diff --git a/hw/pci-hotplug.c b/hw/pci-hotplug.c
index 7af4f29e7d..c38a127394 100644
--- a/hw/pci-hotplug.c
+++ b/hw/pci-hotplug.c
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ static PCIDevice *qemu_pci_hot_add_nic(Monitor *mon,
 
     qemu_opt_set(opts, "type", "nic");
 
-    ret = net_client_init_from_opts(mon, opts);
+    ret = net_client_init(mon, opts);
     if (ret < 0)
         return NULL;
     if (nd_table[ret].devaddr) {
diff --git a/net.c b/net.c
index c8c8c78d4b..2e4dd58e74 100644
--- a/net.c
+++ b/net.c
@@ -3001,7 +3001,7 @@ static struct {
     { /* end of list */ }
 };
 
-int net_client_init_from_opts(Monitor *mon, QemuOpts *opts)
+int net_client_init(Monitor *mon, QemuOpts *opts)
 {
     const char *type;
     int i;
@@ -3030,41 +3030,6 @@ int net_client_init_from_opts(Monitor *mon, QemuOpts *opts)
     return -1;
 }
 
-int net_client_init(Monitor *mon, const char *device, const char *p)
-{
-    QemuOpts *opts;
-
-#ifdef CONFIG_SLIRP
-    if (!strcmp(device, "channel")) {
-        int ret;
-
-        if (QTAILQ_EMPTY(&slirp_stacks)) {
-            struct slirp_config_str *config;
-
-            config = qemu_malloc(sizeof(*config));
-            pstrcpy(config->str, sizeof(config->str), p);
-            config->flags = SLIRP_CFG_LEGACY;
-            config->next = slirp_configs;
-            slirp_configs = config;
-            ret = 0;
-        } else {
-            ret = slirp_guestfwd(QTAILQ_FIRST(&slirp_stacks), p, 1);
-        }
-
-        return ret;
-    }
-#endif
-
-    opts = qemu_opts_parse(&qemu_net_opts, p, NULL);
-    if (!opts) {
-      return -1;
-    }
-
-    qemu_opt_set(opts, "type", device);
-
-    return net_client_init_from_opts(mon, opts);
-}
-
 void net_client_uninit(NICInfo *nd)
 {
     nd->vlan->nb_guest_devs--;
@@ -3118,7 +3083,7 @@ void net_host_device_add(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
 
     qemu_opt_set(opts, "type", device);
 
-    if (net_client_init_from_opts(mon, opts) < 0) {
+    if (net_client_init(mon, opts) < 0) {
         monitor_printf(mon, "adding host network device %s failed\n", device);
     }
 }
@@ -3140,26 +3105,6 @@ void net_host_device_remove(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
     qemu_del_vlan_client(vc);
 }
 
-int net_client_parse(const char *str)
-{
-    const char *p;
-    char *q;
-    char device[64];
-
-    p = str;
-    q = device;
-    while (*p != '\0' && *p != ',') {
-        if ((q - device) < sizeof(device) - 1)
-            *q++ = *p;
-        p++;
-    }
-    *q = '\0';
-    if (*p == ',')
-        p++;
-
-    return net_client_init(NULL, device, p);
-}
-
 void net_set_boot_mask(int net_boot_mask)
 {
     int i;
@@ -3240,7 +3185,7 @@ void net_cleanup(void)
     }
 }
 
-void net_client_check(void)
+static void net_check_clients(void)
 {
     VLANState *vlan;
 
