diff --git a/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml b/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml
index e8044ebd302b..51fb25cd680d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml
@@ -108,10 +108,10 @@ jobs:
   
   build-go-tests:
     name: "Build Go Tests"
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
         arch: [amd64, arm64]
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.arch == 'arm64' && 'ubuntu-24.04-arm' || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
     outputs:
       channel: ${{ steps.channel_step.outputs.channel }}
     steps:
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ jobs:
     - name: Build Go Tests
       run: |
         mkdir -p ./dist/artifacts
-        GOOS=linux GOARCH=${{ matrix.arch }} go test -c -ldflags="-w -s" -o ./dist/artifacts ./tests/docker/...
+        go test -c -ldflags="-w -s" -o ./dist/artifacts ./tests/docker/...
     - name: Upload Go Tests
       uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
       with:
diff --git a/tests/client.go b/tests/client.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7438bc5849d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/client.go
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+package tests
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd"
+	"k8s.io/utils/set"
+)
+
+// This file consolidates functions that are used across multiple testing frameworks.
+// Most of it relates to interacting with the Kubernetes API and checking the status of resources.
+
+// CheckDefaultDeployments checks if the standard array of K3s deployments are ready, otherwise returns an error
+func CheckDefaultDeployments(kubeconfigFile string) error {
+	return CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, kubeconfigFile)
+}
+
+// CheckDeployments checks if the provided list of deployments are ready, otherwise returns an error
+func CheckDeployments(deployments []string, kubeconfigFile string) error {
+
+	deploymentSet := make(map[string]bool)
+	for _, d := range deployments {
+		deploymentSet[d] = false
+	}
+
+	client, err := K8sClient(kubeconfigFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	deploymentList, err := client.AppsV1().Deployments("").List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	for _, deployment := range deploymentList.Items {
+		if _, ok := deploymentSet[deployment.Name]; ok && deployment.Status.ReadyReplicas == deployment.Status.Replicas {
+			deploymentSet[deployment.Name] = true
+		}
+	}
+	for d, found := range deploymentSet {
+		if !found {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to deploy %s", d)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func ParseNodes(kubeconfigFile string) ([]corev1.Node, error) {
+	clientSet, err := K8sClient(kubeconfigFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	nodes, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Nodes().List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return nodes.Items, nil
+}
+
+func ParsePods(kubeconfigFile string) ([]corev1.Pod, error) {
+	clientSet, err := K8sClient(kubeconfigFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	pods, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Pods("").List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return pods.Items, nil
+}
+
+// AllPodsUp checks if pods on the cluster are Running or Succeeded, otherwise returns an error
+func AllPodsUp(kubeconfigFile string) error {
+	clientSet, err := K8sClient(kubeconfigFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	pods, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Pods("").List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	for _, pod := range pods.Items {
+		// Check if the pod is running
+		if pod.Status.Phase != corev1.PodRunning && pod.Status.Phase != corev1.PodSucceeded {
+			return fmt.Errorf("pod %s is %s", pod.Name, pod.Status.Phase)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// PodReady checks if a pod is ready by querying its status
+func PodReady(podName, namespace, kubeconfigFile string) (bool, error) {
+	clientSet, err := K8sClient(kubeconfigFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	pod, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Pods(namespace).Get(context.TODO(), podName, metav1.GetOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get pod: %v", err)
+	}
+	// Check if the pod is running
+	for _, containerStatus := range pod.Status.ContainerStatuses {
+		if containerStatus.Name == podName && containerStatus.Ready {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return false, nil
+}
+
+// Checks if provided nodes are ready, otherwise returns an error
+func NodesReady(kubeconfigFile string, nodeNames []string) error {
+	nodes, err := ParseNodes(kubeconfigFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	nodesToCheck := set.New(nodeNames...)
+	readyNodes := make(set.Set[string], 0)
+	for _, node := range nodes {
+		for _, condition := range node.Status.Conditions {
+			if condition.Type == corev1.NodeReady && condition.Status != corev1.ConditionTrue {
+				return fmt.Errorf("node %s is not ready", node.Name)
+			}
+			readyNodes.Insert(node.Name)
+		}
+	}
+	// Check if all nodes are ready
+	if !nodesToCheck.Equal(readyNodes) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("expected nodes %v, found %v", nodesToCheck, readyNodes)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func K8sClient(kubeconfigFile string) (*kubernetes.Clientset, error) {
+	config, err := clientcmd.BuildConfigFromFlags("", kubeconfigFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	clientSet, err := kubernetes.NewForConfig(config)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return clientSet, nil
+}
diff --git a/tests/docker/basics/basics_test.go b/tests/docker/basics/basics_test.go
index f64a8480ee96..390b598a6ca1 100644
--- a/tests/docker/basics/basics_test.go
+++ b/tests/docker/basics/basics_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	tester "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/docker"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -31,10 +32,10 @@ var _ = Describe("Basic Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(config.ProvisionServers(1)).To(Succeed())
 			Expect(config.ProvisionAgents(1)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
+				return tests.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
 			}, "40s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 	})
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Basic Tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("should validate local storage volume", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (bool, error) {
-				return tester.PodReady("volume-test", "kube-system", config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.PodReady("volume-test", "kube-system", config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "20s", "5s").Should(BeTrue())
 		})
 	})
diff --git a/tests/docker/bootstraptoken/bootstraptoken_test.go b/tests/docker/bootstraptoken/bootstraptoken_test.go
index d1f7f0fcd5c4..66f92a4a5344 100644
--- a/tests/docker/bootstraptoken/bootstraptoken_test.go
+++ b/tests/docker/bootstraptoken/bootstraptoken_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	tester "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/docker"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -28,7 +29,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Boostrap Token Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(config.ProvisionServers(1)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 	})
@@ -46,10 +47,10 @@ var _ = Describe("Boostrap Token Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			config.Token = newSecret
 			Expect(config.ProvisionAgents(1)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := tester.ParseNodes(config.KubeconfigFile)
+				nodes, err := tests.ParseNodes(config.KubeconfigFile)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				g.Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(2))
-				g.Expect(tester.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())).To(Succeed())
+				g.Expect(tests.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())).To(Succeed())
 			}, "40s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 	})
diff --git a/tests/docker/cacerts/cacerts_test.go b/tests/docker/cacerts/cacerts_test.go
index 8bc49119135b..f7e85e301593 100644
--- a/tests/docker/cacerts/cacerts_test.go
+++ b/tests/docker/cacerts/cacerts_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	tester "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/docker"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ var _ = Describe("CA Certs Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(config.ProvisionServers(1)).To(Succeed())
 			Expect(config.ProvisionAgents(1)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 	})
diff --git a/tests/docker/etcd/etcd_test.go b/tests/docker/etcd/etcd_test.go
index 9bee22ca4149..9826e5402c27 100644
--- a/tests/docker/etcd/etcd_test.go
+++ b/tests/docker/etcd/etcd_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	tester "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/docker"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -30,10 +31,10 @@ var _ = Describe("Etcd Tests", Ordered, func() {
 		It("should provision servers", func() {
 			Expect(config.ProvisionServers(3)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
+				return tests.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("should destroy the cluster", func() {
@@ -56,10 +57,10 @@ var _ = Describe("Etcd Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(config.ProvisionServers(5)).To(Succeed())
 			Expect(config.ProvisionAgents(1)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "90s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
+				return tests.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
 			}, "90s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 	})
diff --git a/tests/docker/lazypull/lazypull_test.go b/tests/docker/lazypull/lazypull_test.go
index 9531a30d5394..a47d7de8c126 100644
--- a/tests/docker/lazypull/lazypull_test.go
+++ b/tests/docker/lazypull/lazypull_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	tester "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/docker"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -30,10 +31,10 @@ var _ = Describe("LazyPull Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			config.ServerYaml = "snapshotter: stargz"
 			Expect(config.ProvisionServers(1)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
+				return tests.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
 			}, "40s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 	})
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ var _ = Describe("LazyPull Tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("should have the pod come up", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (bool, error) {
-				return tester.PodReady("stargz-snapshot-test", "default", config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.PodReady("stargz-snapshot-test", "default", config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "30s", "5s").Should(BeTrue())
 		})
 		var topLayer string
diff --git a/tests/docker/skew/skew_test.go b/tests/docker/skew/skew_test.go
index 62528fdaee5e..729ef3e5b9d1 100644
--- a/tests/docker/skew/skew_test.go
+++ b/tests/docker/skew/skew_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/blang/semver/v4"
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	tester "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/docker"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Skew Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			config.K3sImage = "rancher/k3s:" + lastMinorVersion
 			Expect(config.ProvisionAgents(1)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("should match respective versions", func() {
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Skew Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed to apply volume test manifest")
 
 			Eventually(func() (bool, error) {
-				return tester.PodReady("volume-test", "kube-system", config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.PodReady("volume-test", "kube-system", config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "20s", "5s").Should(BeTrue())
 		})
 		It("should destroy the cluster", func() {
@@ -103,11 +104,11 @@ var _ = Describe("Skew Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			config.K3sImage = *k3sImage
 			Expect(config.ProvisionServers(3)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				g.Expect(tester.ParseNodes(config.KubeconfigFile)).To(HaveLen(3))
-				g.Expect(tester.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())).To(Succeed())
+				g.Expect(tests.ParseNodes(config.KubeconfigFile)).To(HaveLen(3))
+				g.Expect(tests.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())).To(Succeed())
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("should match respective versions", func() {
diff --git a/tests/docker/snapshotrestore/snapshotrestore_test.go b/tests/docker/snapshotrestore/snapshotrestore_test.go
index 3a706efde392..ff3576bed13e 100644
--- a/tests/docker/snapshotrestore/snapshotrestore_test.go
+++ b/tests/docker/snapshotrestore/snapshotrestore_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	tester "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/docker"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -35,10 +36,10 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify snapshots and cluster restores work", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(config.ProvisionServers(*serverCount)).To(Succeed())
 			Expect(config.ProvisionAgents(*agentCount)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.CheckDefaultDeployments(config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
+				return tests.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
 			}, "40s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 	})
@@ -135,12 +136,12 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify snapshots and cluster restores work", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Checks that all nodes and pods are ready", func() {
 			By("Fetching node status")
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
+				return tests.NodesReady(config.KubeconfigFile, config.GetNodeNames())
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			By("Fetching Pods status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := tester.ParsePods(config.KubeconfigFile)
+				pods, err := tests.ParsePods(config.KubeconfigFile)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, pod := range pods {
 					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
diff --git a/tests/docker/test-helpers.go b/tests/docker/test-helpers.go
index 9b265ea68b84..287cbdbad9e9 100644
--- a/tests/docker/test-helpers.go
+++ b/tests/docker/test-helpers.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package docker
 
 import (
-	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"math/rand"
 	"net"
@@ -15,11 +14,6 @@ import (
 
 	"golang.org/x/mod/semver"
 	"golang.org/x/sync/errgroup"
-	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
-	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
-	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd"
-	"k8s.io/utils/set"
 )
 
 type TestConfig struct {
@@ -491,121 +485,3 @@ func (config TestConfig) DeployWorkload(workload string) (string, error) {
 	}
 	return "", nil
 }
-
-// TODO the below functions are duplicated in the integration test utils. Consider combining into commmon package
-
-// CheckDefaultDeployments checks if the default deployments: coredns, local-path-provisioner, metrics-server, traefik
-// for K3s are ready, otherwise returns an error
-func CheckDefaultDeployments(kubeconfigFile string) error {
-	return DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, kubeconfigFile)
-}
-
-// DeploymentsReady checks if the provided list of deployments are ready, otherwise returns an error
-func DeploymentsReady(deployments []string, kubeconfigFile string) error {
-
-	deploymentSet := make(map[string]bool)
-	for _, d := range deployments {
-		deploymentSet[d] = false
-	}
-
-	client, err := k8sClient(kubeconfigFile)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	deploymentList, err := client.AppsV1().Deployments("").List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	for _, deployment := range deploymentList.Items {
-		if _, ok := deploymentSet[deployment.Name]; ok && deployment.Status.ReadyReplicas == deployment.Status.Replicas {
-			deploymentSet[deployment.Name] = true
-		}
-	}
-	for d, found := range deploymentSet {
-		if !found {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to deploy %s", d)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-func ParseNodes(kubeconfigFile string) ([]corev1.Node, error) {
-	clientSet, err := k8sClient(kubeconfigFile)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	nodes, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Nodes().List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return nodes.Items, nil
-}
-
-func ParsePods(kubeconfigFile string) ([]corev1.Pod, error) {
-	clientSet, err := k8sClient(kubeconfigFile)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	pods, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Pods("").List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return pods.Items, nil
-}
-
-// PodReady checks if a pod is ready by querying its status
-func PodReady(podName, namespace, kubeconfigFile string) (bool, error) {
-	clientSet, err := k8sClient(kubeconfigFile)
-	if err != nil {
-		return false, err
-	}
-	pod, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Pods(namespace).Get(context.TODO(), podName, metav1.GetOptions{})
-	if err != nil {
-		return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get pod: %v", err)
-	}
-	// Check if the pod is running
-	for _, containerStatus := range pod.Status.ContainerStatuses {
-		if containerStatus.Name == podName && containerStatus.Ready {
-			return true, nil
-		}
-	}
-	return false, nil
-}
-
-// Checks if provided nodes are ready, otherwise returns an error
-func NodesReady(kubeconfigFile string, nodeNames []string) error {
-	nodes, err := ParseNodes(kubeconfigFile)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	nodesToCheck := set.New(nodeNames...)
-	readyNodes := make(set.Set[string], 0)
-	for _, node := range nodes {
-		for _, condition := range node.Status.Conditions {
-			if condition.Type == corev1.NodeReady && condition.Status != corev1.ConditionTrue {
-				return fmt.Errorf("node %s is not ready", node.Name)
-			}
-			readyNodes.Insert(node.Name)
-		}
-	}
-	// Check if all nodes are ready
-	if !nodesToCheck.Equal(readyNodes) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("expected nodes %v, found %v", nodesToCheck, readyNodes)
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-func k8sClient(kubeconfigFile string) (*kubernetes.Clientset, error) {
-	config, err := clientcmd.BuildConfigFromFlags("", kubeconfigFile)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	clientSet, err := kubernetes.NewForConfig(config)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	return clientSet, nil
-}
diff --git a/tests/docker/upgrade/upgrade_test.go b/tests/docker/upgrade/upgrade_test.go
index 0f24beade286..fa6250d2b5dd 100644
--- a/tests/docker/upgrade/upgrade_test.go
+++ b/tests/docker/upgrade/upgrade_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	tester "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/docker"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Upgrade Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(config.ProvisionServers(numServers)).To(Succeed())
 			Expect(config.ProvisionAgents(numAgents)).To(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("should confirm latest version", func() {
@@ -84,7 +85,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Upgrade Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed to apply volume test manifest")
 
 			Eventually(func() (bool, error) {
-				return tester.PodReady("volume-test", "kube-system", config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.PodReady("volume-test", "kube-system", config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "20s", "5s").Should(BeTrue())
 		})
 		It("should upgrade to current commit build", func() {
@@ -111,7 +112,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Upgrade Tests", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(config.ProvisionAgents(numAgents)).To(Succeed())
 
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return tester.DeploymentsReady([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"}, config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("should confirm commit version", func() {
@@ -131,7 +132,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Upgrade Tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("should confirm test pod is still Running", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (bool, error) {
-				return tester.PodReady("volume-test", "kube-system", config.KubeconfigFile)
+				return tests.PodReady("volume-test", "kube-system", config.KubeconfigFile)
 			}, "20s", "5s").Should(BeTrue())
 		})
 
diff --git a/tests/e2e/autoimport/autoimport_test.go b/tests/e2e/autoimport/autoimport_test.go
index 83eff17d1818..2fd103243667 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/autoimport/autoimport_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/autoimport/autoimport_test.go
@@ -2,11 +2,10 @@ package autoimport
 
 import (
 	"flag"
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -32,11 +31,7 @@ func Test_E2EAutoImport(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Create Cluster Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -45,133 +40,121 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
 		})
 
-		It("Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Create a folder in agent/images", func() {
 			cmd := `mkdir /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images`
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 		})
 
 		It("Create file for auto import and search in the image store", func() {
 			cmd := `echo docker.io/library/redis:latest | sudo tee /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/testautoimport.txt`
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				cmd := `k3s ctr images list | grep library/redis`
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Change name for the file and see if the label is still pinned", func() {
 			cmd := `mv /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/testautoimport.txt /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/testautoimportrename.txt`
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				cmd := `k3s ctr images list | grep library/redis`
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Create, remove and create again a file", func() {
 			cmd := `echo docker.io/library/busybox:latest | sudo tee /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/bb.txt`
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				cmd := `k3s ctr images list | grep library/busybox`
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			cmd = `rm /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/bb.txt`
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				cmd := `k3s ctr images list | grep library/busybox`
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			cmd = `echo docker.io/library/busybox:latest | sudo tee /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/bb.txt`
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				cmd := `k3s ctr images list | grep library/busybox`
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Move the folder, add a image and then see if the image is going to be pinned", func() {
 			cmd := `mv /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/test`
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			cmd = `echo 'docker.io/library/mysql:latest' | sudo tee /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/test/mysql.txt`
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			cmd = `mv /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/test /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images`
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				cmd := `k3s ctr images list | grep library/mysql`
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts normally", func() {
-			errRestart := e2e.RestartCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))
+			errRestart := e2e.RestartCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
 			Expect(errRestart).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Restart Nodes not happened correctly")
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
@@ -182,29 +165,29 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Verify bb.txt image and see if are pinned", func() {
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				cmd := `k3s ctr images list | grep library/busybox`
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Removes bb.txt file", func() {
 			cmd := `rm /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/bb.txt`
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				cmd := `k3s ctr images list | grep library/busybox`
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts normally", func() {
-			errRestart := e2e.RestartCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))
+			errRestart := e2e.RestartCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
 			Expect(errRestart).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Restart Nodes not happened correctly")
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
@@ -215,8 +198,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Verify if bb.txt image is unpinned", func() {
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 				cmd := `k3s ctr images list | grep library/busybox`
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).ShouldNot(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
-				g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).ShouldNot(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).ShouldNot(ContainSubstring("io.cattle.k3s.pinned=pinned"))
+				g.Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).ShouldNot(ContainSubstring("io.cri-containerd.pinned=pinned"))
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
@@ -231,10 +214,10 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 
 	if !failed {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/btrfs/btrfs_test.go b/tests/e2e/btrfs/btrfs_test.go
index a99211a1634c..716227b22e26 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/btrfs/btrfs_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/btrfs/btrfs_test.go
@@ -2,11 +2,10 @@ package rotateca
 
 import (
 	"flag"
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -25,10 +24,7 @@ func Test_E2EBtrfsSnapshot(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Btrfs Snapshot Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -38,45 +34,34 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify that btrfs based servers work", Ordered, func() {
 			var err error
 			// OS and server are hardcoded because only openSUSE Leap 15.5 natively supports Btrfs
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, _, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster("opensuse/Leap-15.6.x86_64", 1, 0)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster("opensuse/Leap-15.6.x86_64", 1, 0)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, _, err = e2e.CreateCluster("opensuse/Leap-15.6.x86_64", 1, 0)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster("opensuse/Leap-15.6.x86_64", 1, 0)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By(tc.Status())
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 		It("Checks that btrfs snapshots exist", func() {
 			cmd := "btrfs subvolume list /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/containerd/io.containerd.snapshotter.v1.btrfs"
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(MatchRegexp("agent/containerd/io.containerd.snapshotter.v1.btrfs/active/\\d+"))
 			Expect(res).To(MatchRegexp("agent/containerd/io.containerd.snapshotter.v1.btrfs/snapshots/\\d+"))
@@ -91,10 +76,10 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/dualstack/dualstack_test.go b/tests/e2e/dualstack/dualstack_test.go
index 9262af922cea..caa292418b4f 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/dualstack/dualstack_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/dualstack/dualstack_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -27,165 +28,151 @@ func Test_E2EDualStack(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "DualStack Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
 var _ = Describe("Verify DualStack Configuration", Ordered, func() {
+	Context("Cluster Deploys with both IPv6 and IPv4 networks", func() {
+		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
+			var err error
+			if *local {
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+			} else {
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+			}
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
+			tc.Hardened = *hardened
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+		})
+
+		It("Checks Node Status", func() {
+			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
+				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				for _, node := range nodes {
+					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
+				}
+			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+			_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+		})
 
