diff --git a/hack/.golint_failures b/hack/.golint_failures
index 054bcfba90e..74f1571a0be 100644
--- a/hack/.golint_failures
+++ b/hack/.golint_failures
@@ -810,6 +810,7 @@ test/e2e/instrumentation
 test/e2e/instrumentation/logging
 test/e2e/instrumentation/monitoring
 test/e2e/kubectl
+test/e2e/lifecycle
 test/e2e/metrics
 test/e2e/scalability
 test/e2e/scheduling
diff --git a/test/e2e/BUILD b/test/e2e/BUILD
index b6f9a4d9634..f31fb09aee7 100644
--- a/test/e2e/BUILD
+++ b/test/e2e/BUILD
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ go_test(
         "//test/e2e/instrumentation/logging:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/instrumentation/monitoring:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/kubectl:go_default_library",
+        "//test/e2e/lifecycle:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/metrics:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/scalability:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/scheduling:go_default_library",
@@ -46,11 +47,9 @@ go_test(
 go_library(
     name = "go_default_library",
     srcs = [
-        "addon_update.go",
         "apparmor.go",
         "audit.go",
         "certificates.go",
-        "cluster_upgrade.go",
         "dashboard.go",
         "dns.go",
         "dns_common.go",
@@ -63,7 +62,6 @@ go_library(
         "generated_clientset.go",
         "gke_local_ssd.go",
         "gke_node_pools.go",
-        "ha_master.go",
         "ingress.go",
         "kube_proxy.go",
         "kubelet.go",
@@ -79,10 +77,7 @@ go_library(
         "podpreset.go",
         "pods.go",
         "pre_stop.go",
-        "reboot.go",
-        "resize_nodes.go",
         "resource_quota.go",
-        "restart.go",
         "security_context.go",
         "service.go",
         "service_accounts.go",
@@ -107,32 +102,26 @@ go_library(
         "//pkg/controller/node:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/kubelet/apis:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/kubelet/apis/stats/v1alpha1:go_default_library",
-        "//pkg/kubelet/pod:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/master/ports:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/quota/evaluator/core:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/util/logs:go_default_library",
         "//pkg/util/version:go_default_library",
         "//plugin/pkg/admission/serviceaccount:go_default_library",
-        "//test/e2e/chaosmonkey:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/common:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/framework:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/framework/ginkgowrapper:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/generated:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/manifest:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e/metrics:go_default_library",
-        "//test/e2e/upgrades:go_default_library",
-        "//test/e2e/upgrades/apps:go_default_library",
         "//test/e2e_federation:go_default_library",
         "//test/images/net/nat:go_default_library",
         "//test/utils:go_default_library",
-        "//test/utils/junit:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/golang/glog:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/google/cadvisor/info/v1:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/onsi/ginkgo:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/onsi/ginkgo/config:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/onsi/ginkgo/reporters:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/onsi/gomega:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/golang.org/x/crypto/ssh:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/api/batch/v1:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/api/batch/v2alpha1:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/api/certificates/v1beta1:go_default_library",
@@ -153,7 +142,6 @@ go_library(
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/watch:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/serviceaccount:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/client-go/discovery:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/typed/certificates/v1beta1:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/client-go/rest:go_default_library",
@@ -191,6 +179,7 @@ filegroup(
         "//test/e2e/generated:all-srcs",
         "//test/e2e/instrumentation:all-srcs",
         "//test/e2e/kubectl:all-srcs",
+        "//test/e2e/lifecycle:all-srcs",
         "//test/e2e/manifest:all-srcs",
         "//test/e2e/metrics:all-srcs",
         "//test/e2e/perftype:all-srcs",
diff --git a/test/e2e/common/util.go b/test/e2e/common/util.go
index 508609e74be..9fab20ff4ca 100644
--- a/test/e2e/common/util.go
+++ b/test/e2e/common/util.go
@@ -17,7 +17,18 @@ limitations under the License.
 package common
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+
+	"k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/intstr"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
+	clientset "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/framework"
+
+	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo"
 )
 
