diff --git a/archiva-modules/archiva-web/archiva-webapp-test/ReadMe.txt b/archiva-modules/archiva-web/archiva-webapp-test/ReadMe.txt
index aa634ef85..64702d56d 100644
--- a/archiva-modules/archiva-web/archiva-webapp-test/ReadMe.txt
+++ b/archiva-modules/archiva-web/archiva-webapp-test/ReadMe.txt
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 ReadMe
 ----------
 Run selenium tests in src/test/testng with Maven and TestNG
+  - mvn clean install -f testng-pom.xml
+
+Run Selenium tests in src/test/testng against an existing Archiva instance
   - Start Archiva
   - Configure admin user for archiva (match values in src/test/resources/testng.properties )
   - modify src/test/resources/testng.properties as needed
-  - mvn clean install -f testng-pom.xml
+  - mvn clean install -f testng-pom.xml -Dcontainer-existing
 
 For the default values in the scripts, to pass all the tests, you need to add an artifact in internal repository.
diff --git a/archiva-modules/archiva-web/archiva-webapp-test/testng-pom.xml b/archiva-modules/archiva-web/archiva-webapp-test/testng-pom.xml
index 9ad35e62f..645d9e5cc 100644
--- a/archiva-modules/archiva-web/archiva-webapp-test/testng-pom.xml
+++ b/archiva-modules/archiva-web/archiva-webapp-test/testng-pom.xml
@@ -124,110 +124,6 @@
           </execution>
         </executions>
       </plugin>
-      <plugin>
-        <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
-        <artifactId>dependency-maven-plugin</artifactId>
-        <executions>
-          <execution>
-            <id>unzip-archiva-webapp</id>
-            <phase>generate-resources</phase>
-            <goals>
-              <goal>unpack</goal>
-            </goals>
-            <configuration>
-              <artifactItems>
-                <artifactItem>
-                  <groupId>${project.groupId}</groupId>
-                  <artifactId>archiva-webapp</artifactId>
-                  <version>${project.version}</version>
-                  <type>war</type>
-                </artifactItem>
-              </artifactItems>
-              <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}/${container.name}conf/webapps/archiva</outputDirectory>
-            </configuration>
-          </execution>
-          <execution>
-            <id>prepare-provided-dependencies</id>
-            <phase>generate-resources</phase>
-            <goals>
-              <goal>copy-dependencies</goal>
-            </goals>
-            <configuration>
-              <includeGroupIds>org.apache.derby,javax.mail,javax.activation</includeGroupIds>
-              <overWriteReleases>false</overWriteReleases>
-              <overWriteSnapshots>true</overWriteSnapshots>
-              <excludeTransitive>false</excludeTransitive>
-              <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}/providedDependencies</outputDirectory>
-            </configuration>
-          </execution>
-        </executions>
-      </plugin>
-      <plugin>
-        <artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
-        <executions>
-          <execution>
-            <phase>generate-resources</phase>
-            <goals>
-              <goal>run</goal>
-            </goals>
-            <configuration>
-              <tasks>
-                <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/appserver-base">
-                  <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/appserver-base" />
-                </copy>
-                <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/repository">
-                  <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/repository" />
-                </copy>
-                <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/index">
-                  <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/index" />
-                </copy>
-                <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/snapshots">
-                  <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/snapshots" />
-                </copy>
-                <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/projects">
-                  <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/projects" />
-                </copy>
-                <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/local-repo">
-                  <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/local-repo" />
-                </copy>
-              </tasks>
-            </configuration>
-          </execution>
-          <execution>
-            <id>copy-container-conf</id>
-            <phase>package</phase>
-            <configuration>
-              <tasks>
-                <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/${container.name}conf">
-                  <fileset dir="src/test/${container.name}" />
-                </copy>
-                <copy
-                  todir="${project.build.directory}/installs/${container.name}/apache-tomcat-5.5.26/apache-tomcat-5.5.26/common/lib">
-                  <fileset dir="${project.build.directory}/providedDependencies">
-                    <include name="**/*.jar" />
-                  </fileset>
-                </copy>
-              </tasks>
