diff --git a/block/sheepdog.c b/block/sheepdog.c
index 9746037..c287827 100644
--- a/block/sheepdog.c
+++ b/block/sheepdog.c
@@ -20,8 +20,7 @@
 
 #define SD_PROTO_VER 0x01
 
-#define SD_DEFAULT_ADDR "localhost"
-#define SD_DEFAULT_PORT "7000"
+#define SD_DEFAULT_ADDR_AND_PORT "localhost:7000"
 
 #define SD_OP_CREATE_AND_WRITE_OBJ  0x01
 #define SD_OP_READ_OBJ       0x02
@@ -297,8 +296,9 @@ typedef struct BDRVSheepdogState {
     bool is_snapshot;
     uint32_t cache_flags;
 
-    char *addr;
-    char *port;
+    /* It's a string of the form <hostname>:<port> */
+    char *host_spec;
+
     int fd;
 
     CoMutex lock;
@@ -446,56 +446,22 @@ static SheepdogAIOCB *sd_aio_setup(BlockDriverState *bs, QEMUIOVector *qiov,
     return acb;
 }
 
-static int connect_to_sdog(const char *addr, const char *port)
+static int connect_to_sdog(const char *host_spec)
 {
-    char hbuf[NI_MAXHOST], sbuf[NI_MAXSERV];
-    int fd, ret;
-    struct addrinfo hints, *res, *res0;
+    int fd;
+    Error *err = NULL;
 
-    if (!addr) {
-        addr = SD_DEFAULT_ADDR;
-        port = SD_DEFAULT_PORT;
+    if (host_spec == NULL) {
+        host_spec = SD_DEFAULT_ADDR_AND_PORT;
     }
 
-    memset(&hints, 0, sizeof(hints));
-    hints.ai_socktype = SOCK_STREAM;
+    fd = inet_connect(host_spec, &err);
 
-    ret = getaddrinfo(addr, port, &hints, &res0);
-    if (ret) {
-        error_report("unable to get address info %s, %s",
-                     addr, strerror(errno));
-        return -errno;
+    if (err != NULL) {
+        qerror_report_err(err);
+        error_free(err);
     }
 
-    for (res = res0; res; res = res->ai_next) {
-        ret = getnameinfo(res->ai_addr, res->ai_addrlen, hbuf, sizeof(hbuf),
-                          sbuf, sizeof(sbuf), NI_NUMERICHOST | NI_NUMERICSERV);
-        if (ret) {
-            continue;
-        }
-
-        fd = socket(res->ai_family, res->ai_socktype, res->ai_protocol);
-        if (fd < 0) {
-            continue;
-        }
-
-    reconnect:
-        ret = connect(fd, res->ai_addr, res->ai_addrlen);
-        if (ret < 0) {
-            if (errno == EINTR) {
-                goto reconnect;
-            }
-            close(fd);
-            break;
-        }
-
-        dprintf("connected to %s:%s\n", addr, port);
-        goto success;
-    }
-    fd = -errno;
-    error_report("failed connect to %s:%s", addr, port);
-success:
-    freeaddrinfo(res0);
     return fd;
 }
 
@@ -797,9 +763,8 @@ static int get_sheep_fd(BDRVSheepdogState *s)
 {
     int ret, fd;
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
-        error_report("%s", strerror(errno));
         return fd;
     }
 
@@ -851,18 +816,15 @@ static int parse_vdiname(BDRVSheepdogState *s, const char *filename,
     }
     p = q;
 
-    /* use the first two tokens as hostname and port number. */
+    /* use the first two tokens as host_spec. */
     if (nr_sep >= 2) {
-        s->addr = p;
+        s->host_spec = p;
         p = strchr(p, ':');
-        *p++ = '\0';
-
-        s->port = p;
+        p++;
         p = strchr(p, ':');
         *p++ = '\0';
     } else {
-        s->addr = NULL;
-        s->port = 0;
+        s->host_spec = NULL;
     }
 
     pstrcpy(vdi, SD_MAX_VDI_LEN, p);
@@ -878,7 +840,7 @@ static int parse_vdiname(BDRVSheepdogState *s, const char *filename,
         *snapid = CURRENT_VDI_ID; /* search current vdi */
     }
 
-    if (s->addr == NULL) {
+    if (s->host_spec == NULL) {
         g_free(q);
     }
 
