diff --git a/pipelines/upgrade-testing/check_upgrade.sh b/pipelines/upgrade-testing/check_upgrade.sh
index 33fcf25b7a7..85836089d33 100644
--- a/pipelines/upgrade-testing/check_upgrade.sh
+++ b/pipelines/upgrade-testing/check_upgrade.sh
@@ -1,31 +1,42 @@
 #!/bin/bash
+
 UPGRADE_URL=s3://splice-snapshots/upgrade_tests
 
-if [ $# -lt 2 ]
-then
-	echo "usage: bash create_upgrade_targz.sh {VERSION} {additional start-splice-cluster parameters}"
-	echo "------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
-	echo "uses a previously created tar.gz to test upgrade"
-	echo "e.g. bash create_upgrade_targz.sh 3.2.2021 -T 16"
-	echo "make sure you current branch has already been build"
-	echo "don't use -b, since we are deleting some files in platform_it/target"
-    
-    exit 1
-fi
+VERSION=${1} # e.g. 3.1.0.1971
+shift 1
+
+PREVIOUS_BRANCH=`git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`
 
-VERSION=${1}
-shift
+# creates a file platform_it_${VERSION}.tar.gz
+git checkout tags/${VERSION}
+cd platform_it
+rm -rf target *.log snappy*.jnilib
+cd ..
 
-# stop current cluster
+./start-splice-cluster $*
 ./start-splice-cluster -k
 
+rm -rf upgrade_test_TMP
+mkdir -p upgrade_test_TMP/platform_it/target
+cd upgrade_test_TMP
+cp -r ../platform_it/target/hbase platform_it/target/.
+cp -r ../platform_it/target/zookeeper platform_it/target/.
+tar -czvf ../platform_it_${VERSION}.tar.gz platform_it
+cd ..
+rm -rf upgrade_test_TMP
+
+git checkout ${PREVIOUS_BRANCH}
+
+
+# restart on that version
+./start-splice-cluster $*
+
 # clean up platform_it
 cd platform_it
 git clean -dfx
 cd ..
 
 # download the previous standalone data
-aws s3 cp ${UPGRADE_URL}/platform_it_${VERSION}.tar.gz .
 tar -xzvf platform_it_${VERSION}.tar.gz
 rm platform_it_${VERSION}.tar.gz
 
diff --git a/pipelines/upgrade-testing/check_upgrade_fast.sh b/pipelines/upgrade-testing/check_upgrade_fast.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..33fcf25b7a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pipelines/upgrade-testing/check_upgrade_fast.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+UPGRADE_URL=s3://splice-snapshots/upgrade_tests
+
+if [ $# -lt 2 ]
+then
+	echo "usage: bash create_upgrade_targz.sh {VERSION} {additional start-splice-cluster parameters}"
+	echo "------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
+	echo "uses a previously created tar.gz to test upgrade"
+	echo "e.g. bash create_upgrade_targz.sh 3.2.2021 -T 16"
+	echo "make sure you current branch has already been build"
+	echo "don't use -b, since we are deleting some files in platform_it/target"
+    
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+VERSION=${1}
+shift
+
+# stop current cluster
+./start-splice-cluster -k
+
+# clean up platform_it
+cd platform_it
+git clean -dfx
+cd ..
+
+# download the previous standalone data
+aws s3 cp ${UPGRADE_URL}/platform_it_${VERSION}.tar.gz .
+tar -xzvf platform_it_${VERSION}.tar.gz
+rm platform_it_${VERSION}.tar.gz
+
+# restart cluster
+./start-splice-cluster -l $*
+
+# test
+if mvn -B -e surefire:test -Pcore,cdh6.3.0 -Dtest='UpgradeTestIT#*' -DskipServerStart -DfailIfNoTests=false; then
+    echo "UPGRADE SUCCEEDED"
+    cat platform_it/splice.log | grep 'upgrade scripts'
+    cat platform_it/splice.log | grep 'Running upgrade script'	
+else
+	echo "!!! UPGRADE FAILED !!!"
+fi
diff --git a/pipelines/upgrade-testing/create_upgrade_targz.sh b/pipelines/upgrade-testing/create_upgrade_targz.sh
index d51f4469fa8..15567529d73 100644
--- a/pipelines/upgrade-testing/create_upgrade_targz.sh
+++ b/pipelines/upgrade-testing/create_upgrade_targz.sh
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ rm -rf target *.log snappy*.jnilib
 cd ..
 
 ./start-splice-cluster $*
+./start-splice-cluster -k
 
 rm -rf upgrade_test_TMP
 mkdir -p upgrade_test_TMP/platform_it/target