diff --git a/tests/hpc/slurm_db.pm b/tests/hpc/slurm_db.pm
index 98abfd11f908..a371d86e6be4 100644
--- a/tests/hpc/slurm_db.pm
+++ b/tests/hpc/slurm_db.pm
@@ -25,10 +25,17 @@ sub run ($self) {
 
     $self->prepare_user_and_group();
 
-    # Install slurm
+    # If one wants to test unversioned slurm, one should not
+    # install slurm-node at all. Also slurm rpm does not
+    # provide mariadb as a dependency
+    if ($slurm_pkg eq 'slurm' and is_sle('=12-sp5')) {
+        zypper_call("in slurm mariadb");
+    } else {
+        zypper_call("in $slurm_pkg-node");
+    }
+
     # $slurm_pkg-munge is installed explicitly since slurm_23_02
-    zypper_call("in $slurm_pkg $slurm_pkg-munge $slurm_pkg-slurmdbd");
-    zypper_call("in $slurm_pkg-node");
+    zypper_call("in $slurm_pkg-munge $slurm_pkg-slurmdbd");
 
     my $mariadb_service = "mariadb";
     $mariadb_service = "mysql" if is_sle('<12-sp4');
diff --git a/tests/hpc/slurm_slave.pm b/tests/hpc/slurm_slave.pm
index 32a91fc05c80..524bc4f7de2a 100644
--- a/tests/hpc/slurm_slave.pm
+++ b/tests/hpc/slurm_slave.pm
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ use testapi;
 use serial_terminal 'select_serial_terminal';
 use lockapi;
 use utils;
+use version_utils 'is_sle';
 use hpc::utils 'get_slurm_version';
 
 sub run ($self) {
@@ -20,9 +21,16 @@ sub run ($self) {
     $self->prepare_user_and_group();
     my $slurm_pkg = get_slurm_version(get_var('SLURM_VERSION', ''));
 
-    # Install slurm
+    # If one wants to test unversioned slurm, one should not
+    # install slurm-node at all.
+    if ($slurm_pkg eq 'slurm' and is_sle('=12-sp5')) {
+        zypper_call("in slurm");
+    } else {
+        zypper_call("in $slurm_pkg-node $slurm_pkg-munge");
+    }
+
     # $slurm_pkg-munge is installed explicitly since slurm_23_02
-    zypper_call("in $slurm_pkg-node $slurm_pkg-munge");
+    zypper_call("in $slurm_pkg-munge");
 
     if (get_required_var('EXT_HPC_TESTS')) {
         zypper_ar(get_required_var('DEVEL_TOOLS_REPO'), no_gpg_check => 1);