-            </configuration>
-            <goals>
-              <goal>run</goal>
-            </goals>
-          </execution>
-          <execution>
-            <id>check-archiva-loaded</id>
-            <phase>integration-test</phase>
-            <configuration>
-              <tasks>
-                <get src="http://localhost:9696/archiva/" dest="${project.build.directory}/index.html" />
-                <delete file="${project.build.directory}/index.html" />
-              </tasks>
-            </configuration>
-            <goals>
-              <goal>run</goal>
-            </goals>
-          </execution>
-        </executions>
-      </plugin>
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
         <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
@@ -261,51 +157,6 @@
           <background>true</background>
         </configuration>
       </plugin>
-      <plugin>
-        <groupId>org.codehaus.cargo</groupId>
-        <artifactId>cargo-maven2-plugin</artifactId>
-        <version>1.0</version>
-        <executions>
-          <execution>
-            <id>start-container</id>
-            <phase>pre-integration-test</phase>
-            <goals>
-              <goal>start</goal>
-            </goals>
-          </execution>
-          <execution>
-            <id>stop-container</id>
-            <phase>post-integration-test</phase>
-            <goals>
-              <goal>stop</goal>
-            </goals>
-          </execution>
-        </executions>
-        <configuration>
-          <wait>false</wait>
-          <container>
-            <containerId>${container.name}</containerId>
-            <zipUrlInstaller>
-              <url>${container.url}</url>
-              <installDir>${project.build.directory}/installs/${container.name}</installDir>
-            </zipUrlInstaller>
-            <log>${project.build.directory}/logs/${container.name}.log</log>
-            <output>${project.build.directory}/logs/${container.name}.out</output>
-            <timeout>600000</timeout>
-            <systemProperties>
-              <appserver.base>${project.build.directory}/appserver-base</appserver.base>
-              <appserver.home>${project.build.directory}/appserver-base</appserver.home>
-            </systemProperties>
-          </container>
-          <configuration>
-            <home>${project.build.directory}/${container.name}conf</home>
-            <type>existing</type>
-            <properties>
-              <cargo.servlet.port>9696</cargo.servlet.port>
-            </properties>
-          </configuration>
-        </configuration>
-      </plugin>
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
         <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
@@ -327,10 +178,183 @@
     </plugins>
   </build>
   <profiles>
+    <profile>
+      <id>create-container</id>
+      <activation>
+        <property>
+          <name>!container</name>
+        </property>
+      </activation>
+      <build>
+        <plugins>
+          <plugin>
+            <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
+            <artifactId>dependency-maven-plugin</artifactId>
+            <executions>
+              <execution>
+                <id>unzip-archiva-webapp</id>
+                <phase>generate-resources</phase>
+                <goals>
+                  <goal>unpack</goal>
+                </goals>
+                <configuration>
+                  <artifactItems>
+                    <artifactItem>
+                      <groupId>${project.groupId}</groupId>
+                      <artifactId>archiva-webapp</artifactId>
+                      <version>${project.version}</version>
+                      <type>war</type>
+                    </artifactItem>
+                  </artifactItems>
+                  <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}/${container.name}conf/webapps/archiva</outputDirectory>
+                </configuration>
+              </execution>
+              <execution>
+                <id>prepare-provided-dependencies</id>
+                <phase>generate-resources</phase>
+                <goals>
+                  <goal>copy-dependencies</goal>
+                </goals>
+                <configuration>
+                  <includeGroupIds>org.apache.derby,javax.mail,javax.activation</includeGroupIds>
+                  <overWriteReleases>false</overWriteReleases>
+                  <overWriteSnapshots>true</overWriteSnapshots>
+                  <excludeTransitive>false</excludeTransitive>
+                  <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}/providedDependencies</outputDirectory>
+                </configuration>
+              </execution>
+            </executions>
+          </plugin>
+          <plugin>
+            <artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
+            <executions>
+              <execution>
+                <phase>generate-resources</phase>
+                <goals>
+                  <goal>run</goal>
+                </goals>
+                <configuration>
+                  <tasks>
+                    <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/appserver-base">
