diff --git a/BUILD.md b/BUILD.md
index cea63b1..b969225 100644
--- a/BUILD.md
+++ b/BUILD.md
@@ -75,12 +75,16 @@ the whole run.
 1. Optional chroot cleanup (`--scrub-all-chroots`)
 2. Parallel build execution — only the target's manifest packages; any failure fails the run
 3. Post-build chroot scrub — reclaims each build step's mock chroot (unless `--keep-buildroots`)
-4. Optional install/smoke checks inside child builders (disabled with `--skip-install`)
-5. Binary RPM collection into `repo/<ARCH>/`
-6. Source RPM collection into `repo-src/`
-7. `createrepo --update` on both repo trees
-8. Tarball creation for both repo trees
-9. Summary generation (`summary.txt`)
+4. Binary RPM collection into `repo/<ARCH>/`
+5. Source RPM collection into `repo-src/`
+6. `createrepo --update` on both repo trees
+7. Tarball creation for both repo trees
+8. Summary generation (`summary.txt`)
+
+The build process does **not** install any built RPM onto the build host. Installing an EL8/EL9
+package on the (single, possibly EL10) build host corrupts the host RPM database; the real
+install-and-run verification happens in the CI's separate Test phase (`cluster-test.pl` boots a
+matching MN and installs xCAT + the freshly built xcat-dep there).
 
 # Packages notes
 
@@ -96,8 +100,6 @@ the whole run.
 
 Use these flags to skip specific operations:
 
-- `--skip-install`
-  - Skips install/smoke checks performed by child builder scripts after RPM build.
 - `--skip-genesis`
   - Skips the `xCAT-genesis-base` build (`<XCAT_SOURCE>/buildrpms.pl --package xCAT-genesis-base`).
 - `--skip-xcat-dep`
@@ -194,15 +196,15 @@ perl ./mockbuild-all.pl \
 
 Notes:
 
-- Install/smoke checks run by default inside child builders.
-- Add `--skip-install` to skip those checks.
+- The build never installs a built RPM onto the build host (see above); install-and-run
+  verification is the CI Test phase's job.
 - Add `--skip-genesis` to skip the `xCAT-genesis-base` build (the only step that invokes
   `<XCAT_SOURCE>/buildrpms.pl`).
 - `<RUN_ID>` is optional; when omitted it is timestamp-based.
 
 # Common Build Modes
 
-xcat-dep repo (with install/smoke checks):
+xcat-dep repo:
 
 ```bash
 cd <REPO_ROOT>
@@ -212,17 +214,6 @@ perl ./mockbuild-all.pl \
   --scrub-all-chroots
 ```
 
-xcat-dep repo (skip install/smoke checks):
-
-```bash
-cd <REPO_ROOT>
-perl ./mockbuild-all.pl \
-  --repo-root <REPO_ROOT> \
-  --xcat-source <XCAT_SOURCE> \
-  --scrub-all-chroots \
-  --skip-install
-```
-
 Dependency repo without the `xCAT-genesis-base` build:
 
 ```bash
@@ -231,8 +222,7 @@ perl ./mockbuild-all.pl \
   --repo-root <REPO_ROOT> \
   --xcat-source <XCAT_SOURCE> \
   --scrub-all-chroots \
-  --skip-genesis \
-  --skip-install
+  --skip-genesis
 ```
 
 Collection-only pass from existing build artifacts:
diff --git a/MockBuildUtils.pm b/MockBuildUtils.pm
index f444a44..45879d7 100644
--- a/MockBuildUtils.pm
+++ b/MockBuildUtils.pm
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use File::Basename qw(basename);
 use File::Copy qw(copy);
 use File::Find;
 use Sys::Hostname;
+use Digest::MD5 qw(md5_hex);
 
 our @EXPORT_OK = qw(
     sh_quote print_step
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ our @EXPORT_OK = qw(
     verify_repo_packages verify_repo_signature
     rpm_version rpm_release rpm_sigmd5 rpm_is_signed restamp_release_line
     cross_copy_genesis finalize_xcat_dep bump_dep_release_suffix
+    build_mock_uniqueext
 );
 
 # sh_quote: single-quote a string for safe use in a shell command.
@@ -377,4 +379,41 @@ sub bump_dep_release_suffix {
     return $bumped;
 }
 
