diff --git a/tests/SyslogTest.php b/tests/SyslogTest.php
index 40c87e7c13..6c3b25c19a 100644
--- a/tests/SyslogTest.php
+++ b/tests/SyslogTest.php
@@ -23,6 +23,19 @@ class SyslogTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         return $data;
     }
 
+
+    /**
+     * Test an input line with the modified fields
+     *
+     * @param string $inputline The line from the syslog daemon including the ||'s
+     * @param array $modified of the modified fields, most likely containging the keys program and msg
+     */
+    private function checkSyslog($inputline, $modified) {
+            $data = $this->createData($inputline, $modified);
+            $res = process_syslog($data['input'], 0);
+            $this->assertEquals($data['result'], $res);
+    }
+
     public function testCiscoSyslog()
     {
         // populate fake $dev_cache and $config
@@ -31,67 +44,59 @@ class SyslogTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $config = array();
         $config['syslog_filter'] = array();
 
-        // populate test data
-        $testdata = array();
-
         // ---- IOS ----
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||%CARD-SEVERITY-MSG:SLOT %FACILITY-SEVERITY-MNEMONIC: Message-text||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'%CARD-SEVERITY-MSG:SLOT %FACILITY-SEVERITY-MNEMONIC', 'msg'=>'Message-text')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||%FACILITY-SUBFACILITY-SEVERITY-MNEMONIC: Message-text||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'%FACILITY-SUBFACILITY-SEVERITY-MNEMONIC', 'msg'=>'Message-text')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||local7||info||info||be||2016-03-09 03:58:25||Mar 9 11:58:24.145 UTC: %SEC-6-IPACCESSLOGS: list MNGMNT denied 120.62.186.12 1 packet ||]",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'%SEC-6-IPACCESSLOGS', 'msg'=>'list MNGMNT denied 120.62.186.12 1 packet')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||local7||info||info||be||2016-04-27 021:12:28||Apr 27 21:12:28: %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by vty0||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'%SYS-5-CONFIG_I', 'msg'=>'Configured from console by vty0')
         );
 
+
         // ---- CatOS ----
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||%IP-3-UDP_SOCKOVFL:UDP socket overflow||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'%IP-3-UDP_SOCKOVFL', 'msg'=>'UDP socket overflow')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||DTP-1-ILGLCFG: Illegal config (on, isl--on,dot1q) on Port [mod/port]||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'DTP-1-ILGLCFG', 'msg'=>'Illegal config (on, isl--on,dot1q) on Port [mod/port]')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||Cannot enable text mode config if ACL config is cleared from nvram||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'', 'msg'=>'Cannot enable text mode config if ACL config is cleared from nvram')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||%PAGP-5-PORTFROMSTP / %PAGP-5-PORTTOSTP||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'%PAGP-5-PORTFROMSTP / %PAGP-5-PORTTOSTP')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||%SYS-3-EOBC_CHANNELREINIT||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'%SYS-3-EOBC_CHANNELREINIT')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||%SYS-4-MODHPRESET:||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'%SYS-4-MODHPRESET', 'msg'=>'')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||InbandPingProcessFailure:Module x not responding over inband||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'INBANDPINGPROCESSFAILURE', 'msg'=>'Module x not responding over inband')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||RxSBIF_SEQ_NUM_ERROR:slot=x||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'RXSBIF_SEQ_NUM_ERROR', 'msg'=>'slot=x')
         );
 
-
-        // run tests
-        foreach($testdata as $data) {
-            $res = process_syslog($data['input'], 0);
-            $this->assertEquals($data['result'], $res);
-        }
     }
     public function testLinuxSyslog()
     {
@@ -101,60 +106,51 @@ class SyslogTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $config = array();
         $config['syslog_filter'] = array();
 
