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 Note that this call checks for the existence of C<filename>. This
11 stops you from specifying other types of drive which are supported
12 by qemu such as C<nbd:> and C<http:> URLs. To specify those, use
13 the general C<guestfs_config> call instead.
15 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
17 =head2 guestfs_add_drive
19 int guestfs_add_drive (guestfs_h *handle,
20 const char *filename);
22 This function adds a virtual machine disk image C<filename> to the
23 guest. The first time you call this function, the disk appears as IDE
24 disk 0 (C</dev/sda>) in the guest, the second time as C</dev/sdb>, and
27 You don't necessarily need to be root when using libguestfs. However
28 you obviously do need sufficient permissions to access the filename
29 for whatever operations you want to perform (ie. read access if you
30 just want to read the image or write access if you want to modify the
33 This is equivalent to the qemu parameter C<-drive file=filename,cache=off>.
35 Note that this call checks for the existence of C<filename>. This
36 stops you from specifying other types of drive which are supported
37 by qemu such as C<nbd:> and C<http:> URLs. To specify those, use
38 the general C<guestfs_config> call instead.
40 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
42 =head2 guestfs_add_drive_ro
44 int guestfs_add_drive_ro (guestfs_h *handle,
45 const char *filename);
47 This adds a drive in snapshot mode, making it effectively
50 Note that writes to the device are allowed, and will be seen for
51 the duration of the guestfs handle, but they are written
52 to a temporary file which is discarded as soon as the guestfs
53 handle is closed. We don't currently have any method to enable
54 changes to be committed, although qemu can support this.
56 This is equivalent to the qemu parameter
57 C<-drive file=filename,snapshot=on>.
59 Note that this call checks for the existence of C<filename>. This
60 stops you from specifying other types of drive which are supported
61 by qemu such as C<nbd:> and C<http:> URLs. To specify those, use
62 the general C<guestfs_config> call instead.
64 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
66 =head2 guestfs_aug_close
68 int guestfs_aug_close (guestfs_h *handle);
70 Close the current Augeas handle and free up any resources
71 used by it. After calling this, you have to call
72 C<guestfs_aug_init> again before you can use any other
75 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
77 =head2 guestfs_aug_defnode
79 struct guestfs_int_bool *guestfs_aug_defnode (guestfs_h *handle,
84 Defines a variable C<name> whose value is the result of
87 If C<expr> evaluates to an empty nodeset, a node is created,
88 equivalent to calling C<guestfs_aug_set> C<expr>, C<value>.
89 C<name> will be the nodeset containing that single node.
91 On success this returns a pair containing the
92 number of nodes in the nodeset, and a boolean flag
93 if a node was created.
95 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_int_bool *>,
96 or NULL if there was an error.
97 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_int_bool> after use>.
99 =head2 guestfs_aug_defvar
101 int guestfs_aug_defvar (guestfs_h *handle,
105 Defines an Augeas variable C<name> whose value is the result
106 of evaluating C<expr>. If C<expr> is NULL, then C<name> is
109 On success this returns the number of nodes in C<expr>, or
110 C<0> if C<expr> evaluates to something which is not a nodeset.
112 On error this function returns -1.
114 =head2 guestfs_aug_get
116 char *guestfs_aug_get (guestfs_h *handle,
119 Look up the value associated with C<path>. If C<path>
120 matches exactly one node, the C<value> is returned.
122 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
123 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
125 =head2 guestfs_aug_init
127 int guestfs_aug_init (guestfs_h *handle,
131 Create a new Augeas handle for editing configuration files.
132 If there was any previous Augeas handle associated with this
133 guestfs session, then it is closed.
135 You must call this before using any other C<guestfs_aug_*>
138 C<root> is the filesystem root. C<root> must not be NULL,
141 The flags are the same as the flags defined in
142 E<lt>augeas.hE<gt>, the logical I<or> of the following
147 =item C<AUG_SAVE_BACKUP> = 1
149 Keep the original file with a C<.augsave> extension.
151 =item C<AUG_SAVE_NEWFILE> = 2
153 Save changes into a file with extension C<.augnew>, and
154 do not overwrite original. Overrides C<AUG_SAVE_BACKUP>.
156 =item C<AUG_TYPE_CHECK> = 4
158 Typecheck lenses (can be expensive).
160 =item C<AUG_NO_STDINC> = 8
162 Do not use standard load path for modules.
164 =item C<AUG_SAVE_NOOP> = 16
166 Make save a no-op, just record what would have been changed.
168 =item C<AUG_NO_LOAD> = 32
170 Do not load the tree in C<guestfs_aug_init>.
174 To close the handle, you can call C<guestfs_aug_close>.
176 To find out more about Augeas, see L<http://augeas.net/>.
178 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
180 =head2 guestfs_aug_insert
182 int guestfs_aug_insert (guestfs_h *handle,
187 Create a new sibling C<label> for C<path>, inserting it into
188 the tree before or after C<path> (depending on the boolean
191 C<path> must match exactly one existing node in the tree, and
192 C<label> must be a label, ie. not contain C</>, C<*> or end
193 with a bracketed index C<[N]>.
195 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
197 =head2 guestfs_aug_load
199 int guestfs_aug_load (guestfs_h *handle);
201 Load files into the tree.
203 See C<aug_load> in the Augeas documentation for the full gory
206 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
208 =head2 guestfs_aug_ls
210 char **guestfs_aug_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
213 This is just a shortcut for listing C<guestfs_aug_match>
214 C<path/*> and sorting the resulting nodes into alphabetical order.
216 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
217 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
218 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
220 =head2 guestfs_aug_match
222 char **guestfs_aug_match (guestfs_h *handle,
225 Returns a list of paths which match the path expression C<path>.
226 The returned paths are sufficiently qualified so that they match
227 exactly one node in the current tree.
229 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
230 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
231 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
233 =head2 guestfs_aug_mv
235 int guestfs_aug_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
239 Move the node C<src> to C<dest>. C<src> must match exactly
240 one node. C<dest> is overwritten if it exists.
