diff --git a/bin/tests/system/stress/clean.sh b/bin/tests/system/stress/clean.sh
index 0396845cbd..4833fa7df8 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/stress/clean.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/stress/clean.sh
@@ -11,12 +11,8 @@
 # See the COPYRIGHT file distributed with this work for additional
 # information regarding copyright ownership.
 
-rm -f ns?/zones.conf
 rm -f ns?/zone*.bk
 
-rm -f ns1/delegations.db
-rm -f ns1/root.db
-
 rm -f ns2/zone0*.db
 rm -f ns2/zone0*.jnl
 rm -f */named.memstats
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/stress/ns1/named.conf.in b/bin/tests/system/stress/ns1/named.conf.in
deleted file mode 100644
index 74ad00787b..0000000000
--- a/bin/tests/system/stress/ns1/named.conf.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright (C) Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. ("ISC")
- *
- * SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
- *
- * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
- * License, v. 2.0.  If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
- * file, you can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
- *
- * See the COPYRIGHT file distributed with this work for additional
- * information regarding copyright ownership.
- */
-
-controls { /* empty */ };
-
-options {
-	query-source address 10.53.0.1;
-	notify-source 10.53.0.1;
-	transfer-source 10.53.0.1;
-	port @PORT@;
-	pid-file "named.pid";
-	listen-on { 10.53.0.1; };
-	listen-on-v6 { none; };
-	recursion no;
-	dnssec-validation no;
-	notify yes;
-};
-
-zone "." {
-	type primary;
-	file "root.db";
-};
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/stress/ns2/named.conf.in b/bin/tests/system/stress/ns2/named.conf.in
index 5bbea78aca..607e0b5341 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/stress/ns2/named.conf.in
+++ b/bin/tests/system/stress/ns2/named.conf.in
@@ -26,9 +26,32 @@ options {
 	notify yes;
 };
 
-zone "." {
-	type hint;
-	file "../../common/root.hint";
+zone "zone000000.example" {
+	type primary;
+	allow-update { any; };
+	file "zone000000.example.db";
 };
 
-include "zones.conf";
+zone "zone000001.example" {
+	type primary;
+	allow-update { any; };
+	file "zone000001.example.db";
+};
+
+zone "zone000002.example" {
+	type primary;
+	allow-update { any; };
+	file "zone000002.example.db";
+};
+
+zone "zone000003.example" {
+	type primary;
+	allow-update { any; };
+	file "zone000003.example.db";
+};
+
+zone "zone000004.example" {
+	type primary;
+	allow-update { any; };
+	file "zone000004.example.db";
+};
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/stress/ns2/zone.template.db b/bin/tests/system/stress/ns2/zone.template.db
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7ca1cc3de7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/tests/system/stress/ns2/zone.template.db
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+; Copyright (C) Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. ("ISC")
+;
+; SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+;
+; This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+; License, v. 2.0.  If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+; file, you can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+;
+; See the COPYRIGHT file distributed with this work for additional
+; information regarding copyright ownership.
+
+$TTL 300
+@	IN SOA 	ns2 hostmaster 1 300 120 3600 86400
+@	NS	ns2
+	NS	ns3
+	NS	ns4
+ns2	A	10.53.0.2
+ns3	A	10.53.0.3
+ns4	A	10.53.0.4
+
+$GENERATE 0-999 name${0,6} A 10.0.0.1
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/stress/ns3/named.conf.in b/bin/tests/system/stress/ns3/named.conf.in
index 036ffdbac2..13e54a54e4 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/stress/ns3/named.conf.in
+++ b/bin/tests/system/stress/ns3/named.conf.in
@@ -35,16 +35,40 @@ controls {
 	inet 10.53.0.3 port @CONTROLPORT@ allow { any; } keys { rndc_key; };
 };
 
-zone "." {
-	type hint;
-	file "../../common/root.hint";
-};
-
 server 10.53.0.4 {
 	provide-ixfr no;
 };
+
 server 10.53.0.2 {
 	request-ixfr no;
 };
 
-include "zones.conf";
+zone "zone000000.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000000.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.2; };
+};
+
+zone "zone000001.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000001.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.2; };
+};
+
+zone "zone000002.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000002.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.2; };
+};
+
+zone "zone000003.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000003.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.2; };
+};
+
+zone "zone000004.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000004.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.2; };
+};
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/stress/ns4/named.conf.in b/bin/tests/system/stress/ns4/named.conf.in
index 57f7e40fdd..26296f52bf 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/stress/ns4/named.conf.in
+++ b/bin/tests/system/stress/ns4/named.conf.in
@@ -26,10 +26,32 @@ options {
 	notify yes;
 };
 
