1 =head2 guestfs_add_cdrom
3 int guestfs_add_cdrom (guestfs_h *handle,
6 This function adds a virtual CD-ROM disk image to the guest.
8 This is equivalent to the qemu parameter C<-cdrom filename>.
10 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
12 =head2 guestfs_add_drive
14 int guestfs_add_drive (guestfs_h *handle,
15 const char *filename);
17 This function adds a virtual machine disk image C<filename> to the
18 guest. The first time you call this function, the disk appears as IDE
19 disk 0 (C</dev/sda>) in the guest, the second time as C</dev/sdb>, and
22 You don't necessarily need to be root when using libguestfs. However
23 you obviously do need sufficient permissions to access the filename
24 for whatever operations you want to perform (ie. read access if you
25 just want to read the image or write access if you want to modify the
28 This is equivalent to the qemu parameter C<-drive file=filename>.
30 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
32 =head2 guestfs_aug_close
34 int guestfs_aug_close (guestfs_h *handle);
36 Close the current Augeas handle and free up any resources
37 used by it. After calling this, you have to call
38 C<guestfs_aug_init> again before you can use any other
41 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
43 =head2 guestfs_aug_defnode
45 struct guestfs_int_bool *guestfs_aug_defnode (guestfs_h *handle,
50 Defines a variable C<name> whose value is the result of
53 If C<expr> evaluates to an empty nodeset, a node is created,
54 equivalent to calling C<guestfs_aug_set> C<expr>, C<value>.
55 C<name> will be the nodeset containing that single node.
57 On success this returns a pair containing the
58 number of nodes in the nodeset, and a boolean flag
59 if a node was created.
61 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_int_bool *>,
62 or NULL if there was an error.
63 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_int_bool> after use>.
65 =head2 guestfs_aug_defvar
67 int guestfs_aug_defvar (guestfs_h *handle,
71 Defines an Augeas variable C<name> whose value is the result
72 of evaluating C<expr>. If C<expr> is NULL, then C<name> is
75 On success this returns the number of nodes in C<expr>, or
76 C<0> if C<expr> evaluates to something which is not a nodeset.
78 On error this function returns -1.
80 =head2 guestfs_aug_get
82 char *guestfs_aug_get (guestfs_h *handle,
85 Look up the value associated with C<path>. If C<path>
86 matches exactly one node, the C<value> is returned.
88 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
89 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
91 =head2 guestfs_aug_init
93 int guestfs_aug_init (guestfs_h *handle,
97 Create a new Augeas handle for editing configuration files.
98 If there was any previous Augeas handle associated with this
99 guestfs session, then it is closed.
101 You must call this before using any other C<guestfs_aug_*>
104 C<root> is the filesystem root. C<root> must not be NULL,
107 The flags are the same as the flags defined in
108 E<lt>augeas.hE<gt>, the logical I<or> of the following
113 =item C<AUG_SAVE_BACKUP> = 1
115 Keep the original file with a C<.augsave> extension.
117 =item C<AUG_SAVE_NEWFILE> = 2
119 Save changes into a file with extension C<.augnew>, and
120 do not overwrite original. Overrides C<AUG_SAVE_BACKUP>.
122 =item C<AUG_TYPE_CHECK> = 4
124 Typecheck lenses (can be expensive).
126 =item C<AUG_NO_STDINC> = 8
128 Do not use standard load path for modules.
130 =item C<AUG_SAVE_NOOP> = 16
132 Make save a no-op, just record what would have been changed.
134 =item C<AUG_NO_LOAD> = 32
136 Do not load the tree in C<guestfs_aug_init>.
140 To close the handle, you can call C<guestfs_aug_close>.
142 To find out more about Augeas, see L<http://augeas.net/>.
144 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
146 =head2 guestfs_aug_insert
148 int guestfs_aug_insert (guestfs_h *handle,
153 Create a new sibling C<label> for C<path>, inserting it into
154 the tree before or after C<path> (depending on the boolean
157 C<path> must match exactly one existing node in the tree, and
158 C<label> must be a label, ie. not contain C</>, C<*> or end
159 with a bracketed index C<[N]>.