242 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
244 =head2 guestfs_aug_rm
246 int guestfs_aug_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
249 Remove C<path> and all of its children.
251 On success this returns the number of entries which were removed.
253 On error this function returns -1.
255 =head2 guestfs_aug_save
257 int guestfs_aug_save (guestfs_h *handle);
259 This writes all pending changes to disk.
261 The flags which were passed to C<guestfs_aug_init> affect exactly
264 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
266 =head2 guestfs_aug_set
268 int guestfs_aug_set (guestfs_h *handle,
272 Set the value associated with C<path> to C<value>.
274 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
276 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_flushbufs
278 int guestfs_blockdev_flushbufs (guestfs_h *handle,
281 This tells the kernel to flush internal buffers associated
284 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
286 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
288 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getbsz
290 int guestfs_blockdev_getbsz (guestfs_h *handle,
293 This returns the block size of a device.
295 (Note this is different from both I<size in blocks> and
296 I<filesystem block size>).
298 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
300 On error this function returns -1.
302 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getro
304 int guestfs_blockdev_getro (guestfs_h *handle,
307 Returns a boolean indicating if the block device is read-only
308 (true if read-only, false if not).
310 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
312 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
314 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getsize64
316 int64_t guestfs_blockdev_getsize64 (guestfs_h *handle,
319 This returns the size of the device in bytes.
321 See also C<guestfs_blockdev_getsz>.
323 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
325 On error this function returns -1.
327 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getss
329 int guestfs_blockdev_getss (guestfs_h *handle,
332 This returns the size of sectors on a block device.
333 Usually 512, but can be larger for modern devices.
335 (Note, this is not the size in sectors, use C<guestfs_blockdev_getsz>
338 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
340 On error this function returns -1.
342 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getsz
344 int64_t guestfs_blockdev_getsz (guestfs_h *handle,
347 This returns the size of the device in units of 512-byte sectors
348 (even if the sectorsize isn't 512 bytes ... weird).
350 See also C<guestfs_blockdev_getss> for the real sector size of
351 the device, and C<guestfs_blockdev_getsize64> for the more
352 useful I<size in bytes>.
354 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
356 On error this function returns -1.
358 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_rereadpt
360 int guestfs_blockdev_rereadpt (guestfs_h *handle,
363 Reread the partition table on C<device>.
365 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
367 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
369 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setbsz
371 int guestfs_blockdev_setbsz (guestfs_h *handle,
375 This sets the block size of a device.
377 (Note this is different from both I<size in blocks> and
378 I<filesystem block size>).
380 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
382 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
384 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setro
386 int guestfs_blockdev_setro (guestfs_h *handle,
389 Sets the block device named C<device> to read-only.
391 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
393 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
395 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setrw
397 int guestfs_blockdev_setrw (guestfs_h *handle,
400 Sets the block device named C<device> to read-write.
402 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
404 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
408 char *guestfs_cat (guestfs_h *handle,
411 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
413 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
414 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
415 as end of string). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_download>
416 function which has a more complex interface.
418 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
419 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
421 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
422 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
425 =head2 guestfs_checksum
427 char *guestfs_checksum (guestfs_h *handle,
428 const char *csumtype,
431 This call computes the MD5, SHAx or CRC checksum of the
434 The type of checksum to compute is given by the C<csumtype>
435 parameter which must have one of the following values:
441 Compute the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) specified by POSIX
442 for the C<cksum> command.
446 Compute the MD5 hash (using the C<md5sum> program).
450 Compute the SHA1 hash (using the C<sha1sum> program).
454 Compute the SHA224 hash (using the C<sha224sum> program).
458 Compute the SHA256 hash (using the C<sha256sum> program).
462 Compute the SHA384 hash (using the C<sha384sum> program).
466 Compute the SHA512 hash (using the C<sha512sum> program).
470 The checksum is returned as a printable string.
472 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
473 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
477 int guestfs_chmod (guestfs_h *handle,
481 Change the mode (permissions) of C<path> to C<mode>. Only
482 numeric modes are supported.
484 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
488 int guestfs_chown (guestfs_h *handle,
493 Change the file owner to C<owner> and group to C<group>.
495 Only numeric uid and gid are supported. If you want to use
496 names, you will need to locate and parse the password file
497 yourself (Augeas support makes this relatively easy).
499 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
501 =head2 guestfs_command
503 char *guestfs_command (guestfs_h *handle,
504 char * const* const arguments);
506 This call runs a command from the guest filesystem. The
507 filesystem must be mounted, and must contain a compatible
508 operating system (ie. something Linux, with the same
509 or compatible processor architecture).
511 The single parameter is an argv-style list of arguments.
512 The first element is the name of the program to run.
513 Subsequent elements are parameters. The list must be
514 non-empty (ie. must contain a program name). Note that
515 the command runs directly, and is I<not> invoked via
516 the shell (see C<guestfs_sh>).
518 The return value is anything printed to I<stdout> by
521 If the command returns a non-zero exit status, then
522 this function returns an error message. The error message
523 string is the content of I<stderr> from the command.
525 The C<$PATH> environment variable will contain at least
526 C</usr/bin> and C</bin>. If you require a program from
527 another location, you should provide the full path in the
530 Shared libraries and data files required by the program
531 must be available on filesystems which are mounted in the
532 correct places. It is the caller's responsibility to ensure
533 all filesystems that are needed are mounted at the right
536 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
537 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
539 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
540 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
543 =head2 guestfs_command_lines
545 char **guestfs_command_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
546 char * const* const arguments);
548 This is the same as C<guestfs_command>, but splits the
549 result into a list of lines.
551 See also: C<guestfs_sh_lines>
553 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
554 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
555 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
557 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
558 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
561 =head2 guestfs_config
563 int guestfs_config (guestfs_h *handle,
564 const char *qemuparam,
565 const char *qemuvalue);
567 This can be used to add arbitrary qemu command line parameters
568 of the form C<-param value>. Actually it's not quite arbitrary - we
569 prevent you from setting some parameters which would interfere with
570 parameters that we use.
572 The first character of C<param> string must be a C<-> (dash).
574 C<value> can be NULL.
576 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
580 int guestfs_cp (guestfs_h *handle,
584 This copies a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
585 either a destination filename or destination directory.