-        // populate test data
-        $testdata = array();
-
         // ---- PAM ----
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||authpriv||info||info||56||2016-02-28 00:23:34||pam_unix(cron:session): session opened for user librenms by (uid=0)||CRON",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'PAM_UNIX(CRON:SESSION)', 'msg'=>'session opened for user librenms by (uid=0)')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||authpriv||info||info||55||2016-02-28 00:23:34||pam_unix(sudo:session): session opened for user librenms by root (uid=0)||sudo",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'PAM_UNIX(SUDO:SESSION)', 'msg'=>'session opened for user librenms by root (uid=0)')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||auth||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||pam_krb5(sshd:auth): authentication failure; logname=root uid=0 euid=0 tty=ssh ruser= rhost=123.213.132.231||sshd",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'PAM_KRB5(SSHD:AUTH)', 'msg'=>'authentication failure; logname=root uid=0 euid=0 tty=ssh ruser= rhost=123.213.132.231')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||auth||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||pam_krb5[sshd:auth]: authentication failure; logname=root uid=0 euid=0 tty=ssh ruser= rhost=123.213.132.231||sshd",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'PAM_KRB5[SSHD:AUTH]', 'msg'=>'authentication failure; logname=root uid=0 euid=0 tty=ssh ruser= rhost=123.213.132.231')
         );
 
         // ---- Postfix ----
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||mail||info||info||16||2016-02-28 00:23:34||5C62E329EF: to=<admin@example.com>, relay=mail.example.com[127.0.0.1]:25, delay=0.11, delays=0.04/0.01/0/0.06, dsn=2.0.0, status=sent (250 2.0.0 Ok: queued as 5362E6A670E)||postfix/smtp",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'POSTFIX/SMTP', 'msg'=>'5C62E329EF: to=<admin@example.com>, relay=mail.example.com[127.0.0.1]:25, delay=0.11, delays=0.04/0.01/0/0.06, dsn=2.0.0, status=sent (250 2.0.0 Ok: queued as 5362E6A670E)')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||mail||info||info||16||2016-02-28 00:23:34||D7256400EF: from=<librenms@librenms.example.com>, size=882, nrcpt=1 (queue active)||postfix/qmgr",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'POSTFIX/QMGR', 'msg'=>'D7256400EF: from=<librenms@librenms.example.com>, size=882, nrcpt=1 (queue active)')
         );
 
         // ---- No program ----
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||some random message||",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'USER', 'msg'=>'some random message')
         );
 
         // ---- Other ----
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||cron||info||info||4e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||(librenms) CMD (   /opt/librenms/alerts.php >> /var/log/librenms_alert.log 2>&1)||CRON",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'CRON', 'msg'=>'(librenms) CMD (   /opt/librenms/alerts.php >> /var/log/librenms_alert.log 2>&1)')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||authpriv||notice||notice||55||2016-02-28 00:23:34||    root : TTY=pts/1 ; PWD=/opt/librenms ; USER=librenms ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/git status||sudo",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'SUDO', 'msg'=>'root : TTY=pts/1 ; PWD=/opt/librenms ; USER=librenms ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/git status')
         );
-
-
-        // run tests
-        foreach($testdata as $data) {
-            $res = process_syslog($data['input'], 0);
-            $this->assertEquals($data['result'], $res);
-        }
     }
+
     public function testProcurveSyslog()
     {
         // populate fake $dev_cache and $config
@@ -163,43 +159,33 @@ class SyslogTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $config = array();
         $config['syslog_filter'] = array();
 
-        // populate test data
-        $testdata = array();
-
         // ---- 2900/2910/3800/5400 ----
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||chassis:  Slot A Ready||00422",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'CHASSIS', 'msg'=>'Slot A Ready [00422]')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||ports:  port 21 is now on-line||00076",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'PORTS', 'msg'=>'port 21 is now on-line [00076]')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||ports:  port 21 is now off-line||00077",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'PORTS', 'msg'=>'port 21 is now off-line [00077]')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||warning||warning||0c||2016-02-28 00:23:34||FFI:  port 21-High collision or drop rate. See help.||00331",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'FFI', 'msg'=>'port 21-High collision or drop rate. See help. [00331]')
         );
 
         // ---- 2610 ----
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||warning||warning||0c||2016-02-28 00:23:34||port 21-Excessive undersized/giant packets. See help.||FFI",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'FFI', 'msg'=>'port 21-Excessive undersized/giant packets. See help.')
         );
-        $testdata[] = $this->createData(
+        $this->checkSyslog(
             "1.1.1.1||user||info||info||0e||2016-02-28 00:23:34||updated time by -4 seconds||SNTP",
             array('device_id'=>1, 'program'=>'SNTP', 'msg'=>'updated time by -4 seconds')
         );
-
-
-        // run tests
-        foreach($testdata as $data) {
-            $res = process_syslog($data['input'], 0);
-            $this->assertEquals($data['result'], $res);
-        }
     }
 }