diff --git a/node/src/main/kotlin/com/r3corda/node/driver/Driver.kt b/node/src/main/kotlin/com/r3corda/node/driver/Driver.kt
index 248dcb0d1a..4a9a11853d 100644
--- a/node/src/main/kotlin/com/r3corda/node/driver/Driver.kt
+++ b/node/src/main/kotlin/com/r3corda/node/driver/Driver.kt
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ import com.r3corda.core.node.NodeInfo
 import com.r3corda.core.node.services.ServiceType
 import com.r3corda.node.services.config.NodeConfiguration
 import com.r3corda.node.services.messaging.ArtemisMessagingClient
-import com.r3corda.node.services.messaging.ArtemisMessagingComponent
 import com.r3corda.node.services.network.InMemoryNetworkMapCache
 import com.r3corda.node.services.network.NetworkMapService
+import java.net.ServerSocket
 import java.net.Socket
 import java.net.SocketException
 import java.nio.file.Paths
@@ -45,11 +45,33 @@ interface DriverDSLInterface {
     fun startNode(advertisedServices: Set<ServiceType>, providedName: String? = null): NodeInfo
 }
 
-fun <A> driver(baseDirectory: String? = null, quasarPath: String? = null, dsl: DriverDSL.() -> A): Pair<DriverHandle, A> {
+sealed class PortAllocation {
+    abstract fun nextPort(): Int
+    fun nextHostAndPort() = HostAndPort.fromParts("localhost", nextPort())
+
+    class Incremental(private var portCounter: Int) : PortAllocation() {
+        override fun nextPort() = portCounter++
+    }
+    class RandomFree(): PortAllocation() {
+        override fun nextPort() = ServerSocket(0).use { it.localPort }
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * TODO: remove quasarJarPath once we have a proper way of bundling quasar
+ */
+fun <A> driver(
+        baseDirectory: String = "build/${getTimestampAsDirectoryName()}",
+        quasarJarPath: String = "lib/quasar.jar",
+        portAllocation: PortAllocation = PortAllocation.Incremental(10000),
+        debugPortAllocation: PortAllocation = PortAllocation.Incremental(5005),
+        dsl: DriverDSL.() -> A
+): Pair<DriverHandle, A> {
     val driverDsl = DriverDSL(
-            portCounter = 10000,
-            baseDirectory = baseDirectory ?: "build/${getTimestampAsDirectoryName()}",
-            quasarPath = quasarPath ?: "lib/quasar.jar"
+            portAllocation = portAllocation,
+            debugPortAllocation = debugPortAllocation,
+            baseDirectory = baseDirectory,
+            quasarJarPath = quasarJarPath
     )
     driverDsl.start()
     val returnValue = dsl(driverDsl)
@@ -95,13 +117,16 @@ fun <A> poll(f: () -> A?): A {
     return result
 }
 
-class DriverDSL(private var portCounter: Int, val baseDirectory: String, val quasarPath: String) : DriverDSLInterface {
-
-    fun nextLocalHostAndPort() = HostAndPort.fromParts("localhost", nextPort())
+class DriverDSL(
+        private val portAllocation: PortAllocation,
+        private val debugPortAllocation: PortAllocation,
+        val baseDirectory: String,
+        val quasarJarPath: String
+) : DriverDSLInterface {
 
     val networkMapCache = InMemoryNetworkMapCache(null)
     private val networkMapName = "NetworkMapService"
-    private val networkMapAddress = nextLocalHostAndPort()
+    private val networkMapAddress = portAllocation.nextHostAndPort()
     private lateinit var networkMapNodeInfo: NodeInfo
     private val registeredProcesses = LinkedList<Process>()
 
@@ -115,15 +140,9 @@ class DriverDSL(private var portCounter: Int, val baseDirectory: String, val qua
                 override val trustStorePassword = "trustpass"
             },
             serverHostPort = networkMapAddress,
-            myHostPort =  nextLocalHostAndPort()
+            myHostPort = portAllocation.nextHostAndPort()
     )
 
-    private fun nextPort(): Int {
-        val nextPort = portCounter
-        portCounter++
-        return nextPort
-    }
-
     fun registerProcess(process: Process) = registeredProcesses.push(process)
 
     internal fun waitForAllNodesToFinish() {
@@ -151,7 +170,9 @@ class DriverDSL(private var portCounter: Int, val baseDirectory: String, val qua
     }
 
     override fun startNode(advertisedServices: Set<ServiceType>, providedName: String?): NodeInfo {
-        val messagingAddress = nextLocalHostAndPort()
+        val messagingAddress = portAllocation.nextHostAndPort()
+        val apiAddress = portAllocation.nextHostAndPort()
+        val debugPort = debugPortAllocation.nextPort()
         val name = providedName ?: "${pickA(name)}-${messagingAddress.port}"
         val nearestCity = pickA(city)
 
@@ -161,12 +182,12 @@ class DriverDSL(private var portCounter: Int, val baseDirectory: String, val qua
                 networkMapPublicKey = networkMapNodeInfo.identity.owningKey,
                 networkMapAddress = networkMapAddress,
                 messagingAddress = messagingAddress,
-                apiAddress = nextLocalHostAndPort(),
+                apiAddress = apiAddress,
                 baseDirectory = baseDirectory,
                 nearestCity = nearestCity,
                 legalName = name
         )
-        registerProcess(startNode(driverCliParams, quasarPath))
+        registerProcess(startNode(driverCliParams, quasarJarPath, debugPort))
 
         return poll {
             networkMapCache.partyNodes.forEach {
@@ -204,19 +225,21 @@ class DriverDSL(private var portCounter: Int, val baseDirectory: String, val qua
     }
 
     private fun startNetworkMapService() {
+        val apiAddress = portAllocation.nextHostAndPort()
+        val debugPort = debugPortAllocation.nextPort()
         val driverCliParams = NodeRunner.CliParams(
                 services = setOf(NetworkMapService.Type),
                 networkMapName = null,
                 networkMapPublicKey = null,
                 networkMapAddress = null,
                 messagingAddress = networkMapAddress,
-                apiAddress = nextLocalHostAndPort(),
+                apiAddress = apiAddress,
                 baseDirectory = baseDirectory,
                 nearestCity = pickA(city),
                 legalName = networkMapName
         )
         println("Starting network-map-service")
-        registerProcess(startNode(driverCliParams, quasarPath))
+        registerProcess(startNode(driverCliParams, quasarJarPath, debugPort))
     }
 
     companion object {
@@ -235,13 +258,15 @@ class DriverDSL(private var portCounter: Int, val baseDirectory: String, val qua
         )
         fun <A> pickA(array: Array<A>): A = array[Math.abs(Random().nextInt()) % array.size]
 
-        private fun startNode(cliParams: NodeRunner.CliParams, quasarPath: String): Process {
+        private fun startNode(cliParams: NodeRunner.CliParams, quasarJarPath: String, debugPort: Int): Process {
             val className = NodeRunner::class.java.canonicalName
             val separator = System.getProperty("file.separator")
             val classpath = System.getProperty("java.class.path")
             val path = System.getProperty("java.home") + separator + "bin" + separator + "java"
             val javaArgs = listOf(path) +
-                    listOf("-Dname=${cliParams.legalName}", "-javaagent:$quasarPath", "-cp", classpath, className) +
+                    listOf("-Dname=${cliParams.legalName}", "-javaagent:$quasarJarPath",
+                            "-agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=$debugPort",
+                            "-cp", classpath, className) +
                     cliParams.toCliArguments()
             val builder = ProcessBuilder(javaArgs)
             builder.redirectError(Paths.get("error.$className.log").toFile())