diff --git a/spec/unit/indirector/catalog/active_record_spec.rb b/spec/unit/indirector/catalog/active_record_spec.rb
index 35d01179b..d434f694c 100755
--- a/spec/unit/indirector/catalog/active_record_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/unit/indirector/catalog/active_record_spec.rb
@@ -1,156 +1,146 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env rspec
 require 'spec_helper'
+begin
+  require 'sqlite3'
+rescue LoadError
+  # this code deliberately left blank.
+end
 
+describe "Puppet::Resource::Catalog::ActiveRecord", :if => (Puppet.features.rails? and defined? SQLite3) do
+  include PuppetSpec::Files
 
-describe "Puppet::Resource::Catalog::ActiveRecord", :if => Puppet.features.rails? do
   require 'puppet/rails'
 
-  before :all do
-    class Tableless < ActiveRecord::Base
-      def self.columns
-        @columns ||= []
-      end
-      def self.column(name, sql_type=nil, default=nil, null=true)
-        columns << ActiveRecord::ConnectionAdapters::Column.new(name.to_s, default, sql_type.to_s, null)
-      end
-    end
-
-    class Host < Tableless
-      column :name, :string, :null => false
-      column :ip, :string
-      column :environment, :string
-      column :last_compile, :datetime
-    end
+  before :each do
+    require 'puppet/indirector/catalog/active_record'
+    Puppet[:dbadapter]  = 'sqlite3'
+    Puppet[:dblocation] = tmpdir('puppet-catalog-activerecord') + '/test.sqlite'
+    Puppet[:railslog]   = "/dev/null"
+    Puppet::Rails.init
   end
 
-  before do
-    require 'puppet/indirector/catalog/active_record'
-    Puppet.features.stubs(:rails?).returns true
-    Puppet::Rails.stubs(:init)
-    @terminus = Puppet::Resource::Catalog::ActiveRecord.new
+  let :terminus do
+    Puppet::Resource::Catalog::ActiveRecord.new
   end
 
+
   it "should be a subclass of the ActiveRecord terminus class" do
     Puppet::Resource::Catalog::ActiveRecord.ancestors.should be_include(Puppet::Indirector::ActiveRecord)
   end
 
   it "should use Puppet::Rails::Host as its ActiveRecord model" do
     Puppet::Resource::Catalog::ActiveRecord.ar_model.should equal(Puppet::Rails::Host)
   end
 
   describe "when finding an instance" do
-    before do
-      @request = stub 'request', :key => "foo", :options => {:cache_integration_hack => true}
+    let :request do
+      stub 'request', :key => "foo", :options => {:cache_integration_hack => true}
     end
 
     # This hack is here because we don't want to look in the db unless we actually want
     # to look in the db, but our indirection architecture in 0.24.x isn't flexible
     # enough to tune that via configuration.
     it "should return nil unless ':cache_integration_hack' is set to true" do
-      @request.options[:cache_integration_hack] = false
+      request.options[:cache_integration_hack] = false
       Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).never
-      @terminus.find(@request).should be_nil
+      terminus.find(request).should be_nil
     end
 
     it "should use the Hosts ActiveRecord class to find the host" do
       Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).with { |key, args| key == "foo" }
-      @terminus.find(@request)
+      terminus.find(request)
     end
 
     it "should return nil if no host instance can be found" do
       Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).returns nil
 
-      @terminus.find(@request).should be_nil
+      terminus.find(request).should be_nil
     end
 
     it "should return a catalog with the same name as the host if the host can be found" do
       host = stub 'host', :name => "foo", :resources => []
       Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).returns host
 