-	It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
-		var err error
-		if *local {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
-		} else {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
-		}
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-		fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-		fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-		fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-		fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-		kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	})
+		It("Checks pod status", func() {
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+		})
 
-	It("Checks Node Status", func() {
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, node := range nodes {
-				g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
+		It("Verifies that each node has IPv4 and IPv6", func() {
+			nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			for _, node := range nodeIPs {
+				Expect(node.IPv4).Should(ContainSubstring("10.10.10"))
+				Expect(node.IPv6).Should(ContainSubstring("fd11:decf:c0ff"))
 			}
-		}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	})
-
-	It("Checks Pod Status", func() {
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, pod := range pods {
-				if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-					g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-				} else {
-					g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-				}
+		})
+		It("Verifies that each pod has IPv4 and IPv6", func() {
+			podIPs, err := e2e.GetPodIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			for _, pod := range podIPs {
+				Expect(pod.IPv4).Should(Or(ContainSubstring("10.10.10"), ContainSubstring("10.42.")), pod.Name)
+				Expect(pod.IPv6).Should(Or(ContainSubstring("fd11:decf:c0ff"), ContainSubstring("2001:cafe:42")), pod.Name)
 			}
-		}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	})
-
-	It("Verifies that each node has IPv4 and IPv6", func() {
-		nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(kubeConfigFile)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		for _, node := range nodeIPs {
-			Expect(node.IPv4).Should(ContainSubstring("10.10.10"))
-			Expect(node.IPv6).Should(ContainSubstring("fd11:decf:c0ff"))
-		}
-	})
-	It("Verifies that each pod has IPv4 and IPv6", func() {
-		podIPs, err := e2e.GetPodIPs(kubeConfigFile)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		for _, pod := range podIPs {
-			Expect(pod.IPv4).Should(Or(ContainSubstring("10.10.10"), ContainSubstring("10.42.")), pod.Name)
-			Expect(pod.IPv6).Should(Or(ContainSubstring("fd11:decf:c0ff"), ContainSubstring("2001:cafe:42")), pod.Name)
-		}
-	})
+		})
 
-	It("Verifies ClusterIP Service", func() {
-		_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("dualstack_clusterip.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-			cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
-			return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-		}, "120s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"))
+		It("Verifies ClusterIP Service", func() {
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("dualstack_clusterip.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
+				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+			}, "120s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"))
 
-		// Checks both IPv4 and IPv6
-		clusterips, err := e2e.FetchClusterIP(kubeConfigFile, "ds-clusterip-svc", true)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		for _, ip := range strings.Split(clusterips, ",") {
-			if strings.Contains(ip, "::") {
-				ip = "[" + ip + "]"
-			}
-			pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
+			// Checks both IPv4 and IPv6
+			clusterips, err := e2e.FetchClusterIP(tc.KubeConfigFile, "ds-clusterip-svc", true)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, pod := range pods {
-				if !strings.HasPrefix(pod.Name, "ds-clusterip-pod") {
-					continue
+			for _, ip := range strings.Split(clusterips, ",") {
+				if strings.Contains(ip, "::") {
+					ip = "[" + ip + "]"
 				}
-				cmd := fmt.Sprintf("curl -L --insecure http://%s", ip)
+				pods, err := tests.ParsePods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				for _, pod := range pods {
+					if !strings.HasPrefix(pod.Name, "ds-clusterip-pod") {
+						continue
+					}
+					cmd := fmt.Sprintf("curl -L --insecure http://%s", ip)
+					Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+						return tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
+					}, "60s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("Welcome to nginx!"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+		It("Verifies Ingress", func() {
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("dualstack_ingress.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Ingress manifest not deployed")
+			cmd := "kubectl get ingress ds-ingress -o jsonpath=\"{.spec.rules[*].host}\""
+			hostName, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+			nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+			for _, node := range nodeIPs {
+				cmd := fmt.Sprintf("curl  --header host:%s http://%s/name.html", hostName, node.IPv4)
+				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+				}, "10s", "2s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+				cmd = fmt.Sprintf("curl  --header host:%s http://[%s]/name.html", hostName, node.IPv6)
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-					return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
-				}, "60s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("Welcome to nginx!"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+				}, "5s", "1s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
 			}
-		}
-	})
-	It("Verifies Ingress", func() {
-		_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("dualstack_ingress.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Ingress manifest not deployed")
-		cmd := "kubectl get ingress ds-ingress --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " -o jsonpath=\"{.spec.rules[*].host}\""
-		hostName, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
-		nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(kubeConfigFile)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
-		for _, node := range nodeIPs {
-			cmd := fmt.Sprintf("curl  --header host:%s http://%s/name.html", hostName, node.IPv4)
-			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-			}, "10s", "2s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
-			cmd = fmt.Sprintf("curl  --header host:%s http://[%s]/name.html", hostName, node.IPv6)
-			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-			}, "5s", "1s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
-		}
-	})
+		})
 
-	It("Verifies NodePort Service", func() {
-		_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("dualstack_nodeport.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		cmd := "kubectl get service ds-nodeport-svc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
-		nodeport, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
-		nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(kubeConfigFile)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		for _, node := range nodeIPs {
-			cmd = "curl -L --insecure http://" + node.IPv4 + ":" + nodeport + "/name.html"
+		It("Verifies NodePort Service", func() {
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("dualstack_nodeport.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			cmd := "kubectl get service ds-nodeport-svc --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
+			nodeport, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+			nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			for _, node := range nodeIPs {
+				cmd = "curl -L --insecure http://" + node.IPv4 + ":" + nodeport + "/name.html"
+				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+				}, "10s", "1s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-nodeport-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+				cmd = "curl -L --insecure http://[" + node.IPv6 + "]:" + nodeport + "/name.html"
+				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+				}, "10s", "1s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-nodeport-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+			}
+		})
+		It("Verifies podSelector Network Policy", func() {
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("pod_client.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			cmd := "kubectl exec svc/client-curl -- curl -m7 ds-clusterip-svc/name.html"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-			}, "10s", "1s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-nodeport-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
-			cmd = "curl -L --insecure http://[" + node.IPv6 + "]:" + nodeport + "/name.html"
+			}, "20s", "3s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+			_, err = tc.DeployWorkload("netpol-fail.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			cmd = "kubectl exec svc/client-curl -- curl -m7 ds-clusterip-svc/name.html"
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				_, err = e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+				Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+				return err
+			}, "20s", "3s")
+			_, err = tc.DeployWorkload("netpol-work.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			cmd = "kubectl exec svc/client-curl -- curl -m7 ds-clusterip-svc/name.html"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-			}, "10s", "1s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-nodeport-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
-		}
-	})
-	It("Verifies podSelector Network Policy", func() {
-		_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("pod_client.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		cmd := "kubectl exec svc/client-curl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " -- curl -m7 ds-clusterip-svc/name.html"
-		Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-			return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-		}, "20s", "3s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
-		_, err = e2e.DeployWorkload("netpol-fail.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		cmd = "kubectl exec svc/client-curl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " -- curl -m7 ds-clusterip-svc/name.html"
-		Eventually(func() error {
-			_, err = e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-			Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
-			return err
-		}, "20s", "3s")
-		_, err = e2e.DeployWorkload("netpol-work.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		cmd = "kubectl exec svc/client-curl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " -- curl -m7 ds-clusterip-svc/name.html"
-		Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-			return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-		}, "20s", "3s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+			}, "20s", "3s").Should(ContainSubstring("ds-clusterip-pod"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+		})
 	})
 })
 
@@ -196,12 +183,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...)))
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/embeddedmirror/embeddedmirror_test.go b/tests/e2e/embeddedmirror/embeddedmirror_test.go
index d753528bf616..c4256324cd65 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/embeddedmirror/embeddedmirror_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/embeddedmirror/embeddedmirror_test.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -32,11 +32,7 @@ func Test_E2EPrivateRegistry(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Create Cluster Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -45,42 +41,31 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+
 		})
-		It("Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
-			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			By("Fetching pod status")
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "620s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("Should create and validate deployment with embedded registry mirror using image tag", func() {
 			res, err := e2e.RunCommand("kubectl create deployment my-webpage-1 --image=docker.io/library/nginx:1.25.3")
@@ -128,7 +113,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Should expose embedded registry metrics", func() {
-			grepCmd := fmt.Sprintf("kubectl get --raw /api/v1/nodes/%s/proxy/metrics | grep -F 'spegel_advertised_images{registry=\"docker.io\"}'", serverNodeNames[0])
+			grepCmd := fmt.Sprintf("kubectl get --raw /api/v1/nodes/%s/proxy/metrics | grep -F 'spegel_advertised_images{registry=\"docker.io\"}'", tc.Servers[0])
 			res, err := e2e.RunCommand(grepCmd)
 			fmt.Println(res)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
@@ -147,12 +132,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/externalip/externalip_test.go b/tests/e2e/externalip/externalip_test.go
index f8acbc9bce41..0c560e2e30c8 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/externalip/externalip_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/externalip/externalip_test.go
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ package externalip
 
 import (
 	"flag"
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import (
 var nodeOS = flag.String("nodeOS", "bento/ubuntu-24.04", "VM operating system")
 var serverCount = flag.Int("serverCount", 1, "number of server nodes")
 var agentCount = flag.Int("agentCount", 1, "number of agent nodes")
-var hardened = flag.Bool("hardened", false, "true or false")
 var ci = flag.Bool("ci", false, "running on CI")
 var local = flag.Bool("local", false, "deploy a locally built K3s binary")
 
@@ -55,107 +54,93 @@ func Test_E2EExternalIP(t *testing.T) {
 
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
 var _ = Describe("Verify External-IP config", Ordered, func() {
-
-	It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
-		var err error
-		if *local {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
-		} else {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
-		}
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-		fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-		fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-		fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-		fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-		kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	})
-
-	It("Checks Node Status", func() {
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, node := range nodes {
-				g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
+	Context("Cluster comes up with External-IP configuration", func() {
+		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
+			var err error
+			if *local {
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+			} else {
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			}
-		}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	})
-
-	It("Checks Pod Status", func() {
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, pod := range pods {
-				if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-					g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-				} else {
-					g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+		})
+
+		It("Checks Node Status", func() {
+			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
+				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				for _, node := range nodes {
+					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
-			}
-		}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	})
-
-	It("Verifies that each node has vagrant IP", func() {
-		nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(kubeConfigFile)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		for _, node := range nodeIPs {
-			Expect(node.IPv4).Should(ContainSubstring("10.10."))
-		}
-	})
-	It("Verifies that each pod has vagrant IP or clusterCIDR IP", func() {
-		podIPs, err := e2e.GetPodIPs(kubeConfigFile)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		for _, pod := range podIPs {
-			Expect(pod.IPv4).Should(Or(ContainSubstring("10.10."), ContainSubstring("10.42.")), pod.Name)
-		}
+			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+			_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+		})
+
+		It("Checks pod status", func() {
+			By("Fetching pod status")
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "620s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
+		})
 	})
-	It("Verifies that flannel added the correct annotation for the external-ip", func() {
-		nodeIPs, err := getExternalIPs(kubeConfigFile)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		for _, annotation := range nodeIPs {
-			Expect(annotation).Should(ContainSubstring("10.100.100."))
-		}
-	})
-	It("Verifies internode connectivity over the tunnel", func() {
-		_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("pod_client.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-
-		// Wait for the pod_client to have an IP
-		Eventually(func() string {
-			ips, _ := getClientIPs(kubeConfigFile)
-			return ips[0].IPv4
-		}, "40s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.42"), "failed getClientIPs")
-
-		clientIPs, err := getClientIPs(kubeConfigFile)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		for _, ip := range clientIPs {
-			cmd := "kubectl exec svc/client-curl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " -- curl -m7 " + ip.IPv4 + "/name.html"
+	Context("Deploy workloads to check cluster connectivity of the nodes", func() {
+		It("Verifies that each node has vagrant IP", func() {
+			nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			for _, node := range nodeIPs {
+				Expect(node.IPv4).Should(ContainSubstring("10.10."))
+			}
+		})
+		It("Verifies that each pod has vagrant IP or clusterCIDR IP", func() {
+			podIPs, err := e2e.GetPodIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			for _, pod := range podIPs {
+				Expect(pod.IPv4).Should(Or(ContainSubstring("10.10."), ContainSubstring("10.42.")), pod.Name)
+			}
+		})
+		It("Verifies that flannel added the correct annotation for the external-ip", func() {
+			nodeIPs, err := getExternalIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			for _, annotation := range nodeIPs {
+				Expect(annotation).Should(ContainSubstring("10.100.100."))
+			}
+		})
+		It("Verifies internode connectivity over the tunnel", func() {
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("pod_client.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+			// Wait for the pod_client to have an IP
+			Eventually(func() string {
+				ips, _ := getClientIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				return ips[0].IPv4
+			}, "40s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.42"), "failed getClientIPs")
+
+			clientIPs, err := getClientIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			for _, ip := range clientIPs {
+				cmd := "kubectl exec svc/client-curl -- curl -m7 " + ip.IPv4 + "/name.html"
+				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+				}, "20s", "3s").Should(ContainSubstring("client-deployment"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+			}
+		})
+		It("Verifies loadBalancer service's IP is the node-external-ip", func() {
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			cmd := "kubectl get svc -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer -o=jsonpath='{range .items[*]}{.metadata.name}{.status.loadBalancer.ingress[*].ip}{end}'"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-			}, "20s", "3s").Should(ContainSubstring("client-deployment"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
-		}
-	})
-	It("Verifies loadBalancer service's IP is the node-external-ip", func() {
-		_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " get svc -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer -o=jsonpath='{range .items[*]}{.metadata.name}{.status.loadBalancer.ingress[*].ip}{end}'"
-		Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-			return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-		}, "20s", "3s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.100.100"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+			}, "20s", "3s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.100.100"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
+		})
 	})
 })
 
@@ -166,12 +151,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/privateregistry/privateregistry_test.go b/tests/e2e/privateregistry/privateregistry_test.go
index e7ab9187f870..e1d0c9a54afc 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/privateregistry/privateregistry_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/privateregistry/privateregistry_test.go
@@ -7,9 +7,11 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 )
 
 // Valid nodeOS:
@@ -32,11 +34,7 @@ func Test_E2EPrivateRegistry(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Create Cluster Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -45,52 +43,41 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+
 		})
-		It("Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
-			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			By("Fetching pod status")
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "620s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Create new private registry", func() {
-			registry, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("docker run --init -d -p 5000:5000 --restart=always --name registry registry:2 ", serverNodeNames[0])
+			registry, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("docker run --init -d -p 5000:5000 --restart=always --name registry registry:2 ")
 			fmt.Println(registry)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		})
 		It("ensures registry is working", func() {
-			a, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("docker ps -a | grep registry\n", serverNodeNames[0])
+			a, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("docker ps -a | grep registry\n")
 			fmt.Println(a)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
@@ -100,44 +87,44 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		// NODEIP:5000 as a mirror.
 		It("Should pull and image from dockerhub and send it to private registry", func() {
 			cmd := "docker pull docker.io/library/nginx:1.27.3"
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
-			nodeIP, err := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(serverNodeNames[0])
+			nodeIP, err := tc.Servers[0].FetchNodeExternalIP()
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 			cmd = "docker tag docker.io/library/nginx:1.27.3 " + nodeIP + ":5000/docker-io-library/nginx:1.27.3"
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			cmd = "docker push " + nodeIP + ":5000/docker-io-library/nginx:1.27.3"
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 
 			cmd = "docker image remove docker.io/library/nginx:1.27.3 " + nodeIP + ":5000/docker-io-library/nginx:1.27.3"
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed: "+cmd)
 		})
 
 		It("Should create and validate deployment with private registry on", func() {
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("kubectl create deployment my-webpage --image=my-registry.local/library/nginx:1.27.3", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("kubectl create deployment my-webpage --image=my-registry.local/library/nginx:1.27.3")
 			fmt.Println(res)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-			var pod e2e.Pod
+			var pod corev1.Pod
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				pods, err := tests.ParsePods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 				for _, p := range pods {
 					if strings.Contains(p.Name, "my-webpage") {
 						pod = p
 					}
 				}
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"))
+				g.Expect(string(pod.Status.Phase)).Should(Equal("Running"))
 			}, "60s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
-			cmd := "curl " + pod.IP
-			Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])).To(ContainSubstring("Welcome to nginx!"))
+			cmd := "curl " + pod.Status.PodIP
+			Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).To(ContainSubstring("Welcome to nginx!"))
 		})
 
 	})
@@ -150,17 +137,17 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
-		r1, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("docker rm -f registry", serverNodeNames[0])
+		r1, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("docker rm -f registry")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), r1)
-		r2, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("kubectl delete deployment my-webpage", serverNodeNames[0])
+		r2, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("kubectl delete deployment my-webpage")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), r2)
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/rootless/rootless_test.go b/tests/e2e/rootless/rootless_test.go
index 4a205934e3d5..a320c76fdf9f 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/rootless/rootless_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/rootless/rootless_test.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -29,43 +29,40 @@ func Test_E2ERootlessStartupValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Startup Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
-func StartK3sCluster(nodes []string, serverYAML string) error {
+func StartK3sCluster(nodes []e2e.VagrantNode, serverYAML string) error {
 	for _, node := range nodes {
 
 		resetCmd := "head -n 3 /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml > /tmp/config.yaml && sudo mv /tmp/config.yaml /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml"
 		yamlCmd := fmt.Sprintf("echo '%s' >> /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml", serverYAML)
 		startCmd := "systemctl --user restart k3s-rootless"
 
-		if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(resetCmd, node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(resetCmd); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(yamlCmd, node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(yamlCmd); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlesNode("systemctl --user daemon-reload", node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlessNode("systemctl --user daemon-reload", node.String()); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlesNode(startCmd, node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlessNode(startCmd, node.String()); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-func KillK3sCluster(nodes []string) error {
+func KillK3sCluster(nodes []e2e.VagrantNode) error {
 	for _, node := range nodes {
-		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlesNode(`systemctl --user stop k3s-rootless`, node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlessNode(`systemctl --user stop k3s-rootless`, node.String()); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlesNode("k3s-killall.sh", node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlessNode("k3s-killall.sh", node.String()); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlesNode("rm -rf /home/vagrant/.rancher/k3s/server/db", node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := RunCmdOnRootlessNode("rm -rf /home/vagrant/.rancher/k3s/server/db", node.String()); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -77,13 +74,13 @@ var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
 	var err error
 	if *local {
-		serverNodeNames, _, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 0)
+		tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 0)
 	} else {
-		serverNodeNames, _, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 0)
+		tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 0)
 	}
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 	//Checks if system is using cgroup v2
-	_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode("cat /sys/fs/cgroup/cgroup.controllers", serverNodeNames[0])
+	_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("cat /sys/fs/cgroup/cgroup.controllers")
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 
 })
@@ -91,40 +88,32 @@ var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
 var _ = Describe("Various Startup Configurations", Ordered, func() {
 	Context("Verify standard startup :", func() {
 		It("Starts K3s with no issues", func() {
-			err := StartK3sCluster(serverNodeNames, "")
+			err := StartK3sCluster(tc.Servers, "")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = GenRootlessKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+			kubeConfigFile, err := GenRootlessKubeConfigFile(tc.Servers[0].String())
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			tc.KubeConfigFile = kubeConfigFile
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Returns pod metrics", func() {
@@ -154,7 +143,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Various Startup Configurations", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Kills the cluster", func() {
-			err := KillK3sCluster(serverNodeNames)
+			err := KillK3sCluster(tc.Servers)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 	})
@@ -168,12 +157,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, serverNodeNames))
+		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, tc.Servers))
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/rootless/rootless_utils.go b/tests/e2e/rootless/rootless_utils.go
index 296e0865666d..62f0bd860653 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/rootless/rootless_utils.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/rootless/rootless_utils.go
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 )
 