161 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
163 =head2 guestfs_aug_load
165 int guestfs_aug_load (guestfs_h *handle);
167 Load files into the tree.
169 See C<aug_load> in the Augeas documentation for the full gory
172 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
174 =head2 guestfs_aug_ls
176 char **guestfs_aug_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
179 This is just a shortcut for listing C<guestfs_aug_match>
180 C<path/*> and sorting the resulting nodes into alphabetical order.
182 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
183 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
184 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
186 =head2 guestfs_aug_match
188 char **guestfs_aug_match (guestfs_h *handle,
191 Returns a list of paths which match the path expression C<path>.
192 The returned paths are sufficiently qualified so that they match
193 exactly one node in the current tree.
195 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
196 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
197 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
199 =head2 guestfs_aug_mv
201 int guestfs_aug_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
205 Move the node C<src> to C<dest>. C<src> must match exactly
206 one node. C<dest> is overwritten if it exists.
208 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
210 =head2 guestfs_aug_rm
212 int guestfs_aug_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
215 Remove C<path> and all of its children.
217 On success this returns the number of entries which were removed.
219 On error this function returns -1.
221 =head2 guestfs_aug_save
223 int guestfs_aug_save (guestfs_h *handle);
225 This writes all pending changes to disk.
227 The flags which were passed to C<guestfs_aug_init> affect exactly
230 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
232 =head2 guestfs_aug_set
234 int guestfs_aug_set (guestfs_h *handle,
238 Set the value associated with C<path> to C<value>.
240 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
242 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_flushbufs
244 int guestfs_blockdev_flushbufs (guestfs_h *handle,
247 This tells the kernel to flush internal buffers associated
250 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
252 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
254 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getbsz
256 int guestfs_blockdev_getbsz (guestfs_h *handle,
259 This returns the block size of a device.
261 (Note this is different from both I<size in blocks> and
262 I<filesystem block size>).
264 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
266 On error this function returns -1.
268 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getro
270 int guestfs_blockdev_getro (guestfs_h *handle,
273 Returns a boolean indicating if the block device is read-only
274 (true if read-only, false if not).
276 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
278 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
280 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getsize64
282 int64_t guestfs_blockdev_getsize64 (guestfs_h *handle,
285 This returns the size of the device in bytes.
287 See also C<guestfs_blockdev_getsz>.
289 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
291 On error this function returns -1.
293 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getss
295 int guestfs_blockdev_getss (guestfs_h *handle,
298 This returns the size of sectors on a block device.
299 Usually 512, but can be larger for modern devices.
301 (Note, this is not the size in sectors, use C<guestfs_blockdev_getsz>
304 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
306 On error this function returns -1.
308 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getsz
310 int64_t guestfs_blockdev_getsz (guestfs_h *handle,
313 This returns the size of the device in units of 512-byte sectors
314 (even if the sectorsize isn't 512 bytes ... weird).
316 See also C<guestfs_blockdev_getss> for the real sector size of
317 the device, and C<guestfs_blockdev_getsize64> for the more
318 useful I<size in bytes>.
320 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
322 On error this function returns -1.
324 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_rereadpt
326 int guestfs_blockdev_rereadpt (guestfs_h *handle,
329 Reread the partition table on C<device>.
331 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
333 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
335 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setbsz
337 int guestfs_blockdev_setbsz (guestfs_h *handle,
341 This sets the block size of a device.
343 (Note this is different from both I<size in blocks> and
344 I<filesystem block size>).
346 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
348 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
350 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setro
352 int guestfs_blockdev_setro (guestfs_h *handle,
355 Sets the block device named C<device> to read-only.
357 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
359 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
361 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setrw
363 int guestfs_blockdev_setrw (guestfs_h *handle,
366 Sets the block device named C<device> to read-write.
368 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
370 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
374 char *guestfs_cat (guestfs_h *handle,
377 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
379 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
380 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
381 as end of string). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_download>
382 function which has a more complex interface.
384 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
385 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
387 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
388 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
391 =head2 guestfs_checksum
393 char *guestfs_checksum (guestfs_h *handle,
394 const char *csumtype,
397 This call computes the MD5, SHAx or CRC checksum of the
400 The type of checksum to compute is given by the C<csumtype>
401 parameter which must have one of the following values:
407 Compute the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) specified by POSIX
408 for the C<cksum> command.
412 Compute the MD5 hash (using the C<md5sum> program).
416 Compute the SHA1 hash (using the C<sha1sum> program).
420 Compute the SHA224 hash (using the C<sha224sum> program).
424 Compute the SHA256 hash (using the C<sha256sum> program).
428 Compute the SHA384 hash (using the C<sha384sum> program).
432 Compute the SHA512 hash (using the C<sha512sum> program).
436 The checksum is returned as a printable string.
438 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
439 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
443 int guestfs_chmod (guestfs_h *handle,
447 Change the mode (permissions) of C<path> to C<mode>. Only
448 numeric modes are supported.
