diff --git a/scripts/ironic-common.sh b/scripts/ironic-common.sh
index 9d71194b5..81d577fdf 100644
--- a/scripts/ironic-common.sh
+++ b/scripts/ironic-common.sh
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ get_provisioning_interface()
         return
     fi
 
-    local interface="provisioning"
+    local interface=""
 
     for mac in ${PROVISIONING_MACS//,/ }; do
         if ip -br link show up | grep -i "$mac" &>/dev/null; then
@@ -116,10 +116,20 @@ parse_ip_address()
 # Wait for the interface or IP to be up, sets $IRONIC_IP
 wait_for_interface_or_ip()
 {
-    # If $PROVISIONING_IP is specified, then we wait for that to become
-    # available on an interface, otherwise we look at $PROVISIONING_INTERFACE
-    # for an IP
-    if [[ -n "${PROVISIONING_IP}" ]]; then
+    # IRONIC_IP already defined overrides everything else
+    if [[ -n "${IRONIC_IP}" ]]; then
+        local PARSED_IP
+        PARSED_IP="$(parse_ip_address "${IRONIC_IP}")"
+        if [[ -z "${PARSED_IP}" ]]; then
+            echo "ERROR: PROVISIONING_IP contains an invalid IP address, failed to start ironic"
+            exit 1
+        fi
+
+        export IRONIC_IP="${PARSED_IP}"
+    elif [[ -n "${PROVISIONING_IP}" ]]; then
+        # If $PROVISIONING_IP is specified, then we wait for that to become
+        # available on an interface, otherwise we look at $PROVISIONING_INTERFACE
+        # for an IP
         local PARSED_IP
         PARSED_IP="$(parse_ip_address "${PROVISIONING_IP}")"
         if [[ -z "${PARSED_IP}" ]]; then
@@ -138,13 +148,16 @@ wait_for_interface_or_ip()
 
         export PROVISIONING_INTERFACE="${IFACE_OF_IP}"
         export IRONIC_IP="${PARSED_IP}"
-    else
+    elif [[ -n "${PROVISIONING_INTERFACE}" ]]; then
         until [[ -n "$IRONIC_IP" ]]; do
             echo "Waiting for ${PROVISIONING_INTERFACE} interface to be configured"
             IRONIC_IP="$(ip -br addr show scope global up dev "${PROVISIONING_INTERFACE}" | awk '{print $3}' | sed -e 's%/.*%%' | head -n 1)"
             export IRONIC_IP
             sleep 1
         done
+    else
+        echo "ERROR: cannot determine an interface or an IP for binding and creating URLs"
+        return 1
     fi
 
     # If the IP contains a colon, then it's an IPv6 address, and the HTTP