diff --git a/examples/hello/datamanWriter/helloDataManWriter.cpp b/examples/hello/datamanWriter/helloDataManWriter.cpp
index 45610d3a136786f910540ac06934de6b620c9d3f..dcdf4bff7f289f2d4f716e073a7d2221e3059af1 100644
--- a/examples/hello/datamanWriter/helloDataManWriter.cpp
+++ b/examples/hello/datamanWriter/helloDataManWriter.cpp
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
         adios::IO &dataManIO = adios.DeclareIO("WANIO");
         dataManIO.SetEngine("DataManWriter");
         dataManIO.SetParameters("peer-to-peer=yes", "real_time=yes",
-                                "compress=no", "method=cache");
+                                "compress=no", "method=dump");
 
         // Define variable and local size
         auto bpFloats =
diff --git a/source/dataman/DataMan.cpp b/source/dataman/DataMan.cpp
index d3ba9a83fc147368a1cf0409a54cb2a9970b37d0..2c9ab9d27ac0b0330a3e9b48476ec963670f6526 100644
--- a/source/dataman/DataMan.cpp
+++ b/source/dataman/DataMan.cpp
@@ -72,11 +72,23 @@ void DataMan::add_stream(json a_jmsg)
         a_jmsg["num_channels"] = num_channels;
     }
 
+    int local_port = 12306, remote_port = 12307;
+
+    if (a_jmsg["local_port"].is_number())
+    {
+        local_port = a_jmsg["local_port"].get<int>();
+    }
+
+    if (a_jmsg["remote_port"].is_number())
+    {
+        local_port = a_jmsg["remote_port"].get<int>();
+    }
+
     for (int i = 0; i < num_channels; i++)
     {
         a_jmsg["channel_id"] = i;
-        a_jmsg["local_port"] = a_jmsg["local_port"].get<int>() + 2;
-        a_jmsg["remote_port"] = a_jmsg["remote_port"].get<int>() + 2;
+        a_jmsg["local_port"] = local_port + 2;
+        a_jmsg["remote_port"] = remote_port + 2;
         auto man = get_man(method);
         if (man)
         {
diff --git a/source/dataman/MdtmMan.cpp b/source/dataman/MdtmMan.cpp
index 2f41d40c669d4f07439a31f437d4a112e4132517..6bfa3af8c5d860f8db16cfe8f9b380aca392bc42 100644
--- a/source/dataman/MdtmMan.cpp
+++ b/source/dataman/MdtmMan.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 int MdtmMan::init(json a_jmsg)
 {
 
+    std::cout << " 1 MdtmMan::init " << m_channel_id << std::endl;
     StreamMan::init(a_jmsg);
 
     if (a_jmsg["pipe_prefix"].is_string())
@@ -68,16 +69,22 @@ int MdtmMan::init(json a_jmsg)
 
     // Make pipes
     mkdir(m_pipepath.c_str(), 0755);
+
+    std::cout << "making " << m_full_pipename << std::endl;
     mkfifo(m_full_pipename.c_str(), 0666);
+    std::cout << "made " << m_full_pipename << std::endl;
 
     if (m_stream_mode == "sender")
     {
+        std::cout << "opening " << m_full_pipename << std::endl;
         m_pipe_handler = open(m_full_pipename.c_str(), O_WRONLY);
+        std::cout << "opened " << m_full_pipename << std::endl;
     }
     if (m_stream_mode == "receiver")
     {
         m_pipe_handler = open(m_full_pipename.c_str(), O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK);
     }
+
     return 0;
 }