diff --git a/aexpect/client.py b/aexpect/client.py
index fba78aa..696f7dc 100644
--- a/aexpect/client.py
+++ b/aexpect/client.py
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@
 
 from aexpect.utils import astring
 from aexpect.utils import data_factory
-from aexpect.utils import genio
 from aexpect.utils import process as utils_process
 from aexpect.utils import path as utils_path
 from aexpect.utils import wait as utils_wait
@@ -129,6 +128,7 @@ def __init__(self, command=None, a_id=None, auto_close=False, echo=False,
         """
         self.a_id = a_id or data_factory.generate_random_string(8)
         self.log_file = None
+        self.log_file_fd = None
         self.closed = False
         if encoding is None:
             self.encoding = locale.getpreferredencoding()
@@ -610,17 +610,20 @@ def set_output_prefix(self, output_prefix):
         """
         self.output_prefix = output_prefix
 
-    def set_log_file(self, filename):
+    def set_log_file(self, filepath, open_fd=False):
         """
         Set a log file name for this tail instance.
 
-        :param filename: Base name of the log.
+        :param filepath: complete file name and path of the log.
+        :param open_fd: whether to also open the log file
         """
-        self.log_file = filename
+        self.log_file = filepath
+        if open_fd:
+            self.log_file_fd = open(filepath, encoding="utf-8")  # pylint: disable=R1732
 
     def _close_log_file(self):
-        if self.log_file is not None:
-            genio.close_log_file(self.log_file)
+        if self.log_file_fd is not None:
+            self.log_file_fd.close()
 
     def _tail(self):  # speed optimization pylint: disable=too-many-branches,too-many-statements
 
diff --git a/aexpect/remote.py b/aexpect/remote.py
index 0b7ff59..a20d088 100644
--- a/aexpect/remote.py
+++ b/aexpect/remote.py
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@
 import logging
 import time
 import re
-import os
 import pipes
 
 from aexpect.client import Expect
@@ -414,7 +413,6 @@ def remote_login(client, host, port, username, password, prompt, linesep="\n",
     output_params = ()
     if log_filename:
         output_params = (log_filename,)
-        log_filename = os.path.basename(log_filename)
 
     if verbose:
         LOG.debug("Login command: '%s'", cmd)
diff --git a/aexpect/utils/genio.py b/aexpect/utils/genio.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 5bf6fa0..0000000
--- a/aexpect/utils/genio.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
-# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
-# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
-# (at your option) any later version.
-#
-# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
-# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
-# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
-#
-# See LICENSE for more details.
-
-"""
-Naive module that keeps tacks of some opened files and somehow manages them.
-"""
-
-import os
-
-# This variable is used from Avocado-vt
-_open_log_files = {}  # pylint: disable=C0103
-
-
-def close_log_file(filename):
-    """
-    This closes all files that use the same base name "filename".
-    """
-
-    remove = []
-    for log_file, log_fd in _open_log_files.items():
-        if os.path.basename(log_file) == filename:
-            log_fd.close()
-            remove.append(log_file)
-    if remove:
-        for key_to_remove in remove:
-            _open_log_files.pop(key_to_remove)