+# build_mock_uniqueext: a mock --uniqueext UNIQUE per (run, build-step) so concurrent mock builds
+# never share a chroot root (/var/lib/mock/<cfg>-<uniqueext>). $run is the per-target run id
+# (e.g. "alma+epel-8-ppc64le-<n>"), $seq orders the step, $label names the package.
+#
+# The run id must NOT be blindly tail-truncated. The per-target id leads with the EL/arch token, and
+# for the 7-char "ppc64le" arch the EL digit is exactly what falls off the front of a keep-the-last-24
+# truncation -- so alma+epel-{8,9,10}-ppc64le all collapse to the same run part. That is catastrophic
+# for goconserver, which compiles EVERY EL in the el10 chroot (build_cfg rewritten to -10-): the
+# chroot NAME is then identical across the three ELs, and the uniqueext is the ONLY thing keeping
+# their roots apart, so three concurrent el8/el9/el10 ppc64le goconserver builds race in one root.
+# When the id is too long, keep a readable leading token AND append a short digest of the FULL id, so
+# distinct ids always yield distinct uniqueext regardless of where in the string they differ.
+sub build_mock_uniqueext {
+    my ($run, $seq, $label) = @_;
+
+    my $run_part = defined($run) ? $run : 'run';
+    $run_part =~ s/[^A-Za-z0-9_.-]+/-/g;
+    $run_part =~ s/^-+|-+$//g;
+    $run_part = 'run' if $run_part eq '';
+    if (length($run_part) > 24) {
+        my $digest = substr(md5_hex($run_part), 0, 8);
+        (my $head = substr($run_part, 0, 15)) =~ s/-+$//;
+        $run_part = "$head-$digest";
+    }
+
+    my $label_part = defined($label) ? $label : 'step';
+    $label_part =~ s/[^A-Za-z0-9_.-]+/-/g;
+    $label_part =~ s/^-+|-+$//g;
+    $label_part = 'step' if $label_part eq '';
+    $label_part = substr($label_part, 0, 20) if length($label_part) > 20;
+
+    my $idx = defined($seq) ? int($seq) : 0;
+    $idx = 0 if $idx < 0;
+
+    return sprintf("mba-%02d-%s-%s", $idx, $run_part, $label_part);
+}
+
 1;
diff --git a/conserver/mockbuild.pl b/conserver/mockbuild.pl
index 6d175e6..e03c959 100755
--- a/conserver/mockbuild.pl
+++ b/conserver/mockbuild.pl
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl
 #
 # mockbuild.pl - build conserver-xcat (the traditional C conserver, 8.2.1) for one
-# mock target and smoke-test the resulting binaries. Mirrors the other xcat-dep
+# mock target. Mirrors the other xcat-dep
 # builders (goconserver/mockbuild.pl, ipmitool/mockbuild.pl): stage sources + spec,
-# build a SRPM, `mock --rebuild` it in the target chroot, copy the RPMs to
-# --result-dir, then (unless --skip-install) install into the chroot and run
-# `console -V` / `conserver -V` to confirm the binaries work.
+# build a SRPM, `mock --rebuild` it in the target chroot, and copy the RPMs to
+# --result-dir.
 #
 # conserver is NOT part of the default mockbuild-all.pl dep set (xCAT uses goconserver),
 # so this builder is standalone. Usage:
@@ -28,7 +27,6 @@ my $mock_cfg       = '';
 my $mock_uniqueext = '';
 my $result_dir     = "$script_dir/../build-output/list-conserver/conserver";
 my $log_dir        = "$script_dir/../build-logs/list-conserver/conserver";
-my $skip_install   = 0;
 my $build_timestamp;
 
 GetOptions(
@@ -37,7 +35,6 @@ GetOptions(
     'mock-uniqueext=s'  => \$mock_uniqueext,
     'result-dir=s'      => \$result_dir,
     'log-dir=s'         => \$log_dir,
-    'skip-install!'     => \$skip_install,
     'build-timestamp=i' => \$build_timestamp,
 ) or die usage();
 
@@ -112,19 +109,6 @@ for my $r (@rpms) {
 }
 print "built: " . join(', ', map { basename($_) } @rpms) . "\n";
 
-# ---- smoke test: install into the chroot and run the binaries ---------------
-unless ($skip_install) {
-    print "== Smoke test (install + run) ==\n";
-    run("mock -r " . sh_quote($mock_cfg) . $uniq . " --install " . sh_quote($main)
-        . " > " . sh_quote("$log_dir/install.log") . " 2>&1");
-    # console (client) and conserver (daemon) both print their version to stderr/stdout.
-    my $smoke = capture("mock -r " . sh_quote($mock_cfg) . $uniq
-        . " --chroot -- " . sh_quote('/usr/bin/console -V 2>&1; /usr/sbin/conserver -V 2>&1')
-        . " 2>&1");
-    print "  output: $smoke\n";
-    die "FATAL: smoke test did not report version $version\n" unless $smoke =~ /\Q$version\E/;
-    print "smoke test PASSED (console/conserver report $version)\n";
-}
 print "DONE: conserver-xcat $version for $mock_cfg -> $result_dir\n";
 
 # ---- helpers ----------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -143,5 +127,5 @@ sub capture {
 sub sh_quote { my ($s) = @_; $s =~ s/'/'\\''/g; return "'$s'"; }
 sub usage {
     return "usage: mockbuild.pl --mock-cfg <cfg> [--result-dir DIR] [--work-dir DIR]\n"
-         . "                    [--log-dir DIR] [--mock-uniqueext EXT] [--skip-install]\n";
+         . "                    [--log-dir DIR] [--mock-uniqueext EXT]\n";
 }
diff --git a/elilo/mockbuild.pl b/elilo/mockbuild.pl
index d6d7b5e..663145d 100755
--- a/elilo/mockbuild.pl
+++ b/elilo/mockbuild.pl
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ my $mock_cfg    = '';
 my $mock_uniqueext = '';
 my $result_dir  = "$repo_root/build-output/list3/elilo-xcat";
 my $log_dir     = "$repo_root/build-logs/list3/elilo-xcat";
-my $skip_install = 0;
 my $build_timestamp;
 
 GetOptions(
@@ -29,7 +28,6 @@ GetOptions(
     'mock-uniqueext=s' => \$mock_uniqueext,
     'result-dir=s'   => \$result_dir,
     'log-dir=s'      => \$log_dir,
-    'skip-install!'  => \$skip_install,
     'build-timestamp=i' => \$build_timestamp,
 ) or die usage();
 
@@ -79,7 +77,6 @@ print "log_dir:    $log_dir\n";
 print "mock_cfg:   $mock_cfg\n";
 print "mock_uniqueext: " . ($mock_uniqueext ne '' ? $mock_uniqueext : '(none)') . "\n";
 print "source_file:$source_file\n";
-print "skip_install: $skip_install\n";
 
 make_path($result_dir);
 make_path($log_dir);
@@ -207,37 +204,6 @@ for my $log (qw(build.log root.log state.log hw_info.log installed_pkgs.log)) {
         or die "Failed to copy $src to $log_dir: $!\n";
 }
 
