diff --git a/common/nvme b/common/nvme
index 2141dee5..84b6ac31 100644
--- a/common/nvme
+++ b/common/nvme
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ def_hostid="0f01fb42-9f7f-4856-b0b3-51e60b8de349"
 def_hostnqn="nqn.2014-08.org.nvmexpress:uuid:${def_hostid}"
 export def_subsysnqn="blktests-subsystem-1"
 export def_subsys_uuid="91fdba0d-f87b-4c25-b80f-db7be1418b9e"
+export def_nsid="1"
 _check_conflict_and_set_default NVMET_TRTYPES nvme_trtype "loop"
 _check_conflict_and_set_default NVME_IMG_SIZE nvme_img_size 1G
 _check_conflict_and_set_default NVME_NUM_ITER nvme_num_iter 1000
@@ -512,7 +513,7 @@ _remove_nvmet_port() {
 
 _create_nvmet_ns() {
 	local subsysnqn="${def_subsysnqn}"
-	local nsid="1"
+	local nsid="${def_nsid}"
 	local grpid="1"
 	local blkdev
 	local uuid
@@ -667,7 +668,7 @@ _remove_nvmet_subsystem() {
 	local nvmet_subsystem="$1"
 	local subsys_path="${NVMET_CFS}/subsystems/${nvmet_subsystem}"
 
-	_remove_nvmet_ns "${nvmet_subsystem}" "1"
+	_remove_nvmet_ns "${nvmet_subsystem}" "${def_nsid}"
 	rm -f "${subsys_path}"/allowed_hosts/*
 	rmdir "${subsys_path}"
 }
diff --git a/tests/nvme/016 b/tests/nvme/016
index 8e4fc8b7..e1f1db57 100755
--- a/tests/nvme/016
+++ b/tests/nvme/016
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ test() {
 	local port
 	local iterations="${NVME_NUM_ITER}"
 	local loop_dev
+	local nsid
 
 	loop_dev="$(losetup -f)"
 	local genctr=1
@@ -32,7 +33,8 @@ test() {
 	_create_nvmet_subsystem --blkdev "${loop_dev}"
 
 	for ((i = 2; i <= iterations; i++)); do
-		_create_nvmet_ns --nsid "${i}" \
+		nsid=$((def_nsid + i - 1))
+		_create_nvmet_ns --nsid "${nsid}" \
 				 --blkdev "${loop_dev}" > /dev/null
 	done
 
@@ -46,7 +48,8 @@ test() {
 	_remove_nvmet_port "${port}"
 
 	for ((i = iterations; i > 1; i--)); do
-		_remove_nvmet_ns "${def_subsysnqn}" "$i"
+		nsid=$((def_nsid + i - 1))
+		_remove_nvmet_ns "${def_subsysnqn}" "${nsid}"
 	done
 
 	_remove_nvmet_subsystem "${def_subsysnqn}"
diff --git a/tests/nvme/017 b/tests/nvme/017
index adebea15..07b91a6c 100755
--- a/tests/nvme/017
+++ b/tests/nvme/017
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ test() {
 
 	local port
 	local iterations="${NVME_NUM_ITER}"
+	local nsid
 
 	truncate -s "${NVME_IMG_SIZE}" "$(_nvme_def_file_path)"
 
@@ -32,7 +33,8 @@ test() {
 	_create_nvmet_subsystem --blkdev "$(_nvme_def_file_path)"
 
 	for ((i = 2; i <= iterations; i++)); do
-		_create_nvmet_ns --nsid "${i}" \
+		nsid=$((def_nsid + i - 1))
+		_create_nvmet_ns --nsid "${nsid}" \
 				 --blkdev "$(_nvme_def_file_path)" > /dev/null
 	done
 
@@ -46,7 +48,8 @@ test() {
 	_remove_nvmet_port "${port}"
 
 	for ((i = iterations; i > 1; i--)); do
-		_remove_nvmet_ns "${def_subsysnqn}" "$i"
+		nsid=$((def_nsid + i - 1))
+		_remove_nvmet_ns "${def_subsysnqn}" "${nsid}"
 	done
 
 	_remove_nvmet_subsystem "${def_subsysnqn}"
diff --git a/tests/nvme/051 b/tests/nvme/051
index 624b42f4..4757b80d 100755
--- a/tests/nvme/051
+++ b/tests/nvme/051
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ test() {
 	_setup_nvmet
 
 	_nvmet_target_setup
-	ns="${NVMET_CFS}subsystems/${def_subsysnqn}/namespaces/1"
+	ns="${NVMET_CFS}subsystems/${def_subsysnqn}/namespaces/${def_nsid}"
 
 	# fire off two enable/disable loops concurrently and wait
 	# for them to complete...
diff --git a/tests/nvme/052 b/tests/nvme/052
index 5cdabb1f..2548f5ce 100755
--- a/tests/nvme/052
+++ b/tests/nvme/052
@@ -52,38 +52,38 @@ test() {
 	_setup_nvmet
 
 	local iterations=20
-	local uuid
+	local uuid nsid filepath
 
 	_nvmet_target_setup
 
 	_nvme_connect_subsys
 
-	# start iteration from ns-id 2 because ns-id 1 is created
-	# by default when nvme target is setup. Also ns-id 1 is
+	# start iteration from def_nsid+1 because def_nsid is created
+	# by default when nvme target is setup. Also def_nsid is
 	# deleted when nvme target is cleaned up.
 	for ((i = 2; i <= iterations; i++)); do {
-		truncate -s "${NVME_IMG_SIZE}" "$(_nvme_def_file_path).$i"
-
-		uuid=$(_create_nvmet_ns --blkdev "$(_nvme_def_file_path).$i" \
-					--nsid "${i}")
+		nsid=$((def_nsid + i - 1))
+		filepath="$(_nvme_def_file_path).${nsid}"
+		truncate -s "${NVME_IMG_SIZE}" "$filepath"
+		uuid=$(_create_nvmet_ns --blkdev "$filepath" --nsid "${nsid}")
 
 		# wait until async request is processed and ns is created
 		if ! nvmf_wait_for_ns "${uuid}" created; then
 			echo "FAIL"
-			rm "$(_nvme_def_file_path).$i"
+			rm "$filepath"
 			break
 		fi
 
-		_remove_nvmet_ns "${def_subsysnqn}" "${i}"
+		_remove_nvmet_ns "${def_subsysnqn}" "${nsid}"
 
 		# wait until async request is processed and ns is removed
 		if ! nvmf_wait_for_ns "${uuid}" removed; then
 			echo "FAIL"
-			rm "$(_nvme_def_file_path).$i"
+			rm "$filepath"
 			break
 		fi
 
-		rm "$(_nvme_def_file_path).$i"
+		rm "$filepath"
 	}
 	done