diff --git cpp/src/plasma/io.h cpp/src/plasma/io.h
--- cpp/src/plasma/io.h
+++ cpp/src/plasma/io.h
@@ -30,2 +30,3 @@
 #include "arrow/status.h"
+#include "plasma/common.h"
 #include "plasma/compat.h"
@@ -57,3 +58,1 @@
-int BindIpcSock(const std::string& pathname, bool shall_listen);
-
-int ConnectIpcSock(const std::string& pathname);
+int ConnectOrListenIpcSock(const std::string& pathname, bool shall_listen);
diff --git cpp/src/plasma/store.cc cpp/src/plasma/store.cc
--- cpp/src/plasma/store.cc
+++ cpp/src/plasma/store.cc
@@ -1150,1 +1150,1 @@
-    int socket = BindIpcSock(socket_name, true);
+    int socket = ConnectOrListenIpcSock(socket_name, true);
@@ -1301,1 +1301,5 @@
+#ifdef _WINSOCKAPI_
+  WSADATA wsadata;
+  WSAStartup(MAKEWORD(2, 2), &wsadata);
+#endif
   plasma::StartServer(socket_name, plasma_directory, hugepages_enabled, external_store);
@@ -1307,1 +1311,4 @@
+#ifdef _WINSOCKAPI_
+  WSACleanup();
+#endif
   return 0;
diff --git cpp/src/plasma/io.cc cpp/src/plasma/io.cc
--- cpp/src/plasma/io.cc
+++ cpp/src/plasma/io.cc
@@ -29,1 +29,5 @@
+#ifndef _WIN32
+#include <arpa/inet.h>
+#include <netinet/in.h>
+#endif
 
@@ -117,39 +121,79 @@
-int BindIpcSock(const std::string& pathname, bool shall_listen) {
-  struct sockaddr_un socket_address;
-  int socket_fd = socket(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
+int ConnectOrListenIpcSock(const std::string& pathname, bool shall_listen) {
+  union {
+    struct sockaddr addr;
+    struct sockaddr_un un;
+    struct sockaddr_in in;
+  } socket_address;
+  int addrlen;
+  memset(&socket_address, 0, sizeof(socket_address));
+  if (pathname.find("tcp://") == 0) {
+    addrlen = sizeof(socket_address.in);
+    socket_address.in.sin_family = AF_INET;
+    std::string addr = pathname.substr(pathname.find('/') + 2);
+    size_t i = addr.rfind(':'), j;
+    if (i >= addr.size()) {
+      j = i = addr.size();
+    } else {
+      j = i + 1;
+    }
+    socket_address.in.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(addr.substr(0, i).c_str());
+    socket_address.in.sin_port = htons(static_cast<short>(atoi(addr.substr(j).c_str())));
+    if (socket_address.in.sin_addr.s_addr == INADDR_NONE) {
+      ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Socket address is not a valid IPv4 address: " << pathname;
+      return -1;
+    }
+    if (socket_address.in.sin_port == htons(0)) {
+      ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Socket address is missing a valid port: " << pathname;
+      return -1;
+    }
+  } else {
+    addrlen = sizeof(socket_address.un);
+    socket_address.un.sun_family = AF_UNIX;
+    if (pathname.size() + 1 > sizeof(socket_address.un.sun_path)) {
+      ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Socket pathname is too long.";
+      return -1;
+    }
+    strncpy(socket_address.un.sun_path, pathname.c_str(), pathname.size() + 1);
+  }
+
+  int socket_fd = socket(socket_address.addr.sa_family, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
   if (socket_fd < 0) {
     ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "socket() failed for pathname " << pathname;
     return -1;
   }
-  // Tell the system to allow the port to be reused.
-  int on = 1;
-  if (setsockopt(socket_fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, reinterpret_cast<char*>(&on),
-                 sizeof(on)) < 0) {
-    ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "setsockopt failed for pathname " << pathname;
-    close(socket_fd);
-    return -1;
-  }
+  if (shall_listen) {
+    // Tell the system to allow the port to be reused.
+    int on = 1;
+    if (setsockopt(socket_fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, reinterpret_cast<char*>(&on),
+                   sizeof(on)) < 0) {
+      ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "setsockopt failed for pathname " << pathname;
+      close(socket_fd);
+      return -1;
+    }
 
-  unlink(pathname.c_str());
-  memset(&socket_address, 0, sizeof(socket_address));
-  socket_address.sun_family = AF_UNIX;
-  if (pathname.size() + 1 > sizeof(socket_address.sun_path)) {
-    ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Socket pathname is too long.";
-    close(socket_fd);
-    return -1;
-  }
-  strncpy(socket_address.sun_path, pathname.c_str(), pathname.size() + 1);
+    if (socket_address.addr.sa_family == AF_UNIX) {
+#ifdef _WIN32
+      _unlink(pathname.c_str());
+#else
+      unlink(pathname.c_str());
+#endif
+    }
+    if (bind(socket_fd, &socket_address.addr, addrlen) != 0) {
+      ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Bind failed for pathname " << pathname;
+      close(socket_fd);
+      return -1;
+    }
 
-  if (bind(socket_fd, reinterpret_cast<struct sockaddr*>(&socket_address),
-           sizeof(socket_address)) != 0) {
-    ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Bind failed for pathname " << pathname;
-    close(socket_fd);
-    return -1;
-  }
-  if (shall_listen && listen(socket_fd, 128) == -1) {
-    ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Could not listen to socket " << pathname;
-    close(socket_fd);
-    return -1;
+    if (listen(socket_fd, 128) == -1) {
+      ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Could not listen to socket " << pathname;
+      close(socket_fd);
+      return -1;
+    }
+  } else {
+    if (connect(socket_fd, &socket_address.addr, addrlen) != 0) {
+      close(socket_fd);
+      return -1;
+    }
   }
   return socket_fd;
 }
@@ -166,9 +270,9 @@
-  *fd = ConnectIpcSock(pathname);
+  *fd = ConnectOrListenIpcSock(pathname, false);
   while (*fd < 0 && num_retries > 0) {
     ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Connection to IPC socket failed for pathname " << pathname
                      << ", retrying " << num_retries << " more times";
     // Sleep for timeout milliseconds.
     usleep(static_cast<int>(timeout * 1000));
-    *fd = ConnectIpcSock(pathname);
+    *fd = ConnectOrListenIpcSock(pathname, false);
     --num_retries;
   }
@@ -184,28 +228,0 @@
-int ConnectIpcSock(const std::string& pathname) {
-  struct sockaddr_un socket_address;
-  int socket_fd;
-
-  socket_fd = socket(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
-  if (socket_fd < 0) {
-    ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "socket() failed for pathname " << pathname;
-    return -1;
-  }
-
-  memset(&socket_address, 0, sizeof(socket_address));
-  socket_address.sun_family = AF_UNIX;
-  if (pathname.size() + 1 > sizeof(socket_address.sun_path)) {
-    ARROW_LOG(ERROR) << "Socket pathname is too long.";
-    close(socket_fd);
-    return -1;
-  }
-  strncpy(socket_address.sun_path, pathname.c_str(), pathname.size() + 1);
-
-  if (connect(socket_fd, reinterpret_cast<struct sockaddr*>(&socket_address),
-              sizeof(socket_address)) != 0) {
-    close(socket_fd);
-    return -1;
-  }
-
-  return socket_fd;
-}
-
--