587 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
591 int guestfs_cp_a (guestfs_h *handle,
595 This copies a file or directory from C<src> to C<dest>
596 recursively using the C<cp -a> command.
598 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
602 char *guestfs_debug (guestfs_h *handle,
604 char * const* const extraargs);
606 The C<guestfs_debug> command exposes some internals of
607 C<guestfsd> (the guestfs daemon) that runs inside the
610 There is no comprehensive help for this command. You have
611 to look at the file C<daemon/debug.c> in the libguestfs source
612 to find out what you can do.
614 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
615 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
619 char *guestfs_df (guestfs_h *handle);
621 This command runs the C<df> command to report disk space used.
623 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. It
624 is I<not> intended that you try to parse the output string.
625 Use C<statvfs> from programs.
627 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
628 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
632 char *guestfs_df_h (guestfs_h *handle);
634 This command runs the C<df -h> command to report disk space used
635 in human-readable format.
637 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. It
638 is I<not> intended that you try to parse the output string.
639 Use C<statvfs> from programs.
641 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
642 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
646 char *guestfs_dmesg (guestfs_h *handle);
648 This returns the kernel messages (C<dmesg> output) from
649 the guest kernel. This is sometimes useful for extended
650 debugging of problems.
652 Another way to get the same information is to enable
653 verbose messages with C<guestfs_set_verbose> or by setting
654 the environment variable C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG=1> before
657 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
658 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
660 =head2 guestfs_download
662 int guestfs_download (guestfs_h *handle,
663 const char *remotefilename,
664 const char *filename);
666 Download file C<remotefilename> and save it as C<filename>
667 on the local machine.
669 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
671 See also C<guestfs_upload>, C<guestfs_cat>.
673 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
675 =head2 guestfs_drop_caches
677 int guestfs_drop_caches (guestfs_h *handle,
680 This instructs the guest kernel to drop its page cache,
681 and/or dentries and inode caches. The parameter C<whattodrop>
682 tells the kernel what precisely to drop, see
683 L<http://linux-mm.org/Drop_Caches>
685 Setting C<whattodrop> to 3 should drop everything.
687 This automatically calls L<sync(2)> before the operation,
688 so that the maximum guest memory is freed.
690 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
694 int64_t guestfs_du (guestfs_h *handle,
697 This command runs the C<du -s> command to estimate file space
700 C<path> can be a file or a directory. If C<path> is a directory
701 then the estimate includes the contents of the directory and all
702 subdirectories (recursively).
704 The result is the estimated size in I<kilobytes>
705 (ie. units of 1024 bytes).
707 On error this function returns -1.
709 =head2 guestfs_e2fsck_f
711 int guestfs_e2fsck_f (guestfs_h *handle,
714 This runs C<e2fsck -p -f device>, ie. runs the ext2/ext3
715 filesystem checker on C<device>, noninteractively (C<-p>),
716 even if the filesystem appears to be clean (C<-f>).
718 This command is only needed because of C<guestfs_resize2fs>
719 (q.v.). Normally you should use C<guestfs_fsck>.
721 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
723 =head2 guestfs_end_busy
725 int guestfs_end_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
727 This sets the state to C<READY>, or if in C<CONFIG> then it leaves the
728 state as is. This is only used when implementing
729 actions using the low-level API.
731 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
733 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
737 int guestfs_equal (guestfs_h *handle,
741 This compares the two files C<file1> and C<file2> and returns
742 true if their content is exactly equal, or false otherwise.
744 The external L<cmp(1)> program is used for the comparison.
746 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
748 =head2 guestfs_exists
750 int guestfs_exists (guestfs_h *handle,
753 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file, directory
754 (or anything) with the given C<path> name.
756 See also C<guestfs_is_file>, C<guestfs_is_dir>, C<guestfs_stat>.
758 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
762 char *guestfs_file (guestfs_h *handle,
765 This call uses the standard L<file(1)> command to determine
766 the type or contents of the file. This also works on devices,
767 for example to find out whether a partition contains a filesystem.
769 The exact command which runs is C<file -bsL path>. Note in
770 particular that the filename is not prepended to the output
773 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
774 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
778 char **guestfs_find (guestfs_h *handle,
779 const char *directory);
781 This command lists out all files and directories, recursively,
782 starting at C<directory>. It is essentially equivalent to
783 running the shell command C<find directory -print> but some
784 post-processing happens on the output, described below.
786 This returns a list of strings I<without any prefix>. Thus
787 if the directory structure was:
793 then the returned list from C<guestfs_find> C</tmp> would be
801 If C<directory> is not a directory, then this command returns
804 The returned list is sorted.
806 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
807 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
808 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
812 int guestfs_fsck (guestfs_h *handle,
816 This runs the filesystem checker (fsck) on C<device> which
817 should have filesystem type C<fstype>.
819 The returned integer is the status. See L<fsck(8)> for the
820 list of status codes from C<fsck>.
828 Multiple status codes can be summed together.
832 A non-zero return code can mean "success", for example if
833 errors have been corrected on the filesystem.
837 Checking or repairing NTFS volumes is not supported
842 This command is entirely equivalent to running C<fsck -a -t fstype device>.
844 On error this function returns -1.
846 =head2 guestfs_get_append
848 const char *guestfs_get_append (guestfs_h *handle);
850 Return the additional kernel options which are added to the
851 guest kernel command line.
853 If C<NULL> then no options are added.
855 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
856 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
858 =head2 guestfs_get_autosync
860 int guestfs_get_autosync (guestfs_h *handle);
862 Get the autosync flag.
864 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
866 =head2 guestfs_get_e2label
868 char *guestfs_get_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
871 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
874 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
875 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
877 =head2 guestfs_get_e2uuid
879 char *guestfs_get_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
882 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
885 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
886 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
888 =head2 guestfs_get_path
890 const char *guestfs_get_path (guestfs_h *handle);
892 Return the current search path.
894 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
895 return the default path.
897 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
898 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
900 =head2 guestfs_get_qemu
902 const char *guestfs_get_qemu (guestfs_h *handle);
904 Return the current qemu binary.
906 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
907 return the default qemu binary name.
909 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
910 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
912 =head2 guestfs_get_state
914 int guestfs_get_state (guestfs_h *handle);
916 This returns the current state as an opaque integer. This is
917 only useful for printing debug and internal error messages.
