diff --git a/hw/net/vhost_net.c b/hw/net/vhost_net.c
index 0d1943f..58a1880 100644
--- a/hw/net/vhost_net.c
+++ b/hw/net/vhost_net.c
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 
 #include "hw/virtio/vhost.h"
-#include "hw/virtio/vhost-backend.h"
 #include "hw/virtio/virtio-bus.h"
 
 struct vhost_net {
@@ -113,7 +112,7 @@ struct vhost_net *vhost_net_init(NetClientState *backend, int devfd,
     net->dev.nvqs = 2;
     net->dev.vqs = net->vqs;
 
-    r = vhost_dev_init(&net->dev, devfd, "/dev/vhost-net", force);
+    r = vhost_dev_init(&net->dev, devfd, "/dev/vhost-net", VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_KERNEL, force);
     if (r < 0) {
         goto fail;
     }
diff --git a/hw/scsi/vhost-scsi.c b/hw/scsi/vhost-scsi.c
index 14d5030..fdc5d44 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/vhost-scsi.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/vhost-scsi.c
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 #include "migration/migration.h"
 #include "hw/virtio/vhost-scsi.h"
 #include "hw/virtio/vhost.h"
-#include "hw/virtio/vhost-backend.h"
 #include "hw/virtio/virtio-scsi.h"
 #include "hw/virtio/virtio-bus.h"
 
@@ -226,7 +225,8 @@ static int vhost_scsi_init(VirtIODevice *vdev)
     s->dev.vqs = g_new(struct vhost_virtqueue, s->dev.nvqs);
     s->dev.vq_index = 0;
 
-    ret = vhost_dev_init(&s->dev, vhostfd, "/dev/vhost-scsi", true);
+    ret = vhost_dev_init(&s->dev, vhostfd, "/dev/vhost-scsi",
+                         VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_KERNEL, true);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_report("vhost-scsi: vhost initialization failed: %s\n",
                 strerror(-ret));
diff --git a/hw/virtio/vhost-backend.c b/hw/virtio/vhost-backend.c
index 05de174..80defe4 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/vhost-backend.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/vhost-backend.c
@@ -25,9 +25,18 @@ static int vhost_kernel_call(struct vhost_dev *dev, unsigned long int request,
 
 int vhost_call(struct vhost_dev *dev, unsigned long int request, void *arg)
 {
-    int result;
+    int result = -1;
 
-    result = vhost_kernel_call(dev, request, arg);
+    switch (dev->backend_type) {
+    case VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_KERNEL:
+        result = vhost_kernel_call(dev, request, arg);
+        break;
+    case VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_USER:
+        fprintf(stderr, "vhost-user not implemented\n");
+        break;
+    default:
+        fprintf(stderr, "Unknown vhost backend type\n");
+    }
 
     return result;
 }
@@ -36,7 +45,17 @@ int vhost_backend_init(struct vhost_dev *dev, const char *devpath)
 {
     int fd = -1;
 
-    fd = open(devpath, O_RDWR);
+    switch (dev->backend_type) {
+    case VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_KERNEL:
+        fd = open(devpath, O_RDWR);
+        break;
+    case VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_USER:
+        fprintf(stderr, "vhost-user not implemented\n");
+        break;
+    default:
+        fprintf(stderr, "Unknown vhost backend type\n");
+    }
+
     dev->control = fd;
 
     return fd;
diff --git a/hw/virtio/vhost.c b/hw/virtio/vhost.c
index 42f4d5f..35eeb5f 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/vhost.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/vhost.c
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
  */
 
 #include "hw/virtio/vhost.h"
-#include "hw/virtio/vhost-backend.h"
 #include "hw/hw.h"
 #include "qemu/atomic.h"
 #include "qemu/range.h"
@@ -815,10 +814,13 @@ static void vhost_virtqueue_cleanup(struct vhost_virtqueue *vq)
 }
 
 int vhost_dev_init(struct vhost_dev *hdev, int devfd, const char *devpath,
-                   bool force)
+                   VhostBackendType backend_type, bool force)
 {
     uint64_t features;
     int i, r;
+
+    hdev->backend_type = backend_type;
+
     if (devfd >= 0) {
         hdev->control = devfd;
     } else {
diff --git a/include/hw/virtio/vhost-backend.h b/include/hw/virtio/vhost-backend.h
index fc51b72..970f033 100644
--- a/include/hw/virtio/vhost-backend.h
+++ b/include/hw/virtio/vhost-backend.h
@@ -12,6 +12,13 @@
 #ifndef VHOST_BACKEND_H_
 #define VHOST_BACKEND_H_
 
+typedef enum VhostBackendType {
+    VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_NONE = 0,
+    VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_KERNEL = 1,
+    VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_USER = 2,
+    VHOST_BACKEND_TYPE_MAX = 3,
+} VhostBackendType;
+
 struct vhost_dev;
 int vhost_call(struct vhost_dev *dev, unsigned long int request, void *arg);
 
diff --git a/include/hw/virtio/vhost.h b/include/hw/virtio/vhost.h
index de24746..c08ae46 100644
--- a/include/hw/virtio/vhost.h
+++ b/include/hw/virtio/vhost.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define VHOST_H
 
 #include "hw/hw.h"
+#include "hw/virtio/vhost-backend.h"
 #include "hw/virtio/virtio.h"
 #include "exec/memory.h"
 
@@ -48,10 +49,11 @@ struct vhost_dev {
     bool memory_changed;
     hwaddr mem_changed_start_addr;
     hwaddr mem_changed_end_addr;
+    VhostBackendType backend_type;
 };
 
 int vhost_dev_init(struct vhost_dev *hdev, int devfd, const char *devpath,
-                   bool force);
+                   VhostBackendType backend_type, bool force);
 void vhost_dev_cleanup(struct vhost_dev *hdev);
 bool vhost_dev_query(struct vhost_dev *hdev, VirtIODevice *vdev);
 int vhost_dev_start(struct vhost_dev *hdev, VirtIODevice *vdev);
