diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_ethdev.c
index 85b223451..310008757 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_ethdev.c
@@ -907,6 +907,21 @@ static const struct eth_dev_ops virtio_eth_dev_ops = {
 	.mac_addr_set            = virtio_mac_addr_set,
 };
 
+/*
+ * dev_ops for virtio-user in secondary processes, as we just have
+ * some limited supports currently.
+ */
+const struct eth_dev_ops virtio_user_secondary_eth_dev_ops = {
+	.dev_infos_get           = virtio_dev_info_get,
+	.stats_get               = virtio_dev_stats_get,
+	.xstats_get              = virtio_dev_xstats_get,
+	.xstats_get_names        = virtio_dev_xstats_get_names,
+	.stats_reset             = virtio_dev_stats_reset,
+	.xstats_reset            = virtio_dev_stats_reset,
+	/* collect stats per queue */
+	.queue_stats_mapping_set = virtio_dev_queue_stats_mapping_set,
+};
+
 static void
 virtio_update_stats(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct rte_eth_stats *stats)
 {
diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_ethdev.h b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_ethdev.h
index b8aab7da4..45e96f32b 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_ethdev.h
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_ethdev.h
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@
 	 1u << VIRTIO_NET_F_HOST_TSO4      |	\
 	 1u << VIRTIO_NET_F_HOST_TSO6)
 
+extern const struct eth_dev_ops virtio_user_secondary_eth_dev_ops;
+
 /*
  * CQ function prototype
  */
diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
index 2dc8f2051..07aabb527 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ virtio_user_dev_setup(struct virtio_user_dev *dev)
 int
 virtio_user_dev_init(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, char *path, int queues,
 		     int cq, int queue_size, const char *mac, char **ifname,
-		     int mrg_rxbuf, int in_order, int packed_vq)
+		     int server, int mrg_rxbuf, int in_order, int packed_vq)
 {
 	pthread_mutex_init(&dev->mutex, NULL);
 	snprintf(dev->path, PATH_MAX, "%s", path);
@@ -434,6 +434,7 @@ virtio_user_dev_init(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, char *path, int queues,
 	dev->max_queue_pairs = queues;
 	dev->queue_pairs = 1; /* mq disabled by default */
 	dev->queue_size = queue_size;
+	dev->is_server = server;
 	dev->mac_specified = 0;
 	dev->frontend_features = 0;
 	dev->unsupported_features = ~VIRTIO_USER_SUPPORTED_FEATURES;
diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.h b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.h
index c57b298a6..829ad4140 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.h
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.h
@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ int virtio_user_start_device(struct virtio_user_dev *dev);
 int virtio_user_stop_device(struct virtio_user_dev *dev);
 int virtio_user_dev_init(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, char *path, int queues,
 			 int cq, int queue_size, const char *mac, char **ifname,
-			 int mrg_rxbuf, int in_order, int packed_vq);
+			 int server, int mrg_rxbuf, int in_order,
+			 int packed_vq);
 void virtio_user_dev_uninit(struct virtio_user_dev *dev);
 void virtio_user_handle_cq(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint16_t queue_idx);
 void virtio_user_handle_cq_packed(struct virtio_user_dev *dev,
diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c
index c5a76bd91..129c2b9ef 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c
@@ -514,6 +514,26 @@ virtio_user_pmd_probe(struct rte_vdev_device *dev)
 	char *mac_addr = NULL;
 	int ret = -1;
 
+	if (rte_eal_process_type() == RTE_PROC_SECONDARY) {
+		const char *name = rte_vdev_device_name(dev);
+		eth_dev = rte_eth_dev_attach_secondary(name);
+		if (!eth_dev) {
+			RTE_LOG(ERR, PMD, "Failed to probe %s\n", name);
+			return -1;
+		}
+
+		if (eth_virtio_dev_init(eth_dev) < 0) {
+			PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "eth_virtio_dev_init fails");
+			rte_eth_dev_release_port(eth_dev);
+			return -1;
+		}
+
+		eth_dev->dev_ops = &virtio_user_secondary_eth_dev_ops;
+		eth_dev->device = &dev->device;
+		rte_eth_dev_probing_finish(eth_dev);
+		return 0;
+	}
+
 	kvlist = rte_kvargs_parse(rte_vdev_device_args(dev), valid_args);
 	if (!kvlist) {
 		PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "error when parsing param");
@@ -635,33 +655,19 @@ virtio_user_pmd_probe(struct rte_vdev_device *dev)
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (rte_eal_process_type() == RTE_PROC_PRIMARY) {
-		struct virtio_user_dev *vu_dev;
+	eth_dev = virtio_user_eth_dev_alloc(dev);
+	if (!eth_dev) {
+		PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "virtio_user fails to alloc device");
+		goto end;
+	}
 
-		eth_dev = virtio_user_eth_dev_alloc(dev);
-		if (!eth_dev) {
-			PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "virtio_user fails to alloc device");
-			goto end;
-		}
-
-		hw = eth_dev->data->dev_private;
-		vu_dev = virtio_user_get_dev(hw);
-		if (server_mode == 1)
-			vu_dev->is_server = true;
-		else
-			vu_dev->is_server = false;
-		if (virtio_user_dev_init(hw->virtio_user_dev, path, queues, cq,
-				 queue_size, mac_addr, &ifname, mrg_rxbuf,
-				 in_order, packed_vq) < 0) {
-			PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "virtio_user_dev_init fails");
-			virtio_user_eth_dev_free(eth_dev);
-			goto end;
-		}
-
-	} else {
-		eth_dev = rte_eth_dev_attach_secondary(rte_vdev_device_name(dev));
-		if (!eth_dev)
-			goto end;
+	hw = eth_dev->data->dev_private;
+	if (virtio_user_dev_init(hw->virtio_user_dev, path, queues, cq,
+			 queue_size, mac_addr, &ifname, server_mode,
+			 mrg_rxbuf, in_order, packed_vq) < 0) {
+		PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "virtio_user_dev_init fails");
+		virtio_user_eth_dev_free(eth_dev);
+		goto end;
 	}
 
 	/* previously called by rte_pci_probe() for physical dev */
@@ -703,6 +709,9 @@ virtio_user_pmd_remove(struct rte_vdev_device *vdev)
 	if (!eth_dev)
 		return -ENODEV;
 
+	if (rte_eal_process_type() != RTE_PROC_PRIMARY)
+		return rte_eth_dev_release_port(eth_dev);
+
 	/* make sure the device is stopped, queues freed */
 	rte_eth_dev_close(eth_dev->data->port_id);
 