-// RunCmdOnRootlesNode executes a command from within the given node as user vagrant
-func RunCmdOnRootlesNode(cmd string, nodename string) (string, error) {
+// RunCmdOnRootlessNode executes a command from within the given node as user vagrant
+func RunCmdOnRootlessNode(cmd string, nodename string) (string, error) {
 	injectEnv := ""
 	if _, ok := os.LookupEnv("E2E_GOCOVER"); ok && strings.HasPrefix(cmd, "k3s") {
 		injectEnv = "GOCOVERDIR=/tmp/k3scov "
@@ -23,11 +23,12 @@ func RunCmdOnRootlesNode(cmd string, nodename string) (string, error) {
 }
 
 func GenRootlessKubeConfigFile(serverName string) (string, error) {
-	kubeConfig, err := RunCmdOnRootlesNode("cat /home/vagrant/.kube/k3s.yaml", serverName)
+	kubeConfig, err := RunCmdOnRootlessNode("cat /home/vagrant/.kube/k3s.yaml", serverName)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
-	nodeIP, err := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(serverName)
+	vNode := e2e.VagrantNode(serverName)
+	nodeIP, err := vNode.FetchNodeExternalIP()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/rotateca/rotateca_test.go b/tests/e2e/rotateca/rotateca_test.go
index 3a6f2b0ca14f..ab438a95fa83 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/rotateca/rotateca_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/rotateca/rotateca_test.go
@@ -2,11 +2,10 @@ package rotateca
 
 import (
 	"flag"
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -29,11 +28,7 @@ func Test_E2ECustomCARotation(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Custom Certificate Rotation Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -42,43 +37,32 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Custom CA Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Generates New CA Certificates", func() {
@@ -88,46 +72,38 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Custom CA Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 				"DATA_DIR=/opt/rancher/k3s /tmp/generate-custom-ca-certs.sh",
 			}
 			for _, cmd := range cmds {
-				_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+				_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			}
 		})
 
 		It("Rotates CA Certificates", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s certificate rotate-ca --path=/opt/rancher/k3s/server"
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s servers", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s agents", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(agentNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Agents)).To(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "420s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "420s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 	})
 })
@@ -139,12 +115,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...)))
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/s3/s3_test.go b/tests/e2e/s3/s3_test.go
index 64066cf45572..4de5519d29fe 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/s3/s3_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/s3/s3_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -31,11 +32,7 @@ func Test_E2ES3(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Create Cluster Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -44,93 +41,79 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 0)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 0)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 0)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 0)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
 		})
-		It("Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("ensures s3 mock is working", func() {
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("docker ps -a | grep mock\n", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("docker ps -a | grep mock\n")
 			fmt.Println(res)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 		It("save s3 snapshot using CLI", func() {
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save "+
-				"--etcd-s3-insecure=true "+
-				"--etcd-s3-bucket=test-bucket "+
-				"--etcd-s3-folder=test-folder "+
-				"--etcd-s3-endpoint=localhost:9090 "+
-				"--etcd-s3-skip-ssl-verify=true "+
-				"--etcd-s3-access-key=test ",
-				serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save " +
+				"--etcd-s3-insecure=true " +
+				"--etcd-s3-bucket=test-bucket " +
+				"--etcd-s3-folder=test-folder " +
+				"--etcd-s3-endpoint=localhost:9090 " +
+				"--etcd-s3-skip-ssl-verify=true " +
+				"--etcd-s3-access-key=test ")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("Snapshot on-demand-server-0"))
 		})
 		It("creates s3 config secret", func() {
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s kubectl create secret generic k3s-etcd-s3-config --namespace=kube-system "+
-				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-insecure=true "+
-				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-bucket=test-bucket "+
-				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-folder=test-folder "+
-				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-endpoint=localhost:9090 "+
-				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-skip-ssl-verify=true "+
-				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-access-key=test ",
-				serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s kubectl create secret generic k3s-etcd-s3-config --namespace=kube-system " +
+				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-insecure=true " +
+				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-bucket=test-bucket " +
+				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-folder=test-folder " +
+				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-endpoint=localhost:9090 " +
+				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-skip-ssl-verify=true " +
+				"--from-literal=etcd-s3-access-key=test ")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("secret/k3s-etcd-s3-config created"))
 		})
 		It("save s3 snapshot using secret", func() {
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("Snapshot on-demand-server-0"))
 		})
 		It("lists saved s3 snapshot", func() {
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot list", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot list")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("file:///var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/db/snapshots/on-demand-server-0"))
 			Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("s3://test-bucket/test-folder/on-demand-server-0"))
 		})
 		It("save 3 more s3 snapshots", func() {
 			for _, i := range []string{"1", "2", "3"} {
-				res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save --name special-"+i, serverNodeNames[0])
+				res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save --name special-" + i)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("Snapshot special-" + i + "-server-0"))
 			}
 		})
 		It("lists saved s3 snapshot", func() {
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot list", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot list")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("s3://test-bucket/test-folder/on-demand-server-0"))
 			Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("s3://test-bucket/test-folder/special-1-server-0"))
@@ -138,25 +121,25 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("s3://test-bucket/test-folder/special-3-server-0"))
 		})
 		It("delete first on-demand s3 snapshot", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("sudo k3s etcd-snapshot ls >> ./snapshotname.txt", serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("sudo k3s etcd-snapshot ls >> ./snapshotname.txt")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			snapshotName, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("grep -Eo 'on-demand-server-0-([0-9]+)' ./snapshotname.txt | head -1", serverNodeNames[0])
+			snapshotName, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("grep -Eo 'on-demand-server-0-([0-9]+)' ./snapshotname.txt | head -1")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("sudo k3s etcd-snapshot delete "+snapshotName, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("sudo k3s etcd-snapshot delete " + snapshotName)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(ContainSubstring("Snapshot " + strings.TrimSpace(snapshotName) + " deleted"))
 		})
 		It("prunes s3 snapshots", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save", serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			time.Sleep(time.Second)
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save", serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot save")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			time.Sleep(time.Second)
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot prune", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot prune")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			// There should now be 4 on-demand snapshots - 2 local, and 2 on s3
-			res, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot ls 2>/dev/null | grep on-demand | wc -l", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot ls 2>/dev/null | grep on-demand | wc -l")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(strings.TrimSpace(res)).To(Equal("4"))
 		})
@@ -164,7 +147,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 			// Wait until the retention works with 3 minutes
 			fmt.Printf("\nWaiting 3 minutes until retention works\n")
 			time.Sleep(3 * time.Minute)
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot ls 2>/dev/null | grep etcd-snapshot | wc -l", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s etcd-snapshot ls 2>/dev/null | grep etcd-snapshot | wc -l")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(strings.TrimSpace(res)).To(Equal("4"))
 		})
@@ -178,12 +161,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/secretsencryption/secretsencryption_test.go b/tests/e2e/secretsencryption/secretsencryption_test.go
index 763e2f0ba381..266c6fff2629 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/secretsencryption/secretsencryption_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/secretsencryption/secretsencryption_test.go
@@ -2,11 +2,10 @@ package secretsencryption
 
 import (
 	"flag"
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -32,10 +31,7 @@ func Test_E2ESecretsEncryption(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Secrets Encryption Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -44,53 +40,44 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, _, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, 0)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, 0)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, _, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, 0)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, 0)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+			tc.Hardened = *hardened
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Deploys several secrets", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("secrets.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("secrets.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Secrets not deployed")
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies encryption start stage", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
 				Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: start"))
@@ -100,12 +87,12 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 
 		It("Rotates the Secrets-Encryption Keys", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt rotate-keys"
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
-			for i, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for i, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 					cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Server Encryption Hashes: hash does not match"))
 					if i == 0 {
@@ -118,14 +105,14 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s servers", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(nil))
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(nil))
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies reencryption_finished stage", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: reencrypt_finished"))
@@ -139,17 +126,17 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 	Context("Disabling Secrets-Encryption", func() {
 		It("Disables encryption", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt disable"
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 
 			cmd = "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+				return tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			}, "240s", "10s").Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: reencrypt_finished"))
 
-			for i, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for i, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 					if i == 0 {
 						g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Disabled"))
@@ -161,14 +148,14 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s servers", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies encryption disabled on all nodes", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Disabled"))
+					g.Expect(node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Disabled"))
 				}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 			}
 		})
@@ -178,17 +165,17 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 	Context("Enabling Secrets-Encryption", func() {
 		It("Enables encryption", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt enable"
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 
 			cmd = "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+				return tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: reencrypt_finished"))
 
-			for i, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for i, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 					if i == 0 {
 						g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
@@ -200,14 +187,14 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s servers", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies encryption enabled on all nodes", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
+					g.Expect(node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
 				}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 			}
 		})
@@ -222,12 +209,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, serverNodeNames))
+		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, tc.Servers))
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/secretsencryption_old/secretsencryption_test.go b/tests/e2e/secretsencryption_old/secretsencryption_test.go
index c7b1f3c98870..c6bec5b6a5dd 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/secretsencryption_old/secretsencryption_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/secretsencryption_old/secretsencryption_test.go
@@ -2,11 +2,10 @@ package secretsencryption
 
 import (
 	"flag"
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -29,10 +28,7 @@ func Test_E2ESecretsEncryptionOld(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Secrets Encryption Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -41,53 +37,43 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, _, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, 0)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, 0)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, _, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, 0)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, 0)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			tc.Hardened = *hardened
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Deploys several secrets", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("secrets.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("secrets.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Secrets not deployed")
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies encryption start stage", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
 				Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: start"))
@@ -97,11 +83,11 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 
 		It("Prepares for Secrets-Encryption Rotation", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt prepare"
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
-			for i, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for i, node := range tc.Servers {
 				cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-				res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+				res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 				Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Server Encryption Hashes: hash does not match"))
 				if i == 0 {
@@ -113,37 +99,29 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s servers", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(nil))
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(nil))
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "420s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
-			}, "420s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies encryption prepare stage", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: prepare"))
@@ -154,12 +132,12 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 
 		It("Rotates the Secrets-Encryption Keys", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt rotate"
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
-			for i, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for i, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
 					cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Server Encryption Hashes: hash does not match"))
 					if i == 0 {
@@ -172,14 +150,14 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s servers", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(nil))
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(nil))
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies encryption rotate stage", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: rotate"))
@@ -190,16 +168,16 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 
 		It("Reencrypts the Secrets-Encryption Keys", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt reencrypt"
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 
 			cmd = "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+				return tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			}, "240s", "10s").Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: reencrypt_finished"))
 
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames[1:] {
-				res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers[1:] {
+				res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 				Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Server Encryption Hashes: hash does not match"))
 				Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: rotate"))
@@ -207,14 +185,14 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s Servers", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(nil))
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(nil))
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies Encryption Reencrypt Stage", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: reencrypt_finished"))
@@ -227,21 +205,21 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 	Context("Disabling Secrets-Encryption", func() {
 		It("Disables encryption", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt disable"
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 
 			cmd = "k3s secrets-encrypt reencrypt -f --skip"
-			res, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 
 			cmd = "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+				return tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			}, "240s", "10s").Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: reencrypt_finished"))
 
-			for i, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for i, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 					if i == 0 {
 						g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Disabled"))
@@ -253,14 +231,14 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s servers", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies encryption disabled on all nodes", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Disabled"))
+					g.Expect(node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Disabled"))
 				}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 			}
 		})
@@ -270,28 +248,28 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Secrets Encryption Rotation", Ordered, func() {
 	Context("Enabling Secrets-Encryption", func() {
 		It("Enables encryption", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt enable"
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 
 			cmd = "k3s secrets-encrypt reencrypt -f --skip"
-			res, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), res)
 
 			cmd = "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+				return tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("Current Rotation Stage: reencrypt_finished"))
 		})
 
 		It("Restarts K3s servers", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies encryption enabled on all nodes", func() {
 			cmd := "k3s secrets-encrypt status"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					g.Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
+					g.Expect(node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)).Should(ContainSubstring("Encryption Status: Enabled"))
 				}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 			}
 
@@ -307,10 +285,10 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if !failed {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(tc.Servers)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/splitserver/splitserver_test.go b/tests/e2e/splitserver/splitserver_test.go
index 642dbc1592e3..4381cffaae1c 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/splitserver/splitserver_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/splitserver/splitserver_test.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -30,28 +31,28 @@ var hardened = flag.Bool("hardened", false, "true or false")
 
 // createSplitCluster creates a split server cluster with the given nodeOS, etcdCount, controlPlaneCount, and agentCount.
 // It duplicates and merges functionality found in the e2e.CreateCluster and e2e.CreateLocalCluster functions.
-func createSplitCluster(nodeOS string, etcdCount, controlPlaneCount, agentCount int, local bool) ([]string, []string, []string, error) {
-	etcdNodeNames := make([]string, etcdCount)
-	cpNodeNames := make([]string, controlPlaneCount)
-	agentNodeNames := make([]string, agentCount)
+func createSplitCluster(nodeOS string, etcdCount, controlPlaneCount, agentCount int, local bool) ([]e2e.VagrantNode, []e2e.VagrantNode, []e2e.VagrantNode, error) {
+	etcdNodes := make([]e2e.VagrantNode, etcdCount)
+	cpNodes := make([]e2e.VagrantNode, controlPlaneCount)
+	agentNodes := make([]e2e.VagrantNode, agentCount)
 
 	for i := 0; i < etcdCount; i++ {
-		etcdNodeNames[i] = "server-etcd-" + strconv.Itoa(i)
+		etcdNodes[i] = e2e.VagrantNode("server-etcd-" + strconv.Itoa(i))
 	}
 	for i := 0; i < controlPlaneCount; i++ {
-		cpNodeNames[i] = "server-cp-" + strconv.Itoa(i)
+		cpNodes[i] = e2e.VagrantNode("server-cp-" + strconv.Itoa(i))
 	}
 	for i := 0; i < agentCount; i++ {
-		agentNodeNames[i] = "agent-" + strconv.Itoa(i)
+		agentNodes[i] = e2e.VagrantNode("agent-" + strconv.Itoa(i))
 	}
-	nodeRoles := strings.Join(etcdNodeNames, " ") + " " + strings.Join(cpNodeNames, " ") + " " + strings.Join(agentNodeNames, " ")
+	nodeRoles := strings.Join(e2e.VagrantSlice(etcdNodes), " ") + " " + strings.Join(e2e.VagrantSlice(cpNodes), " ") + " " + strings.Join(e2e.VagrantSlice(agentNodes), " ")
 
 	nodeRoles = strings.TrimSpace(nodeRoles)
 	nodeBoxes := strings.Repeat(nodeOS+" ", etcdCount+controlPlaneCount+agentCount)
 	nodeBoxes = strings.TrimSpace(nodeBoxes)
 
-	allNodes := append(etcdNodeNames, cpNodeNames...)
-	allNodes = append(allNodes, agentNodeNames...)
+	allNodeNames := append(e2e.VagrantSlice(etcdNodes), e2e.VagrantSlice(cpNodes)...)
+	allNodeNames = append(allNodeNames, e2e.VagrantSlice(agentNodes)...)
 
 	var testOptions string
 	for _, env := range os.Environ() {
@@ -62,15 +63,15 @@ func createSplitCluster(nodeOS string, etcdCount, controlPlaneCount, agentCount
 
 	// Provision the first etcd node. In GitHub Actions, this also imports the VM image into libvirt, which
 	// takes time and can cause the next vagrant up to fail if it is not given enough time to complete.
-	cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`E2E_NODE_ROLES="%s" E2E_NODE_BOXES="%s" vagrant up --no-provision %s &> vagrant.log`, nodeRoles, nodeBoxes, etcdNodeNames[0])
+	cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`E2E_NODE_ROLES="%s" E2E_NODE_BOXES="%s" vagrant up --no-provision %s &> vagrant.log`, nodeRoles, nodeBoxes, etcdNodes[0].String())
 	fmt.Println(cmd)
 	if _, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
-		return etcdNodeNames, cpNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err
+		return etcdNodes, cpNodes, agentNodes, err
 	}
 
 	// Bring up the rest of the nodes in parallel
 	errg, _ := errgroup.WithContext(context.Background())
-	for _, node := range allNodes[1:] {
+	for _, node := range allNodeNames[1:] {
 		cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`E2E_NODE_ROLES="%s" E2E_NODE_BOXES="%s" vagrant up --no-provision %s &>> vagrant.log`, nodeRoles, nodeBoxes, node)
 		errg.Go(func() error {
 			_, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
@@ -80,24 +81,25 @@ func createSplitCluster(nodeOS string, etcdCount, controlPlaneCount, agentCount
 		time.Sleep(10 * time.Second)
 	}
 	if err := errg.Wait(); err != nil {
-		return etcdNodeNames, cpNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err
+		return etcdNodes, cpNodes, agentNodes, err
 	}
 
 	if local {
 		testOptions += " E2E_RELEASE_VERSION=skip"
-		for _, node := range allNodes {
+		for _, node := range allNodeNames {
 			cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`E2E_NODE_ROLES=%s vagrant scp ../../../dist/artifacts/k3s  %s:/tmp/`, node, node)
 			if _, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
-				return etcdNodeNames, cpNodeNames, agentNodeNames, fmt.Errorf("failed to scp k3s binary to %s: %v", node, err)
+				return etcdNodes, cpNodes, agentNodes, fmt.Errorf("failed to scp k3s binary to %s: %v", node, err)
 			}
-			if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("mv /tmp/k3s /usr/local/bin/", node); err != nil {
-				return etcdNodeNames, cpNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err
+			cmd = fmt.Sprintf(`E2E_NODE_ROLES=%s vagrant ssh %s -c "sudo mv /tmp/k3s /usr/local/bin/"`, node, node)
+			if _, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
+				return etcdNodes, cpNodes, agentNodes, err
 			}
 		}
 	}
 	// Install K3s on all nodes in parallel
 	errg, _ = errgroup.WithContext(context.Background())
-	for _, node := range allNodes {
+	for _, node := range allNodeNames {
 		cmd = fmt.Sprintf(`E2E_NODE_ROLES="%s" E2E_NODE_BOXES="%s" %s vagrant provision %s &>> vagrant.log`, nodeRoles, nodeBoxes, testOptions, node)
 		errg.Go(func() error {
 			_, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
@@ -107,9 +109,9 @@ func createSplitCluster(nodeOS string, etcdCount, controlPlaneCount, agentCount
 		time.Sleep(10 * time.Second)
 	}
 	if err := errg.Wait(); err != nil {
-		return etcdNodeNames, cpNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err
+		return etcdNodes, cpNodes, agentNodes, err
 	}
-	return etcdNodeNames, cpNodeNames, agentNodeNames, nil
+	return etcdNodes, cpNodes, agentNodes, nil
 }
 
 func Test_E2ESplitServer(t *testing.T) {
@@ -120,10 +122,10 @@ func Test_E2ESplitServer(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 var (
-	kubeConfigFile string
-	etcdNodeNames  []string
-	cpNodeNames    []string
-	agentNodeNames []string
+	tc         *e2e.TestConfig // We don't use the Server and Agents from this
+	etcdNodes  []e2e.VagrantNode
+	cpNodes    []e2e.VagrantNode
+	agentNodes []e2e.VagrantNode
 )
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
@@ -132,72 +134,66 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 	Context("Cluster :", func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
-			etcdNodeNames, cpNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = createSplitCluster(*nodeOS, *etcdCount, *controlPlaneCount, *agentCount, *local)
+			etcdNodes, cpNodes, agentNodes, err = createSplitCluster(*nodeOS, *etcdCount, *controlPlaneCount, *agentCount, *local)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
 			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Etcd Server Nodes:", etcdNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Control Plane Server Nodes:", cpNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(cpNodeNames[0])
+			fmt.Println("Etcd Server Nodes:", etcdNodes)
+			fmt.Println("Control Plane Server Nodes:", cpNodes)
+			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodes)
+			kubeConfigFile, err := e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(cpNodes[0].String())
+			tc = &e2e.TestConfig{
+				KubeConfigFile: kubeConfigFile,
+				Hardened:       *hardened,
+			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
-		It("Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies ClusterIP Service", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("clusterip.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("clusterip.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Cluster IP manifest not deployed")
 