450 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
454 int guestfs_chown (guestfs_h *handle,
459 Change the file owner to C<owner> and group to C<group>.
461 Only numeric uid and gid are supported. If you want to use
462 names, you will need to locate and parse the password file
463 yourself (Augeas support makes this relatively easy).
465 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
467 =head2 guestfs_command
469 char *guestfs_command (guestfs_h *handle,
470 char * const* const arguments);
472 This call runs a command from the guest filesystem. The
473 filesystem must be mounted, and must contain a compatible
474 operating system (ie. something Linux, with the same
475 or compatible processor architecture).
477 The single parameter is an argv-style list of arguments.
478 The first element is the name of the program to run.
479 Subsequent elements are parameters. The list must be
480 non-empty (ie. must contain a program name).
482 The return value is anything printed to I<stdout> by
485 If the command returns a non-zero exit status, then
486 this function returns an error message. The error message
487 string is the content of I<stderr> from the command.
489 The C<$PATH> environment variable will contain at least
490 C</usr/bin> and C</bin>. If you require a program from
491 another location, you should provide the full path in the
494 Shared libraries and data files required by the program
495 must be available on filesystems which are mounted in the
496 correct places. It is the caller's responsibility to ensure
497 all filesystems that are needed are mounted at the right
500 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
501 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
503 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
504 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
507 =head2 guestfs_command_lines
509 char **guestfs_command_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
510 char * const* const arguments);
512 This is the same as C<guestfs_command>, but splits the
513 result into a list of lines.
515 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
516 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
517 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
519 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
520 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
523 =head2 guestfs_config
525 int guestfs_config (guestfs_h *handle,
526 const char *qemuparam,
527 const char *qemuvalue);
529 This can be used to add arbitrary qemu command line parameters
530 of the form C<-param value>. Actually it's not quite arbitrary - we
531 prevent you from setting some parameters which would interfere with
532 parameters that we use.
534 The first character of C<param> string must be a C<-> (dash).
536 C<value> can be NULL.
538 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
542 int guestfs_cp (guestfs_h *handle,
546 This copies a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
547 either a destination filename or destination directory.
549 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
553 int guestfs_cp_a (guestfs_h *handle,
557 This copies a file or directory from C<src> to C<dest>
558 recursively using the C<cp -a> command.
560 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
564 char *guestfs_debug (guestfs_h *handle,
566 char * const* const extraargs);
568 The C<guestfs_debug> command exposes some internals of
569 C<guestfsd> (the guestfs daemon) that runs inside the
572 There is no comprehensive help for this command. You have
573 to look at the file C<daemon/debug.c> in the libguestfs source
574 to find out what you can do.
576 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
577 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
581 char *guestfs_dmesg (guestfs_h *handle);
583 This returns the kernel messages (C<dmesg> output) from
584 the guest kernel. This is sometimes useful for extended
585 debugging of problems.
587 Another way to get the same information is to enable
588 verbose messages with C<guestfs_set_verbose> or by setting
589 the environment variable C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG=1> before
592 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
593 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
595 =head2 guestfs_download
597 int guestfs_download (guestfs_h *handle,
598 const char *remotefilename,
599 const char *filename);
601 Download file C<remotefilename> and save it as C<filename>
602 on the local machine.
604 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
606 See also C<guestfs_upload>, C<guestfs_cat>.
608 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
610 =head2 guestfs_drop_caches
612 int guestfs_drop_caches (guestfs_h *handle,
615 This instructs the guest kernel to drop its page cache,
616 and/or dentries and inode caches. The parameter C<whattodrop>
617 tells the kernel what precisely to drop, see
618 L<http://linux-mm.org/Drop_Caches>
620 Setting C<whattodrop> to 3 should drop everything.
622 This automatically calls L<sync(2)> before the operation,
623 so that the maximum guest memory is freed.
625 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
627 =head2 guestfs_end_busy
629 int guestfs_end_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
631 This sets the state to C<READY>, or if in C<CONFIG> then it leaves the
632 state as is. This is only used when implementing
633 actions using the low-level API.
635 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
637 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
641 int guestfs_equal (guestfs_h *handle,
645 This compares the two files C<file1> and C<file2> and returns
646 true if their content is exactly equal, or false otherwise.