 type Suite string
@@ -49,3 +60,72 @@ var CommonImageWhiteList = sets.NewString(
 	"gcr.io/google_containers/volume-nfs:0.8",
 	"gcr.io/google_containers/volume-gluster:0.2",
 )
+
+func svcByName(name string, port int) *v1.Service {
+	return &v1.Service{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name: name,
+		},
+		Spec: v1.ServiceSpec{
+			Type: v1.ServiceTypeNodePort,
+			Selector: map[string]string{
+				"name": name,
+			},
+			Ports: []v1.ServicePort{{
+				Port:       int32(port),
+				TargetPort: intstr.FromInt(port),
+			}},
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func NewSVCByName(c clientset.Interface, ns, name string) error {
+	const testPort = 9376
+	_, err := c.Core().Services(ns).Create(svcByName(name, testPort))
+	return err
+}
+
+// NewRCByName creates a replication controller with a selector by name of name.
+func NewRCByName(c clientset.Interface, ns, name string, replicas int32, gracePeriod *int64) (*v1.ReplicationController, error) {
+	By(fmt.Sprintf("creating replication controller %s", name))
+	return c.Core().ReplicationControllers(ns).Create(framework.RcByNamePort(
+		name, replicas, framework.ServeHostnameImage, 9376, v1.ProtocolTCP, map[string]string{}, gracePeriod))
+}
+
+func RestartNodes(c clientset.Interface, nodeNames []string) error {
+	// List old boot IDs.
+	oldBootIDs := make(map[string]string)
+	for _, name := range nodeNames {
+		node, err := c.Core().Nodes().Get(name, metav1.GetOptions{})
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("error getting node info before reboot: %s", err)
+		}
+		oldBootIDs[name] = node.Status.NodeInfo.BootID
+	}
+	// Reboot the nodes.
+	args := []string{
+		"compute",
+		fmt.Sprintf("--project=%s", framework.TestContext.CloudConfig.ProjectID),
+		"instances",
+		"reset",
+	}
+	args = append(args, nodeNames...)
+	args = append(args, fmt.Sprintf("--zone=%s", framework.TestContext.CloudConfig.Zone))
+	stdout, stderr, err := framework.RunCmd("gcloud", args...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error restarting nodes: %s\nstdout: %s\nstderr: %s", err, stdout, stderr)
+	}
+	// Wait for their boot IDs to change.
+	for _, name := range nodeNames {
+		if err := wait.Poll(30*time.Second, 5*time.Minute, func() (bool, error) {
+			node, err := c.Core().Nodes().Get(name, metav1.GetOptions{})
+			if err != nil {
+				return false, fmt.Errorf("error getting node info after reboot: %s", err)
+			}
+			return node.Status.NodeInfo.BootID != oldBootIDs[name], nil
+		}); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("error waiting for node %s boot ID to change: %s", name, err)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/test/e2e/e2e.go b/test/e2e/e2e.go
index 50c7d9e336d..7eb8a578637 100644
--- a/test/e2e/e2e.go
+++ b/test/e2e/e2e.go
@@ -47,12 +47,6 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	// imagePrePullingTimeout is the time we wait for the e2e-image-puller
-	// static pods to pull the list of seeded images. If they don't pull
-	// images within this time we simply log their output and carry on
-	// with the tests.
-	imagePrePullingTimeout = 5 * time.Minute
-
 	// TODO: Delete this once all the tests that depend upon it are moved out of test/e2e and into subdirs
 	podName = "pfpod"
 )
@@ -172,12 +166,12 @@ var _ = ginkgo.SynchronizedBeforeSuite(func() []byte {
 		framework.Failf("Error waiting for all pods to be running and ready: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	if err := framework.WaitForPodsSuccess(c, metav1.NamespaceSystem, framework.ImagePullerLabels, imagePrePullingTimeout); err != nil {
+	if err := framework.WaitForPodsSuccess(c, metav1.NamespaceSystem, framework.ImagePullerLabels, framework.ImagePrePullingTimeout); err != nil {
 		// There is no guarantee that the image pulling will succeed in 3 minutes
 		// and we don't even run the image puller on all platforms (including GKE).
 		// We wait for it so we get an indication of failures in the logs, and to
 		// maximize benefit of image pre-pulling.
-		framework.Logf("WARNING: Image pulling pods failed to enter success in %v: %v", imagePrePullingTimeout, err)
+		framework.Logf("WARNING: Image pulling pods failed to enter success in %v: %v", framework.ImagePrePullingTimeout, err)
 	}
 