-if (!$skip_install) {
-    print_step("Install RPM and run smoke tests");
-    run("dnf -y install " . sh_quote($main_rpm));
-
-    my $efi_file = '/tftpboot/xcat/elilo-x64.efi';
-    die "Missing installed EFI binary: $efi_file\n" if !-f $efi_file;
-
-    my $file_log = "$log_dir/smoke-file.log";
-    my $qf_log   = "$log_dir/smoke-rpm-qf.log";
-    my $rc_file  = run_capture_rc("file $efi_file", $file_log);
-    my $rc_qf    = run_capture_rc("rpm -qf $efi_file", $qf_log);
-
-    die "Smoke check failed: file returned $rc_file\n" if $rc_file != 0;
-    die "Smoke check failed: rpm -qf returned $rc_qf\n" if $rc_qf != 0;
-
-    my $file_out = slurp($file_log);
-    my $qf_out   = slurp($qf_log);
-
-    die "EFI file signature check failed:\n$file_out\n"
-        if $file_out !~ /(EFI application|PE32\+ executable)/i;
-    die "Installed file is not owned by elilo-xcat:\n$qf_out\n"
-        if $qf_out !~ /^elilo-xcat-/m;
-
-    my $summary = "$log_dir/smoke-summary.txt";
-    open my $sfh, '>', $summary or die "Cannot write $summary: $!\n";
-    print {$sfh} "efi_file=$efi_file\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_file=$rc_file\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_qf=$rc_qf\n";
-    close $sfh;
-}
-
 print_step("Completed");
 print "Main RPM: $main_rpm\n";
 print "Artifacts: $result_dir\n";
@@ -253,7 +219,6 @@ Usage: $0 [options]
   --mock-uniqueext TXT  Optional mock --uniqueext suffix to isolate concurrent builds
   --result-dir PATH     Output RPM/SRPM directory (default: $result_dir)
   --log-dir PATH        Log directory (default: $log_dir)
-  --skip-install        Skip dnf install + smoke tests
   --build-timestamp EPOCH  Unix timestamp for SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH (deterministic builds)
 USAGE
 }
diff --git a/goconserver/mockbuild.pl b/goconserver/mockbuild.pl
index c6d3ec8..d9c9630 100755
--- a/goconserver/mockbuild.pl
+++ b/goconserver/mockbuild.pl
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ my $mock_cfg    = '';
 my $mock_uniqueext = '';
 my $result_dir  = "$repo_root/build-output/list5/goconserver";
 my $log_dir     = "$repo_root/build-logs/list5/goconserver";
-my $skip_install = 0;
 my $version     = '0.3.3';
 my $go_repo     = 'https://github.com/xcat2/goconserver.git';
 # Immutable pin: goconserver 0.3.3 is unreleased (newest tag v0.3.2) so it lives only on master.
@@ -33,7 +32,6 @@ GetOptions(
     'mock-uniqueext=s' => \$mock_uniqueext,
     'result-dir=s'     => \$result_dir,
     'log-dir=s'        => \$log_dir,
-    'skip-install!'    => \$skip_install,
     'version=s'        => \$version,
     'go-repo=s'        => \$go_repo,
     'go-ref=s'         => \$go_ref,
@@ -95,7 +93,6 @@ print "arch:         $arch\n";
 print "version:      $version\n";
 print "go_ref:       $go_ref\n";
 print "release_suffix: " . ($release_suffix ne '' ? $release_suffix : '(none)') . "\n";
-print "skip_install: $skip_install\n";
 
 make_path($result_dir);
 make_path($log_dir);
@@ -288,19 +285,6 @@ for my $log (qw(build.log root.log state.log)) {
 system("mock -r " . sh_quote($build_cfg) . $mock_uniqueext_opt .
        " --scrub=chroot --scrub=bootstrap >" . sh_quote("$log_dir/mock-scrub.log") . " 2>&1");
 
-if (!$skip_install) {
-    print_step("Install and smoke test");
-    my $main_rpm = $arch_rpms[0];
-    run("dnf -y install " . sh_quote($main_rpm) . " >" . sh_quote("$log_dir/dnf-install.log") . " 2>&1");
-    die "Missing /usr/bin/goconserver\n" if !-x '/usr/bin/goconserver';
-    die "Missing /usr/bin/congo\n"       if !-x '/usr/bin/congo';
-    my $rc_help = run_rc("goconserver -h >" . sh_quote("$log_dir/smoke-help.log") . " 2>&1");
-    die "goconserver -h failed (rc=$rc_help)\n" if $rc_help > 1;
-    my $rc_congo = run_rc("congo -h >" . sh_quote("$log_dir/smoke-congo.log") . " 2>&1");
-    die "congo -h failed (rc=$rc_congo)\n" if $rc_congo > 1;
-    print "Smoke tests passed.\n";
-}
-
 print_step("Completed");
 print "Results in: $result_dir\n";
 exit 0;
@@ -321,7 +305,6 @@ Options:
   --mock-uniqueext STR  Mock uniqueext (for concurrency isolation under mockbuild-all.pl)
   --result-dir PATH     Output directory for RPMs
   --log-dir PATH        Output directory for logs
-  --skip-install        Skip dnf install + smoke tests
   --version VER         Version string (default: 0.3.3)
   --go-repo URL         Git repo URL (default: github.com/xcat2/goconserver)
   --go-ref REF          Git ref/SHA to build (default: the pinned commit)
@@ -352,13 +335,6 @@ sub run {
     }
 }
 
