diff -ru b/ldns/ldns.h a/ldns/ldns.h
--- b/ldns/ldns.h	2011-03-24 20:32:30.000000000 -0500
+++ a/ldns/ldns.h	2011-03-24 20:29:03.000000000 -0500
@@ -148,6 +148,16 @@
 /** EDNS flags */
 extern ldns_lookup_table ldns_edns_flags[];
 
+
+#ifdef USE_WINSOCK
+#define SOCK_INVALID INVALID_SOCKET
+#define close_socket(_s) if (_s > SOCK_INVALID) {closesocket(_s); _s = SOCK_INVALID;}
+#else
+#define SOCK_INVALID -1
+#define close_socket(_s) if (_s > SOCK_INVALID) {close(_s); _s = SOCK_INVALID;}
+#endif
+
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff -ru b/net.c a/net.c
--- b/net.c	2011-02-11 10:50:46.000000000 -0600
+++ a/net.c	2011-03-24 20:28:15.000000000 -0500
@@ -261,12 +261,18 @@
 #endif
 }
 
+#ifndef WIN32
+#include <poll.h>
+#endif
+
 /** wait for a socket to become ready */
 static int
 ldns_sock_wait(int sockfd, struct timeval timeout, int write)
 {
-	fd_set fds;
 	int ret;
+
+#ifdef WIN32
+	fd_set fds;
 #ifndef S_SPLINT_S
 	FD_ZERO(&fds);
 	FD_SET(FD_SET_T sockfd, &fds);
@@ -275,6 +281,26 @@
 		ret = select(sockfd+1, NULL, &fds, NULL, &timeout);
 	else
 		ret = select(sockfd+1, &fds, NULL, NULL, &timeout);
+#else
+
+	struct pollfd pfds[2];
+	int x = 0;
+
+	memset(&pfds[0], 0, sizeof(pfds[0]) * 2);
+
+	pfds[0].fd = sockfd;
+	pfds[0].events = POLLIN|POLLERR;
+
+	if (write) {
+		pfds[0].events |= POLLOUT;
+	}
+		
+	ret = poll(pfds, 1, timeout.tv_sec * 1000 + timeout.tv_usec / 1000);
+
+#endif
+
+
+
 	if(ret == 0)
 		/* timeout expired */
 		return 0;
@@ -299,11 +325,7 @@
 
 	/* wait for an response*/
 	if(!ldns_sock_wait(sockfd, timeout, 0)) {
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-		close(sockfd);
-#else
-                closesocket(sockfd);
-#endif
+		close_socket(sockfd);
 		return LDNS_STATUS_NETWORK_ERR;
 	}
 
@@ -313,11 +335,7 @@
         ldns_sock_nonblock(sockfd);
 
 	answer = ldns_udp_read_wire(sockfd, answer_size, NULL, NULL);
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-	close(sockfd);
-#else
-        closesocket(sockfd);
-#endif
+	close_socket(sockfd);
 
 	if (*answer_size == 0) {
 		/* oops */
@@ -353,9 +371,10 @@
 
 	if ((sockfd = socket((int)((struct sockaddr*)to)->sa_family, SOCK_DGRAM, 
 					IPPROTO_UDP)) 
-			== -1) {
+			== SOCK_INVALID) {
                 return 0;
         }
+
 	return sockfd;
 }
 
@@ -366,20 +385,20 @@
 	int sockfd;
 
 	if ((sockfd = socket((int)((struct sockaddr*)to)->sa_family, SOCK_STREAM, 
-					IPPROTO_TCP)) == -1) {
+					IPPROTO_TCP)) == SOCK_INVALID) {
 		return 0;
 	}
 
 	/* perform nonblocking connect, to be able to wait with select() */
 	ldns_sock_nonblock(sockfd);
-	if (connect(sockfd, (struct sockaddr*)to, tolen) == -1) {
+	if (connect(sockfd, (struct sockaddr*)to, tolen) == SOCK_INVALID) {
 #ifndef USE_WINSOCK
 #ifdef EINPROGRESS
 		if(errno != EINPROGRESS) {
 #else
 		if(1) {
 #endif
-			close(sockfd);
+			close_socket(sockfd);
 			return 0;
 		}
 #else /* USE_WINSOCK */
@@ -398,11 +417,7 @@
 		socklen_t len = (socklen_t)sizeof(error);
 
 		if(!ldns_sock_wait(sockfd, timeout, 1)) {
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-			close(sockfd);
-#else
-			closesocket(sockfd);
-#endif
+			close_socket(sockfd);
 			return 0;
 		}
 
@@ -421,7 +436,7 @@
 			continue; /* try again */
 #endif
 		else if(error != 0) {
-			close(sockfd);
+			close_socket(sockfd);
 			/* error in errno for our user */
 			errno = error;
 			return 0;
@@ -645,11 +660,7 @@
 	}
 
 	answer = ldns_tcp_read_wire_timeout(sockfd, answer_size, timeout);
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-	close(sockfd);
-#else
-	closesocket(sockfd);
-#endif
+	close_socket(sockfd);
 
 	if (*answer_size == 0) {
 		/* oops */
@@ -782,7 +793,7 @@
          * @hostname is used */
         for (ns_i = 0;
              ns_i < ldns_resolver_nameserver_count(resolver) &&
-             resolver->_socket == 0;
+             resolver->_socket == SOCK_INVALID;
              ns_i++) {
 	        ns = ldns_rdf2native_sockaddr_storage(
 	        	resolver->_nameservers[ns_i],
@@ -792,7 +803,7 @@
 				ldns_resolver_timeout(resolver));
 	}
 