648 The external L<cmp(1)> program is used for the comparison.
650 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
652 =head2 guestfs_exists
654 int guestfs_exists (guestfs_h *handle,
657 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file, directory
658 (or anything) with the given C<path> name.
660 See also C<guestfs_is_file>, C<guestfs_is_dir>, C<guestfs_stat>.
662 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
666 char *guestfs_file (guestfs_h *handle,
669 This call uses the standard L<file(1)> command to determine
670 the type or contents of the file. This also works on devices,
671 for example to find out whether a partition contains a filesystem.
673 The exact command which runs is C<file -bsL path>. Note in
674 particular that the filename is not prepended to the output
677 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
678 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
682 int guestfs_fsck (guestfs_h *handle,
686 This runs the filesystem checker (fsck) on C<device> which
687 should have filesystem type C<fstype>.
689 The returned integer is the status. See L<fsck(8)> for the
690 list of status codes from C<fsck>.
698 Multiple status codes can be summed together.
702 A non-zero return code can mean "success", for example if
703 errors have been corrected on the filesystem.
707 Checking or repairing NTFS volumes is not supported
712 This command is entirely equivalent to running C<fsck -a -t fstype device>.
714 On error this function returns -1.
716 =head2 guestfs_get_append
718 const char *guestfs_get_append (guestfs_h *handle);
720 Return the additional kernel options which are added to the
721 guest kernel command line.
723 If C<NULL> then no options are added.
725 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
726 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
728 =head2 guestfs_get_autosync
730 int guestfs_get_autosync (guestfs_h *handle);
732 Get the autosync flag.
734 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
736 =head2 guestfs_get_e2label
738 char *guestfs_get_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
741 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
744 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
745 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
747 =head2 guestfs_get_e2uuid
749 char *guestfs_get_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
752 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
755 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
756 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
758 =head2 guestfs_get_path
760 const char *guestfs_get_path (guestfs_h *handle);
762 Return the current search path.
764 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
765 return the default path.
767 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
768 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
770 =head2 guestfs_get_qemu
772 const char *guestfs_get_qemu (guestfs_h *handle);
774 Return the current qemu binary.
776 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
777 return the default qemu binary name.
779 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
780 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
782 =head2 guestfs_get_state
784 int guestfs_get_state (guestfs_h *handle);
786 This returns the current state as an opaque integer. This is
787 only useful for printing debug and internal error messages.
789 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
791 On error this function returns -1.
793 =head2 guestfs_get_verbose
795 int guestfs_get_verbose (guestfs_h *handle);
797 This returns the verbose messages flag.
799 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
801 =head2 guestfs_grub_install
803 int guestfs_grub_install (guestfs_h *handle,
807 This command installs GRUB (the Grand Unified Bootloader) on
808 C<device>, with the root directory being C<root>.
810 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
812 =head2 guestfs_hexdump
814 char *guestfs_hexdump (guestfs_h *handle,
817 This runs C<hexdump -C> on the given C<path>. The result is
818 the human-readable, canonical hex dump of the file.
820 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
821 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
823 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
824 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
827 =head2 guestfs_is_busy
829 int guestfs_is_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
831 This returns true iff this handle is busy processing a command
832 (in the C<BUSY> state).
834 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
836 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
838 =head2 guestfs_is_config
840 int guestfs_is_config (guestfs_h *handle);
842 This returns true iff this handle is being configured
843 (in the C<CONFIG> state).
845 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
847 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
849 =head2 guestfs_is_dir
851 int guestfs_is_dir (guestfs_h *handle,
854 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a directory
855 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
856 other objects like files.
858 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
860 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
862 =head2 guestfs_is_file
864 int guestfs_is_file (guestfs_h *handle,
867 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file
868 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
869 other objects like directories.
871 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
873 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
875 =head2 guestfs_is_launching
877 int guestfs_is_launching (guestfs_h *handle);
879 This returns true iff this handle is launching the subprocess
880 (in the C<LAUNCHING> state).
882 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
884 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
886 =head2 guestfs_is_ready
888 int guestfs_is_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
890 This returns true iff this handle is ready to accept commands
891 (in the C<READY> state).
893 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
895 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
897 =head2 guestfs_kill_subprocess
899 int guestfs_kill_subprocess (guestfs_h *handle);
901 This kills the qemu subprocess. You should never need to call this.
903 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
905 =head2 guestfs_launch
907 int guestfs_launch (guestfs_h *handle);
909 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
912 You should call this after configuring the handle
913 (eg. adding drives) but before performing any actions.
