diff --git a/console/tests/test_live_serial.py b/console/tests/test_live_serial.py
index 728fbdac..aafd6adf 100644
--- a/console/tests/test_live_serial.py
+++ b/console/tests/test_live_serial.py
@@ -47,12 +47,12 @@ class LiveSerialConsoleTestCase(TransactionTestCase):
         self.server, self.port = start_socketiod(self)
 
     def token(self, host, login, password, conn_type):
-        compute = Compute.objects.create(name=P + host, hostname=host, login=login, password=password, type=conn_type)
+        compute = Compute.objects.create(name=f"{P}{host}-{conn_type}", hostname=host, login=login, password=password, type=conn_type)
         conn = connection_manager.get_connection(host, login, password, conn_type)
         before = livetest.inventory(conn)
         self.addCleanup(lambda: self.assertEqual(livetest.inventory(conn), before))
         self.addCleanup(livetest.cleanup, conn)
-        dom = serial_vm(conn, P + "serial")
+        dom = serial_vm(conn, f"{P}serial-{conn_type}")
         vm = Instance.objects.create(compute=compute, name=dom.name(), uuid=dom.UUIDString())
         UserInstance.objects.create(user=self.user, instance=vm)
         return tokens.SIGNER.sign(f"{compute.id}:{vm.uuid}:{self.user.id}"), dom
diff --git a/vrtManager/tests/test_migration.py b/vrtManager/tests/test_migration.py
index 194dbc7c..61bb949e 100644
--- a/vrtManager/tests/test_migration.py
+++ b/vrtManager/tests/test_migration.py
@@ -209,6 +209,11 @@ class ShutOffMigrationTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
     """libvirt's offline migration fails on some builds (RHEL-156800); a
     shut-off VM is only its definition, so the app moves that itself."""
 
+    def setUp(self):
+        # a libvirtError built here takes the message of an earlier real error
+        # in this thread (an earlier live test) instead of its own
+        libvirt.virResetLastError()
+
     def test_the_definition_moves_to_the_destination(self):
         host = FakeHost()
         source = FakeSource(5, xml="<domain><name>vm</name></domain>")
@@ -434,6 +439,7 @@ class NvramCopyTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
     PATH = "/var/lib/libvirt/qemu/nvram/vm_VARS.fd"
 
     def setUp(self):
+        libvirt.virResetLastError()  # see ShutOffMigrationTestCase.setUp
         self.source = FakeSource(5, nvram=self.PATH, xml="<domain><name>vm</name></domain>")
         self.source.wvm = mock.MagicMock()
         self.source.wvm.newStream.return_value.recvAll.side_effect = lambda fn, out: fn(None, b"vars", out)