919 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
921 On error this function returns -1.
923 =head2 guestfs_get_verbose
925 int guestfs_get_verbose (guestfs_h *handle);
927 This returns the verbose messages flag.
929 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
931 =head2 guestfs_glob_expand
933 char **guestfs_glob_expand (guestfs_h *handle,
934 const char *pattern);
936 This command searches for all the pathnames matching
937 C<pattern> according to the wildcard expansion rules
940 If no paths match, then this returns an empty list
941 (note: not an error).
943 It is just a wrapper around the C L<glob(3)> function
944 with flags C<GLOB_MARK|GLOB_BRACE>.
945 See that manual page for more details.
947 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
948 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
949 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
951 =head2 guestfs_grub_install
953 int guestfs_grub_install (guestfs_h *handle,
957 This command installs GRUB (the Grand Unified Bootloader) on
958 C<device>, with the root directory being C<root>.
960 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
964 char **guestfs_head (guestfs_h *handle,
967 This command returns up to the first 10 lines of a file as
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>.
974 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
975 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
978 =head2 guestfs_head_n
980 char **guestfs_head_n (guestfs_h *handle,
984 If the parameter C<nrlines> is a positive number, this returns the first
985 C<nrlines> lines of the file C<path>.
987 If the parameter C<nrlines> is a negative number, this returns lines
988 from the file C<path>, excluding the last C<nrlines> lines.
990 If the parameter C<nrlines> is zero, this returns an empty list.
992 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
993 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
994 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
996 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
997 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1000 =head2 guestfs_hexdump
1002 char *guestfs_hexdump (guestfs_h *handle,
1005 This runs C<hexdump -C> on the given C<path>. The result is
1006 the human-readable, canonical hex dump of the file.
1008 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1009 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1011 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1012 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1015 =head2 guestfs_initrd_list
1017 char **guestfs_initrd_list (guestfs_h *handle,
1020 This command lists out files contained in an initrd.
1022 The files are listed without any initial C</> character. The
1023 files are listed in the order they appear (not necessarily
1024 alphabetical). Directory names are listed as separate items.
1026 Old Linux kernels (2.4 and earlier) used a compressed ext2
1027 filesystem as initrd. We I<only> support the newer initramfs
1028 format (compressed cpio files).
1030 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1031 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1032 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1034 =head2 guestfs_is_busy
1036 int guestfs_is_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
1038 This returns true iff this handle is busy processing a command
1039 (in the C<BUSY> state).
1041 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1043 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1045 =head2 guestfs_is_config
1047 int guestfs_is_config (guestfs_h *handle);
1049 This returns true iff this handle is being configured
1050 (in the C<CONFIG> state).
1052 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1054 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1056 =head2 guestfs_is_dir
1058 int guestfs_is_dir (guestfs_h *handle,
1061 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a directory
1062 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
1063 other objects like files.
1065 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
1067 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1069 =head2 guestfs_is_file
1071 int guestfs_is_file (guestfs_h *handle,
1074 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file
1075 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
1076 other objects like directories.
1078 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
1080 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1082 =head2 guestfs_is_launching
1084 int guestfs_is_launching (guestfs_h *handle);
1086 This returns true iff this handle is launching the subprocess
1087 (in the C<LAUNCHING> state).
1089 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1091 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1093 =head2 guestfs_is_ready
1095 int guestfs_is_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1097 This returns true iff this handle is ready to accept commands
1098 (in the C<READY> state).
1100 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1102 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1104 =head2 guestfs_kill_subprocess
1106 int guestfs_kill_subprocess (guestfs_h *handle);
1108 This kills the qemu subprocess. You should never need to call this.
1110 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1112 =head2 guestfs_launch
1114 int guestfs_launch (guestfs_h *handle);
1116 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
1119 You should call this after configuring the handle
1120 (eg. adding drives) but before performing any actions.
1122 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1124 =head2 guestfs_list_devices
1126 char **guestfs_list_devices (guestfs_h *handle);
1128 List all the block devices.
1130 The full block device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda>
1132 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1133 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1134 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1136 =head2 guestfs_list_partitions
1138 char **guestfs_list_partitions (guestfs_h *handle);
1140 List all the partitions detected on all block devices.
1142 The full partition device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda1>
1144 This does not return logical volumes. For that you will need to
1145 call C<guestfs_lvs>.
1147 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1148 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1149 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1153 char *guestfs_ll (guestfs_h *handle,
1154 const char *directory);
1156 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
1157 there is no cwd) in the format of 'ls -la'.
1159 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. It
1160 is I<not> intended that you try to parse the output string.
1162 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1163 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1167 char **guestfs_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
1168 const char *directory);
1170 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
1171 there is no cwd). The '.' and '..' entries are not returned, but
1172 hidden files are shown.
1174 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. Programs
1175 should probably use C<guestfs_readdir> instead.
1177 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1178 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1179 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1181 =head2 guestfs_lstat
1183 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_lstat (guestfs_h *handle,
1186 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
1188 This is the same as C<guestfs_stat> except that if C<path>
1189 is a symbolic link, then the link is stat-ed, not the file it
1192 This is the same as the C<lstat(2)> system call.
1194 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
1195 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1196 or NULL if there was an error.
1197 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1199 =head2 guestfs_lvcreate
1201 int guestfs_lvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1203 const char *volgroup,
1206 This creates an LVM volume group called C<logvol>
1207 on the volume group C<volgroup>, with C<size> megabytes.
1209 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1211 =head2 guestfs_lvm_remove_all
1213 int guestfs_lvm_remove_all (guestfs_h *handle);
1215 This command removes all LVM logical volumes, volume groups
1216 and physical volumes.
1218 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1220 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1221 can easily destroy all your data>.
1223 =head2 guestfs_lvremove
1225 int guestfs_lvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1226 const char *device);
1228 Remove an LVM logical volume C<device>, where C<device> is
1229 the path to the LV, such as C</dev/VG/LV>.
1231 You can also remove all LVs in a volume group by specifying
1232 the VG name, C</dev/VG>.
