diff --git a/.github/workflows/xcat_test.yml b/.github/workflows/xcat_test.yml
index b3c25ab77..0b486ea9a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/xcat_test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/xcat_test.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,13 @@ jobs:
         run: sudo env DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends --no-install-suggests ucf debconf-utils systemd libxml-simple-perl apache2 curl
       - name: Test Debian package lifecycle
         run: prove -v xCAT-test/native/xcatd_debian_lifecycle.t xCAT-test/native/xcatd_restart_callers.t xCAT-test/native/apache_package_lifecycle.t xCAT-test/native/package_upgrade_logging.t
+
+      - name: Install image test dependencies
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
+        run: sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends cpio gzip libdbd-sqlite3-perl libxml-simple-perl libnet-dns-perl
+      - name: Exercise image driver selection
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
+        run: prove xCAT-test/native/genimage_network_drivers.t
       - name: Prepare xCAT syslog directory
         if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
         run: sudo install -d -o syslog -g adm -m 0750 /var/log/xcat
diff --git a/xCAT-test/lib/XCAT/Test/ImageSandbox.pm b/xCAT-test/lib/XCAT/Test/ImageSandbox.pm
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..aed1d5f2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xCAT-test/lib/XCAT/Test/ImageSandbox.pm
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+package XCAT::Test::ImageSandbox;
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+use File::Basename qw(dirname);
+use File::Path qw(make_path);
+use File::Slurper qw(read_binary write_binary);
+use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
+use XCAT::Test::File qw(repo_path);
+use XCAT::Test::Lifecycle ();
+
+sub new {
+    my ($class, %options) = @_;
+    my $self = bless { %options, root => tempdir(CLEANUP => 1) }, $class;
+    make_path(map { "$self->{root}/$_" } qw(etc install tmp work/bin work/db));
+    return $self;
+}
+
+sub write {
+    my ($self, $path, $bytes) = @_;
+    my $file = "$self->{root}/$path";
+    make_path(dirname($file));
+    write_binary($file, $bytes);
+    return $file;
+}
+
+sub command {
+    my ($self, $name, $script) = @_;
+    my $file = $self->write("work/bin/$name", "#!/bin/sh\n$script");
+    chmod(0755, $file) or die "chmod $file: $!";
+    return $file;
+}
+
+sub read {
+    my ($self, $path) = @_;
+    return read_binary("$self->{root}/$path");
+}
+
+sub run {
+    my ($self, @command) = @_;
+    my @sandbox = ('bwrap', '--unshare-all', '--die-with-parent', '--new-session', '--tmpfs', '/',
+        (map { ('--ro-bind', $_, $_) } grep { -d $_ } qw(/usr /bin /sbin /lib /lib64)),
+        '--proc', '/proc', '--dev', '/dev', '--dir', '/run', '--dir', '/sys', '--dir', '/opt',
+        (map { ('--bind', "$self->{root}/$_", "/$_") } qw(etc install tmp work)),
+        '--ro-bind', repo_path('.'), '/repo', '--chdir', '/work',
+        '--setenv', 'PATH', '/work/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin',
+        '--setenv', 'LC_ALL', 'C', '--setenv', 'XCATROOT', '/repo/xCAT-server',
+        '--setenv', 'XCATCFG', 'SQLite:/work/db',
+        '--setenv', 'PERL5LIB', '/repo/perl-xCAT:/repo/xCAT-server/lib/perl');
+    push @sandbox, '--ro-bind', '/etc/alternatives', '/etc/alternatives' if -d '/etc/alternatives';
+    push @sandbox, @{ $self->{mounts} || [] };
+    local %ENV = (PATH => '/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin');
+    return XCAT::Test::Lifecycle::command(@sandbox, 'timeout', '45', @command);
+}
+1;
diff --git a/xCAT-test/native/genimage_network_drivers.t b/xCAT-test/native/genimage_network_drivers.t
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f17c35905
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xCAT-test/native/genimage_network_drivers.t
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+use FindBin;
+use lib "$FindBin::Bin/../lib";
+use File::Path qw(make_path);
+use Test::More;
+use XCAT::Test::ImageSandbox;
+
+plan skip_all => 'Linux namespaces require Linux' unless $^O eq 'linux';
+BAIL_OUT('Run the image caller tests as an unprivileged user') unless $>;
+
+for my $family (qw(rh sles ubuntu)) {
+    for my $mode (qw(inbox update explicit)) {
+        subtest "$family $mode" => sub {
+            my $box = XCAT::Test::ImageSandbox->new();
+            my $image = 'work/image/rootimg';
+            make_path(map { "$box->{root}/$image/$_" }
+                qw(bin dev run tmp boot etc lib/modules/fixture usr/lib/dracut/modules.d));
+            $box->write('etc/os-release', "ID=sles\nVERSION=\"15\"\n");
+            $box->write('etc/lsb-release', "DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu\nDISTRIB_RELEASE=24.04\n");
+            $box->write("$image/boot/vmlinuz-fixture", "kernel\n");