 	// Dump the output of the nethealth containers only once per run
diff --git a/test/e2e/e2e_test.go b/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
index 04af948691a..741191a774d 100644
--- a/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	_ "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/instrumentation/logging"
 	_ "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/instrumentation/monitoring"
 	_ "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/kubectl"
+	_ "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/lifecycle"
 	_ "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/scalability"
 	_ "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/scheduling"
 	_ "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/storage"
diff --git a/test/e2e/framework/util.go b/test/e2e/framework/util.go
index c5d84b83366..18dae6704cf 100644
--- a/test/e2e/framework/util.go
+++ b/test/e2e/framework/util.go
@@ -183,6 +183,12 @@ const (
 	ServeHostnameImage = "gcr.io/google_containers/serve_hostname:v1.4"
 	// ssh port
 	sshPort = "22"
+
+	// ImagePrePullingTimeout is the time we wait for the e2e-image-puller
+	// static pods to pull the list of seeded images. If they don't pull
+	// images within this time we simply log their output and carry on
+	// with the tests.
+	ImagePrePullingTimeout = 5 * time.Minute
 )
 
 var (
diff --git a/test/e2e/lifecycle/BUILD b/test/e2e/lifecycle/BUILD
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d4c74b960b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/e2e/lifecycle/BUILD
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
+
+licenses(["notice"])
+
+load(
+    "@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl",
+    "go_library",
+)
+
+go_library(
+    name = "go_default_library",
+    srcs = [
+        "addon_update.go",
+        "cluster_upgrade.go",
+        "ha_master.go",
+        "reboot.go",
+        "resize_nodes.go",
+        "restart.go",
+        "sig.go",
+    ],
+    tags = ["automanaged"],
+    deps = [
+        "//pkg/api:go_default_library",
+        "//pkg/kubelet/pod:go_default_library",
+        "//pkg/util/version:go_default_library",
+        "//test/e2e/chaosmonkey:go_default_library",
+        "//test/e2e/common:go_default_library",
+        "//test/e2e/framework:go_default_library",
+        "//test/e2e/framework/ginkgowrapper:go_default_library",
+        "//test/e2e/upgrades:go_default_library",
+        "//test/e2e/upgrades/apps:go_default_library",
+        "//test/utils:go_default_library",
+        "//test/utils/junit:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/github.com/onsi/ginkgo:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/github.com/onsi/gomega:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/golang.org/x/crypto/ssh:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/api/core/v1:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/client-go/discovery:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes:go_default_library",
+    ],
+)
+
+filegroup(
+    name = "package-srcs",
+    srcs = glob(["**"]),
+    tags = ["automanaged"],
+    visibility = ["//visibility:private"],
+)
+
+filegroup(
+    name = "all-srcs",
+    srcs = [":package-srcs"],
+    tags = ["automanaged"],
+)
diff --git a/test/e2e/lifecycle/OWNERS b/test/e2e/lifecycle/OWNERS
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b47b8c6f0ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/e2e/lifecycle/OWNERS
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+approvers:
+- sig-cluster-lifecycle-maintainers
+reviewers:
+- sig-cluster-lifecycle
diff --git a/test/e2e/addon_update.go b/test/e2e/lifecycle/addon_update.go
similarity index 99%
rename from test/e2e/addon_update.go
rename to test/e2e/lifecycle/addon_update.go
index fbdd8375e28..970decaf83a 100644
--- a/test/e2e/addon_update.go
+++ b/test/e2e/lifecycle/addon_update.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package e2e
+package lifecycle
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ type stringPair struct {
 	data, fileName string
 }
 
-var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Addon update", func() {
+var _ = SIGDescribe("Addon update", func() {
 
 	var dir string
 	var sshClient *ssh.Client
diff --git a/test/e2e/cluster_upgrade.go b/test/e2e/lifecycle/cluster_upgrade.go
similarity index 91%
rename from test/e2e/cluster_upgrade.go
rename to test/e2e/lifecycle/cluster_upgrade.go
index b07ab994b53..eb4256fa7b3 100644
--- a/test/e2e/cluster_upgrade.go
+++ b/test/e2e/lifecycle/cluster_upgrade.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package e2e
+package lifecycle
 
