diff --git a/waggle-dance-integration-tests/src/main/java/com/hotels/bdp/waggledance/junit/ServerSocketRule.java b/waggle-dance-integration-tests/src/main/java/com/hotels/bdp/waggledance/junit/ServerSocketRule.java
index 83748ad43..0a13a6f5a 100644
--- a/waggle-dance-integration-tests/src/main/java/com/hotels/bdp/waggledance/junit/ServerSocketRule.java
+++ b/waggle-dance-integration-tests/src/main/java/com/hotels/bdp/waggledance/junit/ServerSocketRule.java
@@ -38,15 +38,18 @@
 public class ServerSocketRule extends ExternalResource {
   private static final Logger LOG = LoggerFactory.getLogger(ServerSocketRule.class);
 
-  private final InetSocketAddress address;
-  private final ByteArrayOutputStream output = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
-
-  private final ServerSocketChannel serverSocketChannel;
+  private InetSocketAddress address;
+  private ByteArrayOutputStream output;
+  private ServerSocketChannel serverSocketChannel;
 
   private int requests = 0;
 
-  public ServerSocketRule() {
+  public ServerSocketRule() {}
+
+  @Override
+  protected void before() throws Throwable {
     try {
+      output = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
       serverSocketChannel = (ServerSocketChannel) ServerSocketChannel
           .open()
           .bind(new InetSocketAddress(0))
diff --git a/waggle-dance-integration-tests/src/test/java/com/hotels/bdp/waggledance/junit/ServerSocketRuleTest.java b/waggle-dance-integration-tests/src/test/java/com/hotels/bdp/waggledance/junit/ServerSocketRuleTest.java
index 4d17b5770..fa6cf449b 100644
--- a/waggle-dance-integration-tests/src/test/java/com/hotels/bdp/waggledance/junit/ServerSocketRuleTest.java
+++ b/waggle-dance-integration-tests/src/test/java/com/hotels/bdp/waggledance/junit/ServerSocketRuleTest.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 import java.net.ConnectException;
 import java.net.Socket;
 
+import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 public class ServerSocketRuleTest {
@@ -33,6 +34,11 @@ private void sendData(int port, byte[] bytes) throws Exception {
     }
   }
 
+  @Before
+  public void setUp() throws Throwable {
+    rule.before();
+  }
+  
   @Test
   public void typical() throws Throwable {
     sendData(rule.port(), "my-data".getBytes());