diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/Makefile b/lib/librte_vhost/Makefile
index cac943e..52f6575 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/Makefile
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/Makefile
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ CFLAGS += -I vhost_cuse -lfuse
 CFLAGS += -I vhost_user
 LDFLAGS += -lfuse
 # all source are stored in SRCS-y
-SRCS-$(CONFIG_RTE_LIBRTE_VHOST) := virtio-net.c vhost_rxtx.c vhost_cuse/eventfd_copy.c
+SRCS-$(CONFIG_RTE_LIBRTE_VHOST) := virtio-net.c vhost_rxtx.c
 #SRCS-$(CONFIG_RTE_LIBRTE_VHOST) += vhost_cuse/vhost-net-cdev.c vhost_cuse/virtio-net-cdev.c vhost_cuse/eventfd_copy.c
 SRCS-$(CONFIG_RTE_LIBRTE_VHOST) += vhost_user/vhost-net-user.c vhost_user/virtio-net-user.c vhost_user/fd_man.c
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/rte_virtio_net.h b/lib/librte_vhost/rte_virtio_net.h
index 46c2072..611a3d4 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/rte_virtio_net.h
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/rte_virtio_net.h
@@ -100,7 +100,8 @@ struct virtio_net {
 	uint64_t		features;	/**< Negotiated feature set. */
 	uint64_t		device_fh;	/**< device identifier. */
 	uint32_t		flags;		/**< Device flags. Only used to check if device is running on data core. */
-	char			ifname[IFNAMSIZ];	/**< Name of the tap device. */
+#define IF_NAME_SZ (PATH_MAX > IFNAMSIZ ? PATH_MAX : IFNAMSIZ)
+	char			ifname[IF_NAME_SZ];	/**< Name of the tap device or socket path. */
 	void			*priv;		/**< private context */
 } __rte_cache_aligned;
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost-net.h b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost-net.h
index a56e405..0f3f8dc 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost-net.h
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost-net.h
@@ -93,6 +93,9 @@ struct vhost_net_device_ops {
 	int (*new_device)(struct vhost_device_ctx);
 	void (*destroy_device)(struct vhost_device_ctx);
 
+	void (*set_ifname)(struct vhost_device_ctx,
+		const char *if_name, unsigned int if_len);
+
 	int (*get_features)(struct vhost_device_ctx, uint64_t *);
 	int (*set_features)(struct vhost_device_ctx, uint64_t *);
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/vhost-net-cdev.c b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/vhost-net-cdev.c
index 72609a3..6b68abf 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/vhost-net-cdev.c
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/vhost-net-cdev.c
@@ -196,7 +196,13 @@ vhost_net_ioctl(fuse_req_t req, int cmd, void *arg,
 	case VHOST_NET_SET_BACKEND:
 		LOG_DEBUG(VHOST_CONFIG,
 			"(%"PRIu64") IOCTL: VHOST_NET_SET_BACKEND\n", ctx.fh);
-		VHOST_IOCTL_R(struct vhost_vring_file, file, ops->set_backend);
+		if (!in_buf) {
+			VHOST_IOCTL_RETRY(sizeof(file), 0);
+			break;
+		}
+		file = *(const struct vhost_vring_file *)in_buf;
+		result = cuse_set_backend(ctx, &file);
+		fuse_reply_ioctl(req, result, NULL, 0);
 		break;
 
 	case VHOST_GET_FEATURES:
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/virtio-net-cdev.c b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/virtio-net-cdev.c
index adebb54..ae2c3fa 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/virtio-net-cdev.c
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/virtio-net-cdev.c
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@
 #include <sys/mman.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
+#include <sys/ioctl.h>
+#include <sys/socket.h>
+#include <linux/if_tun.h>
+#include <linux/if.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 
 #include <rte_log.h>
@@ -51,6 +55,7 @@
 #include "vhost-net.h"
 #include "virtio-net-cdev.h"
 #include "virtio-net.h"
+#include "eventfd_copy.h"
 
 /* Line size for reading maps file. */
 static const uint32_t BUFSIZE = PATH_MAX;
@@ -368,3 +373,51 @@ cuse_set_mem_table(struct vhost_device_ctx ctx,
 
 	return 0;
 }
+
+/*
+ * Function to get the tap device name from the provided file descriptor and
+ * save it in the device structure.
+ */
+static int
+get_ifname(struct vhost_device_ctx ctx, struct virtio_net *dev, int tap_fd, int pid)
+{
+	int fd_tap;
+	struct ifreq ifr;
+	uint32_t ifr_size;
+	int ret;
+
+	fd_tap = eventfd_copy(tap_fd, pid);
+	if (fd_tap < 0)
+		return -1;
+
+	ret = ioctl(fd_tap, TUNGETIFF, &ifr);
+
+	if (close(fd_tap) < 0)
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, VHOST_CONFIG,
+			"(%"PRIu64") fd close failed\n",
+			dev->device_fh);
+
+	if (ret >= 0) {
+		ifr_size = strnlen(ifr.ifr_name, sizeof(ifr.ifr_name));
+		ops->set_ifname(ctx, ifr.ifr_name, ifr_size);
+	} else
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, VHOST_CONFIG,
+			"(%"PRIu64") TUNGETIFF ioctl failed\n",
+			dev->device_fh);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int cuse_set_backend(struct vhost_device_ctx ctx, struct vhost_vring_file *file)
+{
+	struct virtio_net *dev;
+
+	dev = get_device(ctx);
+	if (dev == NULL)
+		return -1;
+
+	if (!(dev->flags & VIRTIO_DEV_RUNNING) && file->fd != VIRTIO_DEV_STOPPED)
+		get_ifname(ctx, dev, file->fd, ctx.pid);
+
+	return ops->set_backend(ctx, file);
+}
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/virtio-net-cdev.h b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/virtio-net-cdev.h
index 5ee81b1..eb6b0ba 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/virtio-net-cdev.h
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_cuse/virtio-net-cdev.h
@@ -42,4 +42,7 @@ int
 cuse_set_mem_table(struct vhost_device_ctx ctx,
 	const struct vhost_memory *mem_regions_addr, uint32_t nregions);
 
