diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index f2bb3aa20afaf2cb4bed7659449a5d13b9a5f41b..bc4fe29d3145a9b7542e6085eae40f653c0f5448 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -2756,19 +2756,21 @@ virDomainNetDefParseXML(virCapsPtr caps,
         model = NULL;
     }
 
-    if ((backend != NULL) &&
-        (def->model && STREQ(def->model, "virtio"))) {
-        int b;
-        if (((b = virDomainNetBackendTypeFromString(backend)) < 0) ||
-            (b == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_DEFAULT)) {
-            virDomainReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-                                 _("Unknown interface <driver name='%s'> "
-                                   "has been specified"),
-                                 backend);
-            goto error;
+    if (def->model && STREQ(def->model, "virtio")) {
+        if (backend != NULL) {
+            int name;
+            if (((name = virDomainNetBackendTypeFromString(backend)) < 0) ||
+                (name == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_DEFAULT)) {
+                virDomainReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                     _("Unknown interface <driver name='%s'> "
+                                       "has been specified"),
+                                     backend);
+                goto error;
+            }
+            def->driver.virtio.name = name;
         }
-        def->backend = b;
     }
+
     if (filter != NULL) {
         switch (def->type) {
         case VIR_DOMAIN_NET_TYPE_ETHERNET:
@@ -6810,9 +6812,14 @@ virDomainNetDefFormat(virBufferPtr buf,
     if (def->model) {
         virBufferEscapeString(buf, "      <model type='%s'/>\n",
                               def->model);
-        if (STREQ(def->model, "virtio") && def->backend) {
-            virBufferVSprintf(buf, "      <driver name='%s'/>\n",
-                              virDomainNetBackendTypeToString(def->backend));
+        if (STREQ(def->model, "virtio") &&
+            def->driver.virtio.name) {
+            virBufferAddLit(buf, "      <driver");
+            if (def->driver.virtio.name) {
+                virBufferVSprintf(buf, " name='%s'",
+                                  virDomainNetBackendTypeToString(def->driver.virtio.name));
+            }
+            virBufferAddLit(buf, "/>\n");
         }
     }
     if (def->filter) {
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.h b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
index 491301fdf7baea44a3c2e62bd1df75047e6cd6fa..e05064fb4989eb2e44998cc84811019f0acecd15 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
@@ -338,7 +338,11 @@ struct _virDomainNetDef {
     enum virDomainNetType type;
     unsigned char mac[VIR_MAC_BUFLEN];
     char *model;
-    enum virDomainNetBackendType backend;
+    union {
+        struct {
+            enum virDomainNetBackendType name; /* which driver backend to use */
+        } virtio;
+    } driver;
     union {
         struct {
             char *dev;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index 405ce6c8728efa0fc2bff709fd58a43e1ca6642a..7a52f4e9ad2257141d5287d1fe82f6e81ec43858 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ qemuOpenVhostNet(virDomainNetDefPtr net,
     *vhostfd = -1;   /* assume we won't use vhost */
 
     /* If the config says explicitly to not use vhost, return now */
-    if (net->backend == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_QEMU) {
+    if (net->driver.virtio.name == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_QEMU) {
        return 0;
     }
 
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ qemuOpenVhostNet(virDomainNetDefPtr net,
     if (!(qemuCmdFlags & QEMUD_CMD_FLAG_VNET_HOST &&
           qemuCmdFlags & QEMUD_CMD_FLAG_NETDEV &&
           qemuCmdFlags & QEMUD_CMD_FLAG_DEVICE)) {
-        if (net->backend == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_VHOST) {
+        if (net->driver.virtio.name == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_VHOST) {
             qemuReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
                             "%s", _("vhost-net is not supported with "
                                     "this QEMU binary"));
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ qemuOpenVhostNet(virDomainNetDefPtr net,
 
     /* If the nic model isn't virtio, don't try to open. */
     if (!(net->model && STREQ(net->model, "virtio"))) {
-        if (net->backend == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_VHOST) {
+        if (net->driver.virtio.name == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_VHOST) {
             qemuReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
                             "%s", _("vhost-net is only supported for "
                                     "virtio network interfaces"));
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ qemuOpenVhostNet(virDomainNetDefPtr net,
      * report an error.
      */
     if ((*vhostfd < 0) &&
-        (net->backend == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_VHOST)) {
+        (net->driver.virtio.name == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_VHOST)) {
         qemuReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
                         "%s", _("vhost-net was requested for an interface, "
                                 "but is unavailable"));
@@ -5038,9 +5038,9 @@ qemuParseCommandLineNet(virCapsPtr caps,
             values[i] = NULL;
         } else if (STREQ(keywords[i], "vhost")) {
             if ((values[i] == NULL) || STREQ(values[i], "on")) {
-                def->backend = VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_VHOST;
+                def->driver.virtio.name = VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_VHOST;
             } else if (STREQ(keywords[i], "off")) {
-                def->backend = VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_QEMU;
+                def->driver.virtio.name = VIR_DOMAIN_NET_BACKEND_TYPE_QEMU;
             }
         } else if (STREQ(keywords[i], "sndbuf") && values[i]) {
             if (virStrToLong_ul(values[i], NULL, 10, &def->tune.sndbuf) < 0) {