 import (
 	"encoding/xml"
@@ -58,13 +58,16 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Upgrade [Feature:Upgrade]", func() {
 	// Create the frameworks here because we can only create them
 	// in a "Describe".
 	testFrameworks := createUpgradeFrameworks()
-	framework.KubeDescribe("master upgrade", func() {
+	SIGDescribe("master upgrade", func() {
 		It("should maintain a functioning cluster [Feature:MasterUpgrade]", func() {
 			upgCtx, err := getUpgradeContext(f.ClientSet.Discovery(), framework.TestContext.UpgradeTarget)
 			framework.ExpectNoError(err)
 
 			testSuite := &junit.TestSuite{Name: "Master upgrade"}
-			masterUpgradeTest := &junit.TestCase{Name: "master-upgrade", Classname: "upgrade_tests"}
+			masterUpgradeTest := &junit.TestCase{
+				Name:      "[sig-cluster-lifecycle] master-upgrade",
+				Classname: "upgrade_tests",
+			}
 			testSuite.TestCases = append(testSuite.TestCases, masterUpgradeTest)
 
 			upgradeFunc := func() {
@@ -78,13 +81,16 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Upgrade [Feature:Upgrade]", func() {
 		})
 	})
 
-	framework.KubeDescribe("node upgrade", func() {
+	SIGDescribe("node upgrade", func() {
 		It("should maintain a functioning cluster [Feature:NodeUpgrade]", func() {
 			upgCtx, err := getUpgradeContext(f.ClientSet.Discovery(), framework.TestContext.UpgradeTarget)
 			framework.ExpectNoError(err)
 
 			testSuite := &junit.TestSuite{Name: "Node upgrade"}
-			nodeUpgradeTest := &junit.TestCase{Name: "node-upgrade", Classname: "upgrade_tests"}
+			nodeUpgradeTest := &junit.TestCase{
+				Name:      "node-upgrade",
+				Classname: "upgrade_tests",
+			}
 
 			upgradeFunc := func() {
 				start := time.Now()
@@ -97,13 +103,13 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Upgrade [Feature:Upgrade]", func() {
 		})
 	})
 
-	framework.KubeDescribe("cluster upgrade", func() {
+	SIGDescribe("cluster upgrade", func() {
 		It("should maintain a functioning cluster [Feature:ClusterUpgrade]", func() {
 			upgCtx, err := getUpgradeContext(f.ClientSet.Discovery(), framework.TestContext.UpgradeTarget)
 			framework.ExpectNoError(err)
 
 			testSuite := &junit.TestSuite{Name: "Cluster upgrade"}
-			clusterUpgradeTest := &junit.TestCase{Name: "cluster-upgrade", Classname: "upgrade_tests"}
+			clusterUpgradeTest := &junit.TestCase{Name: "[sig-cluster-lifecycle] cluster-upgrade", Classname: "upgrade_tests"}
 			testSuite.TestCases = append(testSuite.TestCases, clusterUpgradeTest)
 			upgradeFunc := func() {
 				start := time.Now()
@@ -119,20 +125,20 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Upgrade [Feature:Upgrade]", func() {
 	})
 })
 
-var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Downgrade [Feature:Downgrade]", func() {
+var _ = SIGDescribe("Downgrade [Feature:Downgrade]", func() {
 	f := framework.NewDefaultFramework("cluster-downgrade")
 
 	// Create the frameworks here because we can only create them
 	// in a "Describe".
 	testFrameworks := createUpgradeFrameworks()
 
-	framework.KubeDescribe("cluster downgrade", func() {
+	SIGDescribe("cluster downgrade", func() {
 		It("should maintain a functioning cluster [Feature:ClusterDowngrade]", func() {
 			upgCtx, err := getUpgradeContext(f.ClientSet.Discovery(), framework.TestContext.UpgradeTarget)
 			framework.ExpectNoError(err)
 
 			testSuite := &junit.TestSuite{Name: "Cluster downgrade"}
-			clusterDowngradeTest := &junit.TestCase{Name: "cluster-downgrade", Classname: "upgrade_tests"}
+			clusterDowngradeTest := &junit.TestCase{Name: "[sig-cluster-lifecycle] cluster-downgrade", Classname: "upgrade_tests"}
 			testSuite.TestCases = append(testSuite.TestCases, clusterDowngradeTest)
 
 			upgradeFunc := func() {
@@ -150,19 +156,19 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Downgrade [Feature:Downgrade]", func() {
 	})
 })
 
