reverted:
--- b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Upgrade/SystemUpgradePathTest.php
+++ a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Upgrade/SystemUpgradePathTest.php
@@ -80,10 +80,6 @@
       'page.front' => 'node',
     );
 
-    // The upgrade path converts "install_profile" to the settings key
-    // "install_profile".
-    $this->assertEqual('minimal', $this->container->get('settings')->get('install_profile'));
-
     $expected_config['user.settings'] = array(
       'cancel_method' => 'user_cancel_reassign',
     );
diff -u b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Upgrade/UpgradePathTestBase.php b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Upgrade/UpgradePathTestBase.php
--- b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Upgrade/UpgradePathTestBase.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Upgrade/UpgradePathTestBase.php
@@ -146,6 +146,20 @@
 
     $this->pass('Finished loading the dump.');
 
+    // Override $update_free_access in settings.php to allow the anonymous user
+    // to run updates.
+    $install_profile = unserialize(db_query('SELECT value FROM {variable} WHERE name = :name', array(':name' => 'install_profile'))->fetchField());
+    $settings = array(
+      'settings' => array(
+        'install_profile' => (object) array(
+          'value'    => $install_profile,
+          'required' => TRUE,
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+    $this->writeSettings($settings);
+    $this->settingsSet('install_profile', $install_profile);
+
     // Ensure that the session is not written to the new environment and replace
     // the global $user session with uid 1 from the new test site.
     drupal_save_session(FALSE);
@@ -162,19 +176,6 @@
     // Restore necessary variables.
     $this->variable_set('site_mail', 'simpletest@example.com');
 
-    // Override $update_free_access in settings.php to allow the anonymous user
-    // to run updates.
-    $old_variable = unserialize(db_query('SELECT value FROM {variable} WHERE name = :name', array(':name' => 'install_profile'))->fetchField());
-    $settings = array(
-      'settings' => array(
-        'install_profile' => (object) array(
-          'value'    => $old_variable,
-          'required' => TRUE,
-        ),
-      )
-    );
-    $this->writeSettings($settings);
-
     drupal_set_time_limit($this->timeLimit);
     $this->setup = TRUE;
   }
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- a/core/modules/simpletest/lib/Drupal/simpletest/WebTestBase.php
+++ b/core/modules/simpletest/lib/Drupal/simpletest/WebTestBase.php
@@ -778,6 +778,22 @@ protected function setUp() {
     $this->settingsSet('cache', array('default' => 'cache.backend.memory'));
     $parameters = $this->installParameters();
     install_drupal($parameters);
+
+    // Set the install_profile so that web requests to the requests to the child
+    // site have the correct profile.
+    $settings = array(
+      'settings' => array(
+        'install_profile' => (object) array(
+          'value'    => $this->profile,
+          'required' => TRUE,
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+    $this->writeSettings($settings);
+    // Override install profile in Settings to so the correct profile is used by
+    // tests.
+    $this->settingsSet('install_profile', $this->profile);
+
     $this->settingsSet('cache', array());
     $this->rebuildContainer();