diff --git a/tests/qtest/meson.build b/tests/qtest/meson.build
index f2f35367ae..9901209e49 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/meson.build
+++ b/tests/qtest/meson.build
@@ -331,7 +331,11 @@ endif
 
 tpmemu_files = ['tpm-emu.c', 'tpm-util.c', 'tpm-tests.c']
 
-migration_files = [files('migration-helpers.c')]
+migration_files = [files(
+  'migration-helpers.c',
+  'migration/bootfile.c',
+)]
+
 if gnutls.found()
   migration_files += [files('../unit/crypto-tls-psk-helpers.c'), gnutls]
 
@@ -357,7 +361,7 @@ qtests = {
   'tpm-tis-i2c-test': [io, tpmemu_files, 'qtest_aspeed.c'],
   'tpm-tis-device-swtpm-test': [io, tpmemu_files, 'tpm-tis-util.c'],
   'tpm-tis-device-test': [io, tpmemu_files, 'tpm-tis-util.c'],
-  'virtio-net-failover': files('migration-helpers.c'),
+  'virtio-net-failover': migration_files,
   'vmgenid-test': files('boot-sector.c', 'acpi-utils.c'),
   'netdev-socket': files('netdev-socket.c', '../unit/socket-helpers.c'),
 }
diff --git a/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.c b/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.c
index 3f8ba7fa8e..2786f9c860 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.c
+++ b/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #include "qemu/memalign.h"
 
 #include "migration-helpers.h"
+#include "migration/bootfile.h"
 
 /*
  * Number of seconds we wait when looking for migration
diff --git a/tests/qtest/migration-test.c b/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
index 82b9170e3c..e104e44802 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
+++ b/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #include "ppc-util.h"
 
 #include "migration-helpers.h"
-#include "migration/migration-test.h"
+#include "migration/bootfile.h"
 #ifdef CONFIG_GNUTLS
 # include "tests/unit/crypto-tls-psk-helpers.h"
 # ifdef CONFIG_TASN1
@@ -135,58 +135,6 @@ static bool ufd_version_check(void)
 static char *tmpfs;
 static char *bootpath;
 
-/* The boot file modifies memory area in [start_address, end_address)
- * repeatedly. It outputs a 'B' at a fixed rate while it's still running.
- */
-#include "migration/i386/a-b-bootblock.h"
-#include "migration/aarch64/a-b-kernel.h"
-#include "migration/ppc64/a-b-kernel.h"
-#include "migration/s390x/a-b-bios.h"
-
-static void bootfile_delete(void)
-{
-    if (!bootpath) {
-        return;
-    }
-    unlink(bootpath);
-    g_free(bootpath);
-    bootpath = NULL;
-}
-
-static void bootfile_create(char *dir, bool suspend_me)
-{
-    const char *arch = qtest_get_arch();
-    unsigned char *content;
-    size_t len;
-
-    bootfile_delete();
-    bootpath = g_strdup_printf("%s/bootsect", dir);
-    if (strcmp(arch, "i386") == 0 || strcmp(arch, "x86_64") == 0) {
-        /* the assembled x86 boot sector should be exactly one sector large */
-        g_assert(sizeof(x86_bootsect) == 512);
-        x86_bootsect[SYM_suspend_me - SYM_start] = suspend_me;
-        content = x86_bootsect;
-        len = sizeof(x86_bootsect);
-    } else if (g_str_equal(arch, "s390x")) {
-        content = s390x_elf;
-        len = sizeof(s390x_elf);
-    } else if (strcmp(arch, "ppc64") == 0) {
-        content = ppc64_kernel;
-        len = sizeof(ppc64_kernel);
-    } else if (strcmp(arch, "aarch64") == 0) {
-        content = aarch64_kernel;
-        len = sizeof(aarch64_kernel);
-        g_assert(sizeof(aarch64_kernel) <= ARM_TEST_MAX_KERNEL_SIZE);
-    } else {
-        g_assert_not_reached();
-    }
-
-    FILE *bootfile = fopen(bootpath, "wb");
-
-    g_assert_cmpint(fwrite(content, len, 1, bootfile), ==, 1);
-    fclose(bootfile);
-}
-
 /*
  * Wait for some output in the serial output file,
  * we get an 'A' followed by an endless string of 'B's
@@ -737,7 +685,7 @@ static int migrate_start(QTestState **from, QTestState **to,
 
     dst_state = (QTestMigrationState) { };
     src_state = (QTestMigrationState) { };
-    bootfile_create(tmpfs, args->suspend_me);
+    bootpath = bootfile_create(arch, tmpfs, args->suspend_me);
     src_state.suspend_me = args->suspend_me;
 
     if (strcmp(arch, "i386") == 0 || strcmp(arch, "x86_64") == 0) {
@@ -3488,7 +3436,7 @@ static QTestState *dirtylimit_start_vm(void)
     QTestState *vm = NULL;
     g_autofree gchar *cmd = NULL;
 