+int
+cuse_set_backend(struct vhost_device_ctx ctx, struct vhost_vring_file *);
+
 #endif
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user/vhost-net-user.c b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user/vhost-net-user.c
index 712a82f..634a498 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user/vhost-net-user.c
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user/vhost-net-user.c
@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ vserver_new_vq_conn(int fd, void *dat)
 	struct connfd_ctx *ctx;
 	int fh;
 	struct vhost_device_ctx vdev_ctx = { 0 };
+	unsigned int size;
 
 	conn_fd = accept(fd, NULL, NULL);
 	RTE_LOG(INFO, VHOST_CONFIG,
@@ -287,6 +288,12 @@ vserver_new_vq_conn(int fd, void *dat)
 		close(conn_fd);
 		return;
 	}
+
+	vdev_ctx.fh = fh;
+	size = strnlen(vserver->path, PATH_MAX);
+	ops->set_ifname(vdev_ctx, vserver->path,
+		size);
+
 	RTE_LOG(INFO, VHOST_CONFIG, "new device, handle is %d\n", fh);
 
 	ctx->vserver = vserver;
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/virtio-net.c b/lib/librte_vhost/virtio-net.c
index 9dea69c..20567ff 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/virtio-net.c
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/virtio-net.c
@@ -38,12 +38,8 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <sys/mman.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
-#include <sys/ioctl.h>
-
 
 #include <sys/socket.h>
-#include <linux/if_tun.h>
-#include <linux/if.h>
 
 #include <rte_ethdev.h>
 #include <rte_log.h>
@@ -51,7 +47,6 @@
 #include <rte_memory.h>
 #include <rte_virtio_net.h>
 
-#include "vhost_cuse/eventfd_copy.h"
 #include "vhost-net.h"
 #include "virtio-net.h"
 
@@ -357,6 +352,24 @@ destroy_device(struct vhost_device_ctx ctx)
 	}
 }
 
+static void
+set_ifname(struct vhost_device_ctx ctx,
+	const char *if_name, unsigned int if_len)
+{
+	struct virtio_net *dev;
+	unsigned int len;
+
+	dev = get_device(ctx);
+	if (dev == NULL)
+		return;
+
+	len = if_len > sizeof(dev->ifname) ?
+		sizeof(dev->ifname) : if_len;
+
+	strncpy(dev->ifname, if_name, len);
+}
+
+
 /*
  * Called from CUSE IOCTL: VHOST_SET_OWNER
  * This function just returns success at the moment unless
@@ -617,43 +630,6 @@ set_vring_kick(struct vhost_device_ctx ctx, struct vhost_vring_file *file)
 }
 
 /*
- * Function to get the tap device name from the provided file descriptor and
- * save it in the device structure.
- */
-static int
-get_ifname(struct virtio_net *dev, int tap_fd, int pid)
-{
-	int fd_tap;
-	struct ifreq ifr;
-	uint32_t size, ifr_size;
-	int ret;
-
-    fd_tap = eventfd_copy(tap_fd, pid);
-    if (fd_tap < 0)
-        return -1;
-
-	ret = ioctl(fd_tap, TUNGETIFF, &ifr);
-
-	if (close(fd_tap) < 0)
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, VHOST_CONFIG,
-			"(%"PRIu64") fd close failed\n",
-			dev->device_fh);
-
-	if (ret >= 0) {
-		ifr_size = strnlen(ifr.ifr_name, sizeof(ifr.ifr_name));
-		size = ifr_size > sizeof(dev->ifname) ?
-				sizeof(dev->ifname) : ifr_size;
-
-		strncpy(dev->ifname, ifr.ifr_name, size);
-	} else
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, VHOST_CONFIG,
-			"(%"PRIu64") TUNGETIFF ioctl failed\n",
-			dev->device_fh);
-
-	return 0;
-}
-
-/*
  * Called from CUSE IOCTL: VHOST_NET_SET_BACKEND
  * To complete device initialisation when the virtio driver is loaded,
  * we are provided with a valid fd for a tap device (not used by us).
@@ -681,7 +657,6 @@ set_backend(struct vhost_device_ctx ctx, struct vhost_vring_file *file)
 	if (!(dev->flags & VIRTIO_DEV_RUNNING)) {
 		if (((int)dev->virtqueue[VIRTIO_TXQ]->backend != VIRTIO_DEV_STOPPED) &&
 			((int)dev->virtqueue[VIRTIO_RXQ]->backend != VIRTIO_DEV_STOPPED)) {
-			get_ifname(dev, file->fd, ctx.pid);
 			return notify_ops->new_device(dev);
 		}
 	/* Otherwise we remove it. */
@@ -699,6 +674,8 @@ static const struct vhost_net_device_ops vhost_device_ops = {
 	.new_device = new_device,
 	.destroy_device = destroy_device,
 
+	.set_ifname = set_ifname,
+
 	.get_features = get_features,
 	.set_features = set_features,
 
