diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index b624c6d8f0..6e3728c286 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -201,6 +201,8 @@ kernelinstalldir = kerneldir / 'install.d'
 factorydir = datadir / 'factory'
 bootlibdir = prefixdir / 'lib/systemd/boot/efi'
 testsdir = prefixdir / 'lib/systemd/tests'
+unittestsdir = testsdir / 'unit-tests'
+testdata_dir = testsdir / 'testdata'
 systemdstatedir = localstatedir / 'lib/systemd'
 catalogstatedir = systemdstatedir / 'catalog'
 randomseeddir = localstatedir / 'lib/systemd'
@@ -274,7 +276,7 @@ conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_LANGUAGE_FALLBACK_MAP',              pkgdatadir / 'lang
 conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_MAKEFS_PATH',                        rootlibexecdir / 'systemd-makefs')
 conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_PULL_PATH',                          rootlibexecdir / 'systemd-pull')
 conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_SHUTDOWN_BINARY_PATH',               rootlibexecdir / 'systemd-shutdown')
-conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_TEST_DATA',                          testsdir / 'testdata')
+conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_TEST_DATA',                          testdata_dir)
 conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_TTY_ASK_PASSWORD_AGENT_BINARY_PATH', rootbindir / 'systemd-tty-ask-password-agent')
 conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_UPDATE_HELPER_PATH',                 rootlibexecdir / 'systemd-update-helper')
 conf.set_quoted('SYSTEMD_USERWORK_PATH',                      rootlibexecdir / 'systemd-userwork')
@@ -4320,7 +4322,7 @@ foreach test : tests
                 build_by_default : want_tests != 'false',
                 install_rpath : rootpkglibdir,
                 install : install_tests,
-                install_dir : testsdir / type,
+                install_dir : unittestsdir / type,
                 link_depends : runtest_env)
 
         if type == 'manual'
@@ -4344,7 +4346,7 @@ exe = executable(
         dependencies : userspace,
         build_by_default : want_tests != 'false',
         install : install_tests,
-        install_dir : testsdir)
+        install_dir : unittestsdir)
 if want_tests != 'false'
         test('test-libsystemd-sym', exe)
 endif
@@ -4362,7 +4364,7 @@ exe = executable(
         ],
         build_by_default : want_tests != 'false' and static_libsystemd_pic,
         install : install_tests and static_libsystemd_pic,
-        install_dir : testsdir)
+        install_dir : unittestsdir)
 if want_tests != 'false' and static_libsystemd_pic
         test('test-libsystemd-static-sym', exe)
 endif
@@ -4376,7 +4378,7 @@ exe = executable(
         dependencies : userspace,
         build_by_default : want_tests != 'false',
         install : install_tests,
-        install_dir : testsdir)
+        install_dir : unittestsdir)
 if want_tests != 'false'
         test('test-libudev-sym', exe)
 endif
@@ -4390,7 +4392,7 @@ exe = executable(
         dependencies : userspace,
         build_by_default : want_tests != 'false' and static_libudev_pic,
         install : install_tests and static_libudev_pic,
-        install_dir : testsdir)
+        install_dir : unittestsdir)
 if want_tests != 'false' and static_libudev_pic
         test('test-libudev-static-sym', exe)
 endif
diff --git a/test/TEST-02-UNITTESTS/test.sh b/test/TEST-02-UNITTESTS/test.sh
index 80cb82a50d..3d766db3e7 100755
--- a/test/TEST-02-UNITTESTS/test.sh
+++ b/test/TEST-02-UNITTESTS/test.sh
@@ -20,6 +20,13 @@ $KERNEL_APPEND
 # shellcheck source=test/test-functions
 . "${TEST_BASE_DIR:?}/test-functions"
 
+test_append_files() {
+    if get_bool "$LOOKS_LIKE_SUSE"; then
+        dinfo "Install the unit test binaries needed by the TEST-02-UNITTESTS at runtime"
+        inst_recursive "${SOURCE_DIR}/unit-tests"
+    fi
+}
+
 check_result_nspawn() {
     check_result_nspawn_unittests "${1}"
 }
diff --git a/test/meson.build b/test/meson.build
index 1721cffcd5..80a83813cb 100644
--- a/test/meson.build
+++ b/test/meson.build
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later
 
 if install_tests
-        testdata_dir = testsdir + '/testdata/'
-
         foreach subdir : [
                 'auxv',
                 'journal-data',
@@ -59,6 +57,12 @@ if install_tests
         install_data('create-busybox-container',
                      install_mode : 'rwxr-xr-x',
                      install_dir : testdata_dir)
+
+        # The unit tests implemented as shell scripts expect to find testdata/
+        # in the directory where they are stored.
+        meson.add_install_script(meson_make_symlink,
+                                 testdata_dir,
+                                 unittestsdir / 'testdata')
 endif
 
 test_bootctl_json_sh = find_program('test-bootctl-json.sh')
@@ -76,7 +80,7 @@ test_sysusers_sh = configure_file(
         configuration : conf)
 if install_tests and conf.get('ENABLE_SYSUSERS') == 1
         install_data(test_sysusers_sh,
-                     install_dir : testsdir)
+                     install_dir : unittestsdir)
         install_subdir('test-sysusers',
                        exclude_files : '.gitattributes',
                        install_dir : testdata_dir)
@@ -87,7 +91,7 @@ endif
 test_compare_versions_sh = files('test-compare-versions.sh')
 if install_tests
         install_data(test_compare_versions_sh,
-                     install_dir : testsdir)
+                     install_dir : unittestsdir)
 endif
 
