diff --git a/orte/mca/oob/tcp/oob_tcp.c b/orte/mca/oob/tcp/oob_tcp.c
index c129de6242..1c38404fbd 100644
--- a/orte/mca/oob/tcp/oob_tcp.c
+++ b/orte/mca/oob/tcp/oob_tcp.c
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ OBJ_CLASS_INSTANCE(
  */
 
 static int  mca_oob_tcp_create_listen(void);
-static int  mca_oob_tcp_create_listen_thread(void);
 static void mca_oob_tcp_recv_handler(int sd, short flags, void* user);
 static void mca_oob_tcp_accept(void);
 
@@ -170,8 +169,6 @@ static inline char* mca_oob_tcp_param_register_str(
  */
 int mca_oob_tcp_component_open(void)
 {
-    char *listen_type;
-
 #ifdef __WINDOWS__
     WSADATA win_sock_data;
     if (WSAStartup(MAKEWORD(2,2), &win_sock_data) != 0) {
@@ -210,26 +207,7 @@ int mca_oob_tcp_component_open(void)
     mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_rcvbuf =
         mca_oob_tcp_param_register_int("rcvbuf", 128*1024);
 
-    mca_base_param_reg_string(&mca_oob_tcp_component.super.oob_base,
-                              "listen_mode",
-                              "Mode for HNP to accept incoming connections: event, listen_thread",
-                              false,
-                              false,
-                              "event",
-                              &listen_type);
-
-    if (0 == strcmp(listen_type, "event")) {
-        mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_type = OOB_TCP_EVENT;
-    } else if (0 == strcmp(listen_type, "listen_thread")) {
-        mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_type = OOB_TCP_LISTEN_THREAD;
-    } else {
-        opal_output(0, "Invalid value for oob_tcp_listen_mode parameter: %s",
-                    listen_type);
-        return ORTE_ERROR;
-    }
-
     /* initialize state */
-    mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_shutdown = false;
     mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd = -1;
     mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_match_count = 0;
     return ORTE_SUCCESS;
@@ -374,131 +352,6 @@ static int mca_oob_tcp_create_listen(void)
 }
 
 
-static void* mca_oob_tcp_listen_thread(opal_object_t *obj)
-{
-    int sd, rc;
-    ompi_socklen_t addrlen = sizeof(struct sockaddr_in);
-    struct sockaddr_in addr;
-    opal_free_list_item_t *fl_item;
-    mca_oob_tcp_pending_connection_t *item;
-
-    while (false == mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_shutdown) {
-        sd = accept(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd, 
-                    (struct sockaddr*)&addr, &addrlen);
-        if(sd < 0) {
-            if (mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_shutdown) return NULL;
-
-            if(ompi_socket_errno == EINTR)
-                continue;
-            if(ompi_socket_errno != EAGAIN || ompi_socket_errno != EWOULDBLOCK)
-                opal_output(0, "mca_oob_tcp_accept: accept() failed with errno %d.", ompi_socket_errno);
-            close(sd);
-            /* start a new listen socket */
-            mca_oob_tcp_create_listen_thread();
-            return NULL;
-        }
-
-        OPAL_FREE_LIST_WAIT(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_pending_connections_fl, 
-                            fl_item, rc);
-        item = (mca_oob_tcp_pending_connection_t*) fl_item;
-        item->fd = sd;
-        opal_mutex_lock(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_pending_connections_lock);
-        opal_list_append(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_pending_connections,
-                         (opal_list_item_t*) item);
-        opal_mutex_unlock(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_pending_connections_lock);
-    }
-
-    return NULL;
-}
-
-static int mca_oob_tcp_listen_progress(void)
-{
-    int count = 0;
-    mca_oob_tcp_pending_connection_t *item;
-    struct sockaddr_in addr;
-    mca_oob_tcp_event_t* event;
-
-    if (opal_list_get_size(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_pending_connections)) {
-        opal_mutex_lock(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_pending_connections_lock);
-        while (NULL != (item = (mca_oob_tcp_pending_connection_t*) 
-                        opal_list_remove_first(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_pending_connections))) {
-
-            /* setup socket options */
-            mca_oob_tcp_set_socket_options(item->fd);
-
-            /* log the accept */
-            if(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_debug) {
-                opal_output(0, "[%lu,%lu,%lu] mca_oob_tcp_accept: %s:%d\n",
-                            ORTE_NAME_ARGS(orte_process_info.my_name),
-                            inet_ntoa(addr.sin_addr),
-                            addr.sin_port);
-            }
-
-            /* wait for receipt of peers process identifier to
-               complete this connection */
-            event = OBJ_NEW(mca_oob_tcp_event_t);
-            opal_event_set(&event->event, item->fd, OPAL_EV_READ, mca_oob_tcp_recv_handler, event);
-            opal_event_add(&event->event, 0);
-            OPAL_FREE_LIST_RETURN(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_pending_connections_fl, 
-                                (opal_free_list_item_t *) item);
-
-            count++;
-        }
-        opal_mutex_unlock(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_pending_connections_lock);
-    }
-
-    return count;
-}
-
-
-static int mca_oob_tcp_create_listen_thread(void)
-{
-    struct sockaddr_in inaddr;
-    ompi_socklen_t addrlen;
-
-    /* create a listen socket for incoming connections */
-    mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
-    if(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd < 0) {
-        opal_output(0,"mca_oob_tcp_component_init: socket() failed with errno=%d", ompi_socket_errno);
-        return ORTE_ERROR;
-    }
-
-    /* setup socket options */
-    mca_oob_tcp_set_socket_options(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd);
-
-    /* bind address */
-    memset(&inaddr, 0, sizeof(inaddr));
-    inaddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
-    inaddr.sin_addr.s_addr = INADDR_ANY;
-    inaddr.sin_port = 0;
-
-    if(bind(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd, (struct sockaddr*)&inaddr, sizeof(inaddr)) < 0) {
-        opal_output(0,"mca_oob_tcp_create_listen: bind() failed with errno=%d", ompi_socket_errno);
-        return ORTE_ERROR;
-    }
-
-    /* resolve system assigned port */
-    addrlen = sizeof(struct sockaddr_in);
-    if(getsockname(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd, (struct sockaddr*)&inaddr, &addrlen) < 0) {
-        opal_output(0, "mca_oob_tcp_create_listen: getsockname() failed with errno=%d", ompi_socket_errno);
-        return ORTE_ERROR;
-    }
-    mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_port = inaddr.sin_port;
-
-    /* setup listen backlog to maximum allowed by kernel */
-    if(listen(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd, SOMAXCONN) < 0) {
-        opal_output(0, "mca_oob_tcp_component_init: listen() failed with errno=%d", ompi_socket_errno);
-        return ORTE_ERROR;
-    }
-
-    /* start the listen thread */
-    mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_thread.t_run = mca_oob_tcp_listen_thread;
-    mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_thread.t_arg = NULL;
-
-    return opal_thread_start(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_thread);
-}
-
-
 /*
  * Handle probe
  */
@@ -684,17 +537,9 @@ mca_oob_t* mca_oob_tcp_component_init(int* priority)
     memset(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_send_event, 0, sizeof(opal_event_t));
 
