diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index 6486f9cdb85dd79c0e24664ab575b2b6a69c9244..bd9f4256a73b10e3c5994ab187bdccba3272cdb8 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -2522,7 +2522,7 @@ virDomainChrDefParseTargetXML(virCapsPtr caps,
                 goto error;
             }
 
-            if (def->target.addr->stor.ss_family != AF_INET) {
+            if (def->target.addr->data.stor.ss_family != AF_INET) {
                 virDomainReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
                                      "%s", _("guestfwd channel only supports "
                                              "IPv4 addresses"));
diff --git a/src/network/bridge_driver.c b/src/network/bridge_driver.c
index 01d217103480b21962e5cea549847d4336dc24bb..6323fa5be0c4a5dc581a12748d0036901ace2400 100644
--- a/src/network/bridge_driver.c
+++ b/src/network/bridge_driver.c
@@ -1060,14 +1060,14 @@ static int networkCheckRouteCollision(virNetworkObjPtr network)
         goto error;
     }
 
-    if (inaddress.stor.ss_family != AF_INET ||
-        innetmask.stor.ss_family != AF_INET) {
+    if (inaddress.data.stor.ss_family != AF_INET ||
+        innetmask.data.stor.ss_family != AF_INET) {
         /* Only support collision check for IPv4 */
         goto out;
     }
 
-    net_dest = (inaddress.inet4.sin_addr.s_addr &
-                innetmask.inet4.sin_addr.s_addr);
+    net_dest = (inaddress.data.inet4.sin_addr.s_addr &
+                innetmask.data.inet4.sin_addr.s_addr);
 
     /* Read whole routing table into memory */
     if ((len = virFileReadAll(PROC_NET_ROUTE, MAX_ROUTE_SIZE, &buf)) < 0)
@@ -1120,7 +1120,7 @@ static int networkCheckRouteCollision(virNetworkObjPtr network)
         addr_val &= mask_val;
 
         if ((net_dest == addr_val) &&
-            (innetmask.inet4.sin_addr.s_addr == mask_val)) {
+            (innetmask.data.inet4.sin_addr.s_addr == mask_val)) {
             networkReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
                               _("Network %s/%s is already in use by "
                                 "interface %s"),
diff --git a/src/util/network.c b/src/util/network.c
index 17aa746effbe5d9ea7f3d98442f284b5dd3c769c..b8107f7ccf8d769a8d4c41ec12f40d6616fa6dce 100644
--- a/src/util/network.c
+++ b/src/util/network.c
@@ -27,10 +27,10 @@ static int getIPv4Addr(virSocketAddrPtr addr, virIPv4AddrPtr tab) {
     unsigned long val;
     int i;
 
-    if ((addr == NULL) || (tab == NULL) || (addr->stor.ss_family != AF_INET))
+    if ((addr == NULL) || (tab == NULL) || (addr->data.stor.ss_family != AF_INET))
         return(-1);
 
-    val = ntohl(addr->inet4.sin_addr.s_addr);
+    val = ntohl(addr->data.inet4.sin_addr.s_addr);
 
     for (i = 0;i < 4;i++) {
         (*tab)[3 - i] = val & 0xFF;
@@ -43,12 +43,12 @@ static int getIPv4Addr(virSocketAddrPtr addr, virIPv4AddrPtr tab) {
 static int getIPv6Addr(virSocketAddrPtr addr, virIPv6AddrPtr tab) {
     int i;
 
-    if ((addr == NULL) || (tab == NULL) || (addr->stor.ss_family != AF_INET6))
+    if ((addr == NULL) || (tab == NULL) || (addr->data.stor.ss_family != AF_INET6))
         return(-1);
 
     for (i = 0;i < 8;i++) {
-        (*tab)[i] = ((addr->inet6.sin6_addr.s6_addr[2 * i] << 8) |
-                     addr->inet6.sin6_addr.s6_addr[2 * i + 1]);
+        (*tab)[i] = ((addr->data.inet6.sin6_addr.s6_addr[2 * i] << 8) |
+                     addr->data.inet6.sin6_addr.s6_addr[2 * i + 1]);
     }
 
     return(0);
@@ -81,8 +81,10 @@ virSocketParseAddr(const char *val, virSocketAddrPtr addr, int hint) {
     }
 
     len = res->ai_addrlen;
-    if (addr != NULL)
-        memcpy(&addr->stor, res->ai_addr, len);
+    if (addr != NULL) {
+        memcpy(&addr->data.stor, res->ai_addr, len);
+        addr->len = res->ai_addrlen;
+    }
 
     freeaddrinfo(res);
     return(len);
@@ -133,14 +135,14 @@ virSocketFormatAddr(virSocketAddrPtr addr) {
     if (addr == NULL)
         return NULL;
 
-    if (addr->stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
+    if (addr->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
         outlen = INET_ADDRSTRLEN;
-        inaddr = &addr->inet4.sin_addr;
+        inaddr = &addr->data.inet4.sin_addr;
     }
 
