diff --git a/cmd/swarm/export_test.go b/cmd/swarm/export_test.go
index b60dbb575f..7a0ab4858d 100644
--- a/cmd/swarm/export_test.go
+++ b/cmd/swarm/export_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2017 The go-ethereum Authors
+// Copyright 2018 The go-ethereum Authors
 // This file is part of go-ethereum.
 //
 // go-ethereum is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
@@ -18,75 +18,47 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"crypto/rand"
-	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
-	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/log"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/swarm"
 )
 
-func TestCLISwarmExport(t *testing.T) {
+// TestCLISwarmExportImport perform the following test:
+// 1. runs swarm node
+// 2. uploads a random file
+// 3. runs an export of the local datastore
+// 4. runs a second swarm node
+// 5. imports the exported datastore
+// 6. fetches the uploaded random file from the second node
+func TestCLISwarmExportImport(t *testing.T) {
 	cluster := newTestCluster(t, 1)
-	defer cluster.Cleanup()
 
-	// create a tmp file
-	tmp, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "swarm-test")
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	defer tmp.Close()
-	defer os.Remove(tmp.Name())
-
-	// write 10mb random data to file
-	buf := make([]byte, 10000000)
-	_, err = rand.Read(buf)
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
-	}
-	ioutil.WriteFile(tmp.Name(), buf, 0755)
+	// generate random 10mb file
+	f, cleanup := generateRandomFile(t, 10000000)
+	defer cleanup()
 
 	// upload the file with 'swarm up' and expect a hash
-	log.Info("uploading file with 'swarm up'")
-	up := runSwarm(t, "--bzzapi", cluster.Nodes[0].URL, "up", tmp.Name())
+	up := runSwarm(t, "--bzzapi", cluster.Nodes[0].URL, "up", f.Name())
 	_, matches := up.ExpectRegexp(`[a-f\d]{64}`)
 	up.ExpectExit()
 	hash := matches[0]
-	log.Info("file uploaded", "hash", hash)
 
 	var info swarm.Info
 	if err := cluster.Nodes[0].Client.Call(&info, "bzz_info"); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	spew.Dump(info)
-
-	spew.Dump(cluster.TmpDir)
-	spew.Dump(cluster.Nodes[0].Name)
-	spew.Dump(cluster.Nodes[0].Addr)
-	spew.Dump(cluster.Nodes[0].URL)
-	spew.Dump(cluster.Nodes[0].Enode)
-	spew.Dump(cluster.Nodes[0].Dir)
-
 	cluster.Stop()
 	defer cluster.Cleanup()
 
-	file, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "swarm-test")
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	defer file.Close()
-	defer os.Remove(file.Name())
-
-	fmt.Println("==================================")
-
-	spew.Dump(info.BzzKey[2:])
-	up2 := runSwarm(t, "db", "export", info.Path+"/chunks", file.Name(), info.BzzKey[2:])
-	up2.ExpectExit()
+	// generate an export.tar
+	exportCmd := runSwarm(t, "db", "export", info.Path+"/chunks", info.Path+"/export.tar", info.BzzKey[2:])
+	exportCmd.ExpectExit()
 
+	// start second cluster
 	cluster2 := newTestCluster(t, 1)
 
 	var info2 swarm.Info
@@ -94,15 +66,18 @@ func TestCLISwarmExport(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
+	// stop second cluster, so that we close LevelDB
 	cluster2.Stop()
 	defer cluster2.Cleanup()
 
-	spew.Dump(info2.BzzKey[2:])
-	up3 := runSwarm(t, "db", "import", info2.Path+"/chunks", file.Name(), info2.BzzKey[2:])
-	up3.ExpectExit()
+	// import the export.tar
+	importCmd := runSwarm(t, "db", "import", info2.Path+"/chunks", info.Path+"/export.tar", info2.BzzKey[2:])
+	importCmd.ExpectExit()
 
+	// spin second cluster back up
 	cluster2.StartExistingNodes(t, 1, info2.BzzAccount[2:])
 
+	// try to fetch imported file
 	res, err := http.Get(cluster2.Nodes[0].URL + "/bzz:/" + hash)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
@@ -111,4 +86,30 @@ func TestCLISwarmExport(t *testing.T) {
 	if res.StatusCode != 200 {
 		t.Fatalf("expected HTTP status %d, got %s", 200, res.Status)
 	}
+
+	//TODO: compare res with generated random file
+}
+
+func generateRandomFile(t *testing.T, size int) (f *os.File, teardown func()) {
+	// create a tmp file
+	tmp, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "swarm-test")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// callback for tmp file cleanup
+	teardown = func() {
+		tmp.Close()
+		os.Remove(tmp.Name())
+	}
+
+	// write 10mb random data to file
+	buf := make([]byte, 10000000)
+	_, err = rand.Read(buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	ioutil.WriteFile(tmp.Name(), buf, 0755)
+
+	return tmp, teardown
 }
diff --git a/cmd/swarm/run_test.go b/cmd/swarm/run_test.go
index 26f1260b30..b54be26052 100644
--- a/cmd/swarm/run_test.go
+++ b/cmd/swarm/run_test.go
@@ -208,7 +208,6 @@ func getTestAccount(t *testing.T, dir string) (conf *node.Config, account accoun
 }
 
 func existingTestNode(t *testing.T, dir string, bzzaccount string) *testNode {
-
 	conf, _ := getTestAccount(t, dir)
 	node := &testNode{Dir: dir}