diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index 7c20e3a..ecd3eb3 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -13,9 +13,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 // Duration wraps a time.Duration and adds JSON marshalling.
-type Duration struct {
-	time.Duration
-}
+type Duration struct{ time.Duration }
 
 // MarshalJSON transforms a duration into JSON.
 func (d *Duration) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
@@ -33,18 +31,8 @@ func (d *Duration) UnmarshalJSON(b []byte) error {
 // DriverConfig is the configuration used to connect to a tracker.Driver or
 // a backend.Driver.
 type DriverConfig struct {
-	Driver   string `json:"driver"`
-	Network  string `json:"network`
-	Host     string `json:"host"`
-	Port     string `json:"port"`
-	Username string `json:"user"`
-	Password string `json:"pass"`
-	Schema   string `json:"schema,omitempty"`
-	Encoding string `json:"encoding,omitempty"`
-	Prefix   string `json:"prefix,omitempty"`
-
-	MaxIdleConns int       `json:"max_idle_conns,omitempty"`
-	IdleTimeout  *Duration `json:"idle_timeout,omitempty"`
+	Name   string            `json:"driver"`
+	Params map[string]string `json:"params,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // Config is a configuration for a Server.
@@ -66,10 +54,10 @@ type Config struct {
 var DefaultConfig = Config{
 	Addr: ":6881",
 	Tracker: DriverConfig{
-		Driver: "mock",
+		Name: "mock",
 	},
 	Backend: DriverConfig{
-		Driver: "mock",
+		Name: "mock",
 	},
 	Private:         false,
 	Freeleech:       false,
diff --git a/drivers/backend/backend.go b/drivers/backend/backend.go
index 4c0f17e..40e4ae4 100644
--- a/drivers/backend/backend.go
+++ b/drivers/backend/backend.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ var drivers = make(map[string]Driver)
 // Driver represents an interface to a long-running connection with a
 // consistent data store.
 type Driver interface {
-	New(*config.DriverConfig) Conn
+	New(*config.DriverConfig) (Conn, error)
 }
 
 // Register makes a database driver available by the provided name.
@@ -36,16 +36,15 @@ func Register(name string, driver Driver) {
 }
 
 // Open creates a connection specified by a models configuration.
-func Open(conf *config.DriverConfig) (Conn, error) {
-	driver, ok := drivers[conf.Driver]
+func Open(cfg *config.DriverConfig) (Conn, error) {
+	driver, ok := drivers[cfg.Name]
 	if !ok {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(
 			"backend: unknown driver %q (forgotten import?)",
-			conf.Driver,
+			cfg.Name,
 		)
 	}
-	pool := driver.New(conf)
-	return pool, nil
+	return driver.New(cfg)
 }
 
 // Conn represents a connection to the data store.
diff --git a/drivers/backend/mock/driver.go b/drivers/backend/mock/driver.go
index 20b7fca..2850bd1 100644
--- a/drivers/backend/mock/driver.go
+++ b/drivers/backend/mock/driver.go
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ type Mock struct {
 	deltaHistoryM sync.RWMutex
 }
 
-func (d *driver) New(conf *config.DriverConfig) backend.Conn {
-	return &Mock{}
+func (d *driver) New(conf *config.DriverConfig) (backend.Conn, error) {
+	return &Mock{}, nil
 }
 
 // Close returns nil.
diff --git a/drivers/tracker/tracker.go b/drivers/tracker/tracker.go
index 2d85d0d..ede01b1 100644
--- a/drivers/tracker/tracker.go
+++ b/drivers/tracker/tracker.go
@@ -47,15 +47,15 @@ func Register(name string, driver Driver) {
 }
 
 // Open creates a pool of data store connections specified by a models configuration.
-func Open(conf *config.DriverConfig) (Pool, error) {
-	driver, ok := drivers[conf.Driver]
+func Open(cfg *config.DriverConfig) (Pool, error) {
+	driver, ok := drivers[cfg.Name]
 	if !ok {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(
 			"unknown driver %q (forgotten import?)",
-			conf.Driver,
+			cfg.Name,
 		)
 	}
-	pool := driver.New(conf)
+	pool := driver.New(cfg)
 	return pool, nil
 }