 ############################################################
@@ -109,11 +113,11 @@ if install_tests
 
         install_data('test-fstab-generator.sh',
                      install_mode : 'rwxr-xr-x',
-                     install_dir : testsdir)
+                     install_dir : unittestsdir)
 
         install_data('test-network-generator-conversion.sh',
                      install_mode : 'rwxr-xr-x',
-                     install_dir : testsdir)
+                     install_dir : unittestsdir)
 endif
 
 ############################################################
diff --git a/test/run-unit-tests.py b/test/run-unit-tests.py
index 4b180cc8df..2d6709b703 100755
--- a/test/run-unit-tests.py
+++ b/test/run-unit-tests.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ def argument_parser():
 
 opts = argument_parser().parse_args()
 
-unittestdir = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.absolute()
+unittestdir = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.absolute() / 'unit-tests'
 
 tests = list(unittestdir.glob('test-*'))
 if opts.unsafe:
diff --git a/test/test-functions b/test/test-functions
index 644410d7bc..77894f8756 100644
--- a/test/test-functions
+++ b/test/test-functions
@@ -1144,7 +1144,7 @@ install_debian_systemd() {
         ddebug "Install debian files from package $deb"
         for file in $files; do
             [ -e "$file" ] || continue
-            [ -d "$file" ] && continue
+            [ ! -L "$file" ] && [ -d "$file" ] && continue
             inst "$file"
         done
     done < <(grep -E '^Package:' "${SOURCE_DIR}/debian/control" | cut -d ':' -f 2)
@@ -1174,23 +1174,13 @@ install_suse_systemd() {
         ddebug "Install files from package $p"
         while read -r f; do
             [ -e "$f" ] || continue
-            [ -d "$f" ] && continue
+            [ ! -L "$file" ] && [ -d "$file" ] && continue
             inst "$f"
         done < <(rpm -ql "$p")
     done
 
-    # Embed the files needed by the extended testsuite at runtime. Also include
-    # the unit tests needed by TEST-02-UNITTESTS. This is mostly equivalent to
-    # what `ninja install` does for the tests when '-Dinstall-tests=true'.
-    #
-    # Why? openSUSE ships a package named 'systemd-testsuite' which contains
-    # the minimal set of files that allows to run the testsuite on the host (as
-    # long as it runs an equivalent version of systemd) getting rid of the
-    # hassles of fetching, configuring, building the source code.
-    dinfo "Install the files needed by the tests at runtime"
-    image_install "${SOURCE_DIR}"/test-*
+    dinfo "Install the data needed by the tests at runtime"
     inst_recursive "${SOURCE_DIR}/testdata"
-    inst_recursive "${SOURCE_DIR}/manual"
 
     # On openSUSE, this directory is not created at package install, at least
     # for now.
@@ -1272,7 +1262,7 @@ get_ldpath() {
 install_missing_libraries() {
     dinfo "Install missing libraries"
     # install possible missing libraries
-    for i in "${initdir:?}"{,/usr}/{sbin,bin}/* "$initdir"{,/usr}/lib/systemd/{,tests/{,manual/,unsafe/}}*; do
+    for i in "${initdir:?}"{,/usr}/{sbin,bin}/* "$initdir"{,/usr}/lib/systemd/{,tests/unit-tests/{,manual/,unsafe/}}*; do
         LD_LIBRARY_PATH="${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:+$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:}$(get_ldpath "$i")" inst_libs "$i"
     done
 
diff --git a/test/units/testsuite-02.sh b/test/units/testsuite-02.sh
index 8ebcc575ee..61f6d06397 100755
--- a/test/units/testsuite-02.sh
+++ b/test/units/testsuite-02.sh
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ set -o pipefail
 NPROC=$(nproc)
 MAX_QUEUE_SIZE=${NPROC:-2}
 TESTS_GLOB=${TESTS_GLOB:-test-*}
-mapfile -t TEST_LIST < <(find /usr/lib/systemd/tests/ -maxdepth 1 -type f -name "${TESTS_GLOB}")
+mapfile -t TEST_LIST < <(find /usr/lib/systemd/tests/unit-tests/ -maxdepth 1 -type f -name "${TESTS_GLOB}")
 
 # reset state
 rm -fv /failed-tests /skipped-tests /skipped
diff --git a/test/units/testsuite-35.sh b/test/units/testsuite-35.sh
index 02f22cf2a2..8dcd7563bb 100755
--- a/test/units/testsuite-35.sh
+++ b/test/units/testsuite-35.sh
@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ test_session_properties() {
     create_session
 
     s=$(loginctl list-sessions --no-legend | awk '$3 == "logind-test-user" { print $1 }')
-    /usr/lib/systemd/tests/manual/test-session-properties "/org/freedesktop/login1/session/_3${s?}"
+    /usr/lib/systemd/tests/unit-tests/manual/test-session-properties "/org/freedesktop/login1/session/_3${s?}"
 }
 
 test_list_users() {