diff --git a/fairmq/shmem/Manager.h b/fairmq/shmem/Manager.h
index 052752b3..ba90ca14 100644
--- a/fairmq/shmem/Manager.h
+++ b/fairmq/shmem/Manager.h
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ class Manager
                 const uint16_t id = cfg.id.value();
 
                 std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(fLocalRegionsMtx);
-                auto& region = fRegions[id] = std::make_unique<UnmanagedRegion>(fShmId, size, false, cfg);
+                auto& region = fRegions[id] = std::make_unique<UnmanagedRegion>(fShmId, size, true, cfg);
                 // LOG(debug) << "Created region with id '" << id << "', path: '" << cfg.path << "', flags: '" << cfg.creationFlags << "'";
 
                 // start ack receiver only if a callback has been provided.
@@ -463,7 +463,7 @@ class Manager
                 }
                 // LOG(debug) << "Located remote region with id '" << id << "', path: '" << cfg.path << "', flags: '" << cfg.creationFlags << "'";
 
-                auto r = fRegions.emplace(id, std::make_unique<UnmanagedRegion>(fShmId, 0, true, std::move(cfg)));
+                auto r = fRegions.emplace(id, std::make_unique<UnmanagedRegion>(fShmId, 0, false, std::move(cfg)));
                 r.first->second->InitializeQueues();
                 r.first->second->StartAckSender();
                 return r.first->second.get();
@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ class Manager
                     if (it != fRegions.end()) {
                         region = it->second.get();
                     } else {
-                        auto r = fRegions.emplace(cfgIt->first, std::make_unique<UnmanagedRegion>(fShmId, 0, true, cfgIt->second));
+                        auto r = fRegions.emplace(cfgIt->first, std::make_unique<UnmanagedRegion>(fShmId, 0, false, cfgIt->second));
                         region = r.first->second.get();
                         region->InitializeQueues();
                         region->StartAckSender();
diff --git a/fairmq/shmem/UnmanagedRegion.h b/fairmq/shmem/UnmanagedRegion.h
index 52b681f8..2981cf39 100644
--- a/fairmq/shmem/UnmanagedRegion.h
+++ b/fairmq/shmem/UnmanagedRegion.h
@@ -44,19 +44,19 @@ struct UnmanagedRegion
     friend class Monitor;
 
     UnmanagedRegion(const std::string& shmId, uint16_t id, uint64_t size)
-        : UnmanagedRegion(shmId,  size, false, makeRegionConfig(id))
+        : UnmanagedRegion(shmId,  size, true, makeRegionConfig(id))
     {}
 
     UnmanagedRegion(const std::string& shmId, uint64_t size, RegionConfig cfg)
-        : UnmanagedRegion(shmId, size, false, std::move(cfg))
+        : UnmanagedRegion(shmId, size, true, std::move(cfg))
     {}
 
     UnmanagedRegion(const std::string& shmId, RegionConfig cfg)
-        : UnmanagedRegion(shmId, cfg.size, false, std::move(cfg))
+        : UnmanagedRegion(shmId, cfg.size, true, std::move(cfg))
     {}
 
-    UnmanagedRegion(const std::string& shmId, uint64_t size, bool remote, RegionConfig cfg)
-        : fRemote(remote)
+    UnmanagedRegion(const std::string& shmId, uint64_t size, bool controlling, RegionConfig cfg)
+        : fControlling(controlling)
         , fRemoveOnDestruction(cfg.removeOnDestruction)
         , fLinger(cfg.linger)
         , fStopAcks(false)
@@ -76,12 +76,12 @@ struct UnmanagedRegion
         const uint16_t id = cfg.id.value();
         bool created = false;
 
-        LOG(debug) << "UnmanagedRegion(): " << fName << " | remote: " << remote << ".";
+        LOG(debug) << "UnmanagedRegion(): " << fName << " (" << (fControlling ? "controller" : "viewer") << ")";
 
         if (!cfg.path.empty()) {
             fName = std::string(cfg.path + fName);
 
-            if (!fRemote) {
+            if (fControlling) {
                 // create a file
                 std::filebuf fbuf;
                 if (fbuf.open(fName, std::ios_base::in | std::ios_base::out | std::ios_base::trunc | std::ios_base::binary)) {
@@ -108,10 +108,15 @@ struct UnmanagedRegion
                     fShmemObject = shared_memory_object(open_only, fName.c_str(), read_write);
                     created = false;
                 } catch (interprocess_exception& e) {
-                    LOG(debug) << "Could not open " << (remote ? "remote" : "local") << " shared_memory_object for region id '" << id << "': " << e.what() << ", creating...";
-                    fShmemObject = shared_memory_object(create_only, fName.c_str(), read_write);
-                    fShmemObject.truncate(size);
-                    created = true;
+                    if (fControlling) {
+                        LOG(debug) << "Could not open controlling shared_memory_object for region " << id << ": " << e.what() << ", creating...";
+                        fShmemObject = shared_memory_object(create_only, fName.c_str(), read_write);
+                        fShmemObject.truncate(size);
+                        created = true;
+                    } else {
+                        LOG(error) << "Could not open view for shared_memory_object for region " << id << ": " << e.what();
+                        throw TransportError(tools::ToString("Could not open view for shared_memory_object for region ", id, ": ", e.what()));
+                    }
                 }
             } catch (interprocess_exception& e) {
                 LOG(error) << "Failed initializing shared_memory_object for region id " << id << ": " << e.what();
@@ -141,11 +146,11 @@ struct UnmanagedRegion
             LOG(debug) << "Successfully zeroed free memory of region " << id << ".";
         }
 
-        if (!remote) {
+        if (fControlling) {
             Register(shmId, cfg);
         }
 
-        LOG(debug) << (created ? "Created" : "Opened") << " unmanaged shared memory region: " << fName << " (" << (remote ? "remote" : "local") << ")";
+        LOG(debug) << (created ? "Created" : "Opened") << " unmanaged shared memory region: " << fName << " (" << (fControlling ? "controller" : "viewer") << ")";
     }
 
     UnmanagedRegion() = delete;
@@ -177,7 +182,7 @@ struct UnmanagedRegion
 
     ~UnmanagedRegion()
     {
-        LOG(debug) << "~UnmanagedRegion(): " << fName << " | remote: " << fRemote << ".";
+        LOG(debug) << "~UnmanagedRegion(): " << fName << " (" << (fControlling ? "controller" : "viewer") << ")";
         fStopAcks = true;
 
         if (fAcksSender.joinable()) {
@@ -185,7 +190,7 @@ struct UnmanagedRegion
             fAcksSender.join();
         }
 
-        if (!fRemote) {
+        if (fControlling) {
             if (fAcksReceiver.joinable()) {
                 fAcksReceiver.join();
             }
@@ -211,14 +216,14 @@ struct UnmanagedRegion
                 fclose(fFile);
             }
         } else {
-            // LOG(debug) << "Region queue '" << fQueueName << "' is remote, no cleanup necessary";
+            // LOG(debug) << "Region queue '" << fQueueName << "' is viewer, no cleanup necessary";
         }
 
-        // LOG(debug) << "Region '" << fName << "' (" << (fRemote ? "remote" : "local") << ") destructed.";
+        // LOG(debug) << "Region '" << fName << "' (" << (fControlling ? "controller" : "viewer") << ") destructed.";
     }
 
   private:
-    bool fRemote;
+    bool fControlling;
     bool fRemoveOnDestruction;
     uint32_t fLinger;
     std::atomic<bool> fStopAcks;