@@ -3255,3 +3200,58 @@ void net_client_check(void)
                     vlan->id);
     }
 }
+
+static int net_init_client(QemuOpts *opts, void *dummy)
+{
+    return net_client_init(NULL, opts);
+}
+
+int net_init_clients(void)
+{
+    if (QTAILQ_EMPTY(&qemu_net_opts.head)) {
+        /* if no clients, we use a default config */
+        qemu_opts_set(&qemu_net_opts, NULL, "type", "nic");
+#ifdef CONFIG_SLIRP
+        qemu_opts_set(&qemu_net_opts, NULL, "type", "user");
+#endif
+    }
+
+    if (qemu_opts_foreach(&qemu_net_opts, net_init_client, NULL, 1) == -1) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    net_check_clients();
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+int net_client_parse(const char *optarg)
+{
+    /* handle legacy -net channel,port:chr */
+    if (!strncmp(optarg, "channel,", strlen("channel,"))) {
+        int ret;
+
+        optarg += strlen("channel,");
+
+        if (QTAILQ_EMPTY(&slirp_stacks)) {
+            struct slirp_config_str *config;
+
+            config = qemu_malloc(sizeof(*config));
+            pstrcpy(config->str, sizeof(config->str), optarg);
+            config->flags = SLIRP_CFG_LEGACY;
+            config->next = slirp_configs;
+            slirp_configs = config;
+            ret = 0;
+        } else {
+            ret = slirp_guestfwd(QTAILQ_FIRST(&slirp_stacks), optarg, 1);
+        }
+
+        return ret;
+    }
+
+    if (!qemu_opts_parse(&qemu_net_opts, optarg, "type")) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
diff --git a/net.h b/net.h
index 27a1c501ae..2b0ed9ba96 100644
--- a/net.h
+++ b/net.h
@@ -136,16 +136,15 @@ void net_checksum_calculate(uint8_t *data, int length);
 extern const char *legacy_tftp_prefix;
 extern const char *legacy_bootp_filename;
 
-int net_client_init(Monitor *mon, const char *device, const char *p);
-int net_client_init_from_opts(Monitor *mon, QemuOpts *opts);
+int net_client_init(Monitor *mon, QemuOpts *opts);
 void net_client_uninit(NICInfo *nd);
 int net_client_parse(const char *str);
+int net_init_clients(void);
 int net_slirp_smb(const char *exported_dir);
 void net_slirp_hostfwd_add(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict);
 void net_slirp_hostfwd_remove(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict);
 int net_slirp_redir(const char *redir_str);
 void net_cleanup(void);
-void net_client_check(void);
 void net_set_boot_mask(int boot_mask);
 void net_host_device_add(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict);
 void net_host_device_remove(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict);
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index c344fadbee..374f85be33 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -2606,7 +2606,7 @@ static int usb_device_add(const char *devname, int is_hotplug)
         qemu_opt_set(opts, "type", "nic");
         qemu_opt_set(opts, "model", "usb");
 
-        idx = net_client_init_from_opts(NULL, opts);
+        idx = net_client_init(NULL, opts);
         if (idx == -1) {
             return -1;
         }
@@ -4538,8 +4538,6 @@ int qemu_uuid_parse(const char *str, uint8_t *uuid)
     return 0;
 }
 
-#define MAX_NET_CLIENTS 32
-
 #ifndef _WIN32
 
 static void termsig_handler(int signal)
@@ -4743,8 +4741,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     DisplayState *ds;
     DisplayChangeListener *dcl;
     int cyls, heads, secs, translation;
-    const char *net_clients[MAX_NET_CLIENTS];
-    int nb_net_clients;
     QemuOpts *hda_opts = NULL, *opts;
     int optind;
     const char *r, *optarg;
@@ -4847,7 +4843,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
         node_cpumask[i] = 0;
     }
 
-    nb_net_clients = 0;
     nb_numa_nodes = 0;
     nb_nics = 0;
 
@@ -5093,12 +5088,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
                 break;
 #endif
             case QEMU_OPTION_net:
-                if (nb_net_clients >= MAX_NET_CLIENTS) {
-                    fprintf(stderr, "qemu: too many network clients\n");
+                if (net_client_parse(optarg) == -1) {
                     exit(1);
                 }
-                net_clients[nb_net_clients] = optarg;
-                nb_net_clients++;
                 break;
 #ifdef CONFIG_SLIRP
             case QEMU_OPTION_tftp:
@@ -5661,25 +5653,13 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     socket_init();
 #endif
 
-    /* init network clients */
-    if (nb_net_clients == 0) {
-        /* if no clients, we use a default config */
-        net_clients[nb_net_clients++] = "nic";
-#ifdef CONFIG_SLIRP
-        net_clients[nb_net_clients++] = "user";
-#endif
-    }
-
-    for(i = 0;i < nb_net_clients; i++) {
-        if (net_client_parse(net_clients[i]) < 0)
-            exit(1);
+    if (net_init_clients() < 0) {
+        exit(1);
     }
 
     net_boot = (boot_devices_bitmap >> ('n' - 'a')) & 0xF;
     net_set_boot_mask(net_boot);
 
-    net_client_check();
-
     /* init the bluetooth world */
     if (foreach_device_config(DEV_BT, bt_parse))
         exit(1);