+                      <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/appserver-base" />
+                    </copy>
+                    <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/repository">
+                      <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/repository" />
+                    </copy>
+                    <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/index">
+                      <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/index" />
+                    </copy>
+                    <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/snapshots">
+                      <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/snapshots" />
+                    </copy>
+                    <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/projects">
+                      <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/projects" />
+                    </copy>
+                    <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/local-repo">
+                      <fileset dir="src/test/it-resources/local-repo" />
+                    </copy>
+                  </tasks>
+                </configuration>
+              </execution>
+              <execution>
+                <id>copy-container-conf</id>
+                <phase>package</phase>
+                <configuration>
+                  <tasks>
+                    <copy todir="${project.build.directory}/${container.name}conf">
+                      <fileset dir="src/test/${container.name}" />
+                    </copy>
+                    <copy
+                      todir="${project.build.directory}/installs/${container.name}/apache-tomcat-5.5.26/apache-tomcat-5.5.26/common/lib">
+                      <fileset dir="${project.build.directory}/providedDependencies">
+                        <include name="**/*.jar" />
+                      </fileset>
+                    </copy>
+                  </tasks>
+                </configuration>
+                <goals>
+                  <goal>run</goal>
+                </goals>
+              </execution>
+              <execution>
+                <id>check-archiva-loaded</id>
+                <phase>integration-test</phase>
+                <configuration>
+                  <tasks>
+                    <get src="http://localhost:9696/archiva/" dest="${project.build.directory}/index.html" />
+                    <delete file="${project.build.directory}/index.html" />
+                  </tasks>
+                </configuration>
+                <goals>
+                  <goal>run</goal>
+                </goals>
+              </execution>
+            </executions>
+          </plugin>
+          <plugin>
+            <groupId>org.codehaus.cargo</groupId>
+            <artifactId>cargo-maven2-plugin</artifactId>
+            <version>1.0</version>
+            <executions>
+              <execution>
+                <id>start-container</id>
+                <phase>pre-integration-test</phase>
+                <goals>
+                  <goal>start</goal>
+                </goals>
+              </execution>
+              <execution>
+                <id>stop-container</id>
+                <phase>post-integration-test</phase>
+                <goals>
+                  <goal>stop</goal>
+                </goals>
+              </execution>
+            </executions>
+            <configuration>
+              <wait>false</wait>
+              <container>
+                <containerId>${container.name}</containerId>
+                <zipUrlInstaller>
+                  <url>${container.url}</url>
+                  <installDir>${project.build.directory}/installs/${container.name}</installDir>
+                </zipUrlInstaller>
+                <log>${project.build.directory}/logs/${container.name}.log</log>
+                <output>${project.build.directory}/logs/${container.name}.out</output>
+                <timeout>600000</timeout>
+                <systemProperties>
+                  <appserver.base>${project.build.directory}/appserver-base</appserver.base>
+                  <appserver.home>${project.build.directory}/appserver-base</appserver.home>
+                </systemProperties>
+              </container>
+              <configuration>
+                <home>${project.build.directory}/${container.name}conf</home>
+                <type>existing</type>
+                <properties>
+                  <cargo.servlet.port>9696</cargo.servlet.port>
+                </properties>
+              </configuration>
+            </configuration>
+          </plugin>
+        </plugins>
+      </build>
+    </profile>
+    <profile>
+      <id>existing-container</id>
+      <activation>
+        <property>
+          <name>container</name>
+          <value>existing</value>
+        </property>
+      </activation>
+      <!-- edit src/test/resources/testng.properties as needed -->
+    </profile>
     <profile>
       <id>tomcat5x</id>
       <activation>
-        <activeByDefault>true</activeByDefault>
+        <property>
+          <name>!container</name>
+        </property>
       </activation>
       <properties>
         <container.name>tomcat5x</container.name>