-			cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+			cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-clusterip"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
 
-			clusterip, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(kubeConfigFile, "nginx-clusterip-svc", false)
+			clusterip, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(tc.KubeConfigFile, "nginx-clusterip-svc", false)
 			cmd = "curl -L --insecure http://" + clusterip + "/name.html"
-			for _, nodeName := range cpNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range cpNodes {
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-					return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					return node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				}, "120s", "10s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-clusterip"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
 			}
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies NodePort Service", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("nodeport.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("nodeport.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "NodePort manifest not deployed")
 
-			for _, nodeName := range cpNodeNames {
-				nodeExternalIP, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
-				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-nodeport-svc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
+			for _, node := range cpNodes {
+				nodeExternalIP, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
+				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-nodeport-svc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
 				nodeport, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-				cmd = "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-nodeport --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd = "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-nodeport --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-nodeport"), "nodeport pod was not created")
@@ -210,17 +206,17 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies LoadBalancer Service", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Loadbalancer manifest not deployed")
 
-			for _, nodeName := range cpNodeNames {
-				ip, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
+			for _, node := range cpNodes {
+				ip, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
 
-				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-loadbalancer-svc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].port}\""
+				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-loadbalancer-svc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].port}\""
 				port, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-				cmd = "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd = "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-loadbalancer"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
@@ -233,11 +229,11 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies Ingress", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("ingress.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("ingress.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Ingress manifest not deployed")
 
-			for _, nodeName := range cpNodeNames {
-				ip, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
+			for _, node := range cpNodes {
+				ip, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
 				cmd := "curl  --header host:foo1.bar.com" + " http://" + ip + "/name.html"
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
@@ -246,30 +242,26 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies Daemonset", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("daemonset.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("daemonset.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Daemonset manifest not deployed")
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, _ := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				count := e2e.CountOfStringInSlice("test-daemonset", pods)
-				fmt.Println("POD COUNT")
-				fmt.Println(count)
-				fmt.Println("CP COUNT")
-				fmt.Println(len(cpNodeNames))
-				g.Expect(len(cpNodeNames)).Should((Equal(count)), "Daemonset pod count does not match cp node count")
+				count, err := e2e.GetDaemonsetReady("test-daemonset", tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				g.Expect(cpNodes).To(HaveLen(count), "Daemonset pod count does not match cp node count")
 			}, "240s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies dns access", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("dnsutils.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("dnsutils.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "dnsutils manifest not deployed")
 
-			cmd := "kubectl get pods dnsutils --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+			cmd := "kubectl get pods dnsutils --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(ContainSubstring("dnsutils"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
 
-			cmd = "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec -i -t dnsutils -- nslookup kubernetes.default"
+			cmd = "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " exec -i -t dnsutils -- nslookup kubernetes.default"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(ContainSubstring("kubernetes.default.svc.cluster.local"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
@@ -283,8 +275,8 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 })
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
-	allNodes := append(cpNodeNames, etcdNodeNames...)
-	allNodes = append(allNodes, agentNodeNames...)
+	allNodes := append(cpNodes, etcdNodes...)
+	allNodes = append(allNodes, agentNodes...)
 	if failed {
 		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, allNodes))
 	} else {
@@ -292,6 +284,6 @@ var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/startup/startup_test.go b/tests/e2e/startup/startup_test.go
index f36181fffd27..18b8da0c6035 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/startup/startup_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/startup/startup_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -32,19 +33,15 @@ func Test_E2EStartupValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Startup Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
-func StartK3sCluster(nodes []string, serverYAML string, agentYAML string) error {
+func StartK3sCluster(nodes []e2e.VagrantNode, serverYAML string, agentYAML string) error {
 
 	for _, node := range nodes {
 		var yamlCmd string
 		var resetCmd string
 		var startCmd string
-		if strings.Contains(node, "server") {
+		if strings.Contains(node.String(), "server") {
 			resetCmd = "head -n 3 /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml > /tmp/config.yaml && sudo mv /tmp/config.yaml /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml"
 			yamlCmd = fmt.Sprintf("echo '%s' >> /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml", serverYAML)
 			startCmd = "systemctl start k3s"
@@ -53,32 +50,32 @@ func StartK3sCluster(nodes []string, serverYAML string, agentYAML string) error
 			yamlCmd = fmt.Sprintf("echo '%s' >> /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml", agentYAML)
 			startCmd = "systemctl start k3s-agent"
 		}
-		if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(resetCmd, node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(resetCmd); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(yamlCmd, node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(yamlCmd); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(startCmd, node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(startCmd); err != nil {
 			return &e2e.NodeError{Node: node, Cmd: startCmd, Err: err}
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-func KillK3sCluster(nodes []string) error {
+func KillK3sCluster(nodes []e2e.VagrantNode) error {
 	for _, node := range nodes {
-		if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s-killall.sh", node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode("k3s-killall.sh"); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("journalctl --flush --sync --rotate --vacuum-size=1", node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode("journalctl --flush --sync --rotate --vacuum-size=1"); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("rm -rf /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml.d", node); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode("rm -rf /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml.d"); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if strings.Contains(node, "server") {
-			if _, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("rm -rf /var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/db", node); err != nil {
+		if strings.Contains(node.String(), "server") {
+			if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode("rm -rf /var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/db"); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 		}
@@ -91,9 +88,9 @@ var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
 	var err error
 	if *local {
-		serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 1)
+		tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 1)
 	} else {
-		serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 1)
+		tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, 1, 1)
 	}
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 })
@@ -101,48 +98,36 @@ var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
 var _ = Describe("Various Startup Configurations", Ordered, func() {
 	Context("Verify dedicated supervisor port", func() {
 		It("Starts K3s with no issues", func() {
-			for _, node := range agentNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Agents {
 				cmd := "mkdir -p /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml.d; grep -F server: /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml | sed s/6443/9345/ > /tmp/99-server.yaml; sudo mv /tmp/99-server.yaml /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml.d/"
-				res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, node)
+				res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				By("checking command results: " + res)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			}
 			supervisorPortYAML := "supervisor-port: 9345\napiserver-port: 6443\napiserver-bind-address: 0.0.0.0\ndisable: traefik\nnode-taint: node-role.kubernetes.io/control-plane:NoExecute"
-			err := StartK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...), supervisorPortYAML, "")
+			err := StartK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...), supervisorPortYAML, "")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS:" + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+			tc.KubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(tc.Servers[0].String())
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
 			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
-
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Returns pod metrics", func() {
@@ -161,7 +146,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Various Startup Configurations", Ordered, func() {
 
 		It("Runs an interactive command a pod", func() {
 			cmd := "kubectl run busybox --rm -it --restart=Never --image=rancher/mirrored-library-busybox:1.36.1 -- uname -a"
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
@@ -172,136 +157,150 @@ var _ = Describe("Various Startup Configurations", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Kills the cluster", func() {
-			err := KillK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))
+			err := KillK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 	})
-	Context("Verify CRI-Dockerd :", func() {
+	Context("Verify kubelet config file", func() {
 		It("Starts K3s with no issues", func() {
-			dockerYAML := "docker: true"
-			err := StartK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...), dockerYAML, dockerYAML)
+			for _, node := range append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...) {
+				cmd := "mkdir -p --mode=0777 /tmp/kubelet.conf.d; echo 'apiVersion: kubelet.config.k8s.io/v1beta1\nkind: KubeletConfiguration\nshutdownGracePeriod: 19s\nshutdownGracePeriodCriticalPods: 13s' > /tmp/kubelet.conf.d/99-shutdownGracePeriod.conf"
+				res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
+				By("checking command results: " + res)
+				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			}
+
+			kubeletConfigDirYAML := "kubelet-arg: config-dir=/tmp/kubelet.conf.d"
+			err := StartK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...), kubeletConfigDirYAML, kubeletConfigDirYAML)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS:" + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+			tc.KubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(tc.Servers[0].String())
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+			By("Fetching node status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+		})
+
+		It("Returns kubelet configuration", func() {
+			for _, node := range append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...) {
+				cmd := "kubectl get --raw /api/v1/nodes/" + node.String() + "/proxy/configz"
+				Expect(e2e.RunCommand(cmd)).To(ContainSubstring(`"shutdownGracePeriod":"19s","shutdownGracePeriodCriticalPods":"13s"`))
+			}
+		})
+
+		It("Kills the cluster", func() {
+			err := KillK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+		})
+	})
+	Context("Verify CRI-Dockerd", func() {
+		It("Starts K3s with no issues", func() {
+			dockerYAML := "docker: true"
+			err := StartK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...), dockerYAML, dockerYAML)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching pods status\n")
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS:" + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+			tc.KubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(tc.Servers[0].String())
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+		})
+
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
+			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
+				for _, node := range nodes {
+					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 		It("Kills the cluster", func() {
-			err := KillK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))
+			err := KillK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 	})
 	Context("Verify prefer-bundled-bin flag", func() {
 		It("Starts K3s with no issues", func() {
 			preferBundledYAML := "prefer-bundled-bin: true"
-			err := StartK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...), preferBundledYAML, preferBundledYAML)
+			err := StartK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...), preferBundledYAML, preferBundledYAML)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS:" + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+			tc.KubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(tc.Servers[0].String())
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
 			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 		It("Kills the cluster", func() {
-			err := KillK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))
+			err := KillK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 	})
 	Context("Verify disable-agent and egress-selector-mode flags", func() {
 		It("Starts K3s with no issues", func() {
 			disableAgentYAML := "disable-agent: true\negress-selector-mode: cluster"
-			err := StartK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...), disableAgentYAML, "")
+			err := StartK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...), disableAgentYAML, "")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS:" + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+			tc.KubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(tc.Servers[0].String())
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
 		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
 			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Returns pod metrics", func() {
@@ -320,7 +319,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Various Startup Configurations", Ordered, func() {
 
 		It("Runs an interactive command a pod", func() {
 			cmd := "kubectl run busybox --rm -it --restart=Never --image=rancher/mirrored-library-busybox:1.36.1 -- uname -a"
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
@@ -331,57 +330,56 @@ var _ = Describe("Various Startup Configurations", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Kills the cluster", func() {
-			err := KillK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))
+			err := KillK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 	})
 	Context("Verify server picks up preloaded images on start", func() {
 		It("Downloads and preloads images", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("docker pull ranchertest/mytestcontainer:latest", serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("docker pull ranchertest/mytestcontainer:latest")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode("docker save ranchertest/mytestcontainer:latest -o /tmp/mytestcontainer.tar", serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("docker save ranchertest/mytestcontainer:latest -o /tmp/mytestcontainer.tar")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode("mkdir -p /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/", serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("mkdir -p /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode("mv /tmp/mytestcontainer.tar /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/", serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("mv /tmp/mytestcontainer.tar /var/lib/rancher/k3s/agent/images/")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 		It("Starts K3s with no issues", func() {
-			err := StartK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...), "", "")
+			err := StartK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...), "", "")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS:" + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+			tc.KubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(tc.Servers[0].String())
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 		It("has loaded the test container image", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				cmd := "k3s crictl images | grep ranchertest/mytestcontainer"
-				return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, serverNodeNames[0])
+				return tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("ranchertest/mytestcontainer"))
 		})
 		It("Kills the cluster", func() {
-			err := KillK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))
+			err := KillK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 	})
 	Context("Verify server fails to start with bootstrap token", func() {
 		It("Fails to start with a meaningful error", func() {
 			tokenYAML := "token: aaaaaa.bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb"
-			err := StartK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...), tokenYAML, tokenYAML)
+			err := StartK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...), tokenYAML, tokenYAML)
 			Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				logs, err := e2e.GetJournalLogs(serverNodeNames[0])
+				logs, err := tc.Servers[0].GetJournalLogs()
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				g.Expect(logs).To(ContainSubstring("failed to normalize server token"))
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
 		})
 		It("Kills the cluster", func() {
-			err := KillK3sCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))
+			err := KillK3sCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 	})
@@ -394,13 +392,13 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("config", e2e.GetConfig(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
-		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		AddReportEntry("config", e2e.GetConfig(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...)))
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/svcpoliciesandfirewall/svcpoliciesandfirewall_test.go b/tests/e2e/svcpoliciesandfirewall/svcpoliciesandfirewall_test.go
index dec419e176c4..80a98dbd496a 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/svcpoliciesandfirewall/svcpoliciesandfirewall_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/svcpoliciesandfirewall/svcpoliciesandfirewall_test.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"text/template"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -33,311 +34,312 @@ func Test_E2EPoliciesAndFirewall(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-	nodes           []e2e.Node
+	tc    *e2e.TestConfig
+	nodes []e2e.Node
 )
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
 var _ = Describe("Verify Services Traffic policies and firewall config", Ordered, func() {
 
-	It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
-		var err error
-		if *local {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
-		} else {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
-		}
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-		fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-		fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-		fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-		fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-		kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	})
-
-	It("Checks Node Status", func() {
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
+	Context("Start cluster with minimal configuration", func() {
+		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
-			nodes, err = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, node := range nodes {
-				g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
+			if *local {
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+			} else {
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			}
-		}, "300s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	})
-
-	It("Checks Pod Status", func() {
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, pod := range pods {
-				if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-					g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-				} else {
-					g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+		})
+
+		It("Checks Node Status", func() {
+			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
+				var err error
+				nodes, err = e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
+				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				for _, node := range nodes {
+					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
-			}
-		}, "300s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			}, "300s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+			_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+		})
+
+		It("Checks Pod Status", func() {
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "300s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+		})
 	})
+	Context("Deploy external traffic workloads to test external traffic policies", func() {
+		// Verifies that the service with external traffic policy=local is deployed
+		// Verifies that the external-ip is only set to the node IP where the server runs
+		// It also verifies that the service with external traffic policy=cluster has both node IPs as externalIP
+		It("Verify external traffic policy=local gets set up correctly", func() {
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "loadbalancer not deployed")
+			_, err = tc.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer-extTrafficPol.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "loadbalancer-extTrafficPol not deployed")
+
+			// Check where the server pod is running
+			var serverNodeName string
+			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+				pods, err := tests.ParsePods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed to parse pods")
+				for _, pod := range pods {
+					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "test-loadbalancer-ext") {
+						serverNodeName = pod.Spec.NodeName
+						break
+					}
+				}
+				return serverNodeName, nil
+			}, "25s", "5s").ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "server pod not found")
 
-	// Verifies that the service with external traffic policy=local is deployed
-	// Verifies that the external-ip is only set to the node IP where the server runs
-	// It also verifies that the service with external traffic policy=cluster has both node IPs as externalIP
-	It("Verify external traffic policy=local gets set up correctly", func() {
-		_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml", kubeConfigFile, false)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "loadbalancer not deployed")
-		_, err = e2e.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer-extTrafficPol.yaml", kubeConfigFile, false)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "loadbalancer-extTrafficPol not deployed")
-
-		// Check where the server pod is running
-		var serverNodeName string
-		Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-			pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed to parse pods")
-			for _, pod := range pods {
-				if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "test-loadbalancer-ext") {
-					serverNodeName = pod.Node
-					break
+			var serverNodeIP string
+			for _, node := range nodes {
+				if node.Name == serverNodeName {
+					serverNodeIP = node.InternalIP
 				}
 			}
-			return serverNodeName, nil
-		}, "25s", "5s").ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "server pod not found")
 
-		var serverNodeIP string
-		for _, node := range nodes {
-			if node.Name == serverNodeName {
-				serverNodeIP = node.InternalIP
+			// Verify there is only one external-ip and it is matching the node IP
+			lbSvc := "nginx-loadbalancer-svc"
+			lbSvcExt := "nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext"
+			Eventually(func() ([]string, error) {
+				return e2e.FetchExternalIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile, lbSvc)
+			}, "25s", "5s").Should(HaveLen(2), "external IP count not equal to 2")
+
+			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
+				externalIPs, _ := e2e.FetchExternalIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile, lbSvcExt)
+				g.Expect(externalIPs).To(HaveLen(1), "more than 1 exernalIP found")
+				g.Expect(externalIPs[0]).To(Equal(serverNodeIP), "external IP does not match servernodeIP")
+			}, "25s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+		})
+
+		// Verifies that the service is reachable from the outside and the source IP is nos MASQ
+		// It also verifies that the service with external traffic policy=cluster can be accessed and the source IP is MASQ
+		It("Verify connectivity in external traffic policy=local", func() {
+			lbSvc := "nginx-loadbalancer-svc"
+			lbSvcExternalIPs, _ := e2e.FetchExternalIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile, lbSvc)
+			lbSvcExt := "nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext"
+			lbSvcExtExternalIPs, _ := e2e.FetchExternalIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile, lbSvcExt)
+
+			// Verify connectivity to the external IP of the lbsvc service and the IP should be the flannel interface IP because of MASQ
+			for _, externalIP := range lbSvcExternalIPs {
+				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+					cmd := "curl -s " + externalIP + ":81/ip"
+					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+				}, "25s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.42"))
 			}
-		}
-
-		// Verify there is only one external-ip and it is matching the node IP
-		lbSvc := "nginx-loadbalancer-svc"
-		lbSvcExt := "nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext"
-		Eventually(func() ([]string, error) {
-			return e2e.FetchExternalIPs(kubeConfigFile, lbSvc)
-		}, "25s", "5s").Should(HaveLen(2), "external IP count not equal to 2")
-
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			externalIPs, _ := e2e.FetchExternalIPs(kubeConfigFile, lbSvcExt)
-			g.Expect(externalIPs).To(HaveLen(1), "more than 1 exernalIP found")
-			g.Expect(externalIPs[0]).To(Equal(serverNodeIP), "external IP does not match servernodeIP")
-		}, "25s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-	})
-
-	// Verifies that the service is reachable from the outside and the source IP is nos MASQ
-	// It also verifies that the service with external traffic policy=cluster can be accessed and the source IP is MASQ
-	It("Verify connectivity in external traffic policy=local", func() {
-		lbSvc := "nginx-loadbalancer-svc"
-		lbSvcExternalIPs, _ := e2e.FetchExternalIPs(kubeConfigFile, lbSvc)
-		lbSvcExt := "nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext"
-		lbSvcExtExternalIPs, _ := e2e.FetchExternalIPs(kubeConfigFile, lbSvcExt)
 
-		// Verify connectivity to the external IP of the lbsvc service and the IP should be the flannel interface IP because of MASQ
-		for _, externalIP := range lbSvcExternalIPs {
+			// Verify connectivity to the external IP of the lbsvcExt service and the IP should not be the flannel interface IP
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "curl -s " + externalIP + ":81/ip"
+				cmd := "curl -s " + lbSvcExtExternalIPs[0] + ":82/ip"
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-			}, "25s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.42"))
-		}
-
-		// Verify connectivity to the external IP of the lbsvcExt service and the IP should not be the flannel interface IP
-		Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-			cmd := "curl -s " + lbSvcExtExternalIPs[0] + ":82/ip"
-			return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-		}, "25s", "5s").ShouldNot(ContainSubstring("10.42"))
-
-		// Verify connectivity to the other nodeIP does not work because of external traffic policy=local
-		for _, externalIP := range lbSvcExternalIPs {
-			if externalIP == lbSvcExtExternalIPs[0] {
-				// This IP we already test and it shuold work
-				continue
-			}
-			Eventually(func() error {
-				cmd := "curl -s --max-time 5 " + externalIP + ":82/ip"
-				_, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-				return err
-			}, "40s", "5s").Should(MatchError(ContainSubstring("exit status")))
-		}
-	})
+			}, "25s", "5s").ShouldNot(ContainSubstring("10.42"))
 