-sub run_rc {
-    my ($cmd) = @_;
-    print "+ $cmd\n";
-    my $rc = system($cmd);
-    return $rc == -1 ? 255 : ($rc >> 8);
-}
-
 sub capture {
     my ($cmd) = @_;
     my $out = `$cmd`;
diff --git a/grub2-xcat/mockbuild.pl b/grub2-xcat/mockbuild.pl
index a7848c9..a3d8ad9 100755
--- a/grub2-xcat/mockbuild.pl
+++ b/grub2-xcat/mockbuild.pl
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ my $mock_cfg      = '';
 my $mock_uniqueext = '';
 my $result_dir    = "$repo_root/build-output/list3/grub2-xcat";
 my $log_dir       = "$repo_root/build-logs/list3/grub2-xcat";
-my $skip_install  = 0;
 my $build_timestamp;
 
 GetOptions(
@@ -30,7 +29,6 @@ GetOptions(
     'mock-uniqueext=s'       => \$mock_uniqueext,
     'result-dir=s'           => \$result_dir,
     'log-dir=s'              => \$log_dir,
-    'skip-install!'          => \$skip_install,
     'build-timestamp=i'      => \$build_timestamp,
 ) or die usage();
 
@@ -88,7 +86,6 @@ print "result_dir: $result_dir\n";
 print "log_dir:    $log_dir\n";
 print "mock_cfg:   $mock_cfg\n";
 print "mock_uniqueext: " . ($mock_uniqueext ne '' ? $mock_uniqueext : '(none)') . "\n";
-print "skip_install:  $skip_install\n";
 
 make_path($result_dir);
 make_path($log_dir);
@@ -218,48 +215,6 @@ for my $log (qw(build.log root.log state.log hw_info.log installed_pkgs.log)) {
         or die "Failed to copy $src to $log_dir: $!\n";
 }
 
-if (!$skip_install) {
-    print_step("Install RPM and run smoke tests");
-    run("dnf -y install " . sh_quote($main_rpm));
-
-    my $core = '/tftpboot/boot/grub2/powerpc-ieee1275/core.elf';
-    my $grub2ppc = '/tftpboot/boot/grub2/grub2.ppc';
-    die "Missing installed core image: $core\n" if !-f $core;
-    die "Missing installed post script output: $grub2ppc\n" if !-f $grub2ppc;
-
-    my $file_core_log = "$log_dir/smoke-file-core.log";
-    my $file_ppc_log  = "$log_dir/smoke-file-grub2ppc.log";
-    my $qf_log        = "$log_dir/smoke-rpm-qf.log";
-
-    my $rc_file_core = run_capture_rc("file $core", $file_core_log);
-    my $rc_file_ppc  = run_capture_rc("file $grub2ppc", $file_ppc_log);
-    my $rc_qf        = run_capture_rc("rpm -qf $core", $qf_log);
-    my $rc_cmp       = run_capture_rc("cmp -s $core $grub2ppc", "$log_dir/smoke-cmp.log");
-
-    die "Smoke check failed: file core returned $rc_file_core\n" if $rc_file_core != 0;
-    die "Smoke check failed: file grub2.ppc returned $rc_file_ppc\n" if $rc_file_ppc != 0;
-    die "Smoke check failed: rpm -qf returned $rc_qf\n" if $rc_qf != 0;
-    die "Smoke check failed: core.elf and grub2.ppc differ (cmp rc=$rc_cmp)\n" if $rc_cmp != 0;
-
-    my $core_out = slurp($file_core_log);
-    my $qf_out   = slurp($qf_log);
-
-    die "Core image signature check failed:\n$core_out\n"
-        if $core_out !~ /ELF|data/i;
-    die "Installed core image is not owned by grub2-xcat:\n$qf_out\n"
-        if $qf_out !~ /^grub2-xcat-/m;
-
-    my $summary = "$log_dir/smoke-summary.txt";
-    open my $sfh, '>', $summary or die "Cannot write $summary: $!\n";
-    print {$sfh} "core=$core\n";
-    print {$sfh} "grub2ppc=$grub2ppc\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_file_core=$rc_file_core\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_file_ppc=$rc_file_ppc\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_qf=$rc_qf\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_cmp=$rc_cmp\n";
-    close $sfh;
-}
-
 print_step("Completed");
 print "Main RPM: $main_rpm\n";
 print "Artifacts: $result_dir\n";
@@ -275,7 +230,6 @@ Usage: $0 [options]
   --mock-uniqueext TXT    Optional mock --uniqueext suffix to isolate concurrent builds
   --result-dir PATH       Output RPM/SRPM directory (default: $result_dir)
   --log-dir PATH          Log directory (default: $log_dir)
-  --skip-install          Skip dnf install + smoke tests
   --build-timestamp EPOCH Unix timestamp for deterministic builds (SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH)
 USAGE
 }
diff --git a/ipmitool/mockbuild.pl b/ipmitool/mockbuild.pl
index f02f2f2..ba599b2 100755
--- a/ipmitool/mockbuild.pl
+++ b/ipmitool/mockbuild.pl
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ my $mock_cfg = '';
 my $mock_uniqueext = '';
 my $result_dir = "$repo_root/build-output/list3/ipmitool-xcat";
 my $log_dir = "$repo_root/build-logs/list3/ipmitool-xcat";
-my $skip_install = 0;
 my $build_timestamp;
 
 GetOptions(
@@ -29,7 +28,6 @@ GetOptions(
     'mock-uniqueext=s' => \$mock_uniqueext,
     'result-dir=s'   => \$result_dir,
     'log-dir=s'      => \$log_dir,
-    'skip-install!'  => \$skip_install,
     'build-timestamp=i' => \$build_timestamp,
 ) or die usage();
 