@@ -894,7 +856,7 @@ static int find_vdi_name(BDRVSheepdogState *s, char *filename, uint32_t snapid,
     unsigned int wlen, rlen = 0;
     char buf[SD_MAX_VDI_LEN + SD_MAX_VDI_TAG_LEN];
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
         return fd;
     }
@@ -1134,9 +1096,8 @@ static int sd_open(BlockDriverState *bs, const char *filename, int flags)
         s->is_snapshot = true;
     }
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
-        error_report("failed to connect");
         ret = fd;
         goto out;
     }
@@ -1171,7 +1132,7 @@ out:
 
 static int do_sd_create(char *filename, int64_t vdi_size,
                         uint32_t base_vid, uint32_t *vdi_id, int snapshot,
-                        const char *addr, const char *port)
+                        const char *host_spec)
 {
     SheepdogVdiReq hdr;
     SheepdogVdiRsp *rsp = (SheepdogVdiRsp *)&hdr;
@@ -1179,7 +1140,7 @@ static int do_sd_create(char *filename, int64_t vdi_size,
     unsigned int wlen, rlen = 0;
     char buf[SD_MAX_VDI_LEN];
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(addr, port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
         return fd;
     }
@@ -1346,7 +1307,7 @@ static int sd_create(const char *filename, QEMUOptionParameter *options)
         bdrv_delete(bs);
     }
 
-    ret = do_sd_create(vdi, vdi_size, base_vid, &vid, 0, s->addr, s->port);
+    ret = do_sd_create(vdi, vdi_size, base_vid, &vid, 0, s->host_spec);
     if (!prealloc || ret) {
         goto out;
     }
@@ -1367,7 +1328,7 @@ static void sd_close(BlockDriverState *bs)
 
     dprintf("%s\n", s->name);
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
         return;
     }
@@ -1390,7 +1351,7 @@ static void sd_close(BlockDriverState *bs)
 
     qemu_aio_set_fd_handler(s->fd, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL);
     closesocket(s->fd);
-    g_free(s->addr);
+    g_free(s->host_spec);
 }
 
 static int64_t sd_getlength(BlockDriverState *bs)
@@ -1414,7 +1375,7 @@ static int sd_truncate(BlockDriverState *bs, int64_t offset)
         return -EINVAL;
     }
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
         return fd;
     }
@@ -1491,16 +1452,15 @@ static int sd_create_branch(BDRVSheepdogState *s)
     buf = g_malloc(SD_INODE_SIZE);
 
     ret = do_sd_create(s->name, s->inode.vdi_size, s->inode.vdi_id, &vid, 1,
-                       s->addr, s->port);
+                       s->host_spec);
     if (ret) {
         goto out;
     }
 
     dprintf("%" PRIx32 " is created.\n", vid);
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
-        error_report("failed to connect");
         ret = fd;
         goto out;
     }
@@ -1759,7 +1719,7 @@ static int sd_snapshot_create(BlockDriverState *bs, QEMUSnapshotInfo *sn_info)
     datalen = SD_INODE_SIZE - sizeof(s->inode.data_vdi_id);
 
     /* refresh inode. */
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
         ret = fd;
         goto cleanup;
@@ -1773,7 +1733,7 @@ static int sd_snapshot_create(BlockDriverState *bs, QEMUSnapshotInfo *sn_info)
     }
 
     ret = do_sd_create(s->name, s->inode.vdi_size, s->inode.vdi_id, &new_vid, 1,
-                       s->addr, s->port);
+                       s->host_spec);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_report("failed to create inode for snapshot. %s",
                      strerror(errno));
@@ -1828,9 +1788,8 @@ static int sd_snapshot_goto(BlockDriverState *bs, const char *snapshot_id)
         goto out;
     }
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
-        error_report("failed to connect");
         ret = fd;
         goto out;
     }
@@ -1892,7 +1851,7 @@ static int sd_snapshot_list(BlockDriverState *bs, QEMUSnapshotInfo **psn_tab)
 
     vdi_inuse = g_malloc(max);
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
         ret = fd;
         goto out;
@@ -1919,9 +1878,8 @@ static int sd_snapshot_list(BlockDriverState *bs, QEMUSnapshotInfo **psn_tab)
     hval = fnv_64a_buf(s->name, strlen(s->name), FNV1A_64_INIT);
     start_nr = hval & (SD_NR_VDIS - 1);
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
-        error_report("failed to connect");
         ret = fd;
         goto out;
     }
@@ -1978,7 +1936,7 @@ static int do_load_save_vmstate(BDRVSheepdogState *s, uint8_t *data,
     uint32_t vdi_index;
     uint64_t offset;
 
-    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->addr, s->port);
+    fd = connect_to_sdog(s->host_spec);
     if (fd < 0) {
         return fd;
     }