-	// Verifies that the internal traffic policy=local is deployed
-	It("Verify internal traffic policy=local gets set up correctly", func() {
-		_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer-intTrafficPol.yaml", kubeConfigFile, false)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "loadbalancer-intTrafficPol not deployed")
-		_, err = e2e.DeployWorkload("pod_client.yaml", kubeConfigFile, false)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "pod client not deployed")
-
-		// Check that service exists
-		Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-			clusterIP, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(kubeConfigFile, "nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int", false)
-			return clusterIP, nil
-		}, "25s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.43"))
-
-		// Check that client pods are running
-		Eventually(func() string {
-			pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, pod := range pods {
-				if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "client-deployment") {
-					return pod.Status
+			// Verify connectivity to the other nodeIP does not work because of external traffic policy=local
+			for _, externalIP := range lbSvcExternalIPs {
+				if externalIP == lbSvcExtExternalIPs[0] {
+					// This IP we already test and it shuold work
+					continue
 				}
+				Eventually(func() error {
+					cmd := "curl -s --max-time 5 " + externalIP + ":82/ip"
+					_, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+					return err
+				}, "40s", "5s").Should(MatchError(ContainSubstring("exit status")))
 			}
-			return ""
-		}, "50s", "5s").Should(Equal("Running"))
-	})
+		})
+
+		// Verifies that the internal traffic policy=local is deployed
+		It("Verify internal traffic policy=local gets set up correctly", func() {
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer-intTrafficPol.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "loadbalancer-intTrafficPol not deployed")
+			_, err = tc.DeployWorkload("pod_client.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "pod client not deployed")
 
-	// Verifies that only the client pod running in the same node as the server pod can access the service
-	// It also verifies that the service with internal traffic policy=cluster can be accessed by both client pods
-	It("Verify connectivity in internal traffic policy=local", func() {
-		var clientPod1, clientPod1Node, clientPod1IP, clientPod2, clientPod2Node, clientPod2IP, serverNodeName string
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed to parse pods")
-			for _, pod := range pods {
-				if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "test-loadbalancer-int") {
-					serverNodeName = pod.Node
+			// Check that service exists
+			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+				clusterIP, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(tc.KubeConfigFile, "nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int", false)
+				return clusterIP, nil
+			}, "25s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.43"))
+
+			// Check that client pods are running
+			Eventually(func() string {
+				pods, err := tests.ParsePods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				for _, pod := range pods {
+					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "client-deployment") {
+						return string(pod.Status.Phase)
+					}
 				}
-				if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "client-deployment") {
-					if clientPod1 == "" {
-						clientPod1 = pod.Name
-						clientPod1Node = pod.Node
-						clientPod1IP = pod.IP
-					} else {
-						clientPod2 = pod.Name
-						clientPod2Node = pod.Node
-						clientPod2IP = pod.IP
+				return ""
+			}, "50s", "5s").Should(Equal("Running"))
+		})
+
+		// Verifies that only the client pod running in the same node as the server pod can access the service
+		// It also verifies that the service with internal traffic policy=cluster can be accessed by both client pods
+		It("Verify connectivity in internal traffic policy=local", func() {
+			var clientPod1, clientPod1Node, clientPod1IP, clientPod2, clientPod2Node, clientPod2IP, serverNodeName string
+			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
+				pods, err := tests.ParsePods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed to parse pods")
+				for _, pod := range pods {
+					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "test-loadbalancer-int") {
+						serverNodeName = pod.Spec.NodeName
+					}
+					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "client-deployment") {
+						if clientPod1 == "" {
+							clientPod1 = pod.Name
+							clientPod1Node = pod.Spec.NodeName
+							clientPod1IP = pod.Status.PodIP
+						} else {
+							clientPod2 = pod.Name
+							clientPod2Node = pod.Spec.NodeName
+							clientPod2IP = pod.Status.PodIP
+						}
 					}
 				}
+				// As we need those variables for the connectivity test, let's check they are not emtpy
+				g.Expect(serverNodeName).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "server pod for internalTrafficPolicy=local not found")
+				g.Expect(clientPod1).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod1 not found")
+				g.Expect(clientPod2).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod2 not found")
+				g.Expect(clientPod1Node).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod1 node not found")
+				g.Expect(clientPod2Node).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod2 node not found")
+				g.Expect(clientPod1IP).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod1 IP not found")
+				g.Expect(clientPod2IP).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod2 IP not found")
+			}, "25s", "5s").Should(Succeed(), "All pod and names and IPs should be non-empty")
+
+			// Check that clientPod1Node and clientPod2Node are not equal
+			Expect(clientPod1Node).ShouldNot(Equal(clientPod2Node))
+
+			var workingCmd, nonWorkingCmd string
+			if serverNodeName == clientPod1Node {
+				workingCmd = "kubectl exec " + clientPod1 + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int:83/ip"
+				nonWorkingCmd = "kubectl exec " + clientPod2 + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int:83/ip"
 			}
-			// As we need those variables for the connectivity test, let's check they are not emtpy
-			g.Expect(serverNodeName).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "server pod for internalTrafficPolicy=local not found")
-			g.Expect(clientPod1).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod1 not found")
-			g.Expect(clientPod2).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod2 not found")
-			g.Expect(clientPod1Node).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod1 node not found")
-			g.Expect(clientPod2Node).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod2 node not found")
-			g.Expect(clientPod1IP).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod1 IP not found")
-			g.Expect(clientPod2IP).ShouldNot(BeEmpty(), "client pod2 IP not found")
-		}, "25s", "5s").Should(Succeed(), "All pod and names and IPs should be non-empty")
-
-		// Check that clientPod1Node and clientPod2Node are not equal
-		Expect(clientPod1Node).ShouldNot(Equal(clientPod2Node))
-
-		var workingCmd, nonWorkingCmd string
-		if serverNodeName == clientPod1Node {
-			workingCmd = "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec " + clientPod1 + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int:83/ip"
-			nonWorkingCmd = "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec " + clientPod2 + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int:83/ip"
-		}
-		if serverNodeName == clientPod2Node {
-			workingCmd = "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec " + clientPod2 + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int:83/ip"
-			nonWorkingCmd = "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec " + clientPod1 + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int:83/ip"
-		}
-
-		Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-			out, err := e2e.RunCommand(workingCmd)
-			return out, err
-		}, "25s", "5s").Should(SatisfyAny(
-			ContainSubstring(clientPod1IP),
-			ContainSubstring(clientPod2IP),
-		))
-
-		// Check the non working command fails because of internal traffic policy=local
-		Eventually(func() bool {
-			_, err := e2e.RunCommand(nonWorkingCmd)
-			if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "exit status") {
-				// Treat exit status as a successful condition
-				return true
+			if serverNodeName == clientPod2Node {
+				workingCmd = "kubectl exec " + clientPod2 + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int:83/ip"
+				nonWorkingCmd = "kubectl exec " + clientPod1 + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc-int:83/ip"
 			}
-			return false
-		}, "40s", "5s").Should(BeTrue())
 
-		// curling a service with internal traffic policy=cluster. It should work on both pods
-		for _, pod := range []string{clientPod1, clientPod2} {
-			cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec " + pod + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc:81/ip"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
-			}, "20s", "5s").Should(SatisfyAny(
+				out, err := e2e.RunCommand(workingCmd)
+				return out, err
+			}, "25s", "5s").Should(SatisfyAny(
 				ContainSubstring(clientPod1IP),
 				ContainSubstring(clientPod2IP),
 			))
-		}
-	})
 
-	// Set up the service manifest with loadBalancerSourceRanges
-	It("Applies service manifest with loadBalancerSourceRanges", func() {
-		// Define the service manifest with a placeholder for the IP
-		serviceManifest := `
+			// Check the non working command fails because of internal traffic policy=local
+			Eventually(func() bool {
+				_, err := e2e.RunCommand(nonWorkingCmd)
+				if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "exit status") {
+					// Treat exit status as a successful condition
+					return true
+				}
+				return false
+			}, "40s", "5s").Should(BeTrue())
+
+			// curling a service with internal traffic policy=cluster. It should work on both pods
+			for _, pod := range []string{clientPod1, clientPod2} {
+				cmd := "kubectl exec " + pod + " -- curl -s --max-time 5 nginx-loadbalancer-svc:81/ip"
+				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
+				}, "20s", "5s").Should(SatisfyAny(
+					ContainSubstring(clientPod1IP),
+					ContainSubstring(clientPod2IP),
+				))
+			}
+		})
+
+		// Set up the service manifest with loadBalancerSourceRanges
+		It("Applies service manifest with loadBalancerSourceRanges", func() {
+			// Define the service manifest with a placeholder for the IP
+			serviceManifest := `
 apiVersion: v1
 kind: Service
 metadata:
-  name: nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext-firewall
+name: nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext-firewall
 spec:
-  type: LoadBalancer
-  loadBalancerSourceRanges:
-  - {{.NodeIP}}/32
-  ports:
-  - port: 82
-    targetPort: 80
-    protocol: TCP
-    name: http
-  selector:
-    k8s-app: nginx-app-loadbalancer-ext
+type: LoadBalancer
+loadBalancerSourceRanges:
+- {{.NodeIP}}/32
+ports:
+- port: 82
+	targetPort: 80
+	protocol: TCP
+	name: http
+selector:
+	k8s-app: nginx-app-loadbalancer-ext
 `
-		// Remove the service nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext
-		_, err := e2e.RunCommand("kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " delete svc nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext")
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed to remove service nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext")
-
-		// Parse and execute the template with the node IP
-		tmpl, err := template.New("service").Parse(serviceManifest)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-
-		var filledManifest strings.Builder
-		err = tmpl.Execute(&filledManifest, struct{ NodeIP string }{NodeIP: nodes[0].InternalIP})
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-
-		// Write the filled manifest to a temporary file
-		tmpFile, err := os.CreateTemp("", "service-*.yaml")
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		defer os.Remove(tmpFile.Name())
-
-		_, err = tmpFile.WriteString(filledManifest.String())
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		tmpFile.Close()
-
-		// Apply the manifest using kubectl
-		applyCmd := fmt.Sprintf("kubectl --kubeconfig=%s apply -f %s", kubeConfigFile, tmpFile.Name())
-		out, err := e2e.RunCommand(applyCmd)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), out)
-
-		Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-			clusterIP, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(kubeConfigFile, "nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext-firewall", false)
-			return clusterIP, nil
-		}, "25s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.43"))
-	})
+			// Remove the service nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext
+			_, err := e2e.RunCommand("kubectl delete svc nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed to remove service nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext")
+
+			// Parse and execute the template with the node IP
+			tmpl, err := template.New("service").Parse(serviceManifest)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+			var filledManifest strings.Builder
+			err = tmpl.Execute(&filledManifest, struct{ NodeIP string }{NodeIP: nodes[0].InternalIP})
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+			// Write the filled manifest to a temporary file
+			tmpFile, err := os.CreateTemp("", "service-*.yaml")
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			defer os.Remove(tmpFile.Name())
+
+			_, err = tmpFile.WriteString(filledManifest.String())
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			tmpFile.Close()
+
+			// Apply the manifest using kubectl
+			applyCmd := fmt.Sprintf("kubectl apply -f %s", tmpFile.Name())
+			out, err := e2e.RunCommand(applyCmd)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), out)
 
-	// Verify that only the allowed node can curl. That node should be able to curl both externalIPs (i.e. node.InternalIP)
-	It("Verify firewall is working", func() {
-		for _, node := range nodes {
-			// Verify connectivity from nodes[0] works because we passed its IP to the loadBalancerSourceRanges
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "curl -s --max-time 5 " + node.InternalIP + ":82"
-				return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodes[0].Name)
-			}, "40s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("Welcome to nginx"))
-
-			// Verify connectivity from nodes[1] fails because we did not pass its IP to the loadBalancerSourceRanges
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) error {
-				cmd := "curl -s --max-time 5 " + node.InternalIP + ":82"
-				_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodes[1].Name)
-				return err
-			}, "40s", "5s").Should(MatchError(ContainSubstring("exit status")))
-		}
+				clusterIP, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(tc.KubeConfigFile, "nginx-loadbalancer-svc-ext-firewall", false)
+				return clusterIP, nil
+			}, "25s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("10.43"))
+		})
+
+		// Verify that only the allowed node can curl. That node should be able to curl both externalIPs (i.e. node.InternalIP)
+		It("Verify firewall is working", func() {
+			for _, node := range nodes {
+				var sNode, aNode e2e.VagrantNode
+				for _, n := range tc.Servers {
+					if n.String() == nodes[0].Name {
+						sNode = n
+					}
+				}
+				for _, n := range tc.Agents {
+					if n.String() == nodes[1].Name {
+						aNode = n
+					}
+				}
+
+				// Verify connectivity from nodes[0] works because we passed its IP to the loadBalancerSourceRanges
+				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
+					cmd := "curl -s --max-time 5 " + node.InternalIP + ":82"
+					return sNode.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
+				}, "40s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("Welcome to nginx"))
+
+				// Verify connectivity from nodes[1] fails because we did not pass its IP to the loadBalancerSourceRanges
+				Eventually(func(g Gomega) error {
+					cmd := "curl -s --max-time 5 " + node.InternalIP + ":82"
+					_, err := aNode.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
+					return err
+				}, "40s", "5s").Should(MatchError(ContainSubstring("exit status")))
+			}
+		})
 	})
 })
 
@@ -348,12 +350,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...)))
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/tailscale/tailscale_test.go b/tests/e2e/tailscale/tailscale_test.go
index 449840e4f990..67adbf9834d7 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/tailscale/tailscale_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/tailscale/tailscale_test.go
@@ -25,11 +25,7 @@ func Test_E2ETailscale(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Tailscale Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -38,61 +34,59 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Tailscale Configuration", Ordered, func() {
 	It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 		var err error
 		if *local {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+			tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 		} else {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+			tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 		}
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-		fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-		fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-		fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-		fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-		kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+		By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+		By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+		By(tc.Status())
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 	})
 
 	// Server node needs to be ready before we continue
 	It("Checks Node Status", func() {
 		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+			nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			for _, node := range nodes {
 				g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 			}
 		}, "300s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+		_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 	})
 
 	It("Change agent's config", func() {
-		nodeIPs, _ := e2e.GetNodeIPs(kubeConfigFile)
+		nodeIPs, _ := e2e.GetNodeIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		cmd := fmt.Sprintf("sudo sed -i 's/TAILSCALEIP/%s/g' /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml", nodeIPs[0].IPv4)
-		for _, agent := range agentNodeNames {
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, agent)
+		for _, agent := range tc.Agents {
+			_, err := agent.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		}
 	})
 
 	It("Restart agents", func() {
-		err := e2e.RestartCluster(agentNodeNames)
+		err := e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Agents)
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
 	})
 
 	It("Checks Node Status", func() {
 		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+			nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			g.Expect(len(nodes)).To(Equal(*agentCount + *serverCount))
 			for _, node := range nodes {
 				g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 			}
 		}, "300s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+		_, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 	})
 
 	It("Verifies that server and agent have a tailscale IP as nodeIP", func() {
-		nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(kubeConfigFile)
+		nodeIPs, err := e2e.GetNodeIPs(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		for _, node := range nodeIPs {
 			Expect(node.IPv4).Should(ContainSubstring("100."))
@@ -102,8 +96,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Tailscale Configuration", Ordered, func() {
 	It("Verify routing is correct and uses tailscale0 interface for internode traffic", func() {
 		// table 52 is the one configured by tailscale
 		cmd := "ip route show table 52"
-		for _, node := range append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...) {
-			output, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, node)
+		for _, node := range append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...) {
+			output, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			fmt.Println(err)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(output).Should(ContainSubstring("10.42."))
@@ -119,12 +113,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...)))
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/testutils.go b/tests/e2e/testutils.go
index c50fb0c398d9..0d471666cb68 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/testutils.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/testutils.go
@@ -18,6 +18,39 @@ import (
 	"golang.org/x/sync/errgroup"
 )
 
+// defining the VagrantNode type allows methods like RunCmdOnNode to be defined on it.
+// This makes test code more consistent, as similar functions can exists in Docker and E2E tests.
+type VagrantNode string
+
+func (v VagrantNode) String() string {
+	return string(v)
+}
+
+func VagrantSlice(v []VagrantNode) []string {
+	nodes := make([]string, 0, len(v))
+	for _, node := range v {
+		nodes = append(nodes, node.String())
+	}
+	return nodes
+}
+
+type TestConfig struct {
+	Hardened       bool
+	KubeConfigFile string
+	Servers        []VagrantNode
+	Agents         []VagrantNode
+}
+
+func (tc *TestConfig) Status() string {
+	sN := strings.Join(VagrantSlice(tc.Servers), " ")
+	aN := strings.Join(VagrantSlice(tc.Agents), " ")
+	hardened := ""
+	if tc.Hardened {
+		hardened = "Hardened: true\n"
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%sKubeconfig: %s\nServers Nodes: %s\nAgents Nodes: %s\n)", hardened, tc.KubeConfigFile, sN, aN)
+}
+
 type Node struct {
 	Name       string
 	Status     string
@@ -30,18 +63,8 @@ func (n Node) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("Node (name: %s, status: %s, roles: %s)", n.Name, n.Status, n.Roles)
 }
 
-type Pod struct {
-	NameSpace string
-	Name      string
-	Ready     string
-	Status    string
-	Restarts  string
-	IP        string
-	Node      string
-}
-
 type NodeError struct {
-	Node string
+	Node VagrantNode
 	Cmd  string
 	Err  error
 }
@@ -65,7 +88,7 @@ func (ne *NodeError) Unwrap() error {
 	return ne.Err
 }
 
-func newNodeError(cmd, node string, err error) *NodeError {
+func newNodeError(cmd string, node VagrantNode, err error) *NodeError {
 	return &NodeError{
 		Cmd:  cmd,
 		Node: node,
@@ -73,28 +96,18 @@ func newNodeError(cmd, node string, err error) *NodeError {
 	}
 }
 
-func CountOfStringInSlice(str string, pods []Pod) int {
-	count := 0
-	for _, pod := range pods {
-		if strings.Contains(pod.Name, str) {
-			count++
-		}
-	}
-	return count
-}
-
 // genNodeEnvs generates the node and testing environment variables for vagrant up
-func genNodeEnvs(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]string, []string, string) {
-	serverNodeNames := make([]string, serverCount)
+func genNodeEnvs(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]VagrantNode, []VagrantNode, string) {
+	serverNodes := make([]VagrantNode, serverCount)
 	for i := 0; i < serverCount; i++ {
-		serverNodeNames[i] = "server-" + strconv.Itoa(i)
+		serverNodes[i] = VagrantNode("server-" + strconv.Itoa(i))
 	}
-	agentNodeNames := make([]string, agentCount)
+	agentNodes := make([]VagrantNode, agentCount)
 	for i := 0; i < agentCount; i++ {
-		agentNodeNames[i] = "agent-" + strconv.Itoa(i)
+		agentNodes[i] = VagrantNode("agent-" + strconv.Itoa(i))
 	}
 
-	nodeRoles := strings.Join(serverNodeNames, " ") + " " + strings.Join(agentNodeNames, " ")
+	nodeRoles := strings.Join(VagrantSlice(serverNodes), " ") + " " + strings.Join(VagrantSlice(agentNodes), " ")
 	nodeRoles = strings.TrimSpace(nodeRoles)
 
 	nodeBoxes := strings.Repeat(nodeOS+" ", serverCount+agentCount)
@@ -102,12 +115,12 @@ func genNodeEnvs(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]string, []string
 
 	nodeEnvs := fmt.Sprintf(`E2E_NODE_ROLES="%s" E2E_NODE_BOXES="%s"`, nodeRoles, nodeBoxes)
 