@@ -79,7 +77,6 @@ print "log_dir:    $log_dir\n";
 print "mock_cfg:   $mock_cfg\n";
 print "mock_uniqueext: " . ($mock_uniqueext ne '' ? $mock_uniqueext : '(none)') . "\n";
 print "source_file:$source_file\n";
-print "skip_install: $skip_install\n";
 print "SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH: $SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH\n";
 
 make_path($result_dir);
@@ -206,60 +203,6 @@ for my $log (qw(build.log root.log state.log hw_info.log installed_pkgs.log)) {
         or die "Failed to copy $src to $log_dir: $!\n";
 }
 
-if (!$skip_install) {
-    print_step("Install RPM and run smoke tests");
-    run("dnf -y install " . sh_quote($main_rpm));
-
-    my $bin = '/opt/xcat/bin/ipmitool-xcat';
-    die "Missing installed binary: $bin\n" if !-x $bin;
-
-    my $help_short_log = "$log_dir/smoke-help-short.log";
-    my $help_long_log  = "$log_dir/smoke-help-long.log";
-    my $version_log    = "$log_dir/smoke-version.log";
-    my $open_log       = "$log_dir/smoke-open-mc-info.log";
-    my $ldd_log        = "$log_dir/smoke-ldd.log";
-
-    my $rc_help_short = run_capture_rc("$bin -h", $help_short_log);
-    my $rc_help_long  = run_capture_rc("$bin --help", $help_long_log);
-    my $rc_version    = run_capture_rc("$bin -V", $version_log);
-    my $rc_open       = run_capture_rc("$bin -I open mc info", $open_log);
-    my $rc_ldd        = run_capture_rc("ldd $bin", $ldd_log);
-
-    die "Smoke check failed: -h returned $rc_help_short\n" if $rc_help_short != 0;
-    die "Smoke check failed: -V returned $rc_version\n" if $rc_version != 0;
-    die "Smoke check failed: ldd returned $rc_ldd\n" if $rc_ldd != 0;
-
-    my $help_short_out = slurp($help_short_log);
-    my $help_long_out  = slurp($help_long_log);
-    my $version_out    = slurp($version_log);
-    my $open_out       = slurp($open_log);
-    my $ldd_out        = slurp($ldd_log);
-
-    die "Short help output does not contain usage text\n"
-        if $help_short_out !~ /usage:/i;
-    die "Long help output does not contain usage text\n"
-        if $help_long_out !~ /usage:/i;
-    die "Long help returned unexpected rc=$rc_help_long (expected 0 or 1)\n"
-        if $rc_help_long != 0 && $rc_help_long != 1;
-    die "Version output missing expected version string\n"
-        if $version_out !~ /ipmitool-xcat version \Q$version\E/i;
-    die "ldd output missing libcrypto dependency\n"
-        if $ldd_out !~ /libcrypto/;
-    if ($rc_open != 0 && $open_out !~ m{Could not open device|/dev/ipmi}) {
-        die "IPMI probe failed with unexpected output:\n$open_out\n";
-    }
-
-    my $summary = "$log_dir/smoke-summary.txt";
-    open my $sfh, '>', $summary or die "Cannot write $summary: $!\n";
-    print {$sfh} "binary=$bin\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_help_short=$rc_help_short\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_help_long=$rc_help_long\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_version=$rc_version\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_open=$rc_open\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_ldd=$rc_ldd\n";
-    close $sfh;
-}
-
 print_step("Completed");
 print "Main RPM: $main_rpm\n";
 print "Artifacts: $result_dir\n";
@@ -275,7 +218,6 @@ Usage: $0 [options]
   --mock-uniqueext TXT  Optional mock --uniqueext suffix to isolate concurrent builds
   --result-dir PATH     Output RPM/SRPM directory (default: $result_dir)
   --log-dir PATH        Log directory (default: $log_dir)
-  --skip-install        Skip dnf install + smoke tests
   --build-timestamp N   Unix epoch for SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH (deterministic builds)
 USAGE
 }
diff --git a/mockbuild-all.pl b/mockbuild-all.pl
index 5956a98..0d3fd52 100755
--- a/mockbuild-all.pl
+++ b/mockbuild-all.pl
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ use lib $RealBin;
 use MockBuildUtils qw(sh_quote print_step version_matches required_pkgs
                       read_manifest verify_repo_packages verify_repo_signature
                       rpm_version rpm_release rpm_sigmd5 restamp_release_line
-                      cross_copy_genesis finalize_xcat_dep bump_dep_release_suffix);
+                      cross_copy_genesis finalize_xcat_dep bump_dep_release_suffix
+                      build_mock_uniqueext);
 