915 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
917 =head2 guestfs_list_devices
919 char **guestfs_list_devices (guestfs_h *handle);
921 List all the block devices.
923 The full block device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda>
925 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
926 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
927 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
929 =head2 guestfs_list_partitions
931 char **guestfs_list_partitions (guestfs_h *handle);
933 List all the partitions detected on all block devices.
935 The full partition device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda1>
937 This does not return logical volumes. For that you will need to
940 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
941 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
942 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
946 char *guestfs_ll (guestfs_h *handle,
947 const char *directory);
949 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
950 there is no cwd) in the format of 'ls -la'.
952 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. It
953 is I<not> intended that you try to parse the output string.
955 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
956 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
960 char **guestfs_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
961 const char *directory);
963 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
964 there is no cwd). The '.' and '..' entries are not returned, but
965 hidden files are shown.
967 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. Programs
968 should probably use C<guestfs_readdir> instead.
970 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
971 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
972 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
976 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_lstat (guestfs_h *handle,
979 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
981 This is the same as C<guestfs_stat> except that if C<path>
982 is a symbolic link, then the link is stat-ed, not the file it
985 This is the same as the C<lstat(2)> system call.
987 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
988 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
989 or NULL if there was an error.
990 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
992 =head2 guestfs_lvcreate
994 int guestfs_lvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
996 const char *volgroup,
999 This creates an LVM volume group called C<logvol>
1000 on the volume group C<volgroup>, with C<size> megabytes.
1002 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1004 =head2 guestfs_lvm_remove_all
1006 int guestfs_lvm_remove_all (guestfs_h *handle);
1008 This command removes all LVM logical volumes, volume groups
1009 and physical volumes.
1011 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1013 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1014 can easily destroy all your data>.
1016 =head2 guestfs_lvremove
1018 int guestfs_lvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1019 const char *device);
1021 Remove an LVM logical volume C<device>, where C<device> is
1022 the path to the LV, such as C</dev/VG/LV>.
1024 You can also remove all LVs in a volume group by specifying
1025 the VG name, C</dev/VG>.
1027 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1031 char **guestfs_lvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1033 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1034 of the L<lvs(8)> command.
1036 This returns a list of the logical volume device names
1037 (eg. C</dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00>).
1039 See also C<guestfs_lvs_full>.
1041 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1042 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1043 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1045 =head2 guestfs_lvs_full
1047 struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *guestfs_lvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1049 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1050 of the L<lvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1052 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *>
1053 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1054 or NULL if there was an error.
1055 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_lv_list> after use>.
1057 =head2 guestfs_mkdir
1059 int guestfs_mkdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1062 Create a directory named C<path>.
1064 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1066 =head2 guestfs_mkdir_p
1068 int guestfs_mkdir_p (guestfs_h *handle,
1071 Create a directory named C<path>, creating any parent directories
1072 as necessary. This is like the C<mkdir -p> shell command.
1074 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1078 int guestfs_mkfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1080 const char *device);
1082 This creates a filesystem on C<device> (usually a partition
1083 or LVM logical volume). The filesystem type is C<fstype>, for
1086 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1088 =head2 guestfs_mount
1090 int guestfs_mount (guestfs_h *handle,
1092 const char *mountpoint);
1094 Mount a guest disk at a position in the filesystem. Block devices
1095 are named C</dev/sda>, C</dev/sdb> and so on, as they were added to
1096 the guest. If those block devices contain partitions, they will have
1097 the usual names (eg. C</dev/sda1>). Also LVM C</dev/VG/LV>-style
1100 The rules are the same as for L<mount(2)>: A filesystem must
1101 first be mounted on C</> before others can be mounted. Other
1102 filesystems can only be mounted on directories which already
1105 The mounted filesystem is writable, if we have sufficient permissions
1106 on the underlying device.
1108 The filesystem options C<sync> and C<noatime> are set with this
1109 call, in order to improve reliability.
1111 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1113 =head2 guestfs_mount_options
1115 int guestfs_mount_options (guestfs_h *handle,
1116 const char *options,
1118 const char *mountpoint);
1120 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1121 allows you to set the mount options as for the
1122 L<mount(8)> I<-o> flag.
1124 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1126 =head2 guestfs_mount_ro
1128 int guestfs_mount_ro (guestfs_h *handle,
1130 const char *mountpoint);
1132 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1133 mounts the filesystem with the read-only (I<-o ro>) flag.