-	return serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, nodeEnvs
+	return serverNodes, agentNodes, nodeEnvs
 }
 
-func CreateCluster(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]string, []string, error) {
+func CreateCluster(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) (*TestConfig, error) {
 
-	serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, nodeEnvs := genNodeEnvs(nodeOS, serverCount, agentCount)
+	serverNodes, agentNodes, nodeEnvs := genNodeEnvs(nodeOS, serverCount, agentCount)
 
 	var testOptions string
 	for _, env := range os.Environ() {
@@ -116,16 +129,16 @@ func CreateCluster(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]string, []stri
 		}
 	}
 	// Bring up the first server node
-	cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`%s %s vagrant up %s &> vagrant.log`, nodeEnvs, testOptions, serverNodeNames[0])
+	cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`%s %s vagrant up %s &> vagrant.log`, nodeEnvs, testOptions, serverNodes[0])
 	fmt.Println(cmd)
 	if _, err := RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, newNodeError(cmd, serverNodeNames[0], err)
+		return nil, newNodeError(cmd, serverNodes[0], err)
 	}
 
 	// Bring up the rest of the nodes in parallel
 	errg, _ := errgroup.WithContext(context.Background())
-	for _, node := range append(serverNodeNames[1:], agentNodeNames...) {
-		cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`%s %s vagrant up %s &>> vagrant.log`, nodeEnvs, testOptions, node)
+	for _, node := range append(serverNodes[1:], agentNodes...) {
+		cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`%s %s vagrant up %s &>> vagrant.log`, nodeEnvs, testOptions, node.String())
 		fmt.Println(cmd)
 		errg.Go(func() error {
 			if _, err := RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
@@ -134,26 +147,47 @@ func CreateCluster(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]string, []stri
 			return nil
 		})
 		// We must wait a bit between provisioning nodes to avoid too many learners attempting to join the cluster
-		if strings.Contains(node, "agent") {
+		if strings.Contains(node.String(), "agent") {
 			time.Sleep(5 * time.Second)
 		} else {
 			time.Sleep(30 * time.Second)
 		}
 	}
 	if err := errg.Wait(); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, nil
+	// For startup test, we don't start the cluster, so check first before
+	// generating the kubeconfig file
+	var kubeConfigFile string
+	res, err := serverNodes[0].RunCmdOnNode("systemctl is-active k3s")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(res, "inactive") && strings.Contains(res, "active") {
+		kubeConfigFile, err = GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodes[0].String())
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
+	tc := &TestConfig{
+		KubeConfigFile: kubeConfigFile,
+		Servers:        serverNodes,
+		Agents:         agentNodes,
+	}
+
+	return tc, nil
 }
 
-func scpK3sBinary(nodeNames []string) error {
+func scpK3sBinary(nodeNames []VagrantNode) error {
 	for _, node := range nodeNames {
-		cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`vagrant scp ../../../dist/artifacts/k3s  %s:/tmp/`, node)
+		cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`vagrant scp ../../../dist/artifacts/k3s  %s:/tmp/`, node.String())
 		if _, err := RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to scp k3s binary to %s: %v", node, err)
 		}
-		if _, err := RunCmdOnNode("mv /tmp/k3s /usr/local/bin/", node); err != nil {
+		cmd = "vagrant ssh " + node.String() + " -c \"sudo mv /tmp/k3s /usr/local/bin/\""
+		if _, err := RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -162,10 +196,9 @@ func scpK3sBinary(nodeNames []string) error {
 
 // CreateLocalCluster creates a cluster using the locally built k3s binary. The vagrant-scp plugin must be installed for
 // this function to work. The binary is deployed as an airgapped install of k3s on the VMs.
-// This is intended only for local testing purposes when writing a new E2E test.
-func CreateLocalCluster(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]string, []string, error) {
+func CreateLocalCluster(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) (*TestConfig, error) {
 
-	serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, nodeEnvs := genNodeEnvs(nodeOS, serverCount, agentCount)
+	serverNodes, agentNodes, nodeEnvs := genNodeEnvs(nodeOS, serverCount, agentCount)
 
 	var testOptions string
 	var cmd string
@@ -179,15 +212,15 @@ func CreateLocalCluster(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]string, [
 
 	// Provision the first server node. In GitHub Actions, this also imports the VM image into libvirt, which
 	// takes time and can cause the next vagrant up to fail if it is not given enough time to complete.
-	cmd = fmt.Sprintf(`%s %s vagrant up --no-provision %s &> vagrant.log`, nodeEnvs, testOptions, serverNodeNames[0])
+	cmd = fmt.Sprintf(`%s %s vagrant up --no-tty --no-provision %s &> vagrant.log`, nodeEnvs, testOptions, serverNodes[0])
 	fmt.Println(cmd)
 	if _, err := RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, newNodeError(cmd, serverNodeNames[0], err)
+		return nil, newNodeError(cmd, serverNodes[0], err)
 	}
 
 	// Bring up the rest of the nodes in parallel
 	errg, _ := errgroup.WithContext(context.Background())
-	for _, node := range append(serverNodeNames[1:], agentNodeNames...) {
+	for _, node := range append(serverNodes[1:], agentNodes...) {
 		cmd := fmt.Sprintf(`%s %s vagrant up --no-provision %s &>> vagrant.log`, nodeEnvs, testOptions, node)
 		errg.Go(func() error {
 			if _, err := RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
@@ -199,15 +232,15 @@ func CreateLocalCluster(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]string, [
 		time.Sleep(10 * time.Second)
 	}
 	if err := errg.Wait(); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	if err := scpK3sBinary(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, err
+	if err := scpK3sBinary(append(serverNodes, agentNodes...)); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	// Install K3s on all nodes in parallel
 	errg, _ = errgroup.WithContext(context.Background())
-	for _, node := range append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...) {
+	for _, node := range append(serverNodes, agentNodes...) {
 		cmd = fmt.Sprintf(`%s %s vagrant provision %s &>> vagrant.log`, nodeEnvs, testOptions, node)
 		errg.Go(func() error {
 			if _, err := RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
@@ -219,15 +252,34 @@ func CreateLocalCluster(nodeOS string, serverCount, agentCount int) ([]string, [
 		time.Sleep(20 * time.Second)
 	}
 	if err := errg.Wait(); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, nil
+	// For startup test, we don't start the cluster, so check first before generating the kubeconfig file.
+	// Systemctl returns a exit code of 3 when the service is inactive, so we don't check for errors
+	// on the command itself.
+	var kubeConfigFile string
+	var err error
+	res, _ := serverNodes[0].RunCmdOnNode("systemctl is-active k3s")
+	if !strings.Contains(res, "inactive") && strings.Contains(res, "active") {
+		kubeConfigFile, err = GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodes[0].String())
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
+	tc := &TestConfig{
+		KubeConfigFile: kubeConfigFile,
+		Servers:        serverNodes,
+		Agents:         agentNodes,
+	}
+
+	return tc, nil
 }
 
-func DeployWorkload(workload, kubeconfig string, hardened bool) (string, error) {
+func (tc TestConfig) DeployWorkload(workload string) (string, error) {
 	resourceDir := "../amd64_resource_files"
-	if hardened {
+	if tc.Hardened {
 		resourceDir = "../cis_amd64_resource_files"
 	}
 	files, err := os.ReadDir(resourceDir)
@@ -239,7 +291,7 @@ func DeployWorkload(workload, kubeconfig string, hardened bool) (string, error)
 	for _, f := range files {
 		filename := filepath.Join(resourceDir, f.Name())
 		if strings.TrimSpace(f.Name()) == workload {
-			cmd := "kubectl apply -f " + filename + " --kubeconfig=" + kubeconfig
+			cmd := "kubectl apply -f " + filename + " --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 			return RunCommand(cmd)
 		}
 	}
@@ -301,9 +353,9 @@ func FetchIngressIP(kubeconfig string) ([]string, error) {
 	return ingressIPs, nil
 }
 
-func FetchNodeExternalIP(nodename string) (string, error) {
-	cmd := "vagrant ssh " + nodename + " -c  \"ip -f inet addr show eth1| awk '/inet / {print $2}'|cut -d/ -f1\""
-	ipaddr, err := RunCommand(cmd)
+func (v VagrantNode) FetchNodeExternalIP() (string, error) {
+	cmd := "ip -f inet addr show eth1| awk '/inet / {print $2}'|cut -d/ -f1"
+	ipaddr, err := v.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
@@ -313,9 +365,10 @@ func FetchNodeExternalIP(nodename string) (string, error) {
 	return nodeip, nil
 }
 
-func GenKubeConfigFile(serverName string) (string, error) {
-	kubeConfigFile := fmt.Sprintf("kubeconfig-%s", serverName)
-	cmd := fmt.Sprintf("vagrant scp %s:/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml ./%s", serverName, kubeConfigFile)
+// GenKubeConfigFile extracts the kubeconfig from the given node and modifies it for use outside the VM.
+func GenKubeConfigFile(nodeName string) (string, error) {
+	kubeConfigFile := fmt.Sprintf("kubeconfig-%s", nodeName)
+	cmd := fmt.Sprintf("vagrant scp %s:/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml ./%s", nodeName, kubeConfigFile)
 	_, err := RunCommand(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
@@ -328,7 +381,8 @@ func GenKubeConfigFile(serverName string) (string, error) {
 
 	re := regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)==> vagrant:.*\n`)
 	modifiedKubeConfig := re.ReplaceAllString(string(kubeConfig), "")
-	nodeIP, err := FetchNodeExternalIP(serverName)
+	vNode := VagrantNode(nodeName)
+	nodeIP, err := vNode.FetchNodeExternalIP()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
@@ -359,16 +413,16 @@ func GenReport(specReport ginkgo.SpecReport) {
 	fmt.Printf("%s", status)
 }
 
-func GetJournalLogs(node string) (string, error) {
+func (v VagrantNode) GetJournalLogs() (string, error) {
 	cmd := "journalctl -u k3s* --no-pager"
-	return RunCmdOnNode(cmd, node)
+	return v.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 }
 
-func TailJournalLogs(lines int, nodes []string) string {
+func TailJournalLogs(lines int, nodes []VagrantNode) string {
 	logs := &strings.Builder{}
 	for _, node := range nodes {
 		cmd := fmt.Sprintf("journalctl -u k3s* --no-pager --lines=%d", lines)
-		if l, err := RunCmdOnNode(cmd, node); err != nil {
+		if l, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd); err != nil {
 			fmt.Fprintf(logs, "** failed to read journald log for node %s ***\n%v\n", node, err)
 		} else {
 			fmt.Fprintf(logs, "** journald log for node %s ***\n%s\n", node, l)
@@ -379,14 +433,14 @@ func TailJournalLogs(lines int, nodes []string) string {
 
 // SaveJournalLogs saves the journal logs of each node to a <NAME>-jlog.txt file.
 // When used in GHA CI, the logs are uploaded as an artifact on failure.
-func SaveJournalLogs(nodeNames []string) error {
-	for _, node := range nodeNames {
-		lf, err := os.Create(node + "-jlog.txt")
+func SaveJournalLogs(nodes []VagrantNode) error {
+	for _, node := range nodes {
+		lf, err := os.Create(node.String() + "-jlog.txt")
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		defer lf.Close()
-		logs, err := GetJournalLogs(node)
+		logs, err := node.GetJournalLogs()
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -397,11 +451,11 @@ func SaveJournalLogs(nodeNames []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func GetConfig(nodes []string) string {
+func GetConfig(nodes []VagrantNode) string {
 	config := &strings.Builder{}
 	for _, node := range nodes {
 		cmd := "tar -Pc /etc/rancher/k3s/ | tar -vxPO"
-		if c, err := RunCmdOnNode(cmd, node); err != nil {
+		if c, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd); err != nil {
 			fmt.Fprintf(config, "** failed to get config for node %s ***\n%v\n", node, err)
 		} else {
 			fmt.Fprintf(config, "** config for node %s ***\n%s\n", node, c)
@@ -416,7 +470,7 @@ func GetVagrantLog(cErr error) string {
 	var nodeErr *NodeError
 	nodeJournal := ""
 	if errors.As(cErr, &nodeErr) {
-		nodeJournal, _ = GetJournalLogs(nodeErr.Node)
+		nodeJournal, _ = nodeErr.Node.GetJournalLogs()
 		nodeJournal = "\nNode Journal Logs:\n" + nodeJournal
 	}
 
@@ -464,51 +518,17 @@ func ParseNodes(kubeConfig string, print bool) ([]Node, error) {
 	return nodes, nil
 }
 
-func formatPods(input string) ([]Pod, error) {
-	pods := make([]Pod, 0, 10)
-	input = strings.TrimSpace(input)
-	split := strings.Split(input, "\n")
-	for _, rec := range split {
-		fields := strings.Fields(string(rec))
-		if len(fields) < 8 {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid pod record: %s", rec)
-		}
-		pod := Pod{
-			NameSpace: fields[0],
-			Name:      fields[1],
-			Ready:     fields[2],
-			Status:    fields[3],
-			Restarts:  fields[4],
-			IP:        fields[6],
-			Node:      fields[7],
-		}
-		pods = append(pods, pod)
-	}
-	return pods, nil
-}
-
-func ParsePods(kubeConfig string, print bool) ([]Pod, error) {
-	podList := ""
-
+func DumpPods(kubeConfig string) {
 	cmd := "kubectl get pods -o wide --no-headers -A"
 	res, _ := RunCommand(cmd)
-	podList = strings.TrimSpace(res)
-
-	pods, err := formatPods(res)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if print {
-		fmt.Println(podList)
-	}
-	return pods, nil
+	fmt.Println(strings.TrimSpace(res))
 }
 
 // RestartCluster restarts the k3s service on each node given
-func RestartCluster(nodeNames []string) error {
-	for _, nodeName := range nodeNames {
+func RestartCluster(nodes []VagrantNode) error {
+	for _, node := range nodes {
 		cmd := "systemctl restart k3s* --all"
-		if _, err := RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -516,13 +536,13 @@ func RestartCluster(nodeNames []string) error {
 }
 
 // StartCluster starts the k3s service on each node given
-func StartCluster(nodeNames []string) error {
-	for _, nodeName := range nodeNames {
+func StartCluster(nodes []VagrantNode) error {
+	for _, node := range nodes {
 		cmd := "systemctl start k3s"
-		if strings.Contains(nodeName, "agent") {
+		if strings.Contains(node.String(), "agent") {
 			cmd += "-agent"
 		}
-		if _, err := RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -530,10 +550,10 @@ func StartCluster(nodeNames []string) error {
 }
 
 // StopCluster starts the k3s service on each node given
-func StopCluster(nodeNames []string) error {
-	for _, nodeName := range nodeNames {
+func StopCluster(nodes []VagrantNode) error {
+	for _, node := range nodes {
 		cmd := "systemctl stop k3s*"
-		if _, err := RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName); err != nil {
+		if _, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -541,18 +561,18 @@ func StopCluster(nodeNames []string) error {
 }
 
 // RunCmdOnNode executes a command from within the given node as sudo
-func RunCmdOnNode(cmd string, nodename string) (string, error) {
+func (v VagrantNode) RunCmdOnNode(cmd string) (string, error) {
 	injectEnv := ""
 	if _, ok := os.LookupEnv("E2E_GOCOVER"); ok && strings.HasPrefix(cmd, "k3s") {
 		injectEnv = "GOCOVERDIR=/tmp/k3scov "
 	}
-	runcmd := "vagrant ssh " + nodename + " -c \"sudo " + injectEnv + cmd + "\""
+	runcmd := "vagrant ssh --no-tty " + v.String() + " -c \"sudo " + injectEnv + cmd + "\""
 	out, err := RunCommand(runcmd)
 	// On GHA CI we see warnings about "[fog][WARNING] Unrecognized arguments: libvirt_ip_command"
 	// these are added to the command output and need to be removed
 	out = strings.ReplaceAll(out, "[fog][WARNING] Unrecognized arguments: libvirt_ip_command\n", "")
 	if err != nil {
-		return out, fmt.Errorf("failed to run command: %s on node %s: %s, %v", cmd, nodename, out, err)
+		return out, fmt.Errorf("failed to run command: %s on node %s: %s, %v", cmd, v.String(), out, err)
 	}
 	return out, nil
 }
@@ -569,16 +589,16 @@ func RunCommand(cmd string) (string, error) {
 	return string(out), err
 }
 
-func UpgradeCluster(nodeNames []string, local bool) error {
+func UpgradeCluster(nodes []VagrantNode, local bool) error {
 	upgradeVersion := "E2E_RELEASE_CHANNEL=commit"
 	if local {
-		if err := scpK3sBinary(nodeNames); err != nil {
+		if err := scpK3sBinary(nodes); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		upgradeVersion = "E2E_RELEASE_VERSION=skip"
 	}
-	for _, nodeName := range nodeNames {
-		cmd := upgradeVersion + " vagrant provision " + nodeName
+	for _, node := range nodes {
+		cmd := upgradeVersion + " vagrant provision " + node.String()
 		if out, err := RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
 			fmt.Println("Error Upgrading Cluster", out)
 			return err
@@ -587,16 +607,16 @@ func UpgradeCluster(nodeNames []string, local bool) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func GetCoverageReport(nodeNames []string) error {
+func GetCoverageReport(nodes []VagrantNode) error {
 	if os.Getenv("E2E_GOCOVER") == "" {
 		return nil
 	}
 	covDirs := []string{}
-	for _, nodeName := range nodeNames {
-		covDir := nodeName + "-cov"
+	for _, node := range nodes {
+		covDir := node.String() + "-cov"
 		covDirs = append(covDirs, covDir)
 		os.MkdirAll(covDir, 0755)
-		cmd := "vagrant scp " + nodeName + ":/tmp/k3scov/* " + covDir
+		cmd := "vagrant scp " + node.String() + ":/tmp/k3scov/* " + covDir
 		if _, err := RunCommand(cmd); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -627,19 +647,29 @@ func GetCoverageReport(nodeNames []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// getPodIPs returns the IPs of all pods
+// GetDaemonsetReady returns the number of ready pods for the given daemonset
+func GetDaemonsetReady(daemonset string, kubeConfigFile string) (int, error) {
+	cmd := "kubectl get ds " + daemonset + " -o jsonpath='{range .items[*]}{.status.numberReady}' --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+	out, err := RunCommand(cmd)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	return strconv.Atoi(out)
+}
+
+// GetPodIPs returns the IPs of all pods
 func GetPodIPs(kubeConfigFile string) ([]ObjIP, error) {
 	cmd := `kubectl get pods -A -o=jsonpath='{range .items[*]}{.metadata.name}{" "}{.status.podIPs[*].ip}{"\n"}{end}' --kubeconfig=` + kubeConfigFile
 	return GetObjIPs(cmd)
 }
 
-// getNodeIPs returns the IPs of all nodes
+// GetNodeIPs returns the IPs of all nodes
 func GetNodeIPs(kubeConfigFile string) ([]ObjIP, error) {
 	cmd := `kubectl get nodes -o jsonpath='{range .items[*]}{.metadata.name}{" "}{.status.addresses[?(@.type == "InternalIP")].address}{"\n"}{end}' --kubeconfig=` + kubeConfigFile
 	return GetObjIPs(cmd)
 }
 
-// getObjIPs executes a command to collect IPs
+// GetObjIPs executes a command to collect IPs
 func GetObjIPs(cmd string) ([]ObjIP, error) {
 	var objIPs []ObjIP
 	res, err := RunCommand(cmd)
diff --git a/tests/e2e/token/token_test.go b/tests/e2e/token/token_test.go
index 3b3c011d6ae7..ebfd5492898c 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/token/token_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/token/token_test.go
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -33,11 +33,7 @@ func Test_E2EToken(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "SnapshotRestore Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -46,66 +42,54 @@ var _ = Describe("Use the token CLI to create and join agents", Ordered, func()
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+
 		})
 