 # --- Mount-namespace isolation: guard the host cgroup against mock teardown propagation ----------
 # mock mounts /sys/fs/cgroup into every build chroot. On these systemd build hosts every mount is
@@ -80,7 +81,6 @@ my $build_number;
 # newest tag is v0.3.2), so it exists only on master -- pin an immutable SHA instead of the moving
 # branch so the build is reproducible. Bump this deliberately when uptaking a new goconserver.
 my $GOCONSERVER_REF = '6166fe5ec1c5b3c20475e322a9f0e8e93c87e45f';
-my $skip_install = 0;
 my $skip_build = 0;
 my $skip_xcat_dep = 0;
 my $skip_perl = 0;
@@ -134,7 +134,6 @@ GetOptions(
     'run-id=s'          => \$run_id,
     'build-timestamp=i' => \$build_timestamp,
     'build-number=i'    => \$build_number,
-    'skip-install!'     => \$skip_install,
     'skip-build!'       => \$skip_build,
     'skip-xcat-dep!'    => \$skip_xcat_dep,
     'skip-perl!'        => \$skip_perl,
@@ -443,7 +442,6 @@ print "skip_build:       $skip_build\n";
 print "skip_xcat_dep:    $skip_xcat_dep\n";
 print "skip_perl:        $skip_perl\n";
 print "skip_genesis:     $skip_genesis\n";
-print "skip_install:     $skip_install\n";
 print "skip_createrepo:  $skip_createrepo\n";
 print "skip_tarball:     $skip_tarball\n";
 print "scrub_all_chroots:$scrub_all_chroots\n";
@@ -485,7 +483,6 @@ if (!$skip_build) {
                 # host-local, run-scoped work dir so /tmp doesn't collide between runs
                 '--work-dir', sh_quote("/tmp/mockbuild-all-$run_id/$name"),
                 '--build-timestamp', $SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH,
-                ($skip_install ? '--skip-install' : ()),
                 # goconserver generates its spec at build time (from an upstream clone), so the
                 # in-tree spec Release bump above cannot reach it. Hand the CD suffix down so its
                 # NVR advances per run too, and pin the clone to an immutable commit (not the moving
@@ -529,7 +526,6 @@ if (!$skip_build) {
             # packages; the srpm-mode ones (HTML-Form, IO-Stty, Net-Telnet) build from a
             # committed .src.rpm, so hand the suffix down for the builder to re-stamp them.
             ($RELEASE_BUMP ne '' ? ('--release-suffix', sh_quote($RELEASE_BUMP)) : ()),
-            ($skip_install ? '--skip-install' : ()),
             ($keep_buildroots ? '--keep-buildroots' : ()),
         );
         push @build_steps, {
@@ -972,7 +968,6 @@ Options:
                           0/auto = host nproc (default: auto)
   --run-id ID             Run identifier suffix (default: derived from build timestamp)
   --build-timestamp EPOCH Unix epoch for deterministic builds (default: Gitepoch or git log)
-  --skip-install          Skip install/smoke tests in child builder scripts
   --skip-build            Skip all build steps and only collect/create repo/tarballs
   --skip-xcat-dep         Skip xcat-dep mockbuild.pl package steps
   --skip-perl             Skip perl package build step
@@ -1408,27 +1403,6 @@ sub resolve_mock_cfg {
       . "(tried /etc/mock/${os_id}+epel-${rel}-${arch}.cfg and /etc/mock/${short}+epel-${rel}-${arch}.cfg)\n";
 }
 
-sub build_mock_uniqueext {
-    my ($run, $seq, $label) = @_;
-
-    my $run_part = defined($run) ? $run : 'run';
-    $run_part =~ s/[^A-Za-z0-9_.-]+/-/g;
-    $run_part =~ s/^-+|-+$//g;
-    $run_part = 'run' if $run_part eq '';
-    $run_part = substr($run_part, -24) if length($run_part) > 24;
-
-    my $label_part = defined($label) ? $label : 'step';
-    $label_part =~ s/[^A-Za-z0-9_.-]+/-/g;
-    $label_part =~ s/^-+|-+$//g;
-    $label_part = 'step' if $label_part eq '';
-    $label_part = substr($label_part, 0, 20) if length($label_part) > 20;
-
-    my $idx = defined($seq) ? int($seq) : 0;
-    $idx = 0 if $idx < 0;
-
-    return sprintf("mba-%02d-%s-%s", $idx, $run_part, $label_part);
-}
-
 sub resolve_xcat_source {
     my ($requested, $root) = @_;
     # Prefer the sibling ../xcat-core (the real layout: source/xcat-core beside source/xcat-dep)
diff --git a/mockbuild-perl-packages.pl b/mockbuild-perl-packages.pl
index 531ca81..3822b3f 100755
--- a/mockbuild-perl-packages.pl
+++ b/mockbuild-perl-packages.pl
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@ my $result_dir = '';
 my $log_dir    = '';
 my $packages_csv = '';
 my $jobs = 0;
-my $skip_install = 0;
-my $allow_erasing = 0;
 my $build_timestamp;
 # CD version bump: appended to the Release of the srpm-mode packages (HTML-Form, IO-Stty,
 # Net-Telnet), which build from a committed .src.rpm and so are NOT covered by mockbuild-all's
@@ -35,8 +33,6 @@ GetOptions(
     'log-dir=s'       => \$log_dir,
     'packages=s'      => \$packages_csv,
     'jobs=i'          => \$jobs,
-    'skip-install!'   => \$skip_install,
-    'allow-erasing!'  => \$allow_erasing,
     'build-timestamp=i' => \$build_timestamp,
     'release-suffix=s'  => \$release_suffix,
 ) or die usage();
@@ -170,10 +166,6 @@ $jobs = 1 if $jobs < 1;
 if (@packages && $jobs > scalar(@packages)) {
     $jobs = scalar(@packages);
 }
-if (!$skip_install && $jobs > 1) {
-    print "INFO: --skip-install is disabled; forcing --jobs 1 to avoid host dnf lock contention\n";
-    $jobs = 1;
-}
 
 make_path($result_dir);
 make_path($log_dir);
@@ -189,8 +181,6 @@ print "mock_cfg:    $mock_cfg\n";
 print "mock_uniqueext: " . ($mock_uniqueext ne '' ? $mock_uniqueext : '(none)') . "\n";
 print "packages:    " . join(', ', @packages) . "\n";
 print "jobs:        $jobs\n";
-print "skip_install:$skip_install\n";
-print "allow_erasing:$allow_erasing\n";
 print "release_suffix:" . ($release_suffix ne '' ? $release_suffix : '(none)') . "\n";
 
