diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate-1m-linux.sh b/.github/workflows/validate-1m-linux.sh
index 25ec15fea..7bd58dd79 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/validate-1m-linux.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate-1m-linux.sh
@@ -20,8 +20,9 @@ mkdir $TEST_DIR_PREFIX
 NS1="ip netns exec ns1"
 NS2="ip netns exec ns2"
 
-ZT1="$NS1 ./zerotier-cli -p9994 -D$(pwd)/node1"
-ZT2="$NS2 ./zerotier-cli -p9995 -D$(pwd)/node2"
+ZT1="$NS1 ./zerotier-cli -D$(pwd)/node1"
+# Specify custom port on one node to ensure that feature works
+ZT2="$NS2 ./zerotier-cli -p9997 -D$(pwd)/node2"
 
 echo -e "Setting up network namespaces..."
 echo "Setting up ns1"
@@ -66,23 +67,23 @@ sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=1
 
 echo -e "\nPing from host to namespaces"
 
-ping -c 4 192.168.0.1
-ping -c 4 192.168.1.1
+ping -c 3 192.168.0.1
+ping -c 3 192.168.1.1
 
 echo -e "\nPing from namespace to host"
 
-$NS1 ping -c 4 192.168.0.1
-$NS1 ping -c 4 192.168.0.1
-$NS2 ping -c 4 192.168.0.2
-$NS2 ping -c 4 192.168.0.2
+$NS1 ping -c 3 192.168.0.1
+$NS1 ping -c 3 192.168.0.1
+$NS2 ping -c 3 192.168.0.2
+$NS2 ping -c 3 192.168.0.2
 
 echo -e "\nPing from ns1 to ns2"
 
-$NS1 ping -c 4 192.168.0.1
+$NS1 ping -c 3 192.168.0.1
 
 echo -e "\nPing from ns2 to ns1"
 
-$NS2 ping -c 4 192.168.0.1
+$NS2 ping -c 3 192.168.0.1
 
 ################################################################################
 # Memory Leak Check                                                            #
@@ -94,28 +95,19 @@ echo -e "\nStarting a ZeroTier instance in each namespace..."
 
 time_test_start=`date +%s`
 
+# Spam the CLI as ZeroTier is starting
+spam_cli 100
+
 echo "Starting memory leak check"
 $NS1 sudo valgrind --demangle=yes --exit-on-first-error=yes \
       --error-exitcode=1 \
       --xml=yes \
       --xml-file=$FILENAME_MEMORY_LOG \
       --leak-check=full \
-      ./zerotier-one node1 -U -p9994 >>node_1.log 2>&1 &
-
-sleep 10
+      ./zerotier-one node1 -U >>node_1.log 2>&1 &
 
 # Second instance, not run in memory profiler
-$NS2 sudo ./zerotier-one node2 -U -p9995 >>node_2.log 2>&1 &
-
-sleep 10
-
-ls -lga node1
-tree node1
-
-ls -lga node2 
-tree node2
-
-ps aux | grep zerotier
+$NS2 sudo ./zerotier-one node2 -U -p9997 >>node_2.log 2>&1 &
 
 ################################################################################
 # Online Check                                                                 #
@@ -126,6 +118,15 @@ spam_cli()
       echo "Spamming CLI..."
       # Rapidly spam the CLI with joins/leaves
 
+      MAX_TRIES="${$1:-10}"
+
+      for ((s=0; s<=MAX_TRIES; s++))
+      do
+            $ZT1 status
+            $ZT2 status
+            sleep 0.1
+      done
+
       SPAM_TRIES=128
 
       for ((s=0; s<=SPAM_TRIES; s++))
@@ -174,20 +175,26 @@ do
     sleep 1
 done
 
-echo -e "\nStatus of each instance:"
+echo -e "\n\nContents of ZeroTier home paths:"
+
+ls -lga node1
+tree node1
+ls -lga node2
+tree node2
+
+echo -e "\n\nRunning ZeroTier processes:"
+echo -e "\nNode 1:"
+$NS1 ps aux | grep zerotier-one
+echo -e "\nNode 2:"
+$NS2 ps aux | grep zerotier-one
+
+echo -e "\n\nStatus of each instance:"
 
 echo -e "\n\nNode 1:"
 $ZT1 status
 echo -e "\n\nNode 2:"
 $ZT2 status
 
-echo -e "\nps:"
-
-echo -e "\n\nNode 1:"
-$NS1 ps aux | grep zerotier-one
-echo -e "\n\nNode 2:"
-$NS2 ps aux | grep zerotier-one
-
 if [[ "$both_instances_online" != "true" ]]
 then
     echo "One or more instances of ZeroTier failed to come online. Aborting test."
@@ -234,7 +241,7 @@ ping_loss_percent_2_to_1=$(echo "scale=2; $ping_loss_percent_2_to_1/100.0" | bc)
 
 echo "Testing basic CLI functionality..."
 
-spam_cli
+spam_cli 10
 
 $ZT1 join $TEST_NETWORK