-    else if (addr->stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
+    else if (addr->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
         outlen = INET6_ADDRSTRLEN;
-        inaddr = &addr->inet6.sin6_addr;
+        inaddr = &addr->data.inet6.sin6_addr;
     }
 
     else {
@@ -150,7 +152,7 @@ virSocketFormatAddr(virSocketAddrPtr addr) {
     if (VIR_ALLOC_N(out, outlen) < 0)
         return NULL;
 
-    if (inet_ntop(addr->stor.ss_family, inaddr, out, outlen) == NULL) {
+    if (inet_ntop(addr->data.stor.ss_family, inaddr, out, outlen) == NULL) {
         VIR_FREE(out);
         return NULL;
     }
@@ -174,12 +176,12 @@ virSocketSetPort(virSocketAddrPtr addr, int port) {
 
     port = htons(port);
 
-    if(addr->stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
-        addr->inet4.sin_port = port;
+    if(addr->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
+        addr->data.inet4.sin_port = port;
     }
 
-    else if(addr->stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
-        addr->inet6.sin6_port = port;
+    else if(addr->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
+        addr->data.inet6.sin6_port = port;
     }
 
     else {
@@ -201,12 +203,12 @@ virSocketGetPort(virSocketAddrPtr addr) {
     if (addr == NULL)
         return -1;
 
-    if(addr->stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
-        return ntohs(addr->inet4.sin_port);
+    if(addr->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
+        return ntohs(addr->data.inet4.sin_port);
     }
 
-    else if(addr->stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
-        return ntohs(addr->inet6.sin6_port);
+    else if(addr->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
+        return ntohs(addr->data.inet6.sin6_port);
     }
 
     return -1;
@@ -245,14 +247,14 @@ int virSocketCheckNetmask(virSocketAddrPtr addr1, virSocketAddrPtr addr2,
 
     if ((addr1 == NULL) || (addr2 == NULL) || (netmask == NULL))
         return(-1);
-    if ((addr1->stor.ss_family != addr2->stor.ss_family) ||
-        (addr1->stor.ss_family != netmask->stor.ss_family))
+    if ((addr1->data.stor.ss_family != addr2->data.stor.ss_family) ||
+        (addr1->data.stor.ss_family != netmask->data.stor.ss_family))
         return(-1);
 
     if (virSocketAddrIsNetmask(netmask) != 0)
         return(-1);
 
-    if (addr1->stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
+    if (addr1->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
         virIPv4Addr t1, t2, tm;
 
         if ((getIPv4Addr(addr1, &t1) < 0) ||
@@ -265,7 +267,7 @@ int virSocketCheckNetmask(virSocketAddrPtr addr1, virSocketAddrPtr addr2,
                 return(0);
         }
 
-    } else if (addr1->stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
+    } else if (addr1->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
         virIPv6Addr t1, t2, tm;
 
         if ((getIPv6Addr(addr1, &t1) < 0) ||
@@ -301,10 +303,10 @@ int virSocketGetRange(virSocketAddrPtr start, virSocketAddrPtr end) {
 
     if ((start == NULL) || (end == NULL))
         return(-1);
-    if (start->stor.ss_family != end->stor.ss_family)
+    if (start->data.stor.ss_family != end->data.stor.ss_family)
         return(-1);
 
-    if (start->stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
+    if (start->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
         virIPv4Addr t1, t2;
 
         if ((getIPv4Addr(start, &t1) < 0) ||
@@ -319,7 +321,7 @@ int virSocketGetRange(virSocketAddrPtr start, virSocketAddrPtr end) {
         if (ret < 0)
             return(-1);
         ret++;
-    } else if (start->stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
+    } else if (start->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
         virIPv6Addr t1, t2;
 
         if ((getIPv6Addr(start, &t1) < 0) ||
@@ -355,7 +357,7 @@ int virSocketGetNumNetmaskBits(const virSocketAddrPtr netmask)
     int i, j;
     int c = 0;
 
-    if (netmask->stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
+    if (netmask->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET) {
         virIPv4Addr tm;
         uint8_t bit;
 
@@ -389,7 +391,7 @@ int virSocketGetNumNetmaskBits(const virSocketAddrPtr netmask)
         }
 
         return c;
-    } else if (netmask->stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
+    } else if (netmask->data.stor.ss_family == AF_INET6) {
         virIPv6Addr tm;
         uint16_t bit;
 
diff --git a/src/util/network.h b/src/util/network.h
index 5307c8cac179ada10caf74a53505e9cf892466d2..ef92c9b38dfe2b9acc48b6f8677a93f32054ff34 100644
--- a/src/util/network.h
+++ b/src/util/network.h
@@ -17,11 +17,15 @@
 # include <sys/socket.h>
 # include <netdb.h>
 
-typedef union {
-    struct sockaddr_storage stor;
-    struct sockaddr_in inet4;
-    struct sockaddr_in6 inet6;
+typedef struct {
+    union {
+        struct sockaddr_storage stor;
+        struct sockaddr_in inet4;
+        struct sockaddr_in6 inet6;
+    } data;
+    socklen_t len;
 } virSocketAddr;
+
 typedef virSocketAddr *virSocketAddrPtr;
 
 int virSocketParseAddr    (const char *val,