-	if (resolver->_socket == 0) {
+	if (resolver->_socket == SOCK_INVALID) {
 		ldns_pkt_free(query);
 		LDNS_FREE(ns);
 		return LDNS_STATUS_NETWORK_ERR;
@@ -807,13 +818,7 @@
 		if (status != LDNS_STATUS_OK) {
 			/* RoRi: to prevent problems on subsequent calls to ldns_axfr_start
 			   we have to close the socket here! */
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-			close(resolver->_socket);
-#else
-			closesocket(resolver->_socket);
-#endif
-			resolver->_socket = 0;
-
+			close_socket(resolver->_socket);
 			return LDNS_STATUS_CRYPTO_TSIG_ERR;
 		}
 	}
@@ -826,12 +831,8 @@
         if(!query_wire) {
                 ldns_pkt_free(query);
                 LDNS_FREE(ns);
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-		close(resolver->_socket);
-#else
-		closesocket(resolver->_socket);
-#endif
-		resolver->_socket = 0;
+
+		close_socket(resolver->_socket);
 
                 return LDNS_STATUS_MEM_ERR;
         }
@@ -843,12 +844,8 @@
 
 		/* RoRi: to prevent problems on subsequent calls to ldns_axfr_start
 		    we have to close the socket here! */
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-		close(resolver->_socket);
-#else
-		closesocket(resolver->_socket);
-#endif
-		resolver->_socket = 0;
+
+		close_socket(resolver->_socket);
 
                 return status;
         }
@@ -862,12 +859,8 @@
 		/* RoRi: to prevent problems on subsequent calls to ldns_axfr_start
 		         we have to close the socket here! */
 
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-		close(resolver->_socket);
-#else
-		closesocket(resolver->_socket);
-#endif
-		resolver->_socket = 0;
+
+		close_socket(resolver->_socket);
 
                 return LDNS_STATUS_NETWORK_ERR;
         }
diff -ru b/resolver.c a/resolver.c
--- b/resolver.c	2010-12-14 08:41:38.000000000 -0600
+++ a/resolver.c	2011-03-24 20:07:17.000000000 -0500
@@ -627,9 +627,7 @@
 	r->_timeout.tv_sec = LDNS_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SEC;
 	r->_timeout.tv_usec = LDNS_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_USEC;
 
-	/* TODO: fd=0 is actually a valid socket (stdin),
-           replace with -1 */
-	r->_socket = 0;
+	r->_socket = -1;
 	r->_axfr_soa_count = 0;
 	r->_axfr_i = 0;
 	r->_cur_axfr_pkt = NULL;
@@ -903,6 +901,8 @@
 	size_t i;
 
 	if (res) {
+		close_socket(res->_socket);
+
 		if (res->_searchlist) {
 			for (i = 0; i < ldns_resolver_searchlist_count(res); i++) {
 				ldns_rdf_deep_free(res->_searchlist[i]);
@@ -1198,7 +1198,7 @@
 	ldns_status status;
 
 	/* check if start() has been called */
-	if (!resolver || resolver->_socket == 0) {
+	if (!resolver || resolver->_socket == -1) {
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
@@ -1215,12 +1215,9 @@
 		if (ldns_rr_get_type(cur_rr) == LDNS_RR_TYPE_SOA) {
 			resolver->_axfr_soa_count++;
 			if (resolver->_axfr_soa_count >= 2) {
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-				close(resolver->_socket);
-#else
-				closesocket(resolver->_socket);
-#endif
-				resolver->_socket = 0;
+
+				close_socket(resolver->_socket);
+
 				ldns_pkt_free(resolver->_cur_axfr_pkt);
 				resolver->_cur_axfr_pkt = NULL;
 			}
@@ -1243,12 +1240,8 @@
 			/* RoRi: we must now also close the socket, otherwise subsequent uses of the
 			   same resolver structure will fail because the link is still open or
 			   in an undefined state */
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-			close(resolver->_socket);
-#else
-			closesocket(resolver->_socket);
-#endif
-			resolver->_socket = 0;
+
+			close_socket(resolver->_socket);
 
 			return NULL;
 		} else if (ldns_pkt_get_rcode(resolver->_cur_axfr_pkt) != 0) {
@@ -1258,12 +1251,8 @@
 			/* RoRi: we must now also close the socket, otherwise subsequent uses of the
 			   same resolver structure will fail because the link is still open or
 			   in an undefined state */
-#ifndef USE_WINSOCK
-			close(resolver->_socket);
-#else
-			closesocket(resolver->_socket);
-#endif
-			resolver->_socket = 0;
+
+			close_socket(resolver->_socket);
 
 			return NULL;
 		} else {