diff --git a/test/vhost/initiator/blockdev.sh b/test/vhost/initiator/blockdev.sh
index 92e504011..e11c1a3c5 100755
--- a/test/vhost/initiator/blockdev.sh
+++ b/test/vhost/initiator/blockdev.sh
@@ -10,11 +10,47 @@ function run_spdk_fio() {
 }
 
 function err_cleanup() {
-	rm -f $testdir/bdev.json
 	killprocess $vhost_pid
-	if [[ -n "$dummy_spdk_pid" ]] && kill -0 $dummy_spdk_pid &> /dev/null; then
-		killprocess $dummy_spdk_pid
-	fi
+}
+
+function gen_vhost_conf() {
+	local traddr dev_type vg_count name conf setup
+
+	setup+=("naa.Nvme0n1_scsi0.0 scsi 8 VirtioScsi0")
+	setup+=("naa.Nvme0n1_blk0.0  blk  8 VirtioBlk3")
+	setup+=("naa.Nvme0n1_blk1.0  blk  8 VirtioBlk4")
+	setup+=("naa.Malloc0.0       scsi 8 VirtioScsi1")
+	setup+=("naa.Malloc1.0       scsi 8 VirtioScsi2")
+
+	while read -r traddr dev_type vg_count name; do
+		conf+=("$(
+			cat <<- VHOST
+				{
+				  "method": "bdev_virtio_attach_controller",
+				  "params": {
+				    "name": "$name",
+				    "dev_type": "$dev_type",
+				    "trtype": "user",
+				    "traddr": "$traddr",
+				    "vq_count": $vg_count,
+				    "vq_size": 512
+				  }
+				}
+			VHOST
+		)")
+	done < <(printf '%s\n' "${setup[@]}")
+
+	local IFS=","
+	cat <<- VHOST
+		{
+		  "subsystems": [ {
+		    "subsystem": "bdev",
+		    "config": [
+		      ${conf[*]}
+		    ]
+		  } ]
+		}
+	VHOST
 }
 
 # start vhost and configure it
@@ -52,36 +88,16 @@ rpc_cmd vhost_create_scsi_controller naa.Malloc1.0 --cpumask 0xc
 rpc_cmd vhost_scsi_controller_add_target naa.Malloc1.0 0 Malloc1
 [[ "$(rpc_cmd vhost_get_controllers -n naa.Malloc1.0 | jq -r '.[].cpumask')" == "0xc" ]]
 
-# start a dummy app, create vhost bdevs in it, then dump the config for FIO
-$SPDK_BIN_DIR/spdk_tgt -r /tmp/spdk2.sock -g &
-dummy_spdk_pid=$!
-waitforlisten $dummy_spdk_pid /tmp/spdk2.sock
-rpc_cmd -s /tmp/spdk2.sock bdev_virtio_attach_controller --trtype user --traddr 'naa.Nvme0n1_scsi0.0' -d scsi --vq-count 8 'VirtioScsi0'
-rpc_cmd -s /tmp/spdk2.sock bdev_virtio_attach_controller --trtype user --traddr 'naa.Nvme0n1_blk0.0' -d blk --vq-count 8 'VirtioBlk3'
-rpc_cmd -s /tmp/spdk2.sock bdev_virtio_attach_controller --trtype user --traddr 'naa.Nvme0n1_blk1.0' -d blk --vq-count 8 'VirtioBlk4'
-
-rpc_cmd -s /tmp/spdk2.sock bdev_virtio_attach_controller --trtype user --traddr 'naa.Malloc0.0' -d scsi --vq-count 8 'VirtioScsi1'
-rpc_cmd -s /tmp/spdk2.sock bdev_virtio_attach_controller --trtype user --traddr 'naa.Malloc1.0' -d scsi --vq-count 8 'VirtioScsi2'
-
-cat <<- CONF > $testdir/bdev.json
-	{"subsystems":[
-	$(rpc_cmd -s /tmp/spdk2.sock save_subsystem_config -n bdev)
-	]}
-CONF
-killprocess $dummy_spdk_pid
-
-# run FIO with previously acquired spdk config files
 timing_enter run_spdk_fio
-run_spdk_fio $testdir/bdev.fio --filename=* --section=job_randwrite --spdk_json_conf=$testdir/bdev.json
+run_spdk_fio $testdir/bdev.fio --filename=* --section=job_randwrite --spdk_json_conf=<(gen_vhost_conf)
 timing_exit run_spdk_fio
 
 timing_enter run_spdk_fio_unmap
-run_spdk_fio $testdir/bdev.fio --filename="VirtioScsi1t0:VirtioScsi2t0" --spdk_json_conf=$testdir/bdev.json
+run_spdk_fio $testdir/bdev.fio --filename="VirtioScsi1t0:VirtioScsi2t0" --spdk_json_conf=<(gen_vhost_conf)
 timing_exit run_spdk_fio_unmap
 
 rpc_cmd bdev_nvme_detach_controller Nvme0
 
 trap - SIGINT SIGTERM EXIT
-rm -f $testdir/bdev.json
 
 killprocess $vhost_pid