-zone "." {
-	type hint;
-	file "../../common/root.hint";
+zone "zone000000.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000000.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.3; };
 };
 
-include "zones.conf";
+zone "zone000001.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000001.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.3; };
+};
 
+zone "zone000002.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000002.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.3; };
+};
+
+zone "zone000003.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000003.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.3; };
+};
+
+zone "zone000004.example" {
+	type secondary;
+	file "zone000004.example.bk";
+	primaries { 10.53.0.3; };
+};
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/stress/setup.pl b/bin/tests/system/stress/setup.pl
deleted file mode 100644
index 18a4246b29..0000000000
--- a/bin/tests/system/stress/setup.pl
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,86 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/perl
-
-# Copyright (C) Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. ("ISC")
-#
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
-#
-# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
-# License, v. 2.0.  If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
-# file, you can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
-#
-# See the COPYRIGHT file distributed with this work for additional
-# information regarding copyright ownership.
-
-#
-# Set up test data for zone transfer quota tests.
-#
-use FileHandle;
-
-my $n_zones = 5;
-my $n_names = 1000;
-
-make_zones(2, undef);
-make_zones(3, "10.53.0.2");
-make_zones(4, "10.53.0.3");
-
-my $rootdelegations =
-    new FileHandle("ns1/root.db", "w") or die;
-
-print $rootdelegations <<END;
-\$TTL 300
-.                       IN SOA  gson.nominum.com. a.root.servers.nil. (
-					       2000042100      ; serial
-					       600             ; refresh
-					       600             ; retry
-					       1200            ; expire
-					       600             ; minimum
-                                )
-.                       NS      a.root-servers.nil.
-a.root-servers.nil.     A       10.53.0.1
-END
-
-for ($z = 0; $z < $n_zones; $z++) {
-	my $zn = sprintf("zone%06d.example", $z);
-	foreach $ns (qw(2 3 4)) {
-		print $rootdelegations "$zn.		NS	ns$ns.$zn.\n";
-		print $rootdelegations "ns$ns.$zn.	A	10.53.0.$ns\n";
-	}
-}
-close $rootdelegations;
-
-sub make_zones {
-	my ($nsno, $secondaried_from) = @_;
-	my $namedconf = new FileHandle("ns$nsno/zones.conf", "w") or die;
-	for ($z = 0; $z < $n_zones; $z++) {
-		my $zn = sprintf("zone%06d.example", $z);
-		if (defined($secondaried_from)) {
-			print $namedconf "zone \"$zn\" { type secondary; " .
-			    "file \"$zn.bk\"; primaries " .
-			    "{ $secondaried_from; }; };\n";
-		} else {
-			print $namedconf "zone \"$zn\" { " .
-			    "type primary; " .
-			    "allow-update { any; }; " .
-			    "file \"$zn.db\"; };\n";
-
-			my $fn = "ns$nsno/$zn.db";
-			my $f = new FileHandle($fn, "w") or die "open: $fn: $!";
-			print $f "\$TTL 300
-\@	IN SOA 	ns2.$zn. hostmaster 1 300 120 3600 86400
-@	NS	ns2.$zn.
-ns2.$zn.	A	10.53.0.2
-@	NS	ns3.$zn.
-ns3.$zn.	A	10.53.0.3
-@	NS	ns4.$zn.
-ns4.$zn.	A	10.53.0.4
-	MX	10 mail1.isp.example.
-	MX	20 mail2.isp.example.
-";
-			for ($i = 0; $i < $n_names; $i++) {
-			    print $f sprintf("name%06d", $i) .
-				"	A	10.0.0.1\n";
-		    }
-		    $f->close;
-		}
-	}
-}
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/stress/setup.sh b/bin/tests/system/stress/setup.sh
index cc751d3b7a..aab7002904 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/stress/setup.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/stress/setup.sh
@@ -14,13 +14,12 @@
 # shellcheck source=conf.sh
 . ../conf.sh
 
-#
-# Set up test data for zone transfer quota tests.
-#
+cp ns2/zone.template.db ns2/zone000000.example.db
+cp ns2/zone.template.db ns2/zone000001.example.db
+cp ns2/zone.template.db ns2/zone000002.example.db
+cp ns2/zone.template.db ns2/zone000003.example.db
+cp ns2/zone.template.db ns2/zone000004.example.db
 
-$PERL setup.pl
-
-copy_setports ns1/named.conf.in ns1/named.conf
 copy_setports ns2/named.conf.in ns2/named.conf
 copy_setports ns3/named.conf.in ns3/named.conf
 copy_setports ns4/named.conf.in ns4/named.conf