1135 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1137 =head2 guestfs_mount_vfs
1139 int guestfs_mount_vfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1140 const char *options,
1141 const char *vfstype,
1143 const char *mountpoint);
1145 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1146 allows you to set both the mount options and the vfstype
1147 as for the L<mount(8)> I<-o> and I<-t> flags.
1149 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1151 =head2 guestfs_mounts
1153 char **guestfs_mounts (guestfs_h *handle);
1155 This returns the list of currently mounted filesystems. It returns
1156 the list of devices (eg. C</dev/sda1>, C</dev/VG/LV>).
1158 Some internal mounts are not shown.
1160 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1161 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1162 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1166 int guestfs_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
1170 This moves a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
1171 either a destination filename or destination directory.
1173 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1175 =head2 guestfs_ping_daemon
1177 int guestfs_ping_daemon (guestfs_h *handle);
1179 This is a test probe into the guestfs daemon running inside
1180 the qemu subprocess. Calling this function checks that the
1181 daemon responds to the ping message, without affecting the daemon
1182 or attached block device(s) in any other way.
1184 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1186 =head2 guestfs_pvcreate
1188 int guestfs_pvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1189 const char *device);
1191 This creates an LVM physical volume on the named C<device>,
1192 where C<device> should usually be a partition name such
1195 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1197 =head2 guestfs_pvremove
1199 int guestfs_pvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1200 const char *device);
1202 This wipes a physical volume C<device> so that LVM will no longer
1205 The implementation uses the C<pvremove> command which refuses to
1206 wipe physical volumes that contain any volume groups, so you have
1207 to remove those first.
1209 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1213 char **guestfs_pvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1215 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1216 of the L<pvs(8)> command.
1218 This returns a list of just the device names that contain
1219 PVs (eg. C</dev/sda2>).
1221 See also C<guestfs_pvs_full>.
1223 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1224 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1225 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1227 =head2 guestfs_pvs_full
1229 struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *guestfs_pvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1231 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1232 of the L<pvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1234 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *>
1235 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1236 or NULL if there was an error.
1237 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_pv_list> after use>.
1239 =head2 guestfs_read_lines
1241 char **guestfs_read_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
1244 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
1246 The file contents are returned as a list of lines. Trailing
1247 C<LF> and C<CRLF> character sequences are I<not> returned.
1249 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
1250 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
1251 as end of line). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_read_file>
1252 function which has a more complex interface.
1254 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1255 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1256 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1260 int guestfs_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
1263 Remove the single file C<path>.
1265 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1267 =head2 guestfs_rm_rf
1269 int guestfs_rm_rf (guestfs_h *handle,
1272 Remove the file or directory C<path>, recursively removing the
1273 contents if its a directory. This is like the C<rm -rf> shell
1276 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1278 =head2 guestfs_rmdir
1280 int guestfs_rmdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1283 Remove the single directory C<path>.
1285 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1287 =head2 guestfs_set_append
1289 int guestfs_set_append (guestfs_h *handle,
1290 const char *append);
1292 This function is used to add additional options to the
1293 guest kernel command line.
1295 The default is C<NULL> unless overridden by setting
1296 C<LIBGUESTFS_APPEND> environment variable.
1298 Setting C<append> to C<NULL> means I<no> additional options
1299 are passed (libguestfs always adds a few of its own).
1301 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1303 =head2 guestfs_set_autosync
1305 int guestfs_set_autosync (guestfs_h *handle,
1308 If C<autosync> is true, this enables autosync. Libguestfs will make a
1309 best effort attempt to run C<guestfs_umount_all> followed by
1310 C<guestfs_sync> when the handle is closed
1311 (also if the program exits without closing handles).
1313 This is disabled by default (except in guestfish where it is
1314 enabled by default).
1316 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1318 =head2 guestfs_set_busy
1320 int guestfs_set_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
1322 This sets the state to C<BUSY>. This is only used when implementing
1323 actions using the low-level API.
1325 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1327 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1329 =head2 guestfs_set_e2label
1331 int guestfs_set_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
1335 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
1336 C<device> to C<label>. Filesystem labels are limited to
1339 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2label>
1340 to return the existing label on a filesystem.
1342 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1344 =head2 guestfs_set_e2uuid
1346 int guestfs_set_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
1350 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
1351 C<device> to C<uuid>. The format of the UUID and alternatives
1352 such as C<clear>, C<random> and C<time> are described in the
1353 L<tune2fs(8)> manpage.
1355 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2uuid>
1356 to return the existing UUID of a filesystem.
