diff --git a/cmd/bootstrapper/server.go b/cmd/bootstrapper/server.go
index 5f9986ffb2..eb6fa5204f 100644
--- a/cmd/bootstrapper/server.go
+++ b/cmd/bootstrapper/server.go
@@ -132,21 +132,72 @@ func (s *Server) Start(ctx context.Context, errCh chan error, params *NetworkPar
 		}
 
 		// start generating fallback data
-		s.eg.Go(
-			func() error {
-				s.genDataLoop(ctx, errCh, last, params.updateActiveSetTime, s.GenFallbackActiveSet)
-				return nil
-			})
-		s.eg.Go(
-			func() error {
-				s.genDataLoop(ctx, errCh, last+1, params.updateBeaconTime, s.GenFallbackBeacon)
-				return nil
-			})
+		s.eg.Go(func() error {
+			for epoch := last; ; epoch++ {
+				wait := time.Until(params.updateActiveSetTime(epoch))
+				select {
+				case <-time.After(wait):
+					if err := s.genWithRetry(ctx, epoch, 10); err != nil {
+						errCh <- err
+						return nil
+					}
+				case <-ctx.Done():
+					return nil
+				}
+			}
+		})
+		s.eg.Go(func() error {
+			for epoch := last + 1; ; epoch++ {
+				wait := time.Until(params.updateBeaconTime(epoch))
+				select {
+				case <-time.After(wait):
+					if err := s.GenFallbackBeacon(epoch); err != nil {
+						errCh <- err
+						return err
+					}
+				case <-ctx.Done():
+					return nil
+				}
+			}
+		})
 
 		return nil
 	})
 }
 
+func (s *Server) genWithRetry(ctx context.Context, epoch types.EpochID, maxRetries int) error {
+	err := s.GenFallbackActiveSet(ctx, epoch)
+	if err == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	s.logger.With().Debug("generate fallback active set retry", log.Err(err))
+
+	retries := 0
+	backoff := 10 * time.Second
+	timer := time.NewTimer(backoff)
+
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-timer.C:
+			if err := s.GenFallbackActiveSet(ctx, epoch); err != nil {
+				s.logger.With().Debug("generate fallback active set retry", log.Err(err))
+				retries++
+				if retries >= maxRetries {
+					return err
+				}
+				timer.Reset(backoff)
+				continue
+			}
+			return nil
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			if !timer.Stop() {
+				<-timer.C
+			}
+			return ctx.Err()
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // in systests, we want to be sure the nodes use the fallback data unconditionally.
 // use a fixed known value for beacon to be sure that fallback is used during testing.
 func epochBeacon(epoch types.EpochID) types.Beacon {
@@ -165,7 +216,7 @@ func (s *Server) GenBootstrap(ctx context.Context, epoch types.EpochID) error {
 	return err
 }
 
-func (s *Server) GenFallbackBeacon(_ context.Context, epoch types.EpochID) error {
+func (s *Server) GenFallbackBeacon(epoch types.EpochID) error {
 	suffix := bootstrap.SuffixBeacon
 	_, err := s.gen.GenUpdate(epoch, epochBeacon(epoch), nil, suffix)
 	return err
@@ -193,31 +244,10 @@ func getPartialActiveSet(ctx context.Context, smEndpoint string, targetEpoch typ
 	return actives[:cutoff], nil
 }
 
-func (s *Server) genDataLoop(
-	ctx context.Context,
-	errCh chan error,
-	start types.EpochID,
-	timeFunc func(types.EpochID) time.Time,
-	genFunc func(context.Context, types.EpochID) error,
-) {
-	for epoch := start; ; epoch++ {
-		wait := time.Until(timeFunc(epoch))
-		select {
-		case <-time.After(wait):
-			if err := genFunc(ctx, epoch); err != nil {
-				errCh <- err
-				return
-			}
-		case <-ctx.Done():
-			return
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 func (s *Server) Stop(ctx context.Context) {
 	s.logger.With().Info("shutting down server")
-	_ = s.Shutdown(ctx)
-	_ = s.eg.Wait()
+	s.Shutdown(ctx)
+	s.eg.Wait()
 }
 
 func (s *Server) handle(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
diff --git a/config/presets/fastnet.go b/config/presets/fastnet.go
index e616057ac0..225a2482d5 100644
--- a/config/presets/fastnet.go
+++ b/config/presets/fastnet.go
@@ -51,7 +51,9 @@ func fastnet() config.Config {
 	conf.LayerDuration = 15 * time.Second
 	conf.Sync.Interval = 5 * time.Second
 	conf.Sync.GossipDuration = 10 * time.Second
-	conf.Sync.AtxSync.EpochInfoInterval = 20 * time.Second
+	conf.Sync.AtxSync.EpochInfoInterval = 1 * time.Second
+	conf.Sync.AtxSync.EpochInfoPeers = 10
+	conf.Sync.AtxSync.RequestsLimit = 100
 	conf.Sync.MalSync.IDRequestInterval = 20 * time.Second
 	conf.LayersPerEpoch = 4
 	conf.RegossipAtxInterval = 30 * time.Second
diff --git a/systest/tests/checkpoint_test.go b/systest/tests/checkpoint_test.go
index bd74e489c5..6d4ccde138 100644
--- a/systest/tests/checkpoint_test.go
+++ b/systest/tests/checkpoint_test.go
@@ -51,8 +51,8 @@ func TestCheckpoint(t *testing.T) {
 	// the start of the next poet round
 	snapshotLayer := uint32(15)
 	restoreLayer := uint32(18)
-	checkpointEpoch := uint32(4)
-	lastEpoch := uint32(8)
+	checkpointEpoch := uint32(8)
+	lastEpoch := uint32(14)
 
 	// bootstrap the checkpoint epoch and the next epoch as the beacon protocol was interrupted in the last epoch
 	cl, err := reuseCluster(tctx, restoreLayer)
@@ -168,8 +168,8 @@ func TestCheckpoint(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	tctx.Log.Infow("waiting for all miners to be smeshing", "last epoch", checkpointEpoch+2)
-	ensureSmeshing(t, tctx, cl, checkpointEpoch+2)
+	tctx.Log.Infow("waiting for all miners to be smeshing", "last epoch", checkpointEpoch)
+	ensureSmeshing(t, tctx, cl, checkpointEpoch)
 
 	// increase the cluster size to the original test size
 	tctx.Log.Info("cluster size changed to ", size)