diff --git a/test/streaming-sim/conftest.py b/test/streaming-sim/conftest.py
index de3ebaef1ef1c53b3471690b8a4f98af766266e1..af7b1975a3bdc54032c0df82cb9f7ae5d1e9c9ae 100644
--- a/test/streaming-sim/conftest.py
+++ b/test/streaming-sim/conftest.py
@@ -2,13 +2,29 @@
 
 import pytest
 import yaml
+from influxdb import InfluxDBClient
 
-@pytest.fixture(scope="module",
-                params=[{'config1': {'rspec': 'test/streaming-sim/rspec.yml', 'id': 'myid'}}])
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module", params=[{'config1': {'rspec': 'test/streaming-sim/rspec.yml'}}])
 def streaming_sim_config(request):
-    """Returns the service configuration deployed for the streaming simulation test. In future this needs to be a parameterised fixture shared with other rspec.yml based tests"""
-    print(request.param['config1']['rspec'])
-    print(request.param['config1']['id'])    
+    """
+    Reads the service configuration deployed for the streaming simulation test.
+
+    :param request: access the parameters of the fixture
+    :return: the python object representing the read YAML file
+    """
+
     with open(request.param['config1']['rspec'], 'r') as stream:
         data_loaded = yaml.load(stream)
-    return data_loaded
\ No newline at end of file
+    return data_loaded
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(params=[{'database': 'CLMCMetrics'}], scope='module')
+def get_db_client(request):
+    """
+    Creates an Influx DB client for the CLMC metrics database
+    :param request: access the parameters of the fixture
+    :return: the created Influx DB client
+    """
+
+    return InfluxDBClient(host='localhost', port=8086, database=request.param['database'], timeout=10)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/streaming-sim/test_rspec.py b/test/streaming-sim/test_rspec.py
index efecd68bf0eac6c89b23320453d0b5425edc0c67..801c15b1c3e6d7db8efbe11c8a7d237586d8fe66 100644
--- a/test/streaming-sim/test_rspec.py
+++ b/test/streaming-sim/test_rspec.py
@@ -1,17 +1,34 @@
 #!/usr/bin/python3
 
-import pytest
-import os
+from subprocess import run
+from platform import system
+
 
 def test_service_names(streaming_sim_config):
-    print(streaming_sim_config['hosts'][0]['name'])
-    assert streaming_sim_config['hosts'][0]['name'] == 'clmc-service'
-    assert streaming_sim_config['hosts'][1]['name'] == 'ipendpoint1'
-    assert streaming_sim_config['hosts'][2]['name'] == 'ipendpoint2'            
+    """
+    Tests the service names in the configuration.
+
+    :param streaming_sim_config: the configuration fixture collected from conftest.py
+    """
+
+    assert streaming_sim_config['hosts'][0]['name'] == 'clmc-service', "Invalid service name: {0}".format(streaming_sim_config['hosts'][0]['name'])
+    assert streaming_sim_config['hosts'][1]['name'] == 'ipendpoint1', "Invalid service name: {0}".format(streaming_sim_config['hosts'][1]['name'])
+    assert streaming_sim_config['hosts'][2]['name'] == 'ipendpoint2', "Invalid service name: {0}".format(streaming_sim_config['hosts'][2]['name'])
+
 
 def test_ping(streaming_sim_config):
-    """This test will only run on linux due to using os.system library"""
-    for x in streaming_sim_config['hosts']:
-        print(x['ip_address'])
-        response = os.system("ping -c 1 " + x['ip_address'])
-        assert response == 0     
\ No newline at end of file
+    """
+    Pings each service to test for liveliness
+
+    :param streaming_sim_config: the configuration fixture collected from conftest.py
+    """
+
+    print("\n")  # blank line printed for formatting purposes
+
+    ping_count = 1
+    system_dependent_param = "-n" if system().lower() == "windows" else "-c"
+
+    for service in streaming_sim_config['hosts']:
+        command = ["ping", "{0} {1}".format(system_dependent_param, ping_count), service['ip_address']]
+        assert run(command).returncode == 0, "Service ping test failed for {0}".format(service['name'])
+        print("\nSuccessfully passed ping test for service: {0}\n".format(service['name']))
diff --git a/test/streaming-sim/test_simresults.py b/test/streaming-sim/test_simresults.py
index 9c87987cc9b2aa70ae8d555b0f65da72a9e97a08..ffdd8a949b2cbb7408fe40e3fbcbc8d2fa04d3b1 100644
--- a/test/streaming-sim/test_simresults.py
+++ b/test/streaming-sim/test_simresults.py
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/python3
 
-from influxdb import InfluxDBClient
 import pytest
 from StreamingSim import run_simulation_fixture
 
@@ -11,15 +10,15 @@ class TestSimulation(object):
     """
 
     @pytest.mark.parametrize("query, expected_result", [
-        ("SELECT count(*) FROM \"CLMCMetrics\".\"autogen\".\"cpu_usage\"",
+        ('SELECT count(*) FROM "CLMCMetrics"."autogen"."cpu_usage"',
          {"time": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z", "count_cpu_active_time": 7200, "count_cpu_idle_time": 7200, "count_cpu_usage": 7200}),
-        ("SELECT count(*) FROM \"CLMCMetrics\".\"autogen\".\"ipendpoint_route\"",
+        ('SELECT count(*) FROM "CLMCMetrics"."autogen"."ipendpoint_route"',
          {"time": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z", "count_http_requests_fqdn_m": 7200, "count_network_fqdn_latency": 7200}),
-        ("SELECT count(*) FROM \"CLMCMetrics\".\"autogen\".\"mpegdash_service\"",
+        ('SELECT count(*) FROM "CLMCMetrics"."autogen"."mpegdash_service"',
          {"time": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z", "count_avg_response_time": 7200, "count_peak_response_time": 7200, "count_requests": 7200}),
-        ("SELECT count(*) FROM \"CLMCMetrics\".\"autogen\".\"net_port_io\"",
+        ('SELECT count(*) FROM "CLMCMetrics"."autogen"."net_port_io"',
          {"time": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z", "count_RX_BYTES_PORT_M": 7200, "count_TX_BYTES_PORT_M": 7200}),
-        ("SELECT count(*) FROM \"CLMCMetrics\".\"autogen\".\"vm_res_alloc\"",
+        ('SELECT count(*) FROM "CLMCMetrics"."autogen"."vm_res_alloc"',
          {"time": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z", "count_cpu": 12, "count_memory": 12, "count_storage": 12})
     ])
     def test_simulation(self, query, expected_result, get_db_client, run_simulation_fixture):
@@ -28,6 +27,7 @@ class TestSimulation(object):
 
         :param query: the query to execute (value obtained from the pytest parameter decorator)
         :param expected_result: the result expected from executing the query (value obtained from the pytest parameter decorator)
+        :param get_db_client the import db client fixture - imported from contest.py
         :param run_simulation_fixture: the imported fixture to use to generate the testing data - the return value of the fixture is not needed in this case
         """
 
@@ -47,7 +47,3 @@ class TestSimulation(object):
         assert expected_result == actual_result, "Simulation test failure"
 
         print("Successfully passed test for the following query: {0}".format(query))
-
-    @pytest.fixture(params=[{'database': 'CLMCMetrics'}], scope='class')
-    def get_db_client(self, request):
-        return InfluxDBClient(host='localhost', port=8086, database=request.param['database'], timeout=10)