inc
+++ b/core/includes/install.inc
@@ -479,6 +479,8 @@ function drupal_install_config_directories() {
     );
     // Rewrite settings.php, which also sets the value as global variable.
     drupal_rewrite_settings($settings);
+
+    \Drupal::service('config.storage.active')->createStorage();
   }
 
   // Ensure the config directories exist or can be created, and are writable.
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/BootstrapConfigStorageFactory.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/BootstrapConfigStorageFactory.php
index bf65660..1df8f07 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/BootstrapConfigStorageFactory.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/BootstrapConfigStorageFactory.php
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ public static function get() {
       return call_user_func($drupal_bootstrap_config_storage);
     }
     else {
-      $storage = new DatabaseStorage(Database::getConnection(), 'config');
-      return $storage->createStorage();
+      return new DatabaseStorage(Database::getConnection(), 'config');
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/DatabaseStorage.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/DatabaseStorage.php
index f649682..a2ba289 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/DatabaseStorage.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/DatabaseStorage.php
@@ -57,7 +57,12 @@ public function __construct(Connection $connection, $table, array $options = arr
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function createStorage() {
-    $this->ensureTableExists();
+    try {
+      $this->connection->schema()->createTable($this->table, static::schemaDefinition());
+    }
+    catch (\Exception $e) {
+      throw new StorageException($e->getMessage(), NULL, $e);
+    }
     return $this;
   }
 
@@ -133,37 +138,9 @@ public function write($name, array $data) {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Check if the config table exists and create it if not.
-   *
-   * @return bool
-   *   TRUE if the table was created, FALSE otherwise.
-   *
-   * @throws \Drupal\Core\Config\StorageException
-   *   If a database error occurs.
-   */
-  protected function ensureTableExists()  {
-    try {
-      if (!$this->connection->schema()->tableExists($this->table)) {
-        $this->connection->schema()->createTable($this->table, static::schemaDefinition());
-        return TRUE;
-      }
-    }
-    // If another process has already created the config table, attempting to
-    // recreate it will throw an exception. In this case just catch the
-    // exception and do nothing.
-    catch (SchemaObjectExistsException $e) {
-      return TRUE;
-    }
-    catch (\Exception $e) {
-      throw new StorageException($e->getMessage(), NULL, $e);
-    }
-    return FALSE;
-  }
-
-  /**
    * Defines the schema for the configuration table.
    */
-  public static function schemaDefinition() {
+  protected function schemaDefinition() {
     $schema = array(
       'description' => 'The base table for configuration data.',
       'fields' => array(
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageInterface.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageInterface.php
index 929ed33..7d5e0fc 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageInterface.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/StorageInterface.php
@@ -16,13 +16,12 @@
 interface StorageInterface {
 
   /**
-   * Ensure that the back-end for this storage exists (idempotent).
+   * Creates the storage for this backend.
    *
-   * @return \Drupal\Core\Config\StorageInterface
-   *   The called object.
+   * @return $this
    *
    * @throws \Drupal\Core\Config\StorageException
-   *   If the back-end storage does not exist and cannot be created.
+   *   If the storage cannot be created.
    */
   public function createStorage();
 
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DependencyInjection/UpdateServiceProvider.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DependencyInjection/UpdateServiceProvider.php
index 9a47b1d..4239d64 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DependencyInjection/UpdateServiceProvider.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DependencyInjection/UpdateServiceProvider.php
@@ -29,9 +29,10 @@ public function register(ContainerBuilder $container) {
         ->register('lock', 'Drupal\Core\Lock\NullLockBackend');
 
       // Prevent config from being accessed via a cache wrapper by removing
-      // any existing definition and setting an alias to the un-cached service.
+      // any existing definition and setting an alias to the actual storage.
       $container->removeDefinition('config.storage');
-      $container->setAlias('config.storage', 'config.storage.uncached');
+      $container->setAlias('config.storage', 'config.storage.active');
+
       $container->register('module_handler', 'Drupal\Core\Extension\UpdateModuleHandler')
         ->addArgument('%container.modules%');
       $container
diff --git a/core/modules/simpletest/lib/Drupal/simpletest/DrupalUnitTestBase.php b/core/modules/simpletest/lib/Drupal/simpletest/DrupalUnitTestBase.php
index 1c111b9..4535358 100644
--- a/core/modules/simpletest/lib/Drupal/simpletest/DrupalUnitTestBase.php
+++ b/core/modules/simpletest/lib/Drupal/simpletest/DrupalUnitTestBase.php
@@ -138,6 +138,9 @@ protected function setUp() {
     \Drupal::state()->set('system.module.files', $this->moduleFiles);
     \Drupal::state()->set('system.theme.files', $this->themeFiles);
 
+    // Create the active configuration storage (required to boot DrupalKernel).
+    $this->container->get('config.storage.active')->createStorage();
+
     // Bootstrap the kernel.
     // No need to dump it; this test runs in-memory.
     $this->kernel = new DrupalKernel('unit_testing', drupal_classloader(), FALSE);
@@ -225,7 +228,7 @@ public function containerBuild(ContainerBuilder $container) {
     $container->register('cache_factory', 'Drupal\Core\Cache\MemoryBackendFactory');
 
     $container
-      ->register('config.storage.uncached', 'Drupal\Core\Config\DatabaseStorage')
+      ->register('config.storage.active', 'Drupal\Core\Config\DatabaseStorage')
       ->addArgument(Database::getConnection())
       ->addArgument('config');