diff --git a/integration/integration_linux_test.go b/integration/integration_linux_test.go
index 82c8d488..08b2bfaf 100644
--- a/integration/integration_linux_test.go
+++ b/integration/integration_linux_test.go
@@ -225,23 +225,22 @@ func (n Namespace) Del() {
 }
 
 func makeTcpClientInNS(netns string, address string, port int, numBytes int) {
-	message := bytes.Repeat([]byte{'a'}, numBytes)
+	payload := bytes.Repeat([]byte{'a'}, numBytes)
+	message := string(payload)
 
-	bin, err := exec.LookPath("nc")
-	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 	var cmd *exec.Cmd
 	if netns != "" {
 		netns = filepath.Base(netns)
-		cmd = exec.Command("ip", "netns", "exec", netns, bin, "-v", address, strconv.Itoa(port))
+		cmd = exec.Command("ip", "netns", "exec", netns, echoClientBinaryPath, "--target", fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", address, port), "--message", message)
 	} else {
-		cmd = exec.Command("nc", address, strconv.Itoa(port))
+		cmd = exec.Command(echoClientBinaryPath, "--target", fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", address, port), "--message", message)
 	}
 	cmd.Stdin = bytes.NewBuffer([]byte(message))
 	cmd.Stderr = GinkgoWriter
 	out, err := cmd.Output()
 
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	Expect(string(out)).To(Equal(string(message)))
+	Expect(string(out)).To(Equal(message))
 }
 
 func startEchoServerInNamespace(netNS Namespace) (int, *gexec.Session, error) {
diff --git a/integration/integration_suite_test.go b/integration/integration_suite_test.go
index 4cff6e28..de861c45 100644
--- a/integration/integration_suite_test.go
+++ b/integration/integration_suite_test.go
@@ -14,11 +14,10 @@
 package integration_test
 
 import (
-	"math/rand"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo"
-	"github.com/onsi/ginkgo/config"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
 	"github.com/onsi/gomega/gexec"
 )
@@ -28,15 +27,18 @@ func TestIntegration(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "integration")
 }
 
-var echoServerBinaryPath string
+var echoServerBinaryPath, echoClientBinaryPath string
 
 var _ = SynchronizedBeforeSuite(func() []byte {
-	binaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echosvr")
+	serverBinaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echo/server")
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	return []byte(binaryPath)
+	clientBinaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echo/client")
+	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+	return []byte(strings.Join([]string{serverBinaryPath, clientBinaryPath}, ","))
 }, func(data []byte) {
-	echoServerBinaryPath = string(data)
-	rand.Seed(config.GinkgoConfig.RandomSeed + int64(GinkgoParallelNode()))
+	binaries := strings.Split(string(data), ",")
+	echoServerBinaryPath = binaries[0]
+	echoClientBinaryPath = binaries[1]
 })
 
 var _ = SynchronizedAfterSuite(func() {}, func() {
diff --git a/pkg/testutils/echo/client/client b/pkg/testutils/echo/client/client
deleted file mode 100755
index 3a9353a7..00000000
Binary files a/pkg/testutils/echo/client/client and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/pkg/testutils/echo/echo_test.go b/pkg/testutils/echo/echo_test.go
index a0045fee..12523a59 100644
--- a/pkg/testutils/echo/echo_test.go
+++ b/pkg/testutils/echo/echo_test.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ var _ = SynchronizedBeforeSuite(func() []byte {
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 	clientBinaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echo/client")
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	return []byte(fmt.Sprintf("%s,%s", serverBinaryPath, clientBinaryPath))
+	return []byte(strings.Join([]string{serverBinaryPath, clientBinaryPath}, ","))
 }, func(data []byte) {
 	binaries := strings.Split(string(data), ",")
 	serverBinaryPath = binaries[0]
diff --git a/plugins/meta/bandwidth/bandwidth_suite_test.go b/plugins/meta/bandwidth/bandwidth_suite_test.go
index 594cd9f3..a0e34ac0 100644
--- a/plugins/meta/bandwidth/bandwidth_suite_test.go
+++ b/plugins/meta/bandwidth/bandwidth_suite_test.go
@@ -39,14 +39,18 @@ func TestTBF(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "plugins/meta/bandwidth")
 }
 