-var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("etcd Upgrade [Feature:EtcdUpgrade]", func() {
+var _ = SIGDescribe("etcd Upgrade [Feature:EtcdUpgrade]", func() {
 	f := framework.NewDefaultFramework("etc-upgrade")
 
 	// Create the frameworks here because we can only create them
 	// in a "Describe".
 	testFrameworks := createUpgradeFrameworks()
-	framework.KubeDescribe("etcd upgrade", func() {
+	SIGDescribe("etcd upgrade", func() {
 		It("should maintain a functioning cluster", func() {
 			upgCtx, err := getUpgradeContext(f.ClientSet.Discovery(), "")
 			framework.ExpectNoError(err)
 
 			testSuite := &junit.TestSuite{Name: "Etcd upgrade"}
-			etcdTest := &junit.TestCase{Name: "etcd-upgrade", Classname: "upgrade_tests"}
+			etcdTest := &junit.TestCase{Name: "[sig-cluster-lifecycle] etcd-upgrade", Classname: "upgrade_tests"}
 			testSuite.TestCases = append(testSuite.TestCases, etcdTest)
 
 			upgradeFunc := func() {
diff --git a/test/e2e/ha_master.go b/test/e2e/lifecycle/ha_master.go
similarity index 97%
rename from test/e2e/ha_master.go
rename to test/e2e/lifecycle/ha_master.go
index fb00575d3a4..89899379426 100644
--- a/test/e2e/ha_master.go
+++ b/test/e2e/lifecycle/ha_master.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package e2e
+package lifecycle
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo"
 	clientset "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/common"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/framework"
 )
 
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ func verifyRCs(c clientset.Interface, ns string, names []string) {
 }
 
 func createNewRC(c clientset.Interface, ns string, name string) {
-	_, err := newRCByName(c, ns, name, 1, nil)
+	_, err := common.NewRCByName(c, ns, name, 1, nil)
 	framework.ExpectNoError(err)
 }
 
@@ -113,7 +114,7 @@ func removeZoneFromZones(zones []string, zone string) []string {
 	return zones
 }
 
-var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("HA-master [Feature:HAMaster]", func() {
+var _ = SIGDescribe("HA-master [Feature:HAMaster]", func() {
 	f := framework.NewDefaultFramework("ha-master")
 	var c clientset.Interface
 	var ns string
diff --git a/test/e2e/reboot.go b/test/e2e/lifecycle/reboot.go
similarity index 99%
rename from test/e2e/reboot.go
rename to test/e2e/lifecycle/reboot.go
index 0baff426875..72125407ea4 100644
--- a/test/e2e/reboot.go
+++ b/test/e2e/lifecycle/reboot.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package e2e
+package lifecycle
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ const (
 	rebootPodReadyAgainTimeout = 5 * time.Minute
 )
 
-var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Reboot [Disruptive] [Feature:Reboot]", func() {
+var _ = SIGDescribe("Reboot [Disruptive] [Feature:Reboot]", func() {
 	var f *framework.Framework
 
 	BeforeEach(func() {
diff --git a/test/e2e/resize_nodes.go b/test/e2e/lifecycle/resize_nodes.go
similarity index 80%
rename from test/e2e/resize_nodes.go
rename to test/e2e/lifecycle/resize_nodes.go
index ec9828d1fb2..6f96830db9d 100644
--- a/test/e2e/resize_nodes.go
+++ b/test/e2e/lifecycle/resize_nodes.go
@@ -14,60 +14,23 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package e2e
+package lifecycle
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
-	"k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/intstr"
 	clientset "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/common"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/framework"
 
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
 )
 