1234 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1236 =head2 guestfs_lvresize
1238 int guestfs_lvresize (guestfs_h *handle,
1242 This resizes (expands or shrinks) an existing LVM logical
1243 volume to C<mbytes>. When reducing, data in the reduced part
1246 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1250 char **guestfs_lvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1252 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1253 of the L<lvs(8)> command.
1255 This returns a list of the logical volume device names
1256 (eg. C</dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00>).
1258 See also C<guestfs_lvs_full>.
1260 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1261 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1262 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1264 =head2 guestfs_lvs_full
1266 struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *guestfs_lvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1268 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1269 of the L<lvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1271 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *>
1272 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1273 or NULL if there was an error.
1274 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_lv_list> after use>.
1276 =head2 guestfs_mkdir
1278 int guestfs_mkdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1281 Create a directory named C<path>.
1283 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1285 =head2 guestfs_mkdir_p
1287 int guestfs_mkdir_p (guestfs_h *handle,
1290 Create a directory named C<path>, creating any parent directories
1291 as necessary. This is like the C<mkdir -p> shell command.
1293 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1295 =head2 guestfs_mkdtemp
1297 char *guestfs_mkdtemp (guestfs_h *handle,
1298 const char *template);
1300 This command creates a temporary directory. The
1301 C<template> parameter should be a full pathname for the
1302 temporary directory name with the final six characters being
1305 For example: "/tmp/myprogXXXXXX" or "/Temp/myprogXXXXXX",
1306 the second one being suitable for Windows filesystems.
1308 The name of the temporary directory that was created
1311 The temporary directory is created with mode 0700
1312 and is owned by root.
1314 The caller is responsible for deleting the temporary
1315 directory and its contents after use.
1317 See also: L<mkdtemp(3)>
1319 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1320 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1324 int guestfs_mkfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1326 const char *device);
1328 This creates a filesystem on C<device> (usually a partition
1329 or LVM logical volume). The filesystem type is C<fstype>, for
1332 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1334 =head2 guestfs_mount
1336 int guestfs_mount (guestfs_h *handle,
1338 const char *mountpoint);
1340 Mount a guest disk at a position in the filesystem. Block devices
1341 are named C</dev/sda>, C</dev/sdb> and so on, as they were added to
1342 the guest. If those block devices contain partitions, they will have
1343 the usual names (eg. C</dev/sda1>). Also LVM C</dev/VG/LV>-style
1346 The rules are the same as for L<mount(2)>: A filesystem must
1347 first be mounted on C</> before others can be mounted. Other
1348 filesystems can only be mounted on directories which already
1351 The mounted filesystem is writable, if we have sufficient permissions
1352 on the underlying device.
1354 The filesystem options C<sync> and C<noatime> are set with this
1355 call, in order to improve reliability.
1357 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1359 =head2 guestfs_mount_loop
1361 int guestfs_mount_loop (guestfs_h *handle,
1363 const char *mountpoint);
1365 This command lets you mount C<file> (a filesystem image
1366 in a file) on a mount point. It is entirely equivalent to
1367 the command C<mount -o loop file mountpoint>.
1369 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1371 =head2 guestfs_mount_options
1373 int guestfs_mount_options (guestfs_h *handle,
1374 const char *options,
1376 const char *mountpoint);
1378 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1379 allows you to set the mount options as for the
1380 L<mount(8)> I<-o> flag.
1382 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1384 =head2 guestfs_mount_ro
1386 int guestfs_mount_ro (guestfs_h *handle,
1388 const char *mountpoint);
1390 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1391 mounts the filesystem with the read-only (I<-o ro>) flag.
1393 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1395 =head2 guestfs_mount_vfs
1397 int guestfs_mount_vfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1398 const char *options,
1399 const char *vfstype,
1401 const char *mountpoint);
1403 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1404 allows you to set both the mount options and the vfstype
1405 as for the L<mount(8)> I<-o> and I<-t> flags.
1407 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1409 =head2 guestfs_mounts
1411 char **guestfs_mounts (guestfs_h *handle);
1413 This returns the list of currently mounted filesystems. It returns
1414 the list of devices (eg. C</dev/sda1>, C</dev/VG/LV>).
1416 Some internal mounts are not shown.
1418 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1419 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1420 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1424 int guestfs_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
1428 This moves a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
1429 either a destination filename or destination directory.
1431 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1433 =head2 guestfs_ntfs_3g_probe
1435 int guestfs_ntfs_3g_probe (guestfs_h *handle,
1437 const char *device);
1439 This command runs the L<ntfs-3g.probe(8)> command which probes
1440 an NTFS C<device> for mountability. (Not all NTFS volumes can
1441 be mounted read-write, and some cannot be mounted at all).
1443 C<rw> is a boolean flag. Set it to true if you want to test
1444 if the volume can be mounted read-write. Set it to false if
1445 you want to test if the volume can be mounted read-only.
1447 The return value is an integer which C<0> if the operation
1448 would succeed, or some non-zero value documented in the
1449 L<ntfs-3g.probe(8)> manual page.
1451 On error this function returns -1.
1453 =head2 guestfs_ping_daemon
1455 int guestfs_ping_daemon (guestfs_h *handle);
1457 This is a test probe into the guestfs daemon running inside
1458 the qemu subprocess. Calling this function checks that the
1459 daemon responds to the ping message, without affecting the daemon
1460 or attached block device(s) in any other way.
1462 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1464 =head2 guestfs_pvcreate
1466 int guestfs_pvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1467 const char *device);
1469 This creates an LVM physical volume on the named C<device>,
1470 where C<device> should usually be a partition name such
1473 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1475 =head2 guestfs_pvremove
1477 int guestfs_pvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1478 const char *device);
1480 This wipes a physical volume C<device> so that LVM will no longer
1483 The implementation uses the C<pvremove> command which refuses to
1484 wipe physical volumes that contain any volume groups, so you have
1485 to remove those first.
1487 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1489 =head2 guestfs_pvresize
1491 int guestfs_pvresize (guestfs_h *handle,
1492 const char *device);
1494 This resizes (expands or shrinks) an existing LVM physical
1495 volume to match the new size of the underlying device.
1497 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1501 char **guestfs_pvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1503 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1504 of the L<pvs(8)> command.
