diff --git a/dspace-api/pom.xml b/dspace-api/pom.xml
index 883fce5f90..7aa25cecb7 100644
--- a/dspace-api/pom.xml
+++ b/dspace-api/pom.xml
@@ -259,7 +259,16 @@
                                 <phase>process-test-resources</phase>
                                 <configuration>
                                     <target>
+                                        <!-- Ant task to copy dspace.cfg.woven to location of test dspace.cfg file -->
                                         <copy file="${agnostic.build.dir}/testing/dspace.cfg.woven" tofile="${agnostic.build.dir}/testing/dspace/config/dspace.cfg" />
+                                        <!-- Now, do one final filter of our Test configs, replacing any remaining "${dspace.dir}"
+                                             placeholders, with the full path of our Unit Test directory -->
+                                        <!-- NOTE: This final filtering is necessary, because dspace.dir doesn't get filled out
+                                             in our test dspace.cfg until Fileweaver runs above. -->
+                                        <replace dir="${agnostic.build.dir}/testing/dspace/config/" value="${agnostic.build.dir}/testing/dspace">
+                                            <include name="**/*"/>
+                                            <replacetoken>${dspace.dir}</replacetoken>
+                                        </replace>
                                     </target>
                                 </configuration>
                                 <goals>
diff --git a/dspace-api/src/test/resources/hibernate.cfg.xml b/dspace-api/src/test/data/dspaceFolder/config/hibernate.cfg.xml
similarity index 75%
rename from dspace-api/src/test/resources/hibernate.cfg.xml
rename to dspace-api/src/test/data/dspaceFolder/config/hibernate.cfg.xml
index a1fe02d0a0..34596283e9 100644
--- a/dspace-api/src/test/resources/hibernate.cfg.xml
+++ b/dspace-api/src/test/data/dspaceFolder/config/hibernate.cfg.xml
@@ -1,18 +1,30 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <!DOCTYPE hibernate-configuration PUBLIC "-//Hibernate/Hibernate Configuration DTD 3.0//EN"
         "http://www.hibernate.org/dtd/hibernate-configuration-3.0.dtd">
+<!--
+  A slightly custom version of hibernate.cfg.xml which is used for Unit Testing and the H2 database.
+  This OVERRIDES the default [dspace]/config/hibernate.cfg.xml. So it should be kept in sync with that file!
+-->
 <hibernate-configuration>
     <session-factory>
+        <!--
+         NOTE: If you are looking for the Hibernate database connection info
+         (driver, url, username, pwd), it is initialized in the 'dataSource'
+         bean in [dspace.dir]/config/spring/api/core-hibernate.xml
+        -->
 
-
-        <property name="hibernate.dialect">org.hibernate.dialect.H2Dialect</property>
-
-
-        <property name="hibernate.hbm2ddl.auto">update</property>
-
-
-
+        <property name="hibernate.dialect">${db.dialect}</property>
+        <!--
+         Schema name - if your database contains multiple schemas, you can avoid
+         problems with retrieving the definitions of duplicate object names by
+         specifying the schema name that is used for DSpace.
+         ORACLE USAGE NOTE: In Oracle, schema is equivalent to "username". This means
+         specifying a "db.schema" is often unnecessary (i.e. you can leave it blank),
+         UNLESS your Oracle DB Account (in db.username) has access to multiple schemas.
+        -->
+        <!-- H2 doesn't use schemas -->
         <!--<property name="hibernate.default_schema"></property>-->
+        <property name="hibernate.hbm2ddl.auto">update</property>  <!-- custom for H2 -->
         <property name="hibernate.hbm2ddl.import_files_sql_extractor">org.hibernate.tool.hbm2ddl.SingleLineSqlCommandExtractor</property>
         <property name="hibernate.connection.autocommit">false</property>
         <property name="hibernate.current_session_context_class">org.hibernate.context.internal.ThreadLocalSessionContext</property>
@@ -21,9 +33,9 @@
 
         <!--Connection pool parameters -->
         <!-- Maximum number of DB connections in pool -->
-        <property name="hibernate.c3p0.max_size">30</property>
+        <property name="hibernate.c3p0.max_size">${db.maxconnections}</property>
         <!-- Determine the number of statements to be cached. -->
-        <property name="hibernate.c3p0.max_statements">50</property>
+        <property name="hibernate.c3p0.max_statements">${db.statementpool.cache}</property>
 
 
 
