diff --git a/playbooks/inventory/dynamic_inventory.py b/playbooks/inventory/dynamic_inventory.py
index 4bdf21ad06..d7562389c9 100755
--- a/playbooks/inventory/dynamic_inventory.py
+++ b/playbooks/inventory/dynamic_inventory.py
@@ -1051,6 +1051,36 @@ def load_user_configuration(config_path):
     return user_defined_config
 
 
+def make_backup(config_path, inventory_file_path):
+    # Create a backup of all previous inventory files as a tar archive
+    inventory_backup_file = os.path.join(
+        config_path,
+        'backup_openstack_inventory.tar'
+    )
+    with tarfile.open(inventory_backup_file, 'a') as tar:
+        basename = os.path.basename(inventory_file_path)
+        backup_name = get_backup_name(basename)
+        tar.add(inventory_file_path, arcname=backup_name)
+
+
+def get_backup_name(basename):
+    utctime = datetime.datetime.utcnow()
+    utctime = utctime.strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
+    return '%s-%s.json' % (basename, utctime)
+
+
+def get_inventory(config_path, inventory_file_path):
+    if os.path.isfile(inventory_file_path):
+        with open(inventory_file_path, 'rb') as f:
+            dynamic_inventory = json.loads(f.read())
+
+        make_backup(config_path, inventory_file_path)
+    else:
+        dynamic_inventory = copy.deepcopy(INVENTORY_SKEL)
+
+    return dynamic_inventory
+
+
 def main(all_args):
     """Run the main application."""
     # Get the path to the user configuration files
@@ -1066,24 +1096,8 @@ def main(all_args):
     dynamic_inventory_file = os.path.join(
         config_path, 'openstack_inventory.json'
     )
-    if os.path.isfile(dynamic_inventory_file):
-        with open(dynamic_inventory_file, 'rb') as f:
-            dynamic_inventory = json.loads(f.read())
 
-        # Create a backup of all previous inventory files as a tar archive
-        inventory_backup_file = os.path.join(
-            config_path,
-            'backup_openstack_inventory.tar'
-        )
-        with tarfile.open(inventory_backup_file, 'a') as tar:
-            basename = os.path.basename(dynamic_inventory_file)
-            # Time stamp the inventory file in UTC
-            utctime = datetime.datetime.utcnow()
-            utctime = utctime.strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
-            backup_name = '%s-%s.json' % (basename, utctime)
-            tar.add(dynamic_inventory_file, arcname=backup_name)
-    else:
-        dynamic_inventory = copy.deepcopy(INVENTORY_SKEL)
+    dynamic_inventory = get_inventory(config_path, dynamic_inventory_file)
 
     # Save the users container cidr as a group variable
     cidr_networks = user_defined_config.get('cidr_networks')
diff --git a/test-requirements.txt b/test-requirements.txt
index 44c1456fe3..a80b292f20 100644
--- a/test-requirements.txt
+++ b/test-requirements.txt
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ coverage<=4.0.3 # Apache-2.0
 flake8==2.2.4
 hacking>=0.10.0,<0.11
 mccabe==0.2.1 # capped for flake8
+mock == 2.0.0
 pep8==1.5.7
 pyflakes==0.8.1
 virtualenv>=14.0.0
diff --git a/tests/test_inventory.py b/tests/test_inventory.py
index d15bb3fe87..1beb70721c 100644
--- a/tests/test_inventory.py
+++ b/tests/test_inventory.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import collections
 import copy
 import json
+import mock
 import os
 from os import path
 import Queue
@@ -644,15 +645,30 @@ class TestNetAddressSearch(unittest.TestCase):
 
 class TestMultipleRuns(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_creating_backup_file(self):
-        # Generate the initial inventory files
-        get_inventory(clean=False)
+        inventory_file_path = os.path.join(TARGET_DIR,
+                                           'openstack_inventory.json')
+        get_backup_name_path = 'dynamic_inventory.get_backup_name'
+        backup_name = 'openstack_inventory.json-20160531_171804.json'
 
-        # run again to force creation of the backup files
-        get_inventory(clean=False)
+        tar_file = mock.MagicMock()
+        tar_file.__enter__.return_value = tar_file
+
+        # run make backup with faked tarfiles and date
+        with mock.patch('dynamic_inventory.tarfile.open') as tar_open:
+            tar_open.return_value = tar_file
+            with mock.patch(get_backup_name_path) as backup_mock:
+                backup_mock.return_value = backup_name
+                di.make_backup(TARGET_DIR, inventory_file_path)
 
         backup_path = path.join(TARGET_DIR, 'backup_openstack_inventory.tar')
 
-        self.assertTrue(os.path.exists(backup_path))
+        tar_open.assert_called_with(backup_path, 'a')
+
+        # This chain is present because of how tarfile.open is called to
+        # make a context manager inside the make_backup function.
+
+        tar_file.add.assert_called_with(inventory_file_path,
+                                        arcname=backup_name)
 
     def test_recreating_files(self):
         # Deleting the files after the first run should cause the files to be
@@ -665,6 +681,20 @@ class TestMultipleRuns(unittest.TestCase):
 
         self.assertFalse(os.path.exists(backup_path))
 
+    def test_rereading_files(self):
+        # Generate the initial inventory files
+        get_inventory(clean=False)
+
+        inventory_file_path = os.path.join(TARGET_DIR,
+                                           'openstack_inventory.json')
+
+        inv = di.get_inventory(TARGET_DIR, inventory_file_path)
+        self.assertIsInstance(inv, dict)
+        self.assertIn('_meta', inv)
+        # This test is basically just making sure we get more than
+        # INVENTORY_SKEL populated, so we're not going to do deep testing
+        self.assertIn('log_hosts', inv)
+
     def tearDown(self):
         # Clean up here since get_inventory will not do it by design in
         # this test.