diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 06b6cddd2b74..f4b8ba13dbea 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -89,6 +89,10 @@ INSTALL_EXEC_HOOKS += \
 
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+AM_V_DOWNLOAD   = $(AM_V_DOWNLOAD_$(V))
+AM_V_DOWNLOAD_  = $(AM_V_DOWNLOAD_$(AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY))
+AM_V_DOWNLOAD_0 = @echo "  LOAD    " $@;
+
 AM_V_NITSI   = $(AM_V_NITSI_$(V))
 AM_V_NITSI_  = $(AM_V_NITSI_$(AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY))
 AM_V_NITSI_0 = @echo "  NITSI   " $@;
@@ -496,7 +500,8 @@ substitutions = \
 	'|sbindir=$(sbindir)|' \
 	'|networkdir=$(networkdir)|' \
 	'|helpersdir=$(helpersdir)|' \
-	'|utildir=$(utildir)|'
+	'|utildir=$(utildir)|' \
+	'|VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DIR=$(VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DIR)|'
 
 SED_PROCESS = \
 	$(AM_V_GEN)$(MKDIR_P) $(dir $@) && \
@@ -543,7 +548,7 @@ TESTS = \
 # - NITSI tests ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 # Files for the virtual environment
-EXTRA_DIST += \
+VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_FILES = \
 	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/machine.xml \
 	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/snapshot.xml \
 	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/machine.xml \
@@ -555,6 +560,30 @@ EXTRA_DIST += \
 	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/README \
 	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/settings
 
+EXTRA_DIST += \
+	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/machine.xml.in \
+	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/snapshot.xml.in \
+	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/machine.xml.in \
+	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/snapshot.xml.in
+
+CLEANFILES += \
+	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/machine.xml \
+	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/snapshot.xml \
+	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/machine.xml \
+	test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/snapshot.xml
+
+# Virtual Machine Images
+VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES = \
+	$(VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DIR)/ipfire-alice-2.qcow2 \
+	$(VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DIR)/ipfire-bob.qcow2
+
+DISTCLEANFILES += \
+	$(VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES)
+
+VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DIR = $(abs_builddir)/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/.images
+VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DOWNLOAD_URL = \
+	https://people.ipfire.org/~jschlag/nitsi-ipfire/virtual-environment/basic/
+
 NITSI_TESTS = \
 	test/nitsi/test/hello-world \
 	test/nitsi/test/make-check
@@ -572,8 +601,13 @@ CLEANFILES += \
 NITSI_ENVIRONMENT =
 
 .PHONY: $(NITSI_TESTS)
-$(NITSI_TESTS): % : %/recipe %/settings
+$(NITSI_TESTS): % : %/recipe %/settings $(VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_FILES) $(VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES)
 	$(AM_V_NITSI) $(NITSI_ENVIRONMENT) $(NITSI) --log-level error -d $@
 
 .PHONY: nitsi
 nitsi: dist $(NITSI_TESTS)
+
+# Downloads a virtual image file and extracts it
+$(VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES):
+	$(AM_V_DOWNLOAD)$(MKDIR_P) $(dir $@) && \
+	$(WGET) -qO - $(VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DOWNLOAD_URL)/$(notdir $@).xz | xz -qd > $@
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 515941451aba..e84bec7d284a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ AC_PROG_MKDIR_P
 AC_PROG_SED
 
 AC_PATH_PROG([NITSI], [nitsi])
+AC_PATH_PROG([WGET], [wget])
 AC_PATH_PROG([XSLTPROC], [xsltproc])
 
 # pkg-config
diff --git a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/.gitignore b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5a345eca37b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+/.images
diff --git a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/.gitignore b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..89b260551efd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+*/*.xml
diff --git a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/machine.xml b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/machine.xml.in
similarity index 98%
rename from test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/machine.xml
rename to test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/machine.xml.in
index 5f5b4aca5017..be8da3886021 100644
--- a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/machine.xml
+++ b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/machine.xml.in
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
   <devices>
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='qcow2'/>
-      <source file='/var/lib/libvirt/images/ipfire-alice.qcow2'/>
+      <source file='@VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DIR@/ipfire-alice-2.qcow2'/>
       <target dev='vda' bus='virtio'/>
       <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x08' function='0x0'/>
     </disk>
diff --git a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/snapshot.xml b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/snapshot.xml.in
similarity index 69%
rename from test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/snapshot.xml
rename to test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/snapshot.xml.in
index a8311a261fea..8d2d1c05f5ad 100644
--- a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/snapshot.xml
+++ b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/snapshot.xml.in
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   <description>Snapshot to undo all changes from this test</description>
   <memory>no</memory>
   <disks>
-	  <disk name='/var/lib/libvirt/images/ipfire-bob.qcow2'>
+    <disk name='@VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DIR@/ipfire-alice-2.qcow2'>
     </disk>
   </disks>
 </domainsnapshot>
diff --git a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/machine.xml b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/machine.xml.in
similarity index 98%
rename from test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/machine.xml
rename to test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/machine.xml.in
index 60682112db17..f314e8edc5aa 100644
--- a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/machine.xml
+++ b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/machine.xml.in
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
   <devices>
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='qcow2'/>
-      <source file='/var/lib/libvirt/images/ipfire-bob.qcow2'/>
+      <source file='@VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DIR@/ipfire-bob.qcow2'/>
       <target dev='vda' bus='virtio'/>
       <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x08' function='0x0'/>
     </disk>
diff --git a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/snapshot.xml b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/snapshot.xml.in
similarity index 70%
rename from test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/snapshot.xml
rename to test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/snapshot.xml.in
index fff9b97752e0..f15d19adc5d2 100644
--- a/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/alice/snapshot.xml
+++ b/test/nitsi/virtual-environment/basic/machines/bob/snapshot.xml.in
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   <description>Snapshot to undo all changes from this test</description>
   <memory>no</memory>
   <disks>
-    <disk name='/var/lib/libvirt/images/ipfire-alice.qcow2'>
+	  <disk name='@VIRTUAL_ENVIRONMENT_IMAGES_DIR@/ipfire-bob.qcow2'>
     </disk>
   </disks>
 </domainsnapshot>