diff --git a/src/recv.c b/src/recv.c
index f4c9a26..8514144 100644
--- a/src/recv.c
+++ b/src/recv.c
@@ -168,19 +168,21 @@ int recv_run(pthread_mutex_t *recv_ready_mutex)
 		log_fatal("recv", "could not allocate address bitmap");
 	}
 	log_debug("recv", "using dev %s", zconf.iface);
-	char errbuf[PCAP_ERRBUF_SIZE];
-	pc = pcap_open_live(zconf.iface, zconf.probe_module->pcap_snaplen,
-					PCAP_PROMISC, PCAP_TIMEOUT, errbuf);
-	if (pc == NULL) {
-		log_fatal("recv", "could not open device %s: %s",
-						zconf.iface, errbuf);
-	}
-	struct bpf_program bpf;
-	if (pcap_compile(pc, &bpf, zconf.probe_module->pcap_filter, 1, 0) < 0) {
-		log_fatal("recv", "couldn't compile filter");
-	}
-	if (pcap_setfilter(pc, &bpf) < 0) {
-		log_fatal("recv", "couldn't install filter");
+	if (!zconf.dryrun) {
+		char errbuf[PCAP_ERRBUF_SIZE];
+		pc = pcap_open_live(zconf.iface, zconf.probe_module->pcap_snaplen,
+						PCAP_PROMISC, PCAP_TIMEOUT, errbuf);
+		if (pc == NULL) {
+			log_fatal("recv", "could not open device %s: %s",
+							zconf.iface, errbuf);
+		}
+		struct bpf_program bpf;
+		if (pcap_compile(pc, &bpf, zconf.probe_module->pcap_filter, 1, 0) < 0) {
+			log_fatal("recv", "couldn't compile filter");
+		}
+		if (pcap_setfilter(pc, &bpf) < 0) {
+			log_fatal("recv", "couldn't install filter");
+		}
 	}
 	log_debug("recv", "receiver ready");
 	if (zconf.filter_duplicates) {
@@ -202,12 +204,16 @@ int recv_run(pthread_mutex_t *recv_ready_mutex)
 		zconf.max_results = -1;
 	}
 	do {
-		if (pcap_dispatch(pc, 0, packet_cb, NULL) == -1) {
-			log_fatal("recv", "pcap_dispatch error");
-		}
-		if (zconf.max_results && zrecv.success_unique >= zconf.max_results) {
-			zsend.complete = 1;
-			break;
+		if (zconf.dryrun) {
+			sleep(1);
+		} else {
+			if (pcap_dispatch(pc, 0, packet_cb, NULL) == -1) {
+				log_fatal("recv", "pcap_dispatch error");
+			}
+			if (zconf.max_results && zrecv.success_unique >= zconf.max_results) {
+				zsend.complete = 1;
+				break;
+			}
 		}
 	} while (!(zsend.complete && (now()-zsend.finish > zconf.cooldown_secs)));
 	zrecv.finish = now();
diff --git a/src/send.c b/src/send.c
index b2e3db6..4426da8 100644
--- a/src/send.c
+++ b/src/send.c
@@ -144,7 +144,17 @@ static int get_socket(void)
 
 static int get_dryrun_socket(void)
 {
-	return socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
+	// we need a socket in order to gather details about the system
+	// such as source MAC address and IP address. However, because
+	// we don't want to require root access in order to run dryrun,
+	// we just create a TCP socket.
+	int sock = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
+	if (sock <= 0) {
+		log_fatal("send", "couldn't create socket. "
+			  "Error: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+	}
+	return sock;
+
 }
 
 static inline ipaddr_n_t get_src_ip(ipaddr_n_t dst, int local_offset)
diff --git a/src/zmap.c b/src/zmap.c
index 00a6f47..598c9d1 100644
--- a/src/zmap.c
+++ b/src/zmap.c
@@ -222,19 +222,17 @@ static void start_zmap(void)
 	}
 	// start threads
 	pthread_t *tsend, trecv, tmon;
-	if (!zconf.dryrun) {
-		int r = pthread_create(&trecv, NULL, start_recv, NULL);
-		if (r != 0) {
-			log_fatal("zmap", "unable to create recv thread");
-			exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-		}
-		for (;;) {
-			pthread_mutex_lock(&recv_ready_mutex);
-			if (zconf.recv_ready) {
-				break;
-			}
-			pthread_mutex_unlock(&recv_ready_mutex);
+	int r = pthread_create(&trecv, NULL, start_recv, NULL);
+	if (r != 0) {
+		log_fatal("zmap", "unable to create recv thread");
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
+	for (;;) {
+		pthread_mutex_lock(&recv_ready_mutex);
+		if (zconf.recv_ready) {
+			break;
 		}
+		pthread_mutex_unlock(&recv_ready_mutex);
 	}
 	tsend = malloc(zconf.senders * sizeof(pthread_t));
 	assert(tsend);
@@ -263,7 +261,7 @@ static void start_zmap(void)
 		}
 	}
 	log_debug("zmap", "senders finished");
-	int r = pthread_join(trecv, NULL);
+	r = pthread_join(trecv, NULL);
 	if (r != 0) {
 		log_fatal("zmap", "unable to join recv thread");
 		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
@@ -402,7 +400,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		zconf.raw_output_fields = (char*) "classification, saddr, "
 						  "daddr, sport, dport, "
 						  "seqnum, acknum, cooldown, "
-						  "repeat, timstamp-str";
+						  "repeat, timestamp-str";
 		zconf.filter_duplicates = 0;
 	} else {
 		zconf.output_module = get_output_module_by_name(args.output_module_arg);