diff --git a/dev/io_device.cc b/dev/io_device.cc
index 15c835ded..478c9c66e 100644
--- a/dev/io_device.cc
+++ b/dev/io_device.cc
@@ -88,6 +88,13 @@ PioDevice::~PioDevice()
         delete pioPort;
 }
 
+PioDevice::init()
+{
+    if (!pioPort)
+        panic("Pio port not connected to anything!");
+    pioPort->sendStatusChange(Port::RangeChange);
+}
+
 void
 BasicPioDevice::addressRanges(AddrRangeList &range_list)
 {
diff --git a/dev/io_device.hh b/dev/io_device.hh
index b787fa4fd..1e9a49899 100644
--- a/dev/io_device.hh
+++ b/dev/io_device.hh
@@ -229,6 +229,8 @@ class PioDevice : public SimObject
 
     virtual ~PioDevice();
 
+    virtual void init();
+
     virtual Port *getPort(const std::string &if_name)
     {
         if (if_name == "pio") {
diff --git a/mem/physical.cc b/mem/physical.cc
index 603f8f63e..b00935990 100644
--- a/mem/physical.cc
+++ b/mem/physical.cc
@@ -90,6 +90,14 @@ PhysicalMemory::PhysicalMemory(const string &n)
     page_ptr = 0;
 }
 
+void
+PhysicalMemory::init()
+{
+    if (!port)
+        panic("PhysicalMemory not connected to anything!");
+    port->sendStatusChange(Port::RangeChange);
+}
+
 PhysicalMemory::~PhysicalMemory()
 {
     if (pmem_addr)
diff --git a/mem/physical.hh b/mem/physical.hh
index 53e86f85f..ce0a2099c 100644
--- a/mem/physical.hh
+++ b/mem/physical.hh
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ class PhysicalMemory : public MemObject
     int deviceBlockSize();
     void getAddressRanges(AddrRangeList &resp, AddrRangeList &snoop);
     virtual Port *getPort(const std::string &if_name);
-    void virtual init() { port->sendStatusChange(Port::RangeChange); }
+    void virtual init();
 
     // fast back-door memory access for vtophys(), remote gdb, etc.
     // uint64_t phys_read_qword(Addr addr) const;