diff --git a/pkg/netutil/ident.go b/pkg/netutil/ident.go
index 1776b25d8..ba3f5786c 100644
--- a/pkg/netutil/ident.go
+++ b/pkg/netutil/ident.go
@@ -273,16 +273,3 @@ func uidFromProcReader(lip net.IP, lport int, rip net.IP, rport int, r io.Reader
 	}
 	panic("unreachable")
 }
-
-// Localhost returns the first address found when
-// doing a lookup of "localhost".
-func Localhost() (net.IP, error) {
-	ips, err := net.LookupIP("localhost")
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if len(ips) < 1 {
-		return nil, errors.New("IP lookup for localhost returned no result")
-	}
-	return ips[0], nil
-}
diff --git a/pkg/netutil/netutil.go b/pkg/netutil/netutil.go
index 5d517e078..2a341c270 100644
--- a/pkg/netutil/netutil.go
+++ b/pkg/netutil/netutil.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 package netutil
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"net"
 	"net/url"
@@ -67,3 +68,62 @@ func HostPort(urlStr string) (string, error) {
 	}
 	return hostPort, nil
 }
+
+// ListenOnLocalRandomPort returns a tcp listener on a local (see LoopbackIP) random port.
+func ListenOnLocalRandomPort() (net.Listener, error) {
+	ip, err := Localhost()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	l, err := net.ListenTCP("tcp", &net.TCPAddr{IP: ip, Port: 0})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return l, nil
+}
+
+// Localhost returns the first address found when
+// doing a lookup of "localhost". If not successful,
+// it looks for an ip on the loopback interfaces.
+func Localhost() (net.IP, error) {
+	if ip := localhostLookup(); ip != nil {
+		return ip, nil
+	}
+	if ip := loopbackIP(); ip != nil {
+		return ip, nil
+	}
+	return nil, errors.New("No loopback ip found.")
+}
+
+// localhostLookup looks for a loopback IP by resolving localhost.
+func localhostLookup() net.IP {
+	if ips, err := net.LookupIP("localhost"); err == nil && len(ips) > 0 {
+		return ips[0]
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+const flagUpLoopback = net.FlagUp | net.FlagLoopback
+
+// loopbackIP finds the first loopback IP address sniffing network interfaces.
+func loopbackIP() net.IP {
+	interfaces, err := net.Interfaces()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	for _, inf := range interfaces {
+		if inf.Flags&flagUpLoopback == flagUpLoopback {
+			addrs, err := inf.Addrs()
+			if err != nil {
+				continue
+			}
+			for _, addr := range addrs {
+				ip, _, err := net.ParseCIDR(addr.String())
+				if err == nil && ip.IsLoopback() {
+					return ip
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/netutil/netutil_test.go b/pkg/netutil/netutil_test.go
index a5cd5bd3c..644d7eb6b 100644
--- a/pkg/netutil/netutil_test.go
+++ b/pkg/netutil/netutil_test.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ limitations under the License.
 package netutil
 
 import (
+	"net"
+	"strconv"
 	"testing"
 )
 
@@ -120,3 +122,60 @@ func TestHostPort(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func testLocalhostResolver(t *testing.T, resolve func() net.IP) {
+	ip := resolve()
+	if ip == nil {
+		t.Fatal("no ip found.")
+	}
+	if !ip.IsLoopback() {
+		t.Errorf("expected a loopback address: %s", ip)
+	}
+}
+
+func testLocalhost(t *testing.T) {
+	testLocalhostResolver(t, localhostLookup)
+}
+
+func testLoopbackIp(t *testing.T) {
+	testLocalhostResolver(t, loopbackIP)
+}
+
+func TestLocalhost(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := Localhost()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestListenOnLocalRandomPort(t *testing.T) {
+	l, err := ListenOnLocalRandomPort()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error %v", err)
+	}
+	defer l.Close()
+
+	_, port, err := net.SplitHostPort(l.Addr().String())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if p, _ := strconv.Atoi(port); p < 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected port(%d) to be > 0", p)
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkLocalhostLookup(b *testing.B) {
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		if ip := localhostLookup(); ip == nil {
+			b.Fatal("no ip found.")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkLoopbackIP(b *testing.B) {
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		if ip := loopbackIP(); ip == nil {
+			b.Fatal("no ip found.")
+		}
+	}
+}