diff --git a/camkes_vm_helpers.cmake b/camkes_vm_helpers.cmake
index 5353c353..dcd65930 100644
--- a/camkes_vm_helpers.cmake
+++ b/camkes_vm_helpers.cmake
@@ -7,9 +7,6 @@
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.8.2)
 
 set(VM_PROJECT_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}" CACHE INTERNAL "")
-if(NOT TARGET vm_fserver_config)
-    add_custom_target(vm_fserver_config)
-endif()
 
 # Function for declaring a CAmkESVM. This is called for each Init component in the applications
 # camkes config.
@@ -117,13 +114,7 @@ function(DefineCAmkESVMFileServer)
         set(PARAM_INSTANCE "fserv")
     endif()
 
-    if(PARAM_DEPENDS)
-        set_property(
-            TARGET vm_fserver_config
-            APPEND
-            PROPERTY DEPS_${PARAM_INSTANCE} ${PARAM_DEPENDS}
-        )
-    endif()
+    set(INST_BIN_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${PARAM_INSTANCE}")
 
     foreach(element IN LISTS PARAM_FILES)
         foreach(item IN LISTS element) # [<CPIO_NAME>:]<FILENAME>
@@ -147,56 +138,22 @@ function(DefineCAmkESVMFileServer)
                 set(FILE_NAME "${CMAKE_MATCH_1}")
                 get_filename_component(CPIO_NAME "${FILE_NAME}" NAME)
             endif()
-            # For legacy reasons, we still call AddToFileServer() here. It will
-            # simplify things a lot, if this function is removed completely. It
-            # is no longer needed, because we accept lists of files now., which
-            # the caller is supposed to build then. For now, AddToFileServer()
-            # is just a light wrapper that build such a list. Thus, there is no
-            # need to pass dependencies from PARAM_DEPENDS here, have added them
-            # above already.
-            AddToFileServer("${CPIO_NAME}" "${FILE_NAME}" INSTANCE "${PARAM_INSTANCE}")
-        endforeach()
-    endforeach()
 
-    # now process the file/deps list
-    get_target_property(files vm_fserver_config FILES_${PARAM_INSTANCE})
-    if(NOT files) # this also catches "files-NOTFOUND" if property is not set
-        set(files "")
-    endif()
-    get_target_property(deps vm_fserver_config DEPS_${PARAM_INSTANCE})
-    if(NOT deps) # this also catches "deps-NOTFOUND" if property is not set
-        set(deps "")
-    endif()
-
-    set(INST_BIN_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${PARAM_INSTANCE}")
+            set(CPIO_FILE "${INST_BIN_DIR}/files/${CPIO_NAME}")
+            add_custom_command(
+                OUTPUT "${CPIO_FILE}"
+                COMMENT "copy: ${FILE_NAME} -> ${CPIO_FILE}"
+                COMMAND
+                    ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy "${FILE_NAME}" "${CPIO_FILE}"
+                VERBATIM
+                DEPENDS ${FILE_NAME} ${PARAM_DEPENDS}
+            )
+            # There is no need to create an explicit target for the command
+            # above, the archive creation depends on all files in CPIO_FILES,
+            # where the command above is the creation rule for each one.
+            list(APPEND CPIO_FILES "${CPIO_FILE}")
 
-    set(CPIO_FILES "")
-    foreach(item IN LISTS files) # <CPIO_NAME>:<FILENAME>
-        string(
-            REGEX
-                MATCH
-                "^([^:]+):([^:]+)$"
-                cpio_item
-                "${item}"
-        )
-        if(NOT cpio_item)
-            message(FATAL_ERROR "invalid CPIO file format: '${item}'")
-        endif()
-        set(CPIO_NAME "${CMAKE_MATCH_1}")
-        set(FILE_NAME "${CMAKE_MATCH_2}")
-        set(CPIO_FILE "${INST_BIN_DIR}/files/${CPIO_NAME}")
-        add_custom_command(
-            OUTPUT "${CPIO_FILE}"
-            COMMENT "copy: ${FILE_NAME} -> ${CPIO_FILE}"
-            COMMAND
-                ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy "${FILE_NAME}" "${CPIO_FILE}"
-            VERBATIM
-            DEPENDS ${FILE_NAME} ${deps}
-        )
-        # There is no need to create an explicit target for the command above,
-        # the archive creation depends on all files in CPIO_FILES, where the
-        # command above is the creation rule for each one.
-        list(APPEND CPIO_FILES "${CPIO_FILE}")
+        endforeach()
     endforeach()
 
     # Build CPIO archive. It implicitly depends on all files in CPIO_FILES,
@@ -242,61 +199,6 @@ function(DeclareCAmkESVMRootServer camkes_config)
     )
 endfunction(DeclareCAmkESVMRootServer)
 
-# Function for adding a file/image to the vm file server.
-#
-# Parameters:
-#
-# <filename_pref>
-#   The name the caller wishes to use to reference the file in the CPIO archive.
-#   This corresponds with the name set in the 'kernel_image' camkes variable for
-#   a given instance vm.
-#
-# <file_dest>
-#   The location of the file/image the caller is adding to the file server
-#
-# INSTANCE <name>
-#   Instance name of the file server CAmkES component.
-#   Optional, defaults to "fserv"
-#
-# DEPENDS <dep>[ <dep>[...]]
-#   Any additional dependencies for the file/image the caller is adding to the
-#   file server
-#
-function(AddToFileServer filename_pref file_dest)
-
-    cmake_parse_arguments(
-        PARSE_ARGV
-        2
-        PARAM # variable prefix
-        "" # option arguments
-        "INSTANCE" # optional single value arguments
-        "DEPENDS" # optional multi value arguments
-    )
-
-    if(PARAM_UNPARSED_ARGUMENTS)
-        message(FATAL_ERROR "Unknown arguments: ${PARAM_UNPARSED_ARGUMENTS}")
-    endif()
-
-    if(NOT PARAM_INSTANCE)
-        set(PARAM_INSTANCE "fserv")
-    endif()
-
-    set_property(
-        TARGET vm_fserver_config
-        APPEND
-        PROPERTY FILES_${PARAM_INSTANCE} "${filename_pref}:${file_dest}"
-    )
-
-    if(PARAM_DEPENDS)
-        set_property(
-            TARGET vm_fserver_config
-            APPEND
-            PROPERTY DEPS_${PARAM_INSTANCE} ${PARAM_DEPENDS}
-        )
-    endif()
-
-endfunction(AddToFileServer)
-
 # Function for decompressing/extracting a vmlinux file from a given kernel image
 # decompress_target: The target name the caller wishes to use to generate the decompressed kernel
 # image