1358 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1360 =head2 guestfs_set_path
1362 int guestfs_set_path (guestfs_h *handle,
1365 Set the path that libguestfs searches for kernel and initrd.img.
1367 The default is C<$libdir/guestfs> unless overridden by setting
1368 C<LIBGUESTFS_PATH> environment variable.
1370 Setting C<path> to C<NULL> restores the default path.
1372 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1374 =head2 guestfs_set_qemu
1376 int guestfs_set_qemu (guestfs_h *handle,
1379 Set the qemu binary that we will use.
1381 The default is chosen when the library was compiled by the
1384 You can also override this by setting the C<LIBGUESTFS_QEMU>
1385 environment variable.
1387 Setting C<qemu> to C<NULL> restores the default qemu binary.
1389 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1391 =head2 guestfs_set_ready
1393 int guestfs_set_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1395 This sets the state to C<READY>. This is only used when implementing
1396 actions using the low-level API.
1398 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1400 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1402 =head2 guestfs_set_verbose
1404 int guestfs_set_verbose (guestfs_h *handle,
1407 If C<verbose> is true, this turns on verbose messages (to C<stderr>).
1409 Verbose messages are disabled unless the environment variable
1410 C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG> is defined and set to C<1>.
1412 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1414 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk
1416 int guestfs_sfdisk (guestfs_h *handle,
1421 char * const* const lines);
1423 This is a direct interface to the L<sfdisk(8)> program for creating
1424 partitions on block devices.
1426 C<device> should be a block device, for example C</dev/sda>.
1428 C<cyls>, C<heads> and C<sectors> are the number of cylinders, heads
1429 and sectors on the device, which are passed directly to sfdisk as
1430 the I<-C>, I<-H> and I<-S> parameters. If you pass C<0> for any
1431 of these, then the corresponding parameter is omitted. Usually for
1432 'large' disks, you can just pass C<0> for these, but for small
1433 (floppy-sized) disks, sfdisk (or rather, the kernel) cannot work
1434 out the right geometry and you will need to tell it.
1436 C<lines> is a list of lines that we feed to C<sfdisk>. For more
1437 information refer to the L<sfdisk(8)> manpage.
1439 To create a single partition occupying the whole disk, you would
1440 pass C<lines> as a single element list, when the single element being
1441 the string C<,> (comma).
1443 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1445 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1446 can easily destroy all your data>.
1450 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_stat (guestfs_h *handle,
1453 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
1455 This is the same as the C<stat(2)> system call.
1457 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
1458 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1459 or NULL if there was an error.
1460 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1462 =head2 guestfs_statvfs
1464 struct guestfs_statvfs *guestfs_statvfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1467 Returns file system statistics for any mounted file system.
1468 C<path> should be a file or directory in the mounted file system
1469 (typically it is the mount point itself, but it doesn't need to be).
1471 This is the same as the C<statvfs(2)> system call.
1473 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_statvfs *>
1474 (see L<statvfs(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1475 or NULL if there was an error.
1476 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1478 =head2 guestfs_strings
1480 char **guestfs_strings (guestfs_h *handle,
1483 This runs the L<strings(1)> command on a file and returns
1484 the list of printable strings found.
1486 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1487 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1488 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1490 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1491 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1494 =head2 guestfs_strings_e
1496 char **guestfs_strings_e (guestfs_h *handle,
1497 const char *encoding,
1500 This is like the C<guestfs_strings> command, but allows you to
1501 specify the encoding.
1503 See the L<strings(1)> manpage for the full list of encodings.
1505 Commonly useful encodings are C<l> (lower case L) which will
1506 show strings inside Windows/x86 files.
1508 The returned strings are transcoded to UTF-8.
1510 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1511 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1512 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1514 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1515 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1520 int guestfs_sync (guestfs_h *handle);
1522 This syncs the disk, so that any writes are flushed through to the
1523 underlying disk image.
1525 You should always call this if you have modified a disk image, before
1528 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1530 =head2 guestfs_tar_in
1532 int guestfs_tar_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1533 const char *tarfile,
1534 const char *directory);
1536 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarfile> (an
1537 I<uncompressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1539 To upload a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_in>.
1541 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1543 =head2 guestfs_tar_out
1545 int guestfs_tar_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1546 const char *directory,
1547 const char *tarfile);
1549 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1550 it to local file C<tarfile>.