@@ -63,7 +75,6 @@
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.EPerson"/>
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.Group"/>
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.Group2GroupCache"/>
-        <!--<mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.Group2Group"/>-->
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.RegistrationData"/>
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.Subscription"/>
 
diff --git a/dspace-api/src/test/data/dspaceFolder/config/spring/api/core-test-hibernate.xml b/dspace-api/src/test/data/dspaceFolder/config/spring/api/core-test-hibernate.xml
deleted file mode 100644
index 20e79f1761..0000000000
--- a/dspace-api/src/test/data/dspaceFolder/config/spring/api/core-test-hibernate.xml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,20 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
-       xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-       xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd" default-lazy-init="true">
-
-    <bean id="sessionFactory" class="org.springframework.orm.hibernate4.LocalSessionFactoryBean" lazy-init="true">
-        <property name="configLocation" value="classpath:hibernate.cfg.xml"/>
-        <property name="dataSource" ref="dataSource" />
-    </bean>
-
-    <bean id="dataSource" class="org.apache.commons.dbcp2.BasicDataSource" lazy-init="true" destroy-method="close">
-        <property name="driverClassName" value="org.h2.Driver"/>
-        <property name="url" value="jdbc:h2:mem:test;LOCK_TIMEOUT=10000;MVCC=true"/>
-        <property name="username" value="sa"/>
-        <property name="password" value=""/>
-    </bean>
-
-    <bean name="org.dspace.core.DBConnection" class="org.dspace.core.HibernateDBConnection" lazy-init="true"/>
-
-</beans>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/dspace/config/hibernate.cfg.xml b/dspace/config/hibernate.cfg.xml
index a5bcc513e9..9aaf7dacb4 100644
--- a/dspace/config/hibernate.cfg.xml
+++ b/dspace/config/hibernate.cfg.xml
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.EPerson"/>
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.Group"/>
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.Group2GroupCache"/>
-        <!--<mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.Group2Group"/>-->
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.RegistrationData"/>
         <mapping class="org.dspace.eperson.Subscription"/>
 
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index dec65ad1fd..9c23c22ff0 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@
              <plugin>
                 <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                 <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
-                <version>2.17</version>
+                <version>2.18.1</version>
                 <configuration>
                     <!-- Allow for the ability to pass JVM memory flags for Unit Tests. Since
                          maven-surefire-plugin forks a new JVM, it ignores MAVEN_OPTS.-->
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
              </plugin>
              <plugin>
                 <artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
-                <version>2.4.1</version>
+                <version>2.5.5</version>
              </plugin>
              <plugin>
                 <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
diff --git a/src/main/assembly/testEnvironment.xml b/src/main/assembly/testEnvironment.xml
index bcc77a2d58..8e8ac775f9 100644
--- a/src/main/assembly/testEnvironment.xml
+++ b/src/main/assembly/testEnvironment.xml
@@ -24,50 +24,69 @@
     </formats>
     <includeBaseDirectory>false</includeBaseDirectory>
 