 print_step("Mock config check");
@@ -230,8 +220,6 @@ for my $idx (0 .. $#packages) {
         mock_cfg      => $mock_cfg,
         mock_uniqueext => $pkg_uniqueext,
         arch          => $arch,
-        skip_install  => $skip_install,
-        allow_erasing => $allow_erasing,
         release_suffix => $release_suffix,
     );
     unless ($keep_buildroots) {
@@ -328,8 +316,6 @@ sub build_package {
     my $mock_cfg       = $args{mock_cfg};
     my $mock_uniqueext = $args{mock_uniqueext};
     my $arch           = $args{arch};
-    my $skip_install   = $args{skip_install};
-    my $allow_erasing  = $args{allow_erasing};
     my $release_suffix = $args{release_suffix};
 
     my $pkg_run_dir = "$work_dir/$pkg";
@@ -506,15 +492,6 @@ sub build_package {
             }
         }
 
-        if (!$skip_install) {
-            my $install_cmd = "dnf -y install ";
-            $install_cmd .= "--allowerasing " if $allow_erasing;
-            run($install_cmd . sh_quote($main_rpm));
-            my $module = $cfg->{module};
-            my $rc_mod = run_capture_rc("perl -M$module -e 1", "$pkg_log/smoke-perl-module.log");
-            die "Perl module import failed for $pkg ($module), rc=$rc_mod\n" if $rc_mod != 0;
-        }
-
         $summary = "$pkg PASS main_rpm=" . basename($main_rpm);
         $ok = 1;
     };
@@ -561,8 +538,6 @@ Usage: $0 [options]
   --build-timestamp EPOCH  Unix epoch for SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH (deterministic builds)
   --release-suffix STR CD bump appended to the Release of the srpm-mode packages that build
                        from a committed .src.rpm (HTML-Form, IO-Stty, Net-Telnet)
-  --skip-install       Skip dnf install + perl module import checks
-  --allow-erasing      Allow dnf to erase conflicting packages during install smoke tests
 USAGE
 }
 
diff --git a/syslinux/mockbuild.pl b/syslinux/mockbuild.pl
index ca82bd8..dda65f3 100755
--- a/syslinux/mockbuild.pl
+++ b/syslinux/mockbuild.pl
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ my $mock_cfg     = '';
 my $mock_uniqueext = '';
 my $result_dir   = "$repo_root/build-output/list3/syslinux-xcat";
 my $log_dir      = "$repo_root/build-logs/list3/syslinux-xcat";
-my $skip_install = 0;
 my $build_timestamp;
 
 GetOptions(
@@ -29,7 +28,6 @@ GetOptions(
     'mock-uniqueext=s'        => \$mock_uniqueext,
     'result-dir=s'            => \$result_dir,
     'log-dir=s'               => \$log_dir,
-    'skip-install!'           => \$skip_install,
     'build-timestamp=i'       => \$build_timestamp,
 ) or die usage();
 
@@ -87,7 +85,6 @@ print "version:    $version\n";
 print "mock_cfg:   $mock_cfg\n";
 print "mock_uniqueext: " . ($mock_uniqueext ne '' ? $mock_uniqueext : '(none)') . "\n";
 print "source_file:$source_file\n";
-print "skip_install: $skip_install\n";
 
 make_path($result_dir);
 make_path($log_dir);
@@ -226,48 +223,6 @@ for my $log (qw(build.log root.log state.log hw_info.log installed_pkgs.log)) {
         or die "Failed to copy $src to $log_dir: $!\n";
 }
 
-if (!$skip_install) {
-    print_step("Install RPM(s) and run smoke tests");
-    run("dnf -y install " . sh_quote($xcat_rpm));
-
-    my $pxe_file = '/opt/xcat/share/xcat/netboot/syslinux/pxelinux.0';
-    die "Missing installed PXE file: $pxe_file\n" if !-f $pxe_file;
-
-    my $file_log = "$log_dir/smoke-file.log";
-    my $qf_log   = "$log_dir/smoke-rpm-qf.log";
-    my $rc_file = run_capture_rc("file $pxe_file", $file_log);
-    my $rc_qf   = run_capture_rc("rpm -qf $pxe_file", $qf_log);
-
-    die "Smoke check failed: file returned $rc_file\n" if $rc_file != 0;
-    die "Smoke check failed: rpm -qf returned $rc_qf\n" if $rc_qf != 0;
-
-    my $qf_out = slurp($qf_log);
-    die "Installed file is not owned by syslinux-xcat:\n$qf_out\n"
-        if $qf_out !~ /^syslinux-xcat-/m;
-
-    # EL10 hosts may already carry syslinux-nonlinux, which conflicts with
-    # directly installing the rebuilt syslinux payload. The xcat subpackage
-    # is the artifact we need to smoke-test on the host; repository-level
-    # dependency validation happens later in the full install phase.
-    my $syslinux_help_log = "$log_dir/smoke-syslinux-help.log";
-    if (-x '/usr/bin/syslinux') {
-        my $rc_help = run_capture_rc("/usr/bin/syslinux --help", $syslinux_help_log);
-        my $help_out = slurp($syslinux_help_log);
-        die "syslinux --help returned unexpected rc=$rc_help\n"
-            if $rc_help != 0 && $rc_help != 1;
-        die "syslinux --help output missing expected usage text\n"
-            if $help_out !~ /usage|syslinux/i;
-    }
-
-    my $summary = "$log_dir/smoke-summary.txt";
-    open my $sfh, '>', $summary or die "Cannot write $summary: $!\n";
-    print {$sfh} "pxe_file=$pxe_file\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_file=$rc_file\n";
-    print {$sfh} "rc_qf=$rc_qf\n";
-    print {$sfh} "main_rpm_available=" . ($main_rpm ? 1 : 0) . "\n";
-    close $sfh;
-}
-
 print_step("Completed");
 print "syslinux-xcat RPM: $xcat_rpm\n";
 print "Artifacts: $result_dir\n";
@@ -284,7 +239,6 @@ Usage: $0 [options]
   --result-dir PATH     Output RPM/SRPM directory (default: $result_dir)
   --log-dir PATH        Log directory (default: $log_dir)
   --build-timestamp EPOCH   SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH for deterministic builds
-  --skip-install        Skip dnf install + smoke tests
 USAGE
 }
 