-		It("Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "420s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
-			}, "420s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		var permToken string
 		It("Creates a permanent agent token", func() {
 			permToken = "perage.s0xt4u0hl5guoyi6"
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s token create --ttl=0 "+permToken, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s token create --ttl=0 " + permToken)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s token list", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s token list")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(MatchRegexp(`perage\s+<forever>\s+<never>`))
 		})
 		It("Joins an agent with the permanent token", func() {
 			cmd := fmt.Sprintf("echo 'token: %s' | sudo tee -a /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml > /dev/null", permToken)
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, agentNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Agents[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode("systemctl start k3s-agent", agentNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Agents[0].RunCmdOnNode("systemctl start k3s-agent")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should(Equal(len(serverNodeNames) + 1))
+				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should(Equal(len(tc.Servers) + 1))
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
@@ -114,38 +98,38 @@ var _ = Describe("Use the token CLI to create and join agents", Ordered, func()
 	})
 	Context("Agent joins with temporary token:", func() {
 		It("Creates a 20s agent token", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s token create --ttl=20s 20sect.jxnpve6vg8dqm895", serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s token create --ttl=20s 20sect.jxnpve6vg8dqm895")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s token list", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s token list")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(MatchRegexp(`20sect\s+[0-9]{2}s`))
 		})
 		It("Cleans up 20s token automatically", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				return e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s token list", serverNodeNames[0])
+				return tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s token list")
 			}, "25s", "5s").ShouldNot(ContainSubstring("20sect"))
 		})
 		var tempToken string
 		It("Creates a 10m agent token", func() {
 			tempToken = "10mint.ida18trbbk43szwk"
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s token create --ttl=10m "+tempToken, serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s token create --ttl=10m " + tempToken)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
-			res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s token list", serverNodeNames[0])
+			res, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s token list")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(res).To(MatchRegexp(`10mint\s+[0-9]m`))
 		})
 		It("Joins an agent with the 10m token", func() {
 			cmd := fmt.Sprintf("echo 'token: %s' | sudo tee -a /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml > /dev/null", tempToken)
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, agentNodeNames[1])
+			_, err := tc.Agents[1].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode("systemctl start k3s-agent", agentNodeNames[1])
+			_, err = tc.Agents[1].RunCmdOnNode("systemctl start k3s-agent")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should(Equal(len(serverNodeNames) + 2))
+				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should(Equal(len(tc.Servers) + 2))
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
@@ -155,23 +139,23 @@ var _ = Describe("Use the token CLI to create and join agents", Ordered, func()
 	Context("Rotate server bootstrap token", func() {
 		serverToken := "1234"
 		It("Creates a new server token", func() {
-			Expect(e2e.RunCmdOnNode("k3s token rotate -t vagrant --new-token="+serverToken, serverNodeNames[0])).
+			Expect(tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("k3s token rotate -t vagrant --new-token=" + serverToken)).
 				To(ContainSubstring("Token rotated, restart k3s nodes with new token"))
 		})
 		It("Restarts servers with the new token", func() {
 			cmd := fmt.Sprintf("sed -i 's/token:.*/token: %s/' /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml", serverToken)
-			for _, node := range serverNodeNames {
-				_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, node)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				_, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			}
-			for _, node := range serverNodeNames {
-				_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("systemctl restart k3s", node)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				_, err := node.RunCmdOnNode("systemctl restart k3s")
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			}
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should(Equal(len(serverNodeNames) + 2))
+				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should(Equal(len(tc.Servers) + 2))
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
@@ -179,15 +163,15 @@ var _ = Describe("Use the token CLI to create and join agents", Ordered, func()
 		})
 		It("Rejoins an agent with the new server token", func() {
 			cmd := fmt.Sprintf("sed -i 's/token:.*/token: %s/' /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml", serverToken)
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, agentNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Agents[0].RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			_, err = e2e.RunCmdOnNode("systemctl restart k3s-agent", agentNodeNames[0])
+			_, err = tc.Agents[0].RunCmdOnNode("systemctl restart k3s-agent")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should(Equal(len(serverNodeNames) + 2))
+				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should(Equal(len(tc.Servers) + 2))
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
@@ -203,12 +187,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...)))
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/upgradecluster/upgradecluster_test.go b/tests/e2e/upgradecluster/upgradecluster_test.go
index fab93a6bbd89..8b248d28bb09 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/upgradecluster/upgradecluster_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/upgradecluster/upgradecluster_test.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -36,11 +36,7 @@ func Test_E2EUpgradeValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Upgrade Cluster Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -48,72 +44,61 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 	Context("Cluster :", func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+			tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+			tc.Hardened = *hardened
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
-		It("Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies ClusterIP Service", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("clusterip.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("clusterip.yaml")
 
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Cluster IP manifest not deployed")
 
-			cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+			cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-clusterip"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
 
-			clusterip, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(kubeConfigFile, "nginx-clusterip-svc", false)
+			clusterip, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(tc.KubeConfigFile, "nginx-clusterip-svc", false)
 			cmd = "curl -L --insecure http://" + clusterip + "/name.html"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-					return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					return node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				}, "120s", "10s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-clusterip"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
 			}
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies NodePort Service", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("nodeport.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("nodeport.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "NodePort manifest not deployed")
 
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				nodeExternalIP, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
-				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-nodeport-svc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				nodeExternalIP, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
+				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-nodeport-svc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
 				nodeport, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
 
-				cmd = "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-nodeport --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd = "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-nodeport --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-nodeport"), "nodeport pod was not created")
@@ -127,15 +112,15 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies LoadBalancer Service", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Loadbalancer manifest not deployed")
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				ip, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
-				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-loadbalancer-svc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].port}\""
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				ip, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
+				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-loadbalancer-svc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].port}\""
 				port, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-				cmd = "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd = "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-loadbalancer"))
@@ -148,11 +133,11 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies Ingress", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("ingress.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("ingress.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Ingress manifest not deployed")
 
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				ip, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				ip, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
 				cmd := "curl  --header host:foo1.bar.com" + " http://" + ip + "/name.html"
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
@@ -161,42 +146,38 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies Daemonset", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("daemonset.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("daemonset.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Daemonset manifest not deployed")
 
-			nodes, _ := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false) //nodes :=
+			nodes, _ := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, _ := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				count := e2e.CountOfStringInSlice("test-daemonset", pods)
-				fmt.Println("POD COUNT")
-				fmt.Println(count)
-				fmt.Println("NODE COUNT")
-				fmt.Println(len(nodes))
-				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should((Equal(count)), "Daemonset pod count does not match node count")
+				count, err := e2e.GetDaemonsetReady("test-daemonset", tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				g.Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(count), "Daemonset pod count does not match node count")
 			}, "240s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies dns access", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("dnsutils.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("dnsutils.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "dnsutils manifest not deployed")
 
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pods dnsutils --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pods dnsutils --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(ContainSubstring("dnsutils"))
 
-			cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec -i -t dnsutils -- nslookup kubernetes.default"
+			cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " exec -i -t dnsutils -- nslookup kubernetes.default"
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(ContainSubstring("kubernetes.default.svc.cluster.local"))
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies Local Path Provisioner storage ", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("local-path-provisioner.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("local-path-provisioner.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "local-path-provisioner manifest not deployed")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pvc local-path-pvc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pvc local-path-pvc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				fmt.Println(res)
@@ -205,7 +186,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 			}, "240s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				fmt.Println(res)
@@ -214,25 +195,25 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 				g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Running"))
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 
-			cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec volume-test -- sh -c 'echo local-path-test > /data/test'"
+			cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " exec volume-test -- sh -c 'echo local-path-test > /data/test'"
 			res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 			fmt.Println("Data stored in pvc: local-path-test")
 
-			cmd = "kubectl delete pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+			cmd = "kubectl delete pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 			res, err = e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 
-			_, err = e2e.DeployWorkload("local-path-provisioner.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err = tc.DeployWorkload("local-path-provisioner.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "local-path-provisioner manifest not deployed")
 
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l app=local-path-provisioner --field-selector=status.phase=Running -n kube-system --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l app=local-path-provisioner --field-selector=status.phase=Running -n kube-system --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(ContainSubstring("local-path-provisioner"))
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				fmt.Println(res)
@@ -242,72 +223,62 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 
 			// Check data after re-creation
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "kubectl exec volume-test --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " -- cat /data/test"
+				cmd := "kubectl exec volume-test --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " -- cat /data/test"
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "180s", "2s").Should(ContainSubstring("local-path-test"), "Failed to retrieve data from pvc")
 		})
 
 		It("Upgrades with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
-			Expect(e2e.UpgradeCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...), *local)).To(Succeed())
-			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(e2e.UpgradeCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...), *local)).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(e2e.RestartCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 			fmt.Println("CLUSTER UPGRADED")
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
+			tc.KubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(tc.Servers[0].String())
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
 		It("After upgrade Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "420s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
 
-			fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"))
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"))
-					}
-				}
-			}, "420s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			By("Fetching Pod status")
+			tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("After upgrade verifies ClusterIP Service", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "420s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-clusterip"))
 
-			clusterip, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(kubeConfigFile, "nginx-clusterip-svc", false)
+			clusterip, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(tc.KubeConfigFile, "nginx-clusterip-svc", false)
 			cmd := "curl -L --insecure http://" + clusterip + "/name.html"
 			fmt.Println(cmd)
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-					return e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					return node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 				}, "120s", "10s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-clusterip"), "failed cmd: "+cmd)
 			}
 		})
 
 		It("After upgrade verifies NodePort Service", func() {
 
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				nodeExternalIP, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
-				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-nodeport-svc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				nodeExternalIP, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
+				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-nodeport-svc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
 				nodeport, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-					cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-nodeport --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+					cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-nodeport --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-nodeport"), "nodeport pod was not created")
 
@@ -320,9 +291,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("After upgrade verifies LoadBalancer Service", func() {
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				ip, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
-				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-loadbalancer-svc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].port}\""
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				ip, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
+				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-loadbalancer-svc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].port}\""
 				port, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
@@ -331,15 +302,15 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 				}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-loadbalancer"))
 
 				Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-					cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+					cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 					return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("test-loadbalancer"))
 			}
 		})
 
 		It("After upgrade verifies Ingress", func() {
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				ip, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				ip, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
 				cmd := "curl  --header host:foo1.bar.com" + " http://" + ip + "/name.html"
 				fmt.Println(cmd)
 
@@ -350,28 +321,24 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Upgrade", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("After upgrade verifies Daemonset", func() {
-			nodes, _ := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false) //nodes :=
+			nodes, _ := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, _ := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				count := e2e.CountOfStringInSlice("test-daemonset", pods)
-				fmt.Println("POD COUNT")
-				fmt.Println(count)
-				fmt.Println("NODE COUNT")
-				fmt.Println(len(nodes))
-				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should(Equal(count), "Daemonset pod count does not match node count")
-			}, "420s", "1s").Should(Succeed())
+				count, err := e2e.GetDaemonsetReady("test-daemonset", tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				g.Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(count), "Daemonset pod count does not match node count")
+			}, "240s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("After upgrade verifies dns access", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec -i -t dnsutils -- nslookup kubernetes.default"
+				cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " exec -i -t dnsutils -- nslookup kubernetes.default"
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "180s", "2s").Should((ContainSubstring("kubernetes.default.svc.cluster.local")))
 		})
 
 		It("After upgrade verify Local Path Provisioner storage ", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "kubectl exec volume-test --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " -- cat /data/test"
+				cmd := "kubectl exec volume-test --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " -- cat /data/test"
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "180s", "2s").Should(ContainSubstring("local-path-test"))
 		})
@@ -385,12 +352,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...)))
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/validatecluster/validatecluster_test.go b/tests/e2e/validatecluster/validatecluster_test.go
index 2c4807cce98d..72ff3052f0d3 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/validatecluster/validatecluster_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/validatecluster/validatecluster_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -35,11 +36,7 @@ func Test_E2EClusterValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Create Cluster Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
@@ -48,61 +45,51 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
 			var err error
 			if *local {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			} else {
-				serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			}
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-			fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-			fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-			fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-			fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-			kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			tc.Hardened = *hardened
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
 		})
 
-		It("Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
 			fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, true)
 
 			fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
+			e2e.DumpPods(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies ClusterIP Service", func() {
-			res, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("clusterip.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			res, err := tc.DeployWorkload("clusterip.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Cluster IP manifest not deployed: "+res)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-clusterip --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				g.Expect(res).Should((ContainSubstring("test-clusterip")), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 			}, "240s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
-			clusterip, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(kubeConfigFile, "nginx-clusterip-svc", false)
+			clusterip, _ := e2e.FetchClusterIP(tc.KubeConfigFile, "nginx-clusterip-svc", false)
 			cmd := "curl -L --insecure http://" + clusterip + "/name.html"
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					res, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
+					res, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 					Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("test-clusterip"))
 				}, "120s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
@@ -110,17 +97,17 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies NodePort Service", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("nodeport.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("nodeport.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "NodePort manifest not deployed")
 
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				nodeExternalIP, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
-				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-nodeport-svc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				nodeExternalIP, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
+				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-nodeport-svc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}\""
 				nodeport, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-nodeport --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+					cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-nodeport --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 					res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 					Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("test-nodeport"), "nodeport pod was not created")
@@ -137,18 +124,18 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies LoadBalancer Service", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("loadbalancer.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Loadbalancer manifest not deployed")
 
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				ip, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				ip, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
 
-				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-loadbalancer-svc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].port}\""
+				cmd := "kubectl get service nginx-loadbalancer-svc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " --output jsonpath=\"{.spec.ports[0].port}\""
 				port, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 				Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-					cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+					cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l k8s-app=nginx-app-loadbalancer --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 					res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 					g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 					g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("test-loadbalancer"))
@@ -164,11 +151,11 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies Ingress", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("ingress.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("ingress.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Ingress manifest not deployed")
 
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				ip, _ := e2e.FetchNodeExternalIP(nodeName)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				ip, _ := node.FetchNodeExternalIP()
 				cmd := "curl  --header host:foo1.bar.com" + " http://" + ip + "/name.html"
 				fmt.Println(cmd)
 
@@ -181,35 +168,31 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies Daemonset", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("daemonset.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("daemonset.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Daemonset manifest not deployed")
 
-			nodes, _ := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+			nodes, _ := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, _ := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				count := e2e.CountOfStringInSlice("test-daemonset", pods)
-				fmt.Println("POD COUNT")
-				fmt.Println(count)
-				fmt.Println("NODE COUNT")
-				fmt.Println(len(nodes))
-				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should((Equal(count)), "Daemonset pod count does not match node count")
-			}, "420s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
+				count, err := e2e.GetDaemonsetReady("test-daemonset", tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				g.Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(count), "Daemonset pod count does not match node count")
+			}, "240s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies dns access", func() {
-			_, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("dnsutils.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err := tc.DeployWorkload("dnsutils.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "dnsutils manifest not deployed")
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pods dnsutils --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pods dnsutils --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 				g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("dnsutils"))
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec -i -t dnsutils -- nslookup kubernetes.default"
+				cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " exec -i -t dnsutils -- nslookup kubernetes.default"
 
 				res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
@@ -218,11 +201,11 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 
 		It("Verifies Local Path Provisioner storage ", func() {
-			res, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("local-path-provisioner.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			res, err := tc.DeployWorkload("local-path-provisioner.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "local-path-provisioner manifest not deployed: "+res)
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pvc local-path-pvc --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pvc local-path-pvc --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 				g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("local-path-pvc"))
@@ -230,32 +213,32 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 				g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("volume-test"))
 				g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("Running"))
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 
-			cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " exec volume-test -- sh -c 'echo local-path-test > /data/test'"
+			cmd := "kubectl --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " exec volume-test -- sh -c 'echo local-path-test > /data/test'"
 			res, err = e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 
-			cmd = "kubectl delete pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+			cmd = "kubectl delete pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 			res, err = e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 
-			_, err = e2e.DeployWorkload("local-path-provisioner.yaml", kubeConfigFile, *hardened)
+			_, err = tc.DeployWorkload("local-path-provisioner.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "local-path-provisioner manifest not deployed")
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l app=local-path-provisioner --field-selector=status.phase=Running -n kube-system --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l app=local-path-provisioner --field-selector=status.phase=Running -n kube-system --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				res, _ := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(res).Should(ContainSubstring("local-path-provisioner"))
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pod volume-test --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				res, err := e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 
@@ -264,7 +247,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 			}, "420s", "2s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				cmd := "kubectl exec volume-test --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile + " -- cat /data/test"
+				cmd := "kubectl exec volume-test --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile + " -- cat /data/test"
 				res, err = e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "failed cmd: %q result: %s", cmd, res)
 				fmt.Println("Data after re-creation", res)
@@ -275,67 +258,52 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 
 	Context("Validate restart", func() {
 		It("Restarts normally", func() {
-			errRestart := e2e.RestartCluster(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))
+			errRestart := e2e.RestartCluster(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))
 			Expect(errRestart).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Restart Nodes not happened correctly")
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 				for _, node := range nodes {
 					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
-				pods, _ := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				count := e2e.CountOfStringInSlice("test-daemonset", pods)
-				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should((Equal(count)), "Daemonset pod count does not match node count")
-				podsRunningAr := 0
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "test-daemonset") && pod.Status == "Running" && pod.Ready == "1/1" {
-						podsRunningAr++
-					}
-				}
-				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should((Equal(podsRunningAr)), "Daemonset pods are not running after the restart")
+				count, err := e2e.GetDaemonsetReady("test-daemonset", tc.KubeConfigFile)
+				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				g.Expect(len(nodes)).Should((Equal(count)), "Daemonset pods that are ready does not match node count")
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 	})
 
 	Context("Valdiate Certificate Rotation", func() {
 		It("Stops K3s and rotates certificates", func() {
-			errStop := e2e.StopCluster(serverNodeNames)
+			errStop := e2e.StopCluster(tc.Servers)
 			Expect(errStop).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Cluster could not be stopped successfully")
 
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 				cmd := "k3s certificate rotate"
-				_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
-				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Certificate could not be rotated successfully on "+nodeName)
+				_, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
+				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Certificate could not be rotated successfully on "+node.String())
 			}
 		})
 
 		It("Start normally", func() {
 			// Since we stopped all the server, we have to start 2 at once to get it back up
 			// If we only start one at a time, the first will hang waiting for the second to be up
-			_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode("systemctl --no-block start k3s", serverNodeNames[0])
+			_, err := tc.Servers[0].RunCmdOnNode("systemctl --no-block start k3s")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			err = e2e.StartCluster(serverNodeNames[1:])
+			err = e2e.StartCluster(tc.Servers[1:])
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Cluster could not be started successfully")
 
 			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
+				for _, node := range tc.Servers {
 					cmd := "test ! -e /var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/tls/dynamic-cert-regenerate"
-					_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, nodeName)
-					Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Dynamic cert regenerate file not removed on "+nodeName)
+					_, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
+					Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Dynamic cert regenerate file not removed on "+node.String())
 				}
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
-			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-				pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				for _, pod := range pods {
-					if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-					} else {
-						g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
-					}
-				}
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
@@ -354,21 +322,21 @@ var _ = Describe("Verify Create", Ordered, func() {
 				"",
 			}
 
-			for _, nodeName := range serverNodeNames {
-				grCert, errGrep := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(grepCert, nodeName)
-				Expect(errGrep).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "TLS dirs could not be listed on "+nodeName)
+			for _, node := range tc.Servers {
+				grCert, errGrep := node.RunCmdOnNode(grepCert)
+				Expect(errGrep).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "TLS dirs could not be listed on "+node.String())
 				re := regexp.MustCompile("tls-[0-9]+")
 				tls := re.FindAllString(grCert, -1)[0]
 				diff := fmt.Sprintf("diff -sr /var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/tls/ /var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/%s/"+
 					"| grep -i identical | cut -f4 -d ' ' | xargs basename -a \n", tls)
-				result, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(diff, nodeName)
-				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Certificate diff not created successfully on "+nodeName)
+				result, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(diff)
+				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Certificate diff not created successfully on "+node.String())
 
 				certArray := strings.Split(result, "\n")
-				Expect((certArray)).Should((Equal(expectResult)), "Certificate diff does not match the expected results on "+nodeName)
+				Expect((certArray)).Should((Equal(expectResult)), "Certificate diff does not match the expected results on "+node.String())
 			}
 