+            $box->write("$image/lib/modules/fixture/$_", '') for qw(modules.dep modules.builtin);
+            $box->write('install/postscripts/updateflag.awk', '');
+            $box->write("$image/lib/modules/fixture/kernel/mlx5_core.ko", 'inbox module') if $mode ne 'update';
+            $box->command('rpm', <<'SH');
+case "$*" in
+    --version) printf 'RPM version 4.18.2\n' ;;
+    '--root /work/image/rootimg -qi dracut') printf 'Version : 059\n' ;;
+    *) echo "Unexpected rpm: $*" >&2; exit 97 ;;
+esac
+SH
+            $box->command('chroot', <<'SH');
+root=$1
+shift
+case "$*" in
+    'rpm --version') printf 'RPM version 4.18.2\n' ;;
+    'rpm -qi dracut') printf 'Version : 059\n' ;;
+    'dpkg-query -W dracut') printf 'dracut 059\n' ;;
+    'bash -c type -p pigz') exit 1 ;;
+    'depmod fixture') : ;;
+    dracut\ *)
+        cp "$root/etc/dracut.conf" /work/dracut.conf
+        while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
+            if [ "$1" = '-f' ]; then shift; printf 'initrd\n' >"$root$1"; break; fi
+            shift
+        done ;;
+    *) echo "Unexpected chroot: $*" >&2; exit 97 ;;
+esac
+SH
+            $box->command('mount', <<'SH');
+case "$*" in
+    'proc /work/image/rootimg/proc -t proc'|'sysfs /work/image/rootimg/sys -t sysfs'|'--bind /run /work/image/rootimg/run') : ;;
+    '-o loop '* )
+        for destination; do :; done
+        cp -a /work/disk/. "$destination/" ;;
+    *) echo "Unexpected mount: $*" >&2; exit 97 ;;
+esac
+SH
+            $box->command('umount', "exit 0\n");
+            my $os = $family eq 'rh' ? 'rhels10.1' : $family eq 'sles' ? 'sles15.6' : 'ubuntu24.04';
+            if ($mode eq 'update') {
+                $box->write("install/driverdisk/$os/x86_64/update.img", 'disk fixture');
+                if ($family eq 'sles') {
+                    $box->write('work/disk/linux/suse/x86_64-sles15.6/modules/mlx4_en.ko', 'updated module');
+                } else {
+                    $box->write('work/disk/modinfo', "Version 0\nmlx4_en\n");
+                    $box->write('work/archive/fixture/x86_64/mlx4_en.ko', 'updated module');
+                    my ($rc, $output, $error) = $box->run('sh', '-c',
+                        'cd /work/archive && find . | cpio -o -H newc | gzip > /work/disk/modules.cgz');
+                    is($rc, 0, 'driver archive is built') or diag($output, $error);
+                }
+            }
+            my @args = ('--onlyinitrd', '-a', 'x86_64', '-o', $os, '-p', 'compute',
+                '-k', 'fixture', '-i', 'eth0', '--rootimgdir', '/work/image');
+            push @args, '-g', 'fixture' if $family eq 'sles';
+            push @args, '-n', ($mode eq 'update' ? 'mlx_en' : 'custom_driver') if $mode ne 'inbox';
+            my ($rc, $output, $error) = $box->run('perl', "/repo/xCAT-server/share/xcat/netboot/$family/genimage",
+                @args, 'fixture-image');
+            is($rc, 0, 'complete genimage caller succeeds') or diag($output, $error);
+            unlike($error, qr/Unexpected (?:rpm|chroot|mount):/, 'all command fixtures accept the caller requests');
+            my $config = -f "$box->{root}/work/dracut.conf" ? $box->read('work/dracut.conf') : '';
+            my ($drivers) = $config =~ /^add_drivers\+="(.*)"$/m;
+            ok(defined $drivers, 'dracut receives the generated driver configuration');
+            my @mlx = grep { /^mlx/ } split /\s+/, $drivers || '';
+            my @expected = $mode eq 'update' ? ('mlx4_en')
+                : $family eq 'ubuntu' && $mode eq 'explicit' ? () : ('mlx5_core');
+            is_deeply(\@mlx, \@expected,
+                'only target-kernel Mellanox drivers reach dracut');
+            like($drivers || '', qr/\bcustom_driver\b/, 'explicit requests are preserved') if $mode eq 'explicit';
+            is($box->read("$image/lib/modules/fixture/kernel/drivers/driverdisk/mlx4_en.ko"),
+                'updated module', 'real driver-disk loading copies the module') if $mode eq 'update';
+        };
+    }
+}
+done_testing();
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/mellanox_netdrivers.t b/xCAT-test/unit/mellanox_netdrivers.t
index 0088640d1..7bedc1e53 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/mellanox_netdrivers.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/mellanox_netdrivers.t
@@ -34,21 +34,6 @@ my @cases = (
     [ 'ubuntu', 's390x', [qw(qdio ccwgroup)] ],
 );
 
-foreach my $family (qw(rh sles ubuntu)) {
-    my $source = read_text(repo_path(
-        "xCAT-server/share/xcat/netboot/$family/genimage",
-    ));
-    my $load_dd = index($source, 'my @dd_drivers = &load_dd();');
-    my $resolve = index(
-        $source,
-        '@ndrivers = imgutils::resolve_mellanox_default_net_drivers(',
-    );
-    ok(
-        $load_dd >= 0 && $resolve > $load_dd,
-        "$family resolves Mellanox defaults after installing driver updates",
-    );
-}
-
 foreach my $case (@cases) {
     my ( $family, $arch, $expected ) = @{$case};
     is_deeply(