-const (
-	resizeNodeReadyTimeout = 2 * time.Minute
-	nodeReadinessTimeout   = 3 * time.Minute
-	podNotReadyTimeout     = 1 * time.Minute
-	podReadyTimeout        = 2 * time.Minute
-	testPort               = 9376
-)
-
-func svcByName(name string, port int) *v1.Service {
-	return &v1.Service{
-		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-			Name: name,
-		},
-		Spec: v1.ServiceSpec{
-			Type: v1.ServiceTypeNodePort,
-			Selector: map[string]string{
-				"name": name,
-			},
-			Ports: []v1.ServicePort{{
-				Port:       int32(port),
-				TargetPort: intstr.FromInt(port),
-			}},
-		},
-	}
-}
-
-func newSVCByName(c clientset.Interface, ns, name string) error {
-	_, err := c.Core().Services(ns).Create(svcByName(name, testPort))
-	return err
-}
-
-// newRCByName creates a replication controller with a selector by name of name.
-func newRCByName(c clientset.Interface, ns, name string, replicas int32, gracePeriod *int64) (*v1.ReplicationController, error) {
-	By(fmt.Sprintf("creating replication controller %s", name))
-	return c.Core().ReplicationControllers(ns).Create(framework.RcByNamePort(
-		name, replicas, framework.ServeHostnameImage, 9376, v1.ProtocolTCP, map[string]string{}, gracePeriod))
-}
+const resizeNodeReadyTimeout = 2 * time.Minute
 
 func resizeRC(c clientset.Interface, ns, name string, replicas int32) error {
 	rc, err := c.Core().ReplicationControllers(ns).Get(name, metav1.GetOptions{})
@@ -79,7 +42,7 @@ func resizeRC(c clientset.Interface, ns, name string, replicas int32) error {
 	return err
 }
 
-var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Nodes [Disruptive]", func() {
+var _ = SIGDescribe("Nodes [Disruptive]", func() {
 	f := framework.NewDefaultFramework("resize-nodes")
 	var systemPodsNo int32
 	var c clientset.Interface
@@ -101,7 +64,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Nodes [Disruptive]", func() {
 	})
 
 	// Slow issue #13323 (8 min)
-	framework.KubeDescribe("Resize [Slow]", func() {
+	SIGDescribe("Resize [Slow]", func() {
 		var skipped bool
 
 		BeforeEach(func() {
@@ -144,7 +107,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Nodes [Disruptive]", func() {
 			err := framework.WaitForPodsRunningReady(c, metav1.NamespaceSystem, systemPodsNo, 0, framework.PodReadyBeforeTimeout, ignoreLabels)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 			By("waiting for image prepulling pods to complete")
-			framework.WaitForPodsSuccess(c, metav1.NamespaceSystem, framework.ImagePullerLabels, imagePrePullingTimeout)
+			framework.WaitForPodsSuccess(c, metav1.NamespaceSystem, framework.ImagePullerLabels, framework.ImagePrePullingTimeout)
 		})
 
 		It("should be able to delete nodes", func() {
@@ -152,7 +115,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Nodes [Disruptive]", func() {
 			// The source for the Docker container kubernetes/serve_hostname is in contrib/for-demos/serve_hostname
 			name := "my-hostname-delete-node"
 			replicas := int32(framework.TestContext.CloudConfig.NumNodes)
-			newRCByName(c, ns, name, replicas, nil)
+			common.NewRCByName(c, ns, name, replicas, nil)
 			err := framework.VerifyPods(c, ns, name, true, replicas)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
@@ -178,9 +141,9 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Nodes [Disruptive]", func() {
 			// Create a replication controller for a service that serves its hostname.
 			// The source for the Docker container kubernetes/serve_hostname is in contrib/for-demos/serve_hostname
 			name := "my-hostname-add-node"
-			newSVCByName(c, ns, name)
+			common.NewSVCByName(c, ns, name)
 			replicas := int32(framework.TestContext.CloudConfig.NumNodes)
-			newRCByName(c, ns, name, replicas, nil)
+			common.NewRCByName(c, ns, name, replicas, nil)
 			err := framework.VerifyPods(c, ns, name, true, replicas)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
diff --git a/test/e2e/restart.go b/test/e2e/lifecycle/restart.go
similarity index 98%
rename from test/e2e/restart.go
rename to test/e2e/lifecycle/restart.go
index e87ce1a3695..da28be9ec3e 100644
--- a/test/e2e/restart.go
+++ b/test/e2e/lifecycle/restart.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package e2e
+package lifecycle
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ func filterIrrelevantPods(pods []*v1.Pod) []*v1.Pod {
 	return results
 }
 