-var echoServerBinaryPath string
+var echoServerBinaryPath, echoClientBinaryPath string
 
 var _ = SynchronizedBeforeSuite(func() []byte {
-	binaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echosvr")
+	serverBinaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echo/server")
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	return []byte(binaryPath)
+	clientBinaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echo/client")
+	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+	return []byte(strings.Join([]string{serverBinaryPath, clientBinaryPath}, ","))
 }, func(data []byte) {
-	echoServerBinaryPath = string(data)
+	binaries := strings.Split(string(data), ",")
+	echoServerBinaryPath = binaries[0]
+	echoClientBinaryPath = binaries[1]
 })
 
 var _ = SynchronizedAfterSuite(func() {}, func() {
@@ -84,23 +88,22 @@ func startEchoServerInNamespace(netNS ns.NetNS) (int, *gexec.Session, error) {
 }
 
 func makeTcpClientInNS(netns string, address string, port int, numBytes int) {
-	message := bytes.Repeat([]byte{'a'}, numBytes)
+	payload := bytes.Repeat([]byte{'a'}, numBytes)
+	message := string(payload)
 
-	bin, err := exec.LookPath("nc")
-	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 	var cmd *exec.Cmd
 	if netns != "" {
 		netns = filepath.Base(netns)
-		cmd = exec.Command("ip", "netns", "exec", netns, bin, "-v", address, strconv.Itoa(port))
+		cmd = exec.Command("ip", "netns", "exec", netns, echoClientBinaryPath, "--target", fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", address, port), "--message", message)
 	} else {
-		cmd = exec.Command("nc", address, strconv.Itoa(port))
+		cmd = exec.Command(echoClientBinaryPath, "--target", fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", address, port), "--message", message)
 	}
 	cmd.Stdin = bytes.NewBuffer([]byte(message))
 	cmd.Stderr = GinkgoWriter
 	out, err := cmd.Output()
 
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	Expect(string(out)).To(Equal(string(message)))
+	Expect(string(out)).To(Equal(message))
 }
 
 func createVeth(hostNamespace string, hostVethIfName string, containerNamespace string, containerVethIfName string, hostIP []byte, containerIP []byte, hostIfaceMTU int) {
diff --git a/plugins/meta/portmap/portmap_integ_test.go b/plugins/meta/portmap/portmap_integ_test.go
index 22a7f5bd..63d67b4e 100644
--- a/plugins/meta/portmap/portmap_integ_test.go
+++ b/plugins/meta/portmap/portmap_integ_test.go
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"strconv"
 
 	"github.com/containernetworking/cni/libcni"
 	"github.com/containernetworking/cni/pkg/types/current"
@@ -227,16 +226,14 @@ var _ = Describe("portmap integration tests", func() {
 
 // testEchoServer returns true if we found an echo server on the port
 func testEchoServer(address string, port int, netns string) bool {
-	message := "Aliquid melius quam pessimum optimum non est."
+	message := "'Aliquid melius quam pessimum optimum non est.'"
 
-	bin, err := exec.LookPath("nc")
-	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 	var cmd *exec.Cmd
 	if netns != "" {
 		netns = filepath.Base(netns)
-		cmd = exec.Command("ip", "netns", "exec", netns, bin, "-v", address, strconv.Itoa(port))
+		cmd = exec.Command("ip", "netns", "exec", netns, echoClientBinaryPath, "--target", fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", address, port), "--message", message)
 	} else {
-		cmd = exec.Command("nc", address, strconv.Itoa(port))
+		cmd = exec.Command(echoClientBinaryPath, "--target", fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", address, port), "--message", message)
 	}
 	cmd.Stdin = bytes.NewBufferString(message)
 	cmd.Stderr = GinkgoWriter
diff --git a/plugins/meta/portmap/portmap_suite_test.go b/plugins/meta/portmap/portmap_suite_test.go
index 5826cfce..55aee924 100644
--- a/plugins/meta/portmap/portmap_suite_test.go
+++ b/plugins/meta/portmap/portmap_suite_test.go
@@ -40,14 +40,18 @@ func TestPortmap(t *testing.T) {
 	RunSpecs(t, "plugins/meta/portmap")
 }
 
-var echoServerBinaryPath string
+var echoServerBinaryPath, echoClientBinaryPath string
 
 var _ = SynchronizedBeforeSuite(func() []byte {
-	binaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echosvr")
+	serverBinaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echo/server")
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-	return []byte(binaryPath)
+	clientBinaryPath, err := gexec.Build("github.com/containernetworking/plugins/pkg/testutils/echo/client")
+	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+	return []byte(strings.Join([]string{serverBinaryPath, clientBinaryPath}, ","))
 }, func(data []byte) {
-	echoServerBinaryPath = string(data)
+	binaries := strings.Split(string(data), ",")
+	echoServerBinaryPath = binaries[0]
+	echoClientBinaryPath = binaries[1]
 })
 
 var _ = SynchronizedAfterSuite(func() {}, func() {