1552 To download a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_out>.
1554 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1556 =head2 guestfs_tgz_in
1558 int guestfs_tgz_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1559 const char *tarball,
1560 const char *directory);
1562 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarball> (a
1563 I<gzip compressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1565 To upload an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_in>.
1567 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1569 =head2 guestfs_tgz_out
1571 int guestfs_tgz_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1572 const char *directory,
1573 const char *tarball);
1575 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1576 it to local file C<tarball>.
1578 To download an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_out>.
1580 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1582 =head2 guestfs_touch
1584 int guestfs_touch (guestfs_h *handle,
1587 Touch acts like the L<touch(1)> command. It can be used to
1588 update the timestamps on a file, or, if the file does not exist,
1589 to create a new zero-length file.
1591 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1593 =head2 guestfs_tune2fs_l
1595 char **guestfs_tune2fs_l (guestfs_h *handle,
1596 const char *device);
1598 This returns the contents of the ext2, ext3 or ext4 filesystem
1599 superblock on C<device>.
1601 It is the same as running C<tune2fs -l device>. See L<tune2fs(8)>
1602 manpage for more details. The list of fields returned isn't
1603 clearly defined, and depends on both the version of C<tune2fs>
1604 that libguestfs was built against, and the filesystem itself.
1606 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of
1607 strings, or NULL if there was an error.
1608 The array of strings will always have length C<2n+1>, where
1609 C<n> keys and values alternate, followed by the trailing NULL entry.
1610 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1612 =head2 guestfs_umount
1614 int guestfs_umount (guestfs_h *handle,
1615 const char *pathordevice);
1617 This unmounts the given filesystem. The filesystem may be
1618 specified either by its mountpoint (path) or the device which
1619 contains the filesystem.
1621 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1623 =head2 guestfs_umount_all
1625 int guestfs_umount_all (guestfs_h *handle);
1627 This unmounts all mounted filesystems.
1629 Some internal mounts are not unmounted by this call.
1631 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1633 =head2 guestfs_upload
1635 int guestfs_upload (guestfs_h *handle,
1636 const char *filename,
1637 const char *remotefilename);
1639 Upload local file C<filename> to C<remotefilename> on the
1642 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
1644 See also C<guestfs_download>.
1646 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1648 =head2 guestfs_vgcreate
1650 int guestfs_vgcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1651 const char *volgroup,
1652 char * const* const physvols);
1654 This creates an LVM volume group called C<volgroup>
1655 from the non-empty list of physical volumes C<physvols>.
1657 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1659 =head2 guestfs_vgremove
1661 int guestfs_vgremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1662 const char *vgname);
1664 Remove an LVM volume group C<vgname>, (for example C<VG>).
1666 This also forcibly removes all logical volumes in the volume
1669 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1673 char **guestfs_vgs (guestfs_h *handle);
1675 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
1676 of the L<vgs(8)> command.
1678 This returns a list of just the volume group names that were
1679 detected (eg. C<VolGroup00>).
1681 See also C<guestfs_vgs_full>.
1683 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1684 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1685 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1687 =head2 guestfs_vgs_full
1689 struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *guestfs_vgs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1691 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
1692 of the L<vgs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1694 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *>
1695 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1696 or NULL if there was an error.
1697 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_vg_list> after use>.
1699 =head2 guestfs_wait_ready
1701 int guestfs_wait_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1703 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
1706 You should call this after C<guestfs_launch> to wait for the launch
1709 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1711 =head2 guestfs_write_file
1713 int guestfs_write_file (guestfs_h *handle,
1715 const char *content,
1718 This call creates a file called C<path>. The contents of the
1719 file is the string C<content> (which can contain any 8 bit data),
1720 with length C<size>.
1722 As a special case, if C<size> is C<0>
1723 then the length is calculated using C<strlen> (so in this case
1724 the content cannot contain embedded ASCII NULs).
1726 I<NB.> Owing to a bug, writing content containing ASCII NUL
1727 characters does I<not> work, even if the length is specified.
1728 We hope to resolve this bug in a future version. In the meantime
1729 use C<guestfs_upload>.
1731 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1733 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1734 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1739 int guestfs_zero (guestfs_h *handle,
1740 const char *device);
1742 This command writes zeroes over the first few blocks of C<device>.
1744 How many blocks are zeroed isn't specified (but it's I<not> enough
1745 to securely wipe the device). It should be sufficient to remove
1746 any partition tables, filesystem superblocks and so on.
1748 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.