-var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("Restart [Disruptive]", func() {
+var _ = SIGDescribe("Restart [Disruptive]", func() {
 	f := framework.NewDefaultFramework("restart")
 	var ps *testutils.PodStore
 	var originalNodeNames []string
diff --git a/test/e2e/lifecycle/sig.go b/test/e2e/lifecycle/sig.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e4f775c70c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/e2e/lifecycle/sig.go
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2017 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package lifecycle
+
+import "github.com/onsi/ginkgo"
+
+func SIGDescribe(text string, body func()) bool {
+	return ginkgo.Describe("[sig-cluster-lifecycle] "+text, body)
+}
diff --git a/test/e2e/network_partition.go b/test/e2e/network_partition.go
index b8344273585..f2fac73f375 100644
--- a/test/e2e/network_partition.go
+++ b/test/e2e/network_partition.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import (
 	clientset "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api"
 	nodepkg "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/controller/node"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/common"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e/framework"
 	testutils "k8s.io/kubernetes/test/utils"
 
@@ -42,7 +43,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	timeout = 60 * time.Second
+	timeout                = 60 * time.Second
+	podReadyTimeout        = 2 * time.Minute
+	podNotReadyTimeout     = 1 * time.Minute
+	nodeReadinessTimeout   = 3 * time.Minute
+	resizeNodeReadyTimeout = 2 * time.Minute
 )
 
 func expectNodeReadiness(isReady bool, newNode chan *v1.Node) {
@@ -231,9 +236,9 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("[sig-apps] Network Partition [Disruptive] [Slow]
 			// Create a replication controller for a service that serves its hostname.
 			// The source for the Docker container kubernetes/serve_hostname is in contrib/for-demos/serve_hostname
 			name := "my-hostname-net"
-			newSVCByName(c, ns, name)
+			common.NewSVCByName(c, ns, name)
 			replicas := int32(framework.TestContext.CloudConfig.NumNodes)
-			newRCByName(c, ns, name, replicas, nil)
+			common.NewRCByName(c, ns, name, replicas, nil)
 			err := framework.VerifyPods(c, ns, name, true, replicas)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Each pod should start running and responding")
 
@@ -296,9 +301,9 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("[sig-apps] Network Partition [Disruptive] [Slow]
 			name := "my-hostname-net"
 			gracePeriod := int64(30)
 
-			newSVCByName(c, ns, name)
+			common.NewSVCByName(c, ns, name)
 			replicas := int32(framework.TestContext.CloudConfig.NumNodes)
-			newRCByName(c, ns, name, replicas, &gracePeriod)
+			common.NewRCByName(c, ns, name, replicas, &gracePeriod)
 			err := framework.VerifyPods(c, ns, name, true, replicas)
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Each pod should start running and responding")
 
@@ -372,7 +377,7 @@ var _ = framework.KubeDescribe("[sig-apps] Network Partition [Disruptive] [Slow]
 			nn := framework.TestContext.CloudConfig.NumNodes
 			nodeNames, err := framework.CheckNodesReady(f.ClientSet, framework.NodeReadyInitialTimeout, nn)
 			framework.ExpectNoError(err)
-			restartNodes(f, nodeNames)
+			common.RestartNodes(f.ClientSet, nodeNames)
 
 			By("waiting for pods to be running again")
 			pst.WaitForRunningAndReady(*ps.Spec.Replicas, ps)
diff --git a/test/e2e/scheduling/predicates.go b/test/e2e/scheduling/predicates.go
index 70e9d00f881..0f0629ca79a 100644
--- a/test/e2e/scheduling/predicates.go
+++ b/test/e2e/scheduling/predicates.go
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ import (
 
 const maxNumberOfPods int64 = 10
 const minPodCPURequest int64 = 500
-const imagePrePullingTimeout = 5 * time.Minute
 
 // variable set in BeforeEach, never modified afterwards
 var masterNodes sets.String
@@ -101,7 +100,7 @@ var _ = SIGDescribe("SchedulerPredicates [Serial]", func() {
 		err = framework.WaitForPodsRunningReady(cs, metav1.NamespaceSystem, int32(systemPodsNo), 0, framework.PodReadyBeforeTimeout, ignoreLabels)
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		err = framework.WaitForPodsSuccess(cs, metav1.NamespaceSystem, framework.ImagePullerLabels, imagePrePullingTimeout)
+		err = framework.WaitForPodsSuccess(cs, metav1.NamespaceSystem, framework.ImagePullerLabels, framework.ImagePrePullingTimeout)
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		for _, node := range nodeList.Items {