     /* create a listen socket */
-    if (OOB_TCP_EVENT == mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_type) {
-        if(mca_oob_tcp_create_listen() != ORTE_SUCCESS) {
-            opal_output(0, "mca_oob_tcp_init: unable to create listen socket");
-            return NULL;
-        }
-    } else if (OOB_TCP_LISTEN_THREAD == mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_type) {
-        if (mca_oob_tcp_create_listen_thread() != ORTE_SUCCESS) {
-            opal_output(0, "mca_oob_tcp_init: unable to create listen thread");
-            return NULL;
-        }
-        opal_progress_register(mca_oob_tcp_listen_progress);
+    if(mca_oob_tcp_create_listen() != ORTE_SUCCESS) {
+        opal_output(0, "mca_oob_tcp_init: unable to create listen socket\n");
+        return NULL;
     }
     return &mca_oob_tcp;
 }
@@ -1087,19 +932,10 @@ int mca_oob_tcp_fini(void)
 
     /* close listen socket */
     if (mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd >= 0) {
-        if (OOB_TCP_EVENT == mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_type) {
-            opal_event_del(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_recv_event);
-            close(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd);
-        } else if (OOB_TCP_LISTEN_THREAD == mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_type) {
-            void *data;
-            close(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd);
-            opal_thread_join(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_thread, &data);
-            opal_progress_unregister(mca_oob_tcp_listen_progress);
-        }
-
+        opal_event_del(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_recv_event);
+        close(mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd);
         mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_listen_sd = -1;
     }
-    opal_progress_unregister(mca_oob_tcp_listen_progress);
 
     /* cleanup all peers */
     for(item = opal_list_remove_first(&mca_oob_tcp_component.tcp_peer_list);
diff --git a/orte/mca/oob/tcp/oob_tcp.h b/orte/mca/oob/tcp/oob_tcp.h
index 5ea8510b73..f66baffc5e 100644
--- a/orte/mca/oob/tcp/oob_tcp.h
+++ b/orte/mca/oob/tcp/oob_tcp.h
@@ -255,12 +255,6 @@ struct mca_oob_tcp_component_t {
     opal_condition_t   tcp_match_cond;       /**< condition variable used in finalize */
     int                tcp_match_count;      /**< number of matched recvs in progress */
     int                tcp_debug;            /**< debug level */
-    bool               tcp_shutdown;
-    enum { OOB_TCP_EVENT, OOB_TCP_LISTEN_THREAD } tcp_listen_type;
-    opal_thread_t tcp_listen_thread;
-    opal_free_list_t tcp_pending_connections_fl;
-    opal_list_t tcp_pending_connections;
-    opal_mutex_t tcp_pending_connections_lock;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -270,13 +264,6 @@ typedef struct mca_oob_tcp_component_t mca_oob_tcp_component_t;
 
 OMPI_COMP_EXPORT extern mca_oob_tcp_component_t mca_oob_tcp_component;
 
-    struct mca_oob_tcp_pending_connection_t {
-        opal_free_list_item_t super;
-        int fd;
-    };
-    typedef struct mca_oob_tcp_pending_connection_t mca_oob_tcp_pending_connection_t;
-    OBJ_CLASS_DECLARATION(mca_oob_tcp_pending_connection_t);
-
 
 #if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
 }