-      result = @terminus.find(@request)
+      result = terminus.find(request)
       result.should be_instance_of(Puppet::Resource::Catalog)
       result.name.should == "foo"
     end
 
     it "should set each of the host's resources as a transportable resource within the catalog" do
       host = stub 'host', :name => "foo"
       Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).returns host
 
       res1 = mock 'res1', :to_transportable => "trans_res1"
       res2 = mock 'res2', :to_transportable => "trans_res2"
 
       host.expects(:resources).returns [res1, res2]
 
       catalog = stub 'catalog'
       Puppet::Resource::Catalog.expects(:new).returns catalog
 
       catalog.expects(:add_resource).with "trans_res1"
       catalog.expects(:add_resource).with "trans_res2"
 
-      @terminus.find(@request)
+      terminus.find(request)
     end
   end
 
   describe "when saving an instance" do
-    before do
-      @host = Host.new(:name => "foo")
-      @host.stubs(:merge_resources)
-      @host.stubs(:save)
-      @host.stubs(:railsmark).yields
-
-      @node = Puppet::Node.new("foo", :environment => "environment")
-      Puppet::Node.indirection.stubs(:find).with("foo").returns(@node)
-
-      Puppet::Rails::Host.stubs(:find_by_name).returns @host
-      @catalog = Puppet::Resource::Catalog.new("foo")
-      @request = Puppet::Indirector::Request.new(:active_record, :save, @catalog)
+    let :catalog do Puppet::Resource::Catalog.new("foo") end
+    let :request do Puppet::Indirector::Request.new(:active_record, :save, catalog) end
+    let :node do Puppet::Node.new("foo", :environment => "environment") end
+
+    before :each do
+      Puppet::Node.indirection.stubs(:find).with("foo").returns(node)
     end
 
     it "should find the Rails host with the same name" do
-      Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).with("foo").returns @host
-
-      @terminus.save(@request)
+      Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).with("foo")
+      terminus.save(request)
     end
 
     it "should create a new Rails host if none can be found" do
-      Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).with("foo").returns nil
-
-      Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:create).with(:name => "foo").returns @host
-
-      @terminus.save(@request)
+      Puppet::Rails::Host.find_by_name('foo').should be_nil
+      terminus.save(request)
+      Puppet::Rails::Host.find_by_name('foo').should be_valid
     end
 
     it "should set the catalog vertices as resources on the Rails host instance" do
-      @catalog.expects(:vertices).returns "foo"
-      @host.expects(:merge_resources).with("foo")
+      # We need to stub this so we get the same object, not just the same
+      # content, otherwise the expect can't fire. :(
+      host = Puppet::Rails::Host.create!(:name => "foo")
+      Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).with("foo").returns(host)
+      catalog.expects(:vertices).returns("foo")
+      host.expects(:merge_resources).with("foo")
 
-      @terminus.save(@request)
+      terminus.save(request)
     end
 
     it "should set host ip if we could find a matching node" do
-      @node.stubs(:parameters).returns({"ipaddress" => "192.168.0.1"})
-
-      @terminus.save(@request)
-      @host.ip.should == '192.168.0.1'
+      node.merge("ipaddress" => "192.168.0.1")
+      terminus.save(request)
+      Puppet::Rails::Host.find_by_name("foo").ip.should == '192.168.0.1'
     end
 
     it "should set host environment if we could find a matching node" do
-      @terminus.save(@request)
-      @host.environment.should == "environment"
+      terminus.save(request)
+      Puppet::Rails::Host.find_by_name("foo").environment.should == "environment"
     end
 
     it "should set the last compile time on the host" do
       now = Time.now
-      Time.expects(:now).returns now
+      Time.stubs(:now).returns now
 
-      @terminus.save(@request)
-      @host.last_compile.should == now
+      terminus.save(request)
+      Puppet::Rails::Host.find_by_name("foo").last_compile.should == now
     end
 
     it "should save the Rails host instance" do
-      @host.expects(:save)
+      host = Puppet::Rails::Host.create!(:name => "foo")
+      Puppet::Rails::Host.expects(:find_by_name).with("foo").returns(host)
+      host.expects(:save)
 
-      @terminus.save(@request)
+      terminus.save(request)
     end
   end
 end