diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 57cdf09c73..f4033be08b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ on:
        - main
   schedule:
     # * is a special character in YAML so you have to quote this string
-    - cron:  '30 4 * * 1,3,5'
+    - cron:  '30 4 * * *'
 
 env:
   PROJECT_NAME: 'PyMAPDL'
@@ -805,7 +805,7 @@ jobs:
 
   release:
     if: github.event_name == 'push' && contains(github.ref, 'refs/tags')
-    needs: [smoke-tests, docs-build, build-test, build-test-ubuntu]
+    needs: [smoke-tests, docs-build, build-test, build-test-ubuntu, build-test-ubuntu-minimal]
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Set up Python
diff --git a/doc/source/api/mapdl.rst b/doc/source/api/mapdl.rst
index 430cd88fd6..97b0fef458 100644
--- a/doc/source/api/mapdl.rst
+++ b/doc/source/api/mapdl.rst
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
    Mapdl.open_apdl_log
    Mapdl.open_gui
    Mapdl.parameters
+   Mapdl.remove_temp_dir_on_exit
    Mapdl.result
    Mapdl.run
    Mapdl.run_multiline
diff --git a/src/ansys/mapdl/core/mapdl_grpc.py b/src/ansys/mapdl/core/mapdl_grpc.py
index 2f92dd42fa..a0eaba8132 100644
--- a/src/ansys/mapdl/core/mapdl_grpc.py
+++ b/src/ansys/mapdl/core/mapdl_grpc.py
@@ -210,15 +210,6 @@ def save_chunks_to_file(
     return file_size
 
 
-class RepeatingTimer(threading.Timer):
-    """Run a function repeately"""
-
-    def run(self):
-        while not self.finished.is_set():
-            self.function(*self.args, **self.kwargs)
-            self.finished.wait(self.interval)
-
-
 class MapdlGrpc(MapdlBase):
     """This class connects to a GRPC MAPDL server and allows commands
     to be passed to a persistent session.
@@ -383,7 +374,7 @@ def __init__(
         self._locked: bool = False  # being used within MapdlPool
         self._stub: Optional[mapdl_grpc.MapdlServiceStub] = None
         self._cleanup: bool = cleanup_on_exit
-        self.__remove_temp_dir_on_exit: bool = remove_temp_dir_on_exit
+        self.remove_temp_dir_on_exit: bool = remove_temp_dir_on_exit
         self._jobname: str = start_parm.get("jobname", "file")
         self._path: str = start_parm.get("run_location", None)
         self._busy: bool = False  # used to check if running a command on the server
@@ -650,7 +641,7 @@ def _raise_custom_stds_errors(self, errs_message):
             raise MapdlConnectionError(
                 f"A process is already running on the specified port ({self._port}).\n"
                 "Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted.\n"
-                f"\nFull error message:\n{errs_message.split('########',1)[0]}"
+                f"\nFull error message:\n{errs_message.split('########', 1)[0]}"
             )
 
         else:
@@ -728,7 +719,7 @@ def __repr__(self):
         info = super().__repr__()
         return info
 
-    def _connect(self, timeout=5, enable_health_check=False):
+    def _connect(self, timeout=5):
         """Establish a gRPC channel to a remote or local MAPDL instance.
 
         Parameters
@@ -761,10 +752,6 @@ def _connect(self, timeout=5, enable_health_check=False):
             self._timer.daemon = True
             self._timer.start()
 
-        # enable health check
-        if enable_health_check:
-            self._enable_health_check()
-
         return True
 
     @property
@@ -800,54 +787,6 @@ def _get_server_version(self):
             sver = version_string_as_tuple(verstr)
         return sver
 
-    def _enable_health_check(self):
-        """Places the status of the health check in _health_response_queue"""
-        # lazy imports here to speed up module load
-        from grpc_health.v1 import health_pb2, health_pb2_grpc
-
-        def _consume_responses(response_iterator, response_queue):
-            try:
-                for response in response_iterator:
-                    response_queue.put(response)
-                # NOTE: we're doing absolutely nothing with this as
-                # this point since the server side health check
-                # doesn't change state.
-            except Exception as err:
-                if self._exiting:
-                    return
-                self._exited = True
-                raise MapdlExitedError("Lost connection with MAPDL server") from None
-
-        # enable health check
-        from queue import Queue
-
-        request = health_pb2.HealthCheckRequest()
-        self._health_stub = health_pb2_grpc.HealthStub(self._channel)
-        rendezvous = self._health_stub.Watch(request)
-
-        # health check feature implemented after 2020R2
-        try:
-            status = rendezvous.next()
-        except Exception as err:
-            if err.code().name != "UNIMPLEMENTED":
-                raise err
-            return
-
-        if status.status != health_pb2.HealthCheckResponse.SERVING:
-            raise MapdlRuntimeError(
-                "Unable to enable health check and/or connect to" " the MAPDL server"
-            )
-
-        self._health_response_queue = Queue()
-
-        # allow main process to exit by setting daemon to true
-        thread = threading.Thread(
-            target=_consume_responses,
-            args=(rendezvous, self._health_response_queue),
-            daemon=True,
-        )
-        thread.start()
-
     def _launch(self, start_parm, timeout=10):
         """Launch a local session of MAPDL in gRPC mode.
 
