diff --git a/bin/tests/system/autosign/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/autosign/tests.sh
index 275152c42a..6b6ddb7641 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/autosign/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/autosign/tests.sh
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ showprivate () {
     echo "-- $@ --"
     $DIG $DIGOPTS +nodnssec +short @$2 -t type65534 $1 | cut -f3 -d' ' |
         while read record; do
-            perl -e 'my $rdata = pack("H*", @ARGV[0]);
+            $PERL -e 'my $rdata = pack("H*", @ARGV[0]);
                 die "invalid record" unless length($rdata) == 5;
                 my ($alg, $key, $remove, $complete) = unpack("CnCC", $rdata);
                 my $action = "signing";
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/dnssec/ns3/sign.sh b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/ns3/sign.sh
index bef02321bb..3b2b250e7c 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/dnssec/ns3/sign.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/ns3/sign.sh
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ $SIGNER -P -r $RANDFILE -o $zone $zonefile > /dev/null 2>&1
 # Change the signer field of the a.b.keyless.example SIG A
 # to point to a provably nonexistent KEY record.
 mv $zonefile.signed $zonefile.tmp
-<$zonefile.tmp perl -p -e 's/ keyless.example/ b.keyless.example/
+<$zonefile.tmp $PERL -p -e 's/ keyless.example/ b.keyless.example/
     if /^a.b.keyless.example/../NXT/;' >$zonefile.signed
 rm -f $zonefile.tmp
 
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/dnssec/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/tests.sh
index 67460724e2..be1638ae68 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/dnssec/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/tests.sh
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ showprivate () {
     echo "-- $@ --"
     $DIG $DIGOPTS +nodnssec +short @$2 -t type65534 $1 | cut -f3 -d' ' |
         while read record; do
-            perl -e 'my $rdata = pack("H*", @ARGV[0]);
+            $PERL -e 'my $rdata = pack("H*", @ARGV[0]);
                 die "invalid record" unless length($rdata) == 5;
                 my ($alg, $key, $remove, $complete) = unpack("CnCC", $rdata);
                 my $action = "signing";
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ checkprivate () {
 
 # check that a zone file is raw format, version 0
 israw0 () {
-    cat $1 | perl -e 'binmode STDIN;
+    cat $1 | $PERL -e 'binmode STDIN;
 		      read(STDIN, $input, 8);
                       ($style, $version) = unpack("NN", $input);
                       exit 1 if ($style != 2 || $version != 0);'
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ israw0 () {
 
 # check that a zone file is raw format, version 1
 israw1 () {
-    cat $1 | perl -e 'binmode STDIN;
+    cat $1 | $PERL -e 'binmode STDIN;
 		      read(STDIN, $input, 8);
                       ($style, $version) = unpack("NN", $input);
                       exit 1 if ($style != 2 || $version != 1);'
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/masterformat/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/masterformat/tests.sh
index 020f9d4cb8..cb9cbbef10 100755
--- a/bin/tests/system/masterformat/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/masterformat/tests.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ SYSTEMTESTTOP=..
 . $SYSTEMTESTTOP/conf.sh
 
 ismap () {
-    perl -e 'binmode STDIN;
+    $PERL -e 'binmode STDIN;
 	     read(STDIN, $input, 8);
              ($style, $version) = unpack("NN", $input);
              exit 1 if ($style != 3 || $version > 1);' < $1
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ ismap () {
 }
 
 israw () {
-    perl -e 'binmode STDIN;
+    $PERL -e 'binmode STDIN;
              read(STDIN, $input, 8);
              ($style, $version) = unpack("NN", $input);
              exit 1 if ($style != 2 || $version > 1);' < $1
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ isfull () {
 }
 
 rawversion () {
-    perl -e 'binmode STDIN;
+    $PERL -e 'binmode STDIN;
              read(STDIN, $input, 8);
              if (length($input) < 8) { print "not raw\n"; exit 0; };
              ($style, $version) = unpack("NN", $input);
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ rawversion () {
 }
 
 sourceserial () {
-    perl -e 'binmode STDIN;
+    $PERL -e 'binmode STDIN;
              read(STDIN, $input, 20);
              if (length($input) < 20) { print "UNSET\n"; exit; };
              ($format, $version, $dumptime, $flags, $sourceserial) = 
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ sourceserial () {
 }
 
 stomp () {
-        perl -e 'open(my $file, "+<", $ARGV[0]);
+        $PERL -e 'open(my $file, "+<", $ARGV[0]);
                  binmode $file;
                  seek($file, $ARGV[1], 0);
                  for (my $i = 0; $i < $ARGV[2]; $i++) {
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/tsiggss/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/tsiggss/tests.sh
index c9b065e700..a947dc965d 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/tsiggss/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/tsiggss/tests.sh
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ test_update testdenied.example.nil. TXT "86400 TXT helloworld" "helloworld" || s
 
 echo "I:testing external update policy"
 test_update testcname.example.nil. TXT "86400 CNAME testdenied.example.nil" "testdenied" && status=1
-perl ./authsock.pl --type=CNAME --path=ns1/auth.sock --pidfile=authsock.pid --timeout=120 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
+$PERL ./authsock.pl --type=CNAME --path=ns1/auth.sock --pidfile=authsock.pid --timeout=120 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
 sleep 1
 test_update testcname.example.nil. TXT "86400 CNAME testdenied.example.nil" "testdenied" || status=1
 test_update testcname.example.nil. TXT "86400 A 10.53.0.13" "10.53.0.13" && status=1