1506 This returns a list of just the device names that contain
1507 PVs (eg. C</dev/sda2>).
1509 See also C<guestfs_pvs_full>.
1511 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1512 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1513 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1515 =head2 guestfs_pvs_full
1517 struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *guestfs_pvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1519 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1520 of the L<pvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1522 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *>
1523 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1524 or NULL if there was an error.
1525 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_pv_list> after use>.
1527 =head2 guestfs_read_lines
1529 char **guestfs_read_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
1532 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
1534 The file contents are returned as a list of lines. Trailing
1535 C<LF> and C<CRLF> character sequences are I<not> returned.
1537 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
1538 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
1539 as end of line). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_read_file>
1540 function which has a more complex interface.
1542 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1543 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1544 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1546 =head2 guestfs_resize2fs
1548 int guestfs_resize2fs (guestfs_h *handle,
1549 const char *device);
1551 This resizes an ext2 or ext3 filesystem to match the size of
1552 the underlying device.
1554 I<Note:> It is sometimes required that you run C<guestfs_e2fsck_f>
1555 on the C<device> before calling this command. For unknown reasons
1556 C<resize2fs> sometimes gives an error about this and sometimes not.
1557 In any case, it is always safe to call C<guestfs_e2fsck_f> before
1558 calling this function.
1560 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1564 int guestfs_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
1567 Remove the single file C<path>.
1569 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1571 =head2 guestfs_rm_rf
1573 int guestfs_rm_rf (guestfs_h *handle,
1576 Remove the file or directory C<path>, recursively removing the
1577 contents if its a directory. This is like the C<rm -rf> shell
1580 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1582 =head2 guestfs_rmdir
1584 int guestfs_rmdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1587 Remove the single directory C<path>.
1589 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1591 =head2 guestfs_scrub_device
1593 int guestfs_scrub_device (guestfs_h *handle,
1594 const char *device);
1596 This command writes patterns over C<device> to make data retrieval
1599 It is an interface to the L<scrub(1)> program. See that
1600 manual page for more details.
1602 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1604 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1605 can easily destroy all your data>.
1607 =head2 guestfs_scrub_file
1609 int guestfs_scrub_file (guestfs_h *handle,
1612 This command writes patterns over a file to make data retrieval
1615 The file is I<removed> after scrubbing.
1617 It is an interface to the L<scrub(1)> program. See that
1618 manual page for more details.
1620 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1622 =head2 guestfs_scrub_freespace
1624 int guestfs_scrub_freespace (guestfs_h *handle,
1627 This command creates the directory C<dir> and then fills it
1628 with files until the filesystem is full, and scrubs the files
1629 as for C<guestfs_scrub_file>, and deletes them.
1630 The intention is to scrub any free space on the partition
1633 It is an interface to the L<scrub(1)> program. See that
1634 manual page for more details.
1636 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1638 =head2 guestfs_set_append
1640 int guestfs_set_append (guestfs_h *handle,
1641 const char *append);
1643 This function is used to add additional options to the
1644 guest kernel command line.
1646 The default is C<NULL> unless overridden by setting
1647 C<LIBGUESTFS_APPEND> environment variable.
1649 Setting C<append> to C<NULL> means I<no> additional options
1650 are passed (libguestfs always adds a few of its own).
1652 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1654 =head2 guestfs_set_autosync
1656 int guestfs_set_autosync (guestfs_h *handle,
1659 If C<autosync> is true, this enables autosync. Libguestfs will make a
1660 best effort attempt to run C<guestfs_umount_all> followed by
1661 C<guestfs_sync> when the handle is closed
1662 (also if the program exits without closing handles).
1664 This is disabled by default (except in guestfish where it is
1665 enabled by default).
1667 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1669 =head2 guestfs_set_busy
1671 int guestfs_set_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
1673 This sets the state to C<BUSY>. This is only used when implementing
1674 actions using the low-level API.
1676 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1678 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1680 =head2 guestfs_set_e2label
1682 int guestfs_set_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
1686 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
1687 C<device> to C<label>. Filesystem labels are limited to
1690 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2label>
1691 to return the existing label on a filesystem.
1693 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1695 =head2 guestfs_set_e2uuid
1697 int guestfs_set_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
1701 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
1702 C<device> to C<uuid>. The format of the UUID and alternatives
1703 such as C<clear>, C<random> and C<time> are described in the
1704 L<tune2fs(8)> manpage.
1706 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2uuid>
1707 to return the existing UUID of a filesystem.
1709 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1711 =head2 guestfs_set_path
1713 int guestfs_set_path (guestfs_h *handle,
1716 Set the path that libguestfs searches for kernel and initrd.img.
1718 The default is C<$libdir/guestfs> unless overridden by setting
1719 C<LIBGUESTFS_PATH> environment variable.
1721 Setting C<path> to C<NULL> restores the default path.
1723 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1725 =head2 guestfs_set_qemu
1727 int guestfs_set_qemu (guestfs_h *handle,
1730 Set the qemu binary that we will use.
1732 The default is chosen when the library was compiled by the
1735 You can also override this by setting the C<LIBGUESTFS_QEMU>
1736 environment variable.
1738 Setting C<qemu> to C<NULL> restores the default qemu binary.
1740 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1742 =head2 guestfs_set_ready
1744 int guestfs_set_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1746 This sets the state to C<READY>. This is only used when implementing
1747 actions using the low-level API.
1749 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1751 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1753 =head2 guestfs_set_verbose
1755 int guestfs_set_verbose (guestfs_h *handle,
1758 If C<verbose> is true, this turns on verbose messages (to C<stderr>).
1760 Verbose messages are disabled unless the environment variable
1761 C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG> is defined and set to C<1>.
1763 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1765 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk
1767 int guestfs_sfdisk (guestfs_h *handle,
1772 char * const* const lines);
1774 This is a direct interface to the L<sfdisk(8)> program for creating
1775 partitions on block devices.