-			errRestartAgent := e2e.RestartCluster(agentNodeNames)
+			errRestartAgent := e2e.RestartCluster(tc.Agents)
 			Expect(errRestartAgent).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Agent could not be restart successfully")
 		})
 
@@ -382,12 +350,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...)))
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/e2e/wasm/wasm_test.go b/tests/e2e/wasm/wasm_test.go
index 237bc440d613..23c23d2f303f 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/wasm/wasm_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/wasm/wasm_test.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/e2e"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -26,92 +26,75 @@ func Test_E2EWasm(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "Run WebAssenbly Workloads Test Suite", suiteConfig, reporterConfig)
 }
 
-var (
-	kubeConfigFile  string
-	serverNodeNames []string
-	agentNodeNames  []string
-)
+var tc *e2e.TestConfig
 
 var _ = ReportAfterEach(e2e.GenReport)
 
-var _ = Describe("Verify Can run Wasm workloads", Ordered, func() {
-
-	It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
-		var err error
-		if *local {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
-		} else {
-			serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
-		}
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
-		fmt.Println("CLUSTER CONFIG")
-		fmt.Println("OS:", *nodeOS)
-		fmt.Println("Server Nodes:", serverNodeNames)
-		fmt.Println("Agent Nodes:", agentNodeNames)
-		kubeConfigFile, err = e2e.GenKubeConfigFile(serverNodeNames[0])
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	})
-
-	// Server node needs to be ready before we continue
-	It("Checks Node and Pod Status", func() {
-		fmt.Printf("\nFetching node status\n")
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, node := range nodes {
-				g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
+var _ = Describe("Verify K3s can run Wasm workloads", Ordered, func() {
+	Context("Cluster comes up with Wasm configuration", func() {
+		It("Starts up with no issues", func() {
+			var err error
+			if *local {
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateLocalCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
+			} else {
+				tc, err = e2e.CreateCluster(*nodeOS, *serverCount, *agentCount)
 			}
-		}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, _ = e2e.ParseNodes(kubeConfigFile, true)
-
-		fmt.Printf("\nFetching Pods status\n")
-		Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
-			pods, err := e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, false)
-			g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			for _, pod := range pods {
-				if strings.Contains(pod.Name, "helm-install") {
-					g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Completed"), pod.Name)
-				} else {
-					g.Expect(pod.Status).Should(Equal("Running"), pod.Name)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), e2e.GetVagrantLog(err))
+			By("CLUSTER CONFIG")
+			By("OS: " + *nodeOS)
+			By(tc.Status())
+		})
+
+		It("Checks node and pod status", func() {
+			By("Fetching Nodes status")
+			Eventually(func(g Gomega) {
+				nodes, err := e2e.ParseNodes(tc.KubeConfigFile, false)
+				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				for _, node := range nodes {
+					g.Expect(node.Status).Should(Equal("Ready"))
 				}
-			}
-		}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-		_, _ = e2e.ParsePods(kubeConfigFile, true)
-	})
+			}, "620s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
+
+			By("Fetching pod status")
+			Eventually(func() error {
+				return tests.AllPodsUp(tc.KubeConfigFile)
+			}, "620s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
+		})
 
-	It("Verify wasm-related containerd shims are installed", func() {
-		expected_shims := []string{"containerd-shim-spin-v2", "containerd-shim-slight-v1"}
-		for _, node := range append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...) {
-			for _, shim := range expected_shims {
-				cmd := fmt.Sprintf("which %s", shim)
-				_, err := e2e.RunCmdOnNode(cmd, node)
-				Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+		It("Verify wasm-related containerd shims are installed", func() {
+			expected_shims := []string{"containerd-shim-spin-v2", "containerd-shim-slight-v1"}
+			for _, node := range append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...) {
+				for _, shim := range expected_shims {
+					cmd := fmt.Sprintf("which %s", shim)
+					_, err := node.RunCmdOnNode(cmd)
+					Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+				}
 			}
-		}
+		})
 	})
 
 	Context("Verify Wasm workloads can run on the cluster", func() {
 		It("Deploy Wasm workloads", func() {
-			out, err := e2e.DeployWorkload("wasm-workloads.yaml", kubeConfigFile, false)
+			out, err := tc.DeployWorkload("wasm-workloads.yaml")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), out)
 		})
 
 		It("Wait for slight Pod to be up and running", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l app=wasm-slight --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l app=wasm-slight --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "240s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("pod/wasm-slight"))
 		})
 
 		It("Wait for spin Pod to be up and running", func() {
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
-				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l app=wasm-spin --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + kubeConfigFile
+				cmd := "kubectl get pods -o=name -l app=wasm-spin --field-selector=status.phase=Running --kubeconfig=" + tc.KubeConfigFile
 				return e2e.RunCommand(cmd)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(ContainSubstring("pod/wasm-spin"))
 		})
 
 		It("Interact with Wasm applications", func() {
-			ingressIPs, err := e2e.FetchIngressIP(kubeConfigFile)
+			ingressIPs, err := e2e.FetchIngressIP(tc.KubeConfigFile)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(ingressIPs).To(HaveLen(1))
 
@@ -136,12 +119,12 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
-		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(tc.Servers, tc.Agents...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
-		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Remove(tc.KubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
 	}
 })
diff --git a/tests/integration/cacertrotation/cacertrotation_int_test.go b/tests/integration/cacertrotation/cacertrotation_int_test.go
index 31df7369a772..250ab5dc33f8 100644
--- a/tests/integration/cacertrotation/cacertrotation_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/cacertrotation/cacertrotation_int_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ca certificate rotation", Ordered, func() {
 	When("a new server is created", func() {
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("get certificate hash", func() {
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ca certificate rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("get certificate hash", func() {
diff --git a/tests/integration/certrotation/certrotation_int_test.go b/tests/integration/certrotation/certrotation_int_test.go
index 9574a6b02ec3..33349a9a4bea 100644
--- a/tests/integration/certrotation/certrotation_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/certrotation/certrotation_int_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ var _ = Describe("certificate rotation", Ordered, func() {
 	When("a new server is created", func() {
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("get certificate hash", func() {
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ var _ = Describe("certificate rotation", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("checks the certificate status", func() {
diff --git a/tests/integration/dualstack/dualstack_int_test.go b/tests/integration/dualstack/dualstack_int_test.go
index 1e8198642e15..9b19e045d009 100644
--- a/tests/integration/dualstack/dualstack_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/dualstack/dualstack_int_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ var _ = Describe("dual stack", Ordered, func() {
 	When("a ipv4 and ipv6 cidr is present", func() {
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("creates pods with two IPs", func() {
diff --git a/tests/integration/etcdrestore/etcd_restore_int_test.go b/tests/integration/etcdrestore/etcd_restore_int_test.go
index 5ea168d53237..1a4f200f60b4 100644
--- a/tests/integration/etcdrestore/etcd_restore_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/etcdrestore/etcd_restore_int_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ var _ = Describe("etcd snapshot restore", Ordered, func() {
 	When("a snapshot is restored on existing node", func() {
 		It("etcd starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("create a workload", func() {
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ var _ = Describe("etcd snapshot restore", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "360s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("make sure workload 1 exists", func() {
diff --git a/tests/integration/etcdsnapshot/etcdsnapshot_int_test.go b/tests/integration/etcdsnapshot/etcdsnapshot_int_test.go
index b4977639b60e..dc11b9e438d6 100644
--- a/tests/integration/etcdsnapshot/etcdsnapshot_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/etcdsnapshot/etcdsnapshot_int_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ var _ = Describe("etcd snapshots", Ordered, func() {
 	When("a new etcd is created", func() {
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("saves an etcd snapshot", func() {
@@ -130,7 +131,7 @@ var _ = Describe("etcd snapshots", Ordered, func() {
 			server, err = testutil.K3sStartServer(localServerArgs...)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
 		})
@@ -156,7 +157,7 @@ var _ = Describe("etcd snapshots", Ordered, func() {
 			server, err = testutil.K3sStartServer(localServerArgs...)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
 		})
diff --git a/tests/integration/flannelipv6masq/flannelipv6masq_int_test.go b/tests/integration/flannelipv6masq/flannelipv6masq_int_test.go
index 793810ea64b0..7f776584016c 100644
--- a/tests/integration/flannelipv6masq/flannelipv6masq_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/flannelipv6masq/flannelipv6masq_int_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ var _ = Describe("flannel-ipv6-masq", Ordered, func() {
 	When("a ipv4 and ipv6 cidr is present", func() {
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("creates pods with two IPs", func() {
diff --git a/tests/integration/flannelnone/flannelnone_int_test.go b/tests/integration/flannelnone/flannelnone_int_test.go
index 13156cce6aea..420734390d55 100644
--- a/tests/integration/flannelnone/flannelnone_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/flannelnone/flannelnone_int_test.go
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-This test verifies that even if we use flannel-backend=none, kube-api starts correctly so that it can 
+This test verifies that even if we use flannel-backend=none, kube-api starts correctly so that it can
 accept the custom CNI plugin manifest. We want to catch regressions in which kube-api is unresponsive.
 To do so we check for 25s that we can consistently query kube-api. We check that pods are in pending
 state, which is what should happen if there is no cni plugin
@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@ import (
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
-
-	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 )
 
 var server *testutil.K3sServer
@@ -44,25 +42,24 @@ var _ = Describe("flannel-backend=none", Ordered, func() {
 		It("checks pods status", func() {
 			// Wait for pods to come up before running the real test
 			Eventually(func() int {
-				pods, _ := testutil.ParsePods("kube-system", metav1.ListOptions{})
+				pods, _ := testutil.ParsePodsInNS("kube-system")
 				return len(pods)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(BeNumerically(">", 0))
 
-
-			pods, err := testutil.ParsePods("kube-system", metav1.ListOptions{})
+			pods, err := testutil.ParsePodsInNS("kube-system")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 			// Pods should remain in Pending state because there is no network plugin
-			Consistently(func () bool {
+			Consistently(func() bool {
 				for _, pod := range pods {
 					if !strings.Contains(string(pod.Status.Phase), "Pending") {
 						return false
 					}
 				}
 				return true
-				}, "25s").Should(BeTrue())
-			})
+			}, "25s").Should(BeTrue())
 		})
+	})
 })
 
 var failed bool
diff --git a/tests/integration/integration.go b/tests/integration/integration.go
index 6ff0f7cbb192..0c96d40af897 100644
--- a/tests/integration/integration.go
+++ b/tests/integration/integration.go
@@ -15,20 +15,20 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/pkg/flock"
+	"github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/vishvananda/netlink"
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
-	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd"
 )
 
 // Compile-time variable
 var existingServer = "False"
 
 const lockFile = "/tmp/k3s-test.lock"
+const DefaultConfig = "/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml"
 
 type K3sServer struct {
 	cmd *exec.Cmd
@@ -128,60 +128,8 @@ func K3sServerArgs() []string {
 	return args
 }
 
-// K3sDefaultDeployments checks if the default deployments for K3s are ready, otherwise returns an error
-func K3sDefaultDeployments() error {
-	return CheckDeployments(metav1.NamespaceSystem, []string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server", "traefik"})
-}
-
-// CheckDeployments checks if the provided list of deployments are ready, otherwise returns an error
-func CheckDeployments(namespace string, deployments []string) error {
-	client, err := k8sClient()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	for _, deploymentName := range deployments {
-		deployment, err := client.AppsV1().Deployments(namespace).Get(context.Background(), deploymentName, metav1.GetOptions{})
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		if deployment.Status.ReadyReplicas != deployment.Status.Replicas || deployment.Status.AvailableReplicas != deployment.Status.Replicas {
-			return fmt.Errorf("deployment %s not ready: replicas=%d readyReplicas=%d availableReplicas=%d",
-				deploymentName, deployment.Status.Replicas, deployment.Status.ReadyReplicas, deployment.Status.AvailableReplicas)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-func ParsePods(namespace string, opts metav1.ListOptions) ([]corev1.Pod, error) {
-	clientSet, err := k8sClient()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	pods, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Pods(namespace).List(context.Background(), opts)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return pods.Items, nil
-}
-
-func ParseNodes() ([]corev1.Node, error) {
-	clientSet, err := k8sClient()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	nodes, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Nodes().List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return nodes.Items, nil
-}
-
 func GetPod(namespace, name string) (*corev1.Pod, error) {
-	client, err := k8sClient()
+	client, err := tests.K8sClient(DefaultConfig)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -189,7 +137,7 @@ func GetPod(namespace, name string) (*corev1.Pod, error) {
 }
 
 func GetPersistentVolumeClaim(namespace, name string) (*corev1.PersistentVolumeClaim, error) {
-	client, err := k8sClient()
+	client, err := tests.K8sClient(DefaultConfig)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -197,7 +145,7 @@ func GetPersistentVolumeClaim(namespace, name string) (*corev1.PersistentVolumeC
 }
 
 func GetPersistentVolume(name string) (*corev1.PersistentVolume, error) {
-	client, err := k8sClient()
+	client, err := tests.K8sClient(DefaultConfig)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -355,7 +303,7 @@ func K3sSaveLog(server *K3sServer, dump bool) error {
 }
 
 func GetEndpointsAddresses() (string, error) {
-	client, err := k8sClient()
+	client, err := tests.K8sClient(DefaultConfig)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
@@ -414,14 +362,15 @@ func unmountFolder(folder string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func k8sClient() (*kubernetes.Clientset, error) {
-	config, err := clientcmd.BuildConfigFromFlags("", "/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml")
+func ParsePodsInNS(namespace string) ([]corev1.Pod, error) {
+	clientSet, err := tests.K8sClient(DefaultConfig)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	clientSet, err := kubernetes.NewForConfig(config)
+	pods, err := clientSet.CoreV1().Pods(namespace).List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return clientSet, nil
+
+	return pods.Items, nil
 }
diff --git a/tests/integration/kubeflags/kubeflags_test.go b/tests/integration/kubeflags/kubeflags_test.go
index 90f4baabab0d..67baee060245 100644
--- a/tests/integration/kubeflags/kubeflags_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/kubeflags/kubeflags_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -126,7 +127,7 @@ var _ = Describe("create a new cluster with kube-* flags", Ordered, func() {
 
 				// Pods should not be healthy without kube-proxy
 				Consistently(func() error {
-					return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+					return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 				}, "100s", "5s").Should(HaveOccurred())
 			})
 			It("should not find kube-proxy starting", func() {
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ var _ = Describe("create a new cluster with kube-* flags", Ordered, func() {
 				Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 
 				Eventually(func() error {
-					return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+					return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 				}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			})
diff --git a/tests/integration/localstorage/localstorage_int_test.go b/tests/integration/localstorage/localstorage_int_test.go
index f4ea258921ad..d7a898c8ebd0 100644
--- a/tests/integration/localstorage/localstorage_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/localstorage/localstorage_int_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ var _ = Describe("local storage", Ordered, func() {
 	When("a new local storage is created", func() {
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("creates a new pvc", func() {
diff --git a/tests/integration/longhorn/longhorn_int_test.go b/tests/integration/longhorn/longhorn_int_test.go
index e4c475e71605..2fecd7a936a9 100644
--- a/tests/integration/longhorn/longhorn_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/longhorn/longhorn_int_test.go
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
-	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 )
 
 var server *testutil.K3sServer
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ var _ = Describe("longhorn", Ordered, func() {
 	When("a new cluster is created", func() {
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 	})
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ var _ = Describe("longhorn", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("starts the longhorn pods with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				pods, err := testutil.ParsePods("longhorn-system", metav1.ListOptions{})
+				pods, err := testutil.ParsePodsInNS("longhorn-system")
 				if err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
diff --git a/tests/integration/secretsencryption/secretsencryption_int_test.go b/tests/integration/secretsencryption/secretsencryption_int_test.go
index 247f9d714ec1..30126a77ac8a 100644
--- a/tests/integration/secretsencryption/secretsencryption_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/secretsencryption/secretsencryption_int_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ var _ = Describe("secrets encryption rotation", Ordered, func() {
 	When("A server starts with secrets encryption", func() {
 		It("starts up with no problems", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("it creates a encryption key", func() {
@@ -66,7 +67,7 @@ var _ = Describe("secrets encryption rotation", Ordered, func() {
 			secretsEncryptionServer, err = testutil.K3sStartServer(secretsEncryptionServerArgs...)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
 				return testutil.K3sCmd("secrets-encrypt status -d", secretsEncryptionDataDir)
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ var _ = Describe("secrets encryption rotation", Ordered, func() {
 			secretsEncryptionServer, err = testutil.K3sStartServer(secretsEncryptionServerArgs...)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 
 			Eventually(func() (string, error) {
@@ -128,7 +129,7 @@ var _ = Describe("secrets encryption rotation", Ordered, func() {
 			secretsEncryptionServer, err = testutil.K3sStartServer(secretsEncryptionServerArgs...)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 			time.Sleep(10 * time.Second)
 		})
diff --git a/tests/integration/startup/startup_int_test.go b/tests/integration/startup/startup_int_test.go
index bc339f8d4a57..111328a8cc95 100644
--- a/tests/integration/startup/startup_int_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration/startup/startup_int_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
+	tests "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests"
 	testutil "github.com/k3s-io/k3s/tests/integration"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("has the default pods deployed", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("has kine without tls", func() {
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("has the default pods deployed", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("set kine to use tls", func() {
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("has the default pods deployed", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("dies cleanly", func() {
@@ -124,9 +125,9 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("has the default pods without traefik deployed", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.CheckDeployments("kube-system", []string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server"})
+				return tests.CheckDeployments([]string{"coredns", "local-path-provisioner", "metrics-server"}, testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "90s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
-			nodes, err := testutil.ParseNodes()
+			nodes, err := tests.ParseNodes(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(1))
 		})
@@ -156,10 +157,10 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("has the node deployed with correct IPs", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "10s").Should(Succeed())
 
-			nodes, err := testutil.ParseNodes()
+			nodes, err := tests.ParseNodes(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(1))
 			Expect(nodes[0].Status.Addresses).To(ContainElements([]v1.NodeAddress{
@@ -201,9 +202,9 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("has the default pods deployed", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			nodes, err := testutil.ParseNodes()
+			nodes, err := tests.ParseNodes(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(1))
 		})
@@ -229,16 +230,16 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("has the default pods deployed", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			nodes, err := testutil.ParseNodes()
+			nodes, err := tests.ParseNodes(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(1))
 		})
 		var nodes []v1.Node
 		It("has a custom node name with id appended", func() {
 			var err error
-			nodes, err = testutil.ParseNodes()
+			nodes, err = tests.ParseNodes(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(1))
 			Expect(nodes[0].Name).To(MatchRegexp(`-[0-9a-f]*`))
@@ -264,9 +265,9 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("has the default pods deployed", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
-			nodes, err := testutil.ParseNodes()
+			nodes, err := tests.ParseNodes(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			Expect(nodes).To(HaveLen(1))
 		})
@@ -285,7 +286,7 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 		})
 		It("has the default pods deployed", func() {
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "120s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("creates a new pod", func() {
@@ -301,7 +302,7 @@ var _ = Describe("startup tests", Ordered, func() {
 			startupServer, err = testutil.K3sStartServer(startupServerArgs...)
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 			Eventually(func() error {
-				return testutil.K3sDefaultDeployments()
+				return tests.CheckDefaultDeployments(testutil.DefaultConfig)
 			}, "180s", "5s").Should(Succeed())
 		})
 		It("has the dummy pod not restarted", func() {