-    <!-- First, copy the following from our 'dspace' subfolder assembly project into the
-         same subdirectory in the final ZIP file. NOTE: We do this in a <fileSet> INSTEAD
-         of a <moduleSet> so that we don't have to first build the "dspace" module. -->
-    <fileSets>
-        <fileSet>
-            <!-- Copy necessary DSpace subdirectories into Test environment -->
-            <includes>
-                <include>dspace/bin/**</include>
-                <include>dspace/config/**</include>
-                <include>dspace/etc/**</include>
-                <include>dspace/solr/**</include>
-            </includes>
-            <!-- But, exclude specific configs (which require filtering) -->
-            <excludes>
-                <exclude>dspace/config/dspace.cfg</exclude>
-                <exclude>dspace/config/log4j.properties</exclude>
-                <exclude>dspace/config/modules/**</exclude>
-            </excludes>
-        </fileSet>
-        <fileSet> 
-            <!-- Copy specific configs (filtering their content) also into Test environment -->
-            <includes>
-                <include>dspace/config/modules/**</include>
-                <include>dspace/config/dspace.cfg</include>
-                <include>dspace/config/log4j.properties</include>
-            </includes>
-            <filtered>true</filtered>
-        </fileSet>        
-    </fileSets>
-
+    <!-- NOTE: first file in wins when using maven-assembly-plugin. So, overriden
+         files have to be included first. -->
     <moduleSets>
-        <!-- Next, search for a 'src/test/data/dspaceFolder' data directory in
+        <!-- FIRST, search for a 'src/test/data/dspaceFolder' data directory in
              ANY of our modules. If found, copy its contents into the same "dspace"
              subdirectory in the final ZIP file, as this is data to be used in testing.
-             NOTE: This *might* overwrite/overlay default files copied from above. -->
+             NOTE: This *might* overwrite/overlay default files copied below. -->
         <moduleSet>
+            <!-- Enable access to all projects in the current multimodule build! -->
+            <useAllReactorProjects>true</useAllReactorProjects>
             <includes>
                 <include>org.dspace:*</include>
             </includes>
             <sources>
                 <outputDirectoryMapping>dspace</outputDirectoryMapping>
                 <fileSets>
+                    <!-- First, copy over custom/overridden configs, filtering each of them -->
+                    <fileSet>
+                        <directory>src/test/data/dspaceFolder/config</directory>
+                        <outputDirectory>config</outputDirectory>
+                        <filtered>true</filtered>
+                    </fileSet>
+                    <!-- Then copy over everything else (EXCEPT configs) -->
                     <fileSet>
                         <directory>src/test/data/dspaceFolder</directory>
+                        <excludes>
+                            <exclude>config/**</exclude>
+                        </excludes>
+                    </fileSet>
+                </fileSets>
+            </sources>
+        </moduleSet>
+        <!-- NEXT, we add in the default configuration/settings from the
+             DSpace Assembly module. -->
+        <moduleSet>
+            <includes>
+                <include>org.dspace:dspace</include>
+            </includes>
+            <sources>
+                <outputDirectoryMapping>dspace</outputDirectoryMapping>
+                <fileSets>
+                    <!-- First add in the config directory, filtering all config files  -->
+                    <fileSet>
+                        <!-- Include the config directory and all subdirectories
+                             (without this explicit include, the "modules"
+                              subdirectory is strangely excluded) -->
+                        <includes>
+                            <include>config/**</include>
+                        </includes>
+                        <filtered>true</filtered>
+                    </fileSet>
+                    <!-- Then add in other necessary directories -->
+                    <fileSet>
+                        <directory>bin</directory>
+                        <outputDirectory>bin</outputDirectory>
+                    </fileSet>
+                    <fileSet>
+                        <directory>etc</directory>
+                        <outputDirectory>etc</outputDirectory>
+                    </fileSet>
+                    <fileSet>
+                        <directory>solr</directory>
+                        <outputDirectory>solr</outputDirectory>
                     </fileSet>
                 </fileSets>
             </sources>
diff --git a/src/main/filters/testEnvironment.properties b/src/main/filters/testEnvironment.properties
index b970e6e003..bf7d29c466 100644
--- a/src/main/filters/testEnvironment.properties
+++ b/src/main/filters/testEnvironment.properties
@@ -1,18 +1,7 @@
 # DSpace build.properties
-# This file should be customised to suit your build environment.
-# Note that not all configuration is handled here, only the most common
-# properties that tend to differ between build environments.
-# For adjusting global settings or more complex settings, edit the relevant config file.
-#
-# IMPORTANT: Do not remove or comment out settings in build.properties
-# When you edit the "build.properties" file (or a custom *.properties file),
-# take care not to remove or comment out any settings. Doing so, may cause
-# your final "dspace.cfg" file to be misconfigured with regards to that
-# particular setting.  Instead, if you wish to remove/disable a particular
-# setting, just clear out its value.  For example, if you don't want to be
-# notified of new user registrations, ensure the "mail.registration.notify"
-# setting has no value, e.g. "mail.registration.notify="
 #
+# This file is a custom version of "build.properties" which is used
+# specifically for Unit Testing.
 
 ##########################
 # SERVER CONFIGURATION #
@@ -53,33 +42,24 @@ default.language = en_US
 ##########################
 # DATABASE CONFIGURATION #
 ##########################
-# For Unit Testing we use H2 running in "Oracle mode"
-db.driver = org.h2.Driver
-# Use a 10 second database lock timeout to avoid occasional JDBC lock timeout errors
-db.url = jdbc:h2:mem:test;MODE=Oracle;LOCK_TIMEOUT=10000
-db.username = sa
-db.password = sa
 
-# Schema name - if your database contains multiple schemas, you can avoid problems with
-# retrieving the definitions of duplicate object names by specifying
-# the schema name here that is used for DSpace by uncommenting the following entry
+# For Unit Testing we use the H2 (in memory) database
+db.driver = org.h2.Driver
+db.dialect=org.hibernate.dialect.H2Dialect
+# Use H2 running in "Oracle mode"
+# Use a 10 second database lock timeout to avoid occasional JDBC lock timeout errors
+db.url = jdbc:h2:mem:test;LOCK_TIMEOUT=10000;MVCC=true
+#db.url = jdbc:h2:mem:test;MODE=Oracle;LOCK_TIMEOUT=10000
+db.username = sa
+db.password =
+# H2 doesn't use schemas
 db.schema =
 
 # Maximum number of DB connections in pool
 db.maxconnections = 30
 
-# Maximum time to wait before giving up if all connections in pool are busy (milliseconds)
-db.maxwait = 5000
-
-# Maximum number of idle connections in pool (-1 = unlimited)
-db.maxidle = -1
-
-# Determine if prepared statement should be cached. (default is true)
-db.statementpool = true
-
-# Specify a name for the connection pool (useful if you have multiple applications sharing Tomcat's dbcp)
-# If not specified, defaults to 'dspacepool'
-db.poolname = dspacepool
+# Determine the number of statements that can be cached (set to 0 to disable caching)
+db.statementpool.cache = 50
 
 #######################
 # EMAIL CONFIGURATION #