1777 C<device> should be a block device, for example C</dev/sda>.
1779 C<cyls>, C<heads> and C<sectors> are the number of cylinders, heads
1780 and sectors on the device, which are passed directly to sfdisk as
1781 the I<-C>, I<-H> and I<-S> parameters. If you pass C<0> for any
1782 of these, then the corresponding parameter is omitted. Usually for
1783 'large' disks, you can just pass C<0> for these, but for small
1784 (floppy-sized) disks, sfdisk (or rather, the kernel) cannot work
1785 out the right geometry and you will need to tell it.
1787 C<lines> is a list of lines that we feed to C<sfdisk>. For more
1788 information refer to the L<sfdisk(8)> manpage.
1790 To create a single partition occupying the whole disk, you would
1791 pass C<lines> as a single element list, when the single element being
1792 the string C<,> (comma).
1794 See also: C<guestfs_sfdisk_l>, C<guestfs_sfdisk_N>
1796 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1798 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1799 can easily destroy all your data>.
1801 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_N
1803 int guestfs_sfdisk_N (guestfs_h *handle,
1811 This runs L<sfdisk(8)> option to modify just the single
1812 partition C<n> (note: C<n> counts from 1).
1814 For other parameters, see C<guestfs_sfdisk>. You should usually
1815 pass C<0> for the cyls/heads/sectors parameters.
1817 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1819 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1820 can easily destroy all your data>.
1822 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_disk_geometry
1824 char *guestfs_sfdisk_disk_geometry (guestfs_h *handle,
1825 const char *device);
1827 This displays the disk geometry of C<device> read from the
1828 partition table. Especially in the case where the underlying
1829 block device has been resized, this can be different from the
1830 kernel's idea of the geometry (see C<guestfs_sfdisk_kernel_geometry>).
1832 The result is in human-readable format, and not designed to
1835 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1836 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1838 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_kernel_geometry
1840 char *guestfs_sfdisk_kernel_geometry (guestfs_h *handle,
1841 const char *device);
1843 This displays the kernel's idea of the geometry of C<device>.
1845 The result is in human-readable format, and not designed to
1848 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1849 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1851 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_l
1853 char *guestfs_sfdisk_l (guestfs_h *handle,
1854 const char *device);
1856 This displays the partition table on C<device>, in the
1857 human-readable output of the L<sfdisk(8)> command. It is
1858 not intended to be parsed.
1860 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1861 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1865 char *guestfs_sh (guestfs_h *handle,
1866 const char *command);
1868 This call runs a command from the guest filesystem via the
1871 This is like C<guestfs_command>, but passes the command to:
1873 /bin/sh -c "command"
1875 Depending on the guest's shell, this usually results in
1876 wildcards being expanded, shell expressions being interpolated
1879 All the provisos about C<guestfs_command> apply to this call.
1881 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1882 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1884 =head2 guestfs_sh_lines
1886 char **guestfs_sh_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
1887 const char *command);
1889 This is the same as C<guestfs_sh>, but splits the result
1890 into a list of lines.
1892 See also: C<guestfs_command_lines>
1894 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1895 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1896 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1898 =head2 guestfs_sleep
1900 int guestfs_sleep (guestfs_h *handle,
1903 Sleep for C<secs> seconds.
1905 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1909 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_stat (guestfs_h *handle,
1912 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
1914 This is the same as the C<stat(2)> system call.
1916 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
1917 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1918 or NULL if there was an error.
1919 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1921 =head2 guestfs_statvfs
1923 struct guestfs_statvfs *guestfs_statvfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1926 Returns file system statistics for any mounted file system.
1927 C<path> should be a file or directory in the mounted file system
1928 (typically it is the mount point itself, but it doesn't need to be).
1930 This is the same as the C<statvfs(2)> system call.
1932 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_statvfs *>
1933 (see L<statvfs(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1934 or NULL if there was an error.
1935 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1937 =head2 guestfs_strings
1939 char **guestfs_strings (guestfs_h *handle,
1942 This runs the L<strings(1)> command on a file and returns
1943 the list of printable strings found.
1945 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1946 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1947 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1949 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1950 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1953 =head2 guestfs_strings_e
1955 char **guestfs_strings_e (guestfs_h *handle,
1956 const char *encoding,
1959 This is like the C<guestfs_strings> command, but allows you to
1960 specify the encoding.
1962 See the L<strings(1)> manpage for the full list of encodings.
1964 Commonly useful encodings are C<l> (lower case L) which will
1965 show strings inside Windows/x86 files.
1967 The returned strings are transcoded to UTF-8.
1969 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1970 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1971 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1973 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1974 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1979 int guestfs_sync (guestfs_h *handle);
1981 This syncs the disk, so that any writes are flushed through to the
1982 underlying disk image.
1984 You should always call this if you have modified a disk image, before
1987 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1991 char **guestfs_tail (guestfs_h *handle,
1994 This command returns up to the last 10 lines of a file as
1997 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1998 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1999 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
2001 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
2002 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
2005 =head2 guestfs_tail_n
2007 char **guestfs_tail_n (guestfs_h *handle,
2011 If the parameter C<nrlines> is a positive number, this returns the last
2012 C<nrlines> lines of the file C<path>.
2014 If the parameter C<nrlines> is a negative number, this returns lines
2015 from the file C<path>, starting with the C<-nrlines>th line.
2017 If the parameter C<nrlines> is zero, this returns an empty list.
2019 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
2020 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
2021 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
2023 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
2024 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
2027 =head2 guestfs_tar_in
2029 int guestfs_tar_in (guestfs_h *handle,
2030 const char *tarfile,
2031 const char *directory);
2033 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarfile> (an
2034 I<uncompressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
2036 To upload a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_in>.
2038 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2040 =head2 guestfs_tar_out
2042 int guestfs_tar_out (guestfs_h *handle,
2043 const char *directory,
2044 const char *tarfile);
2046 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
2047 it to local file C<tarfile>.
2049 To download a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_out>.
2051 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2053 =head2 guestfs_tgz_in
2055 int guestfs_tgz_in (guestfs_h *handle,
2056 const char *tarball,
2057 const char *directory);
2059 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarball> (a
2060 I<gzip compressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
2062 To upload an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_in>.
2064 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2066 =head2 guestfs_tgz_out
2068 int guestfs_tgz_out (guestfs_h *handle,
2069 const char *directory,
2070 const char *tarball);
2072 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
2073 it to local file C<tarball>.
