diff --git a/gtests/net/packetdrill/config.c b/gtests/net/packetdrill/config.c
index 6b335f0c105665b28bd6c280e88e70e451f6d15a..480bde55c257adc07d269b14423af08e4878f042 100644
--- a/gtests/net/packetdrill/config.c
+++ b/gtests/net/packetdrill/config.c
@@ -330,11 +330,6 @@ void finalize_config(struct config *config)
 			die("wire_server_ip not specified\n");
 		}
 	}
-	if (config->is_wire_server) {
-		if (config->wire_server_device == NULL) {
-			die("%s: wire_server_dev not specified\n");
-		}
-	}
 }
 
 /* Expect that arg is comma-delimited, allowing for spaces. */
diff --git a/gtests/net/packetdrill/logging.h b/gtests/net/packetdrill/logging.h
index 2544c59cb549fede8160db8aef9a84c7c3467504..6436c1d09a0569a082a49d03fa29636928e1a86d 100644
--- a/gtests/net/packetdrill/logging.h
+++ b/gtests/net/packetdrill/logging.h
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 #include "types.h"
 
 /* Enable this to get debug logging. */
-#define DEBUG_LOGGING 0
+#define DEBUG_LOGGING 1
 
 /* Use a gcc variadic macro to conditionally compile debug printing. */
 #define DEBUGP(...)				\
diff --git a/gtests/net/packetdrill/packetdrill.c b/gtests/net/packetdrill/packetdrill.c
index 93620ff2e31f6b0d4187a0f927f3d7dca4dfd3d7..aef05c711f938d35a1675db5dcce68490f4ca5c5 100644
--- a/gtests/net/packetdrill/packetdrill.c
+++ b/gtests/net/packetdrill/packetdrill.c
@@ -87,7 +87,14 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 			show_usage();
 			exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 		}
-
+		if (config.is_wire_server) {
+			if (config.wire_server_device == NULL) {
+				fprintf(stderr,
+					"error: wire_server_dev must be specified\n");
+				show_usage();
+				exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+			}
+		}
 		run_wire_server(&config);
 		return 0;
 	}