-    bootfile_create(tmpfs, false);
+    bootpath = bootfile_create(qtest_get_arch(), tmpfs, false);
     cmd = g_strdup_printf("-accel kvm,dirty-ring-size=4096 "
                           "-name dirtylimit-test,debug-threads=on "
                           "-m 150M -smp 1 "
diff --git a/tests/qtest/migration/bootfile.c b/tests/qtest/migration/bootfile.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8f75f64093
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/qtest/migration/bootfile.c
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+/*
+ * Guest code setup for migration tests
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2016-2018 Red Hat, Inc. and/or its affiliates
+ *   based on the vhost-user-test.c that is:
+ *      Copyright (c) 2014 Virtual Open Systems Sarl.
+ *
+ * This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL, version 2 or later.
+ * See the COPYING file in the top-level directory.
+ *
+ */
+
+#include "qemu/osdep.h"
+
+/*
+ * The boot file modifies memory area in [start_address, end_address)
+ * repeatedly. It outputs a 'B' at a fixed rate while it's still running.
+ */
+#include "bootfile.h"
+#include "i386/a-b-bootblock.h"
+#include "aarch64/a-b-kernel.h"
+#include "ppc64/a-b-kernel.h"
+#include "s390x/a-b-bios.h"
+
+static char *bootpath;
+
+void bootfile_delete(void)
+{
+    if (!bootpath) {
+        return;
+    }
+    unlink(bootpath);
+    g_free(bootpath);
+    bootpath = NULL;
+}
+
+char *bootfile_create(const char *arch, char *dir, bool suspend_me)
+{
+    unsigned char *content;
+    size_t len;
+
+    bootfile_delete();
+    bootpath = g_strdup_printf("%s/bootsect", dir);
+    if (strcmp(arch, "i386") == 0 || strcmp(arch, "x86_64") == 0) {
+        /* the assembled x86 boot sector should be exactly one sector large */
+        g_assert(sizeof(x86_bootsect) == 512);
+        x86_bootsect[SYM_suspend_me - SYM_start] = suspend_me;
+        content = x86_bootsect;
+        len = sizeof(x86_bootsect);
+    } else if (g_str_equal(arch, "s390x")) {
+        content = s390x_elf;
+        len = sizeof(s390x_elf);
+    } else if (strcmp(arch, "ppc64") == 0) {
+        content = ppc64_kernel;
+        len = sizeof(ppc64_kernel);
+    } else if (strcmp(arch, "aarch64") == 0) {
+        content = aarch64_kernel;
+        len = sizeof(aarch64_kernel);
+        g_assert(sizeof(aarch64_kernel) <= ARM_TEST_MAX_KERNEL_SIZE);
+    } else {
+        g_assert_not_reached();
+    }
+
+    FILE *bootfile = fopen(bootpath, "wb");
+
+    g_assert_cmpint(fwrite(content, len, 1, bootfile), ==, 1);
+    fclose(bootfile);
+
+    return bootpath;
+}
diff --git a/tests/qtest/migration/migration-test.h b/tests/qtest/migration/bootfile.h
similarity index 85%
rename from tests/qtest/migration/migration-test.h
rename to tests/qtest/migration/bootfile.h
index 194df7df6f..4f5099d765 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/migration/migration-test.h
+++ b/tests/qtest/migration/bootfile.h
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
  * See the COPYING file in the top-level directory.
  */
 
-#ifndef MIGRATION_TEST_H
-#define MIGRATION_TEST_H
+#ifndef BOOTFILE_H
+#define BOOTFILE_H
 
 /* Common */
 #define TEST_MEM_PAGE_SIZE 4096
@@ -33,4 +33,7 @@
  */
 #define ARM_TEST_MAX_KERNEL_SIZE (512 * 1024)
 
-#endif /* MIGRATION_TEST_H */
+void bootfile_delete(void);
+char *bootfile_create(const char *arch, char *dir, bool suspend_me);
+
+#endif /* BOOTFILE_H */