2075 To download an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_out>.
2077 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2079 =head2 guestfs_touch
2081 int guestfs_touch (guestfs_h *handle,
2084 Touch acts like the L<touch(1)> command. It can be used to
2085 update the timestamps on a file, or, if the file does not exist,
2086 to create a new zero-length file.
2088 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2090 =head2 guestfs_tune2fs_l
2092 char **guestfs_tune2fs_l (guestfs_h *handle,
2093 const char *device);
2095 This returns the contents of the ext2, ext3 or ext4 filesystem
2096 superblock on C<device>.
2098 It is the same as running C<tune2fs -l device>. See L<tune2fs(8)>
2099 manpage for more details. The list of fields returned isn't
2100 clearly defined, and depends on both the version of C<tune2fs>
2101 that libguestfs was built against, and the filesystem itself.
2103 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of
2104 strings, or NULL if there was an error.
2105 The array of strings will always have length C<2n+1>, where
2106 C<n> keys and values alternate, followed by the trailing NULL entry.
2107 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
2109 =head2 guestfs_umount
2111 int guestfs_umount (guestfs_h *handle,
2112 const char *pathordevice);
2114 This unmounts the given filesystem. The filesystem may be
2115 specified either by its mountpoint (path) or the device which
2116 contains the filesystem.
2118 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2120 =head2 guestfs_umount_all
2122 int guestfs_umount_all (guestfs_h *handle);
2124 This unmounts all mounted filesystems.
2126 Some internal mounts are not unmounted by this call.
2128 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2130 =head2 guestfs_upload
2132 int guestfs_upload (guestfs_h *handle,
2133 const char *filename,
2134 const char *remotefilename);
2136 Upload local file C<filename> to C<remotefilename> on the
2139 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
2141 See also C<guestfs_download>.
2143 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2145 =head2 guestfs_vg_activate
2147 int guestfs_vg_activate (guestfs_h *handle,
2149 char * const* const volgroups);
2151 This command activates or (if C<activate> is false) deactivates
2152 all logical volumes in the listed volume groups C<volgroups>.
2153 If activated, then they are made known to the
2154 kernel, ie. they appear as C</dev/mapper> devices. If deactivated,
2155 then those devices disappear.
2157 This command is the same as running C<vgchange -a y|n volgroups...>
2159 Note that if C<volgroups> is an empty list then B<all> volume groups
2160 are activated or deactivated.
2162 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2164 =head2 guestfs_vg_activate_all
2166 int guestfs_vg_activate_all (guestfs_h *handle,
2169 This command activates or (if C<activate> is false) deactivates
2170 all logical volumes in all volume groups.
2171 If activated, then they are made known to the
2172 kernel, ie. they appear as C</dev/mapper> devices. If deactivated,
2173 then those devices disappear.
2175 This command is the same as running C<vgchange -a y|n>
2177 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2179 =head2 guestfs_vgcreate
2181 int guestfs_vgcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
2182 const char *volgroup,
2183 char * const* const physvols);
2185 This creates an LVM volume group called C<volgroup>
2186 from the non-empty list of physical volumes C<physvols>.
2188 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2190 =head2 guestfs_vgremove
2192 int guestfs_vgremove (guestfs_h *handle,
2193 const char *vgname);
2195 Remove an LVM volume group C<vgname>, (for example C<VG>).
2197 This also forcibly removes all logical volumes in the volume
2200 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2204 char **guestfs_vgs (guestfs_h *handle);
2206 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
2207 of the L<vgs(8)> command.
2209 This returns a list of just the volume group names that were
2210 detected (eg. C<VolGroup00>).
2212 See also C<guestfs_vgs_full>.
2214 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
2215 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
2216 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
2218 =head2 guestfs_vgs_full
2220 struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *guestfs_vgs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
2222 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
2223 of the L<vgs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
2225 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *>
2226 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
2227 or NULL if there was an error.
2228 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_vg_list> after use>.
2230 =head2 guestfs_wait_ready
2232 int guestfs_wait_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
2234 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
2237 You should call this after C<guestfs_launch> to wait for the launch
2240 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2244 int guestfs_wc_c (guestfs_h *handle,
2247 This command counts the characters in a file, using the
2248 C<wc -c> external command.
2250 On error this function returns -1.
2254 int guestfs_wc_l (guestfs_h *handle,
2257 This command counts the lines in a file, using the
2258 C<wc -l> external command.
2260 On error this function returns -1.
2264 int guestfs_wc_w (guestfs_h *handle,
2267 This command counts the words in a file, using the
2268 C<wc -w> external command.
2270 On error this function returns -1.
2272 =head2 guestfs_write_file
2274 int guestfs_write_file (guestfs_h *handle,
2276 const char *content,
2279 This call creates a file called C<path>. The contents of the
2280 file is the string C<content> (which can contain any 8 bit data),
2281 with length C<size>.
2283 As a special case, if C<size> is C<0>
2284 then the length is calculated using C<strlen> (so in this case
2285 the content cannot contain embedded ASCII NULs).
2287 I<NB.> Owing to a bug, writing content containing ASCII NUL
2288 characters does I<not> work, even if the length is specified.
2289 We hope to resolve this bug in a future version. In the meantime
2290 use C<guestfs_upload>.
2292 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2294 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
2295 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
2300 int guestfs_zero (guestfs_h *handle,
2301 const char *device);
2303 This command writes zeroes over the first few blocks of C<device>.
2305 How many blocks are zeroed isn't specified (but it's I<not> enough
2306 to securely wipe the device). It should be sufficient to remove
2307 any partition tables, filesystem superblocks and so on.
2309 See also: C<guestfs_scrub_device>.
2311 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2313 =head2 guestfs_zerofree
2315 int guestfs_zerofree (guestfs_h *handle,
2316 const char *device);
2318 This runs the I<zerofree> program on C<device>. This program
2319 claims to zero unused inodes and disk blocks on an ext2/3
2320 filesystem, thus making it possible to compress the filesystem
2323 You should B<not> run this program if the filesystem is
2326 It is possible that using this program can damage the filesystem
2327 or data on the filesystem.
2329 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.