diff --git a/t/mockbuild-all.t b/t/mockbuild-all.t
index 76076c9..0d3fc83 100644
--- a/t/mockbuild-all.t
+++ b/t/mockbuild-all.t
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@ use File::Path qw(make_path);
 use File::Basename qw(basename);
 use MockBuildUtils qw(required_pkgs version_matches rpm_sigmd5 rpm_version rpm_release rpm_is_signed
                       restamp_release_line cross_copy_genesis finalize_xcat_dep read_manifest
-                      verify_repo_packages verify_repo_signature bump_dep_release_suffix);
+                      verify_repo_packages verify_repo_signature bump_dep_release_suffix
+                      build_mock_uniqueext);
 
 # Run a printing sub with STDOUT muted so its progress lines do not pollute TAP.
 sub quiet(&) {
@@ -325,4 +326,33 @@ is(rpm_release(tempdir(CLEANUP => 1), 'nonexistent-pkg'), undef, 'rpm_release is
         'verify_repo_signature: mismatch reported as WRONGKEY <unit>: signed by <obs>, expected <exp>');
 }
 
+# ---- build_mock_uniqueext: distinct per target so concurrent mock roots never collide ---------
+# (PR #62 review) A long (timestamp) run id must not tail-truncate away the leading EL/arch token:
+# for the 7-char "ppc64le" arch that dropped the EL digit, so alma+epel-{8,9,10}-ppc64le collapsed to
+# one uniqueext -- and goconserver builds all three ELs in the SAME el10 chroot, so the roots raced.
+{
+    my $seq = 6; my $label = 'goconserver';
+    # The reproducing case: the default timestamp run id (long), folded with the per-target prefix.
+    my @ppc = map { build_mock_uniqueext("alma+epel-$_-ppc64le-20260821-210716", $seq, $label) } (8, 9, 10);
+    my %seen; $seen{$_}++ for @ppc;
+    is(scalar(keys %seen), 3,
+        'build_mock_uniqueext: el8/el9/el10 ppc64le get DISTINCT uniqueext on a long run id (no collision)');
+    like($ppc[0], qr/^mba-06-alma-epel-8-/,  'uniqueext keeps a readable leading EL/arch token');
+
+    # x86_64 (6-char arch) was never broken -- assert it stays distinct too.
+    my @x86 = map { build_mock_uniqueext("alma+epel-$_-x86_64-20260821-210716", $seq, $label) } (8, 9, 10);
+    my %sx; $sx{$_}++ for @x86;
+    is(scalar(keys %sx), 3, 'build_mock_uniqueext: el8/el9/el10 x86_64 also distinct');
+
+    # Short run ids (e.g. the CD "$BUILD_NUMBER") are unchanged and already distinct per target.
+    isnt(build_mock_uniqueext('alma+epel-8-ppc64le-104', $seq, $label),
+         build_mock_uniqueext('alma+epel-9-ppc64le-104', $seq, $label),
+        'build_mock_uniqueext: short (build-number) run ids distinct per target');
+
+    # Same run id + same step -> stable (deterministic; a re-run reuses/scrubs the same root).
+    is(build_mock_uniqueext('alma+epel-8-ppc64le-20260821-210716', $seq, $label),
+       build_mock_uniqueext('alma+epel-8-ppc64le-20260821-210716', $seq, $label),
+        'build_mock_uniqueext: deterministic for a given (run, seq, label)');
+}
+
 done_testing;
diff --git a/xnba/mockbuild.pl b/xnba/mockbuild.pl
index 08c6084..7c1395a 100755
--- a/xnba/mockbuild.pl
+++ b/xnba/mockbuild.pl
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ my $mock_cfg    = '';
 my $mock_uniqueext = '';
 my $result_dir  = "$repo_root/build-output/list3/xnba-undi";
 my $log_dir     = "$repo_root/build-logs/list3/xnba-undi";
-my $skip_install = 0;
 my $build_timestamp;
 
 GetOptions(
@@ -28,7 +27,6 @@ GetOptions(
     'mock-uniqueext=s' => \$mock_uniqueext,
     'result-dir=s'   => \$result_dir,
     'log-dir=s'      => \$log_dir,
-    'skip-install!'  => \$skip_install,
     'build-timestamp=i' => \$build_timestamp,
 ) or die usage();
 
@@ -73,7 +71,6 @@ print "work_dir:   $work_dir\n";
 print "result_dir: $result_dir\n";
 print "log_dir:    $log_dir\n";
 print "mock_cfg:   $mock_cfg\n";
-print "skip_install: $skip_install\n";
 
 make_path($result_dir);
 make_path($log_dir);
@@ -176,7 +173,6 @@ Options:
   --mock-uniqueext STR  Mock uniqueext value
   --result-dir PATH     Output directory for RPMs
   --log-dir PATH        Output directory for logs
-  --skip-install        Skip install verification
   --build-timestamp EPOCH  Unix timestamp for reproducible builds
 USAGE
 }