@@ -1101,15 +1040,15 @@ def exit(self, save=False, force=False):
         if self._local and self._port in _LOCAL_PORTS:
             _LOCAL_PORTS.remove(self._port)
 
-    def _remove_temp_dir_on_exit(self):
+    def _remove_temp_dir_on_exit(self, path=None):
         """Removes the temporary directory created by the launcher.
 
         This only runs if the current working directory of MAPDL is within the
         user temporary directory.
 
         """
-        if self.__remove_temp_dir_on_exit and self._local:
-            path = self.directory
+        if self.remove_temp_dir_on_exit and self._local:
+            path = path or self.directory
             tmp_dir = tempfile.gettempdir()
             ans_temp_dir = os.path.join(tmp_dir, "ansys_")
             if path.startswith(ans_temp_dir):
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 46ab6960c1..9af2dc41ea 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -390,6 +390,16 @@ def is_exited(mapdl):
         assert False  # this will fail the test
 
 
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True, scope="function")
+def run_before_and_after_tests_2(request, mapdl):
+    """Make sure we are not changing these properties in tests"""
+    prev = mapdl.is_local
+
+    yield
+
+    assert prev == mapdl.is_local
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
 def mapdl_console(request):
     if os.name != "posix":
@@ -461,7 +471,7 @@ def mapdl(request, tmpdir_factory):
     ###########################################################################
     if START_INSTANCE:
         mapdl._local = True
-        mapdl.exit()
+        mapdl.exit(save=True, force=True)
         assert mapdl._exited
         assert "MAPDL exited" in str(mapdl)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_grpc.py b/tests/test_grpc.py
index 1cc17d7f27..927bf29919 100644
--- a/tests/test_grpc.py
+++ b/tests/test_grpc.py
@@ -429,11 +429,21 @@ def test_download_result(mapdl, cleared, tmpdir):
     assert os.path.exists(os.path.join(target_dir, "file.rst"))
 
     assert not os.path.exists("file.rst")
-    mapdl.download_result()  # with default argument
+    mapdl.download_result(preference="rst")  # with default argument
     assert os.path.exists("file.rst")
 
     os.remove("file.rst")
 
+    mapdl.download_result(preference="rth")
+    try:
+        os.remove("file.rst")
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+    try:
+        os.remove("file.rth")
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
 
 def test__channel_str(mapdl):
     assert mapdl._channel_str is not None
@@ -548,3 +558,13 @@ def test_input_compatibility_api_change(mapdl):
 
     with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="A file name must be supplied."):
         mapdl.input()
+
+
+@requires("grpc")
+@requires("local")
+def test__check_stds(mapdl):
+    """Test that the standard input is checked."""
+
+    mapdl._read_stds()
+    assert mapdl._stdout is not None
+    assert mapdl._stderr is not None
diff --git a/tests/test_launcher.py b/tests/test_launcher.py
index f11877b6ea..247809b22e 100644
--- a/tests/test_launcher.py
+++ b/tests/test_launcher.py
@@ -528,3 +528,13 @@ def test_cpu_checks():
     machine_cores = psutil.cpu_count(logical=False)
     with pytest.raises(NotEnoughResources):
         launch_mapdl(nproc=machine_cores + 2)
+
+
+def test_fail_channel_port():
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        launch_mapdl(channel="something", port="something")
+
+
+def test_fail_channel_ip():
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        launch_mapdl(channel="something", ip="something")
diff --git a/tests/test_mapdl.py b/tests/test_mapdl.py
index d466fba513..ed539abb07 100644
--- a/tests/test_mapdl.py
+++ b/tests/test_mapdl.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 import re
 import shutil
+import tempfile
 import time
 
 import grpc
@@ -2309,3 +2310,26 @@ def test_use_vtk(mapdl):
     mapdl.eplot()
 
     mapdl.use_vtk = prev
+
+
+@requires("local")
+def test_remove_temp_dir_on_exit(mapdl, tmpdir):
+    path = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), "ansys_" + random_string())
+    os.makedirs(path)
+    filename = os.path.join(path, "file.txt")
+    with open(filename, "w") as f:
+        f.write("Hello World")
+    assert os.path.exists(filename)
+
+    prev = mapdl.remove_temp_dir_on_exit
+    mapdl.remove_temp_dir_on_exit = True
+    mapdl._local = True  # Sanity check
+    mapdl._remove_temp_dir_on_exit(path)
+    mapdl.remove_temp_dir_on_exit = prev
+
+    assert os.path.exists(filename) is False
+    assert os.path.exists(path) is False
+
+
+def test_sys(mapdl):
+    assert "hi" in mapdl.sys("echo 'hi'")
diff --git a/tests/test_misc.py b/tests/test_misc.py
index f46dd03250..eeb71ad0c5 100644
--- a/tests/test_misc.py
+++ b/tests/test_misc.py
@@ -283,9 +283,10 @@ def test_load_file_local(mapdl, tmpdir, file_):
     load_file(mapdl, file_path, priority_mapdl_file=False)
 
     if mapdl._local:
-        with open(os.path.join(mapdl.directory, file_), "r") as fid:
+        file_name__ = os.path.join(mapdl.directory, file_)
+        with open(file_name__, "r") as fid:
             assert "not that empty" in fid.read()
-        os.remove(file_)
+        os.remove(file_name__)
     else:
         mapdl.download(file_)
         with open(os.path.join(file_), "r") as fid: