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_dmesg (guestfs_h *handle);
621 This returns the kernel messages (C<dmesg> output) from
622 the guest kernel. This is sometimes useful for extended
623 debugging of problems.
625 Another way to get the same information is to enable
626 verbose messages with C<guestfs_set_verbose> or by setting
627 the environment variable C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG=1> before
630 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
631 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
633 =head2 guestfs_download
635 int guestfs_download (guestfs_h *handle,
636 const char *remotefilename,
637 const char *filename);
639 Download file C<remotefilename> and save it as C<filename>
640 on the local machine.
642 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
644 See also C<guestfs_upload>, C<guestfs_cat>.
646 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
648 =head2 guestfs_drop_caches
650 int guestfs_drop_caches (guestfs_h *handle,
653 This instructs the guest kernel to drop its page cache,
654 and/or dentries and inode caches. The parameter C<whattodrop>
655 tells the kernel what precisely to drop, see
656 L<http://linux-mm.org/Drop_Caches>
658 Setting C<whattodrop> to 3 should drop everything.
660 This automatically calls L<sync(2)> before the operation,
661 so that the maximum guest memory is freed.
663 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
665 =head2 guestfs_e2fsck_f
667 int guestfs_e2fsck_f (guestfs_h *handle,
670 This runs C<e2fsck -p -f device>, ie. runs the ext2/ext3
671 filesystem checker on C<device>, noninteractively (C<-p>),
672 even if the filesystem appears to be clean (C<-f>).
674 This command is only needed because of C<guestfs_resize2fs>
675 (q.v.). Normally you should use C<guestfs_fsck>.
677 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
679 =head2 guestfs_end_busy
681 int guestfs_end_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
683 This sets the state to C<READY>, or if in C<CONFIG> then it leaves the
684 state as is. This is only used when implementing
685 actions using the low-level API.
687 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
689 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
693 int guestfs_equal (guestfs_h *handle,
697 This compares the two files C<file1> and C<file2> and returns
698 true if their content is exactly equal, or false otherwise.
700 The external L<cmp(1)> program is used for the comparison.
702 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
704 =head2 guestfs_exists
706 int guestfs_exists (guestfs_h *handle,
709 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file, directory
710 (or anything) with the given C<path> name.
712 See also C<guestfs_is_file>, C<guestfs_is_dir>, C<guestfs_stat>.
714 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
718 char *guestfs_file (guestfs_h *handle,
721 This call uses the standard L<file(1)> command to determine
722 the type or contents of the file. This also works on devices,
723 for example to find out whether a partition contains a filesystem.
725 The exact command which runs is C<file -bsL path>. Note in
726 particular that the filename is not prepended to the output
729 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
730 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
734 char **guestfs_find (guestfs_h *handle,
735 const char *directory);
737 This command lists out all files and directories, recursively,
738 starting at C<directory>. It is essentially equivalent to
739 running the shell command C<find directory -print> but some
740 post-processing happens on the output, described below.
742 This returns a list of strings I<without any prefix>. Thus
743 if the directory structure was:
749 then the returned list from C<guestfs_find> C</tmp> would be
757 If C<directory> is not a directory, then this command returns
760 The returned list is sorted.
762 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
763 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
764 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
768 int guestfs_fsck (guestfs_h *handle,
772 This runs the filesystem checker (fsck) on C<device> which
773 should have filesystem type C<fstype>.
775 The returned integer is the status. See L<fsck(8)> for the
776 list of status codes from C<fsck>.
784 Multiple status codes can be summed together.
788 A non-zero return code can mean "success", for example if
789 errors have been corrected on the filesystem.
793 Checking or repairing NTFS volumes is not supported
798 This command is entirely equivalent to running C<fsck -a -t fstype device>.
800 On error this function returns -1.
802 =head2 guestfs_get_append
804 const char *guestfs_get_append (guestfs_h *handle);
806 Return the additional kernel options which are added to the
807 guest kernel command line.
809 If C<NULL> then no options are added.
811 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
812 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
814 =head2 guestfs_get_autosync
816 int guestfs_get_autosync (guestfs_h *handle);
818 Get the autosync flag.
820 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
822 =head2 guestfs_get_e2label
824 char *guestfs_get_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
827 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
830 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
831 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
833 =head2 guestfs_get_e2uuid
835 char *guestfs_get_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
838 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
841 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
842 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
844 =head2 guestfs_get_path
846 const char *guestfs_get_path (guestfs_h *handle);
848 Return the current search path.
850 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
851 return the default path.
853 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
854 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
856 =head2 guestfs_get_qemu
858 const char *guestfs_get_qemu (guestfs_h *handle);
860 Return the current qemu binary.
862 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
863 return the default qemu binary name.
865 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
866 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
868 =head2 guestfs_get_state
870 int guestfs_get_state (guestfs_h *handle);
872 This returns the current state as an opaque integer. This is
873 only useful for printing debug and internal error messages.
875 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
877 On error this function returns -1.
879 =head2 guestfs_get_verbose
881 int guestfs_get_verbose (guestfs_h *handle);
883 This returns the verbose messages flag.
885 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
887 =head2 guestfs_glob_expand
889 char **guestfs_glob_expand (guestfs_h *handle,
890 const char *pattern);
892 This command searches for all the pathnames matching
893 C<pattern> according to the wildcard expansion rules
896 If no paths match, then this returns an empty list
897 (note: not an error).
899 It is just a wrapper around the C L<glob(3)> function
900 with flags C<GLOB_MARK|GLOB_BRACE>.
901 See that manual page for more details.
903 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
904 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
905 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
907 =head2 guestfs_grub_install
909 int guestfs_grub_install (guestfs_h *handle,
913 This command installs GRUB (the Grand Unified Bootloader) on
914 C<device>, with the root directory being C<root>.
916 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
920 char **guestfs_head (guestfs_h *handle,
923 This command returns up to the first 10 lines of a file as
926 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
927 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
928 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
930 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
931 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
934 =head2 guestfs_head_n
936 char **guestfs_head_n (guestfs_h *handle,
940 If the parameter C<nrlines> is a positive number, this returns the first
941 C<nrlines> lines of the file C<path>.
943 If the parameter C<nrlines> is a negative number, this returns lines
944 from the file C<path>, excluding the last C<nrlines> lines.
946 If the parameter C<nrlines> is zero, this returns an empty list.
948 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
949 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
950 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
952 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
953 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
956 =head2 guestfs_hexdump
958 char *guestfs_hexdump (guestfs_h *handle,
961 This runs C<hexdump -C> on the given C<path>. The result is
962 the human-readable, canonical hex dump of the file.
964 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
965 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
967 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
968 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
971 =head2 guestfs_is_busy
973 int guestfs_is_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
975 This returns true iff this handle is busy processing a command
976 (in the C<BUSY> state).
978 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
980 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
982 =head2 guestfs_is_config
984 int guestfs_is_config (guestfs_h *handle);
986 This returns true iff this handle is being configured
987 (in the C<CONFIG> state).
989 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
991 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
993 =head2 guestfs_is_dir
995 int guestfs_is_dir (guestfs_h *handle,
998 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a directory
999 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
1000 other objects like files.
1002 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
1004 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1006 =head2 guestfs_is_file
1008 int guestfs_is_file (guestfs_h *handle,
1011 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file
1012 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
1013 other objects like directories.
1015 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
1017 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1019 =head2 guestfs_is_launching
1021 int guestfs_is_launching (guestfs_h *handle);
1023 This returns true iff this handle is launching the subprocess
1024 (in the C<LAUNCHING> state).
1026 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1028 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1030 =head2 guestfs_is_ready
1032 int guestfs_is_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1034 This returns true iff this handle is ready to accept commands
1035 (in the C<READY> state).
1037 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1039 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1041 =head2 guestfs_kill_subprocess
1043 int guestfs_kill_subprocess (guestfs_h *handle);
1045 This kills the qemu subprocess. You should never need to call this.
1047 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1049 =head2 guestfs_launch
1051 int guestfs_launch (guestfs_h *handle);
1053 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
1056 You should call this after configuring the handle
1057 (eg. adding drives) but before performing any actions.
1059 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1061 =head2 guestfs_list_devices
1063 char **guestfs_list_devices (guestfs_h *handle);
1065 List all the block devices.
1067 The full block device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda>
1069 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1070 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1071 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1073 =head2 guestfs_list_partitions
1075 char **guestfs_list_partitions (guestfs_h *handle);
1077 List all the partitions detected on all block devices.
1079 The full partition device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda1>
1081 This does not return logical volumes. For that you will need to
1082 call C<guestfs_lvs>.
1084 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1085 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1086 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1090 char *guestfs_ll (guestfs_h *handle,
1091 const char *directory);
1093 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
1094 there is no cwd) in the format of 'ls -la'.
1096 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. It
1097 is I<not> intended that you try to parse the output string.
1099 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1100 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1104 char **guestfs_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
1105 const char *directory);
1107 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
1108 there is no cwd). The '.' and '..' entries are not returned, but
1109 hidden files are shown.
1111 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. Programs
1112 should probably use C<guestfs_readdir> instead.
1114 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1115 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1116 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1118 =head2 guestfs_lstat
1120 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_lstat (guestfs_h *handle,
1123 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
1125 This is the same as C<guestfs_stat> except that if C<path>
1126 is a symbolic link, then the link is stat-ed, not the file it
1129 This is the same as the C<lstat(2)> system call.
1131 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
1132 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1133 or NULL if there was an error.
1134 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1136 =head2 guestfs_lvcreate
1138 int guestfs_lvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1140 const char *volgroup,
1143 This creates an LVM volume group called C<logvol>
1144 on the volume group C<volgroup>, with C<size> megabytes.
1146 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1148 =head2 guestfs_lvm_remove_all
1150 int guestfs_lvm_remove_all (guestfs_h *handle);
1152 This command removes all LVM logical volumes, volume groups
1153 and physical volumes.
1155 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1157 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1158 can easily destroy all your data>.
1160 =head2 guestfs_lvremove
1162 int guestfs_lvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1163 const char *device);
1165 Remove an LVM logical volume C<device>, where C<device> is
1166 the path to the LV, such as C</dev/VG/LV>.
1168 You can also remove all LVs in a volume group by specifying
1169 the VG name, C</dev/VG>.
1171 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1173 =head2 guestfs_lvresize
1175 int guestfs_lvresize (guestfs_h *handle,
1179 This resizes (expands or shrinks) an existing LVM logical
1180 volume to C<mbytes>. When reducing, data in the reduced part
1183 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1187 char **guestfs_lvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1189 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1190 of the L<lvs(8)> command.
1192 This returns a list of the logical volume device names
1193 (eg. C</dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00>).
1195 See also C<guestfs_lvs_full>.
1197 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1198 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1199 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1201 =head2 guestfs_lvs_full
1203 struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *guestfs_lvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1205 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1206 of the L<lvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1208 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *>
1209 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1210 or NULL if there was an error.
1211 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_lv_list> after use>.
1213 =head2 guestfs_mkdir
1215 int guestfs_mkdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1218 Create a directory named C<path>.
1220 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1222 =head2 guestfs_mkdir_p
1224 int guestfs_mkdir_p (guestfs_h *handle,
1227 Create a directory named C<path>, creating any parent directories
1228 as necessary. This is like the C<mkdir -p> shell command.
1230 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1232 =head2 guestfs_mkdtemp
1234 char *guestfs_mkdtemp (guestfs_h *handle,
1235 const char *template);
1237 This command creates a temporary directory. The
1238 C<template> parameter should be a full pathname for the
1239 temporary directory name with the final six characters being
1242 For example: "/tmp/myprogXXXXXX" or "/Temp/myprogXXXXXX",
1243 the second one being suitable for Windows filesystems.
1245 The name of the temporary directory that was created
1248 The temporary directory is created with mode 0700
1249 and is owned by root.
1251 The caller is responsible for deleting the temporary
1252 directory and its contents after use.
1254 See also: L<mkdtemp(3)>
1256 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1257 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1261 int guestfs_mkfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1263 const char *device);
1265 This creates a filesystem on C<device> (usually a partition
1266 or LVM logical volume). The filesystem type is C<fstype>, for
1269 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1271 =head2 guestfs_mount
1273 int guestfs_mount (guestfs_h *handle,
1275 const char *mountpoint);
1277 Mount a guest disk at a position in the filesystem. Block devices
1278 are named C</dev/sda>, C</dev/sdb> and so on, as they were added to
1279 the guest. If those block devices contain partitions, they will have
1280 the usual names (eg. C</dev/sda1>). Also LVM C</dev/VG/LV>-style
1283 The rules are the same as for L<mount(2)>: A filesystem must
1284 first be mounted on C</> before others can be mounted. Other
1285 filesystems can only be mounted on directories which already
1288 The mounted filesystem is writable, if we have sufficient permissions
1289 on the underlying device.
1291 The filesystem options C<sync> and C<noatime> are set with this
1292 call, in order to improve reliability.
1294 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1296 =head2 guestfs_mount_options
1298 int guestfs_mount_options (guestfs_h *handle,
1299 const char *options,
1301 const char *mountpoint);
1303 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1304 allows you to set the mount options as for the
1305 L<mount(8)> I<-o> flag.
1307 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1309 =head2 guestfs_mount_ro
1311 int guestfs_mount_ro (guestfs_h *handle,
1313 const char *mountpoint);
1315 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1316 mounts the filesystem with the read-only (I<-o ro>) flag.
1318 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1320 =head2 guestfs_mount_vfs
1322 int guestfs_mount_vfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1323 const char *options,
1324 const char *vfstype,
1326 const char *mountpoint);
1328 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1329 allows you to set both the mount options and the vfstype
1330 as for the L<mount(8)> I<-o> and I<-t> flags.
1332 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1334 =head2 guestfs_mounts
1336 char **guestfs_mounts (guestfs_h *handle);
1338 This returns the list of currently mounted filesystems. It returns
1339 the list of devices (eg. C</dev/sda1>, C</dev/VG/LV>).
1341 Some internal mounts are not shown.
1343 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1344 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1345 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1349 int guestfs_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
1353 This moves a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
1354 either a destination filename or destination directory.
1356 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1358 =head2 guestfs_ntfs_3g_probe
1360 int guestfs_ntfs_3g_probe (guestfs_h *handle,
1362 const char *device);
1364 This command runs the L<ntfs-3g.probe(8)> command which probes
1365 an NTFS C<device> for mountability. (Not all NTFS volumes can
1366 be mounted read-write, and some cannot be mounted at all).
1368 C<rw> is a boolean flag. Set it to true if you want to test
1369 if the volume can be mounted read-write. Set it to false if
1370 you want to test if the volume can be mounted read-only.
1372 The return value is an integer which C<0> if the operation
1373 would succeed, or some non-zero value documented in the
1374 L<ntfs-3g.probe(8)> manual page.
1376 On error this function returns -1.
1378 =head2 guestfs_ping_daemon
1380 int guestfs_ping_daemon (guestfs_h *handle);
1382 This is a test probe into the guestfs daemon running inside
1383 the qemu subprocess. Calling this function checks that the
1384 daemon responds to the ping message, without affecting the daemon
1385 or attached block device(s) in any other way.
1387 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1389 =head2 guestfs_pvcreate
1391 int guestfs_pvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1392 const char *device);
1394 This creates an LVM physical volume on the named C<device>,
1395 where C<device> should usually be a partition name such
1398 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1400 =head2 guestfs_pvremove
1402 int guestfs_pvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1403 const char *device);
1405 This wipes a physical volume C<device> so that LVM will no longer
1408 The implementation uses the C<pvremove> command which refuses to
1409 wipe physical volumes that contain any volume groups, so you have
1410 to remove those first.
1412 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1414 =head2 guestfs_pvresize
1416 int guestfs_pvresize (guestfs_h *handle,
1417 const char *device);
1419 This resizes (expands or shrinks) an existing LVM physical
1420 volume to match the new size of the underlying device.
1422 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1426 char **guestfs_pvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1428 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1429 of the L<pvs(8)> command.
1431 This returns a list of just the device names that contain
1432 PVs (eg. C</dev/sda2>).
1434 See also C<guestfs_pvs_full>.
1436 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1437 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1438 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1440 =head2 guestfs_pvs_full
1442 struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *guestfs_pvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1444 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1445 of the L<pvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1447 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *>
1448 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1449 or NULL if there was an error.
1450 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_pv_list> after use>.
1452 =head2 guestfs_read_lines
1454 char **guestfs_read_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
1457 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
1459 The file contents are returned as a list of lines. Trailing
1460 C<LF> and C<CRLF> character sequences are I<not> returned.
1462 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
1463 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
1464 as end of line). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_read_file>
1465 function which has a more complex interface.
1467 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1468 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1469 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1471 =head2 guestfs_resize2fs
1473 int guestfs_resize2fs (guestfs_h *handle,
1474 const char *device);
1476 This resizes an ext2 or ext3 filesystem to match the size of
1477 the underlying device.
1479 I<Note:> It is sometimes required that you run C<guestfs_e2fsck_f>
1480 on the C<device> before calling this command. For unknown reasons
1481 C<resize2fs> sometimes gives an error about this and sometimes not.
1482 In any case, it is always safe to call C<guestfs_e2fsck_f> before
1483 calling this function.
1485 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1489 int guestfs_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
1492 Remove the single file C<path>.
1494 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1496 =head2 guestfs_rm_rf
1498 int guestfs_rm_rf (guestfs_h *handle,
1501 Remove the file or directory C<path>, recursively removing the
1502 contents if its a directory. This is like the C<rm -rf> shell
1505 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1507 =head2 guestfs_rmdir
1509 int guestfs_rmdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1512 Remove the single directory C<path>.
1514 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1516 =head2 guestfs_scrub_device
1518 int guestfs_scrub_device (guestfs_h *handle,
1519 const char *device);
1521 This command writes patterns over C<device> to make data retrieval
1524 It is an interface to the L<scrub(1)> program. See that
1525 manual page for more details.
1527 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1529 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1530 can easily destroy all your data>.
1532 =head2 guestfs_scrub_file
1534 int guestfs_scrub_file (guestfs_h *handle,
1537 This command writes patterns over a file to make data retrieval
1540 The file is I<removed> after scrubbing.
1542 It is an interface to the L<scrub(1)> program. See that
1543 manual page for more details.
1545 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1547 =head2 guestfs_scrub_freespace
1549 int guestfs_scrub_freespace (guestfs_h *handle,
1552 This command creates the directory C<dir> and then fills it
1553 with files until the filesystem is full, and scrubs the files
1554 as for C<guestfs_scrub_file>, and deletes them.
1555 The intention is to scrub any free space on the partition
1558 It is an interface to the L<scrub(1)> program. See that
1559 manual page for more details.
1561 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1563 =head2 guestfs_set_append
1565 int guestfs_set_append (guestfs_h *handle,
1566 const char *append);
1568 This function is used to add additional options to the
1569 guest kernel command line.
1571 The default is C<NULL> unless overridden by setting
1572 C<LIBGUESTFS_APPEND> environment variable.
1574 Setting C<append> to C<NULL> means I<no> additional options
1575 are passed (libguestfs always adds a few of its own).
1577 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1579 =head2 guestfs_set_autosync
1581 int guestfs_set_autosync (guestfs_h *handle,
1584 If C<autosync> is true, this enables autosync. Libguestfs will make a
1585 best effort attempt to run C<guestfs_umount_all> followed by
1586 C<guestfs_sync> when the handle is closed
1587 (also if the program exits without closing handles).
1589 This is disabled by default (except in guestfish where it is
1590 enabled by default).
1592 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1594 =head2 guestfs_set_busy
1596 int guestfs_set_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
1598 This sets the state to C<BUSY>. This is only used when implementing
1599 actions using the low-level API.
1601 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1603 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1605 =head2 guestfs_set_e2label
1607 int guestfs_set_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
1611 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
1612 C<device> to C<label>. Filesystem labels are limited to
1615 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2label>
1616 to return the existing label on a filesystem.
1618 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1620 =head2 guestfs_set_e2uuid
1622 int guestfs_set_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
1626 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
1627 C<device> to C<uuid>. The format of the UUID and alternatives
1628 such as C<clear>, C<random> and C<time> are described in the
1629 L<tune2fs(8)> manpage.
1631 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2uuid>
1632 to return the existing UUID of a filesystem.
1634 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1636 =head2 guestfs_set_path
1638 int guestfs_set_path (guestfs_h *handle,
1641 Set the path that libguestfs searches for kernel and initrd.img.
1643 The default is C<$libdir/guestfs> unless overridden by setting
1644 C<LIBGUESTFS_PATH> environment variable.
1646 Setting C<path> to C<NULL> restores the default path.
1648 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1650 =head2 guestfs_set_qemu
1652 int guestfs_set_qemu (guestfs_h *handle,
1655 Set the qemu binary that we will use.
1657 The default is chosen when the library was compiled by the
1660 You can also override this by setting the C<LIBGUESTFS_QEMU>
1661 environment variable.
1663 Setting C<qemu> to C<NULL> restores the default qemu binary.
1665 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1667 =head2 guestfs_set_ready
1669 int guestfs_set_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1671 This sets the state to C<READY>. This is only used when implementing
1672 actions using the low-level API.
1674 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1676 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1678 =head2 guestfs_set_verbose
1680 int guestfs_set_verbose (guestfs_h *handle,
1683 If C<verbose> is true, this turns on verbose messages (to C<stderr>).
1685 Verbose messages are disabled unless the environment variable
1686 C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG> is defined and set to C<1>.
1688 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1690 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk
1692 int guestfs_sfdisk (guestfs_h *handle,
1697 char * const* const lines);
1699 This is a direct interface to the L<sfdisk(8)> program for creating
1700 partitions on block devices.
1702 C<device> should be a block device, for example C</dev/sda>.
1704 C<cyls>, C<heads> and C<sectors> are the number of cylinders, heads
1705 and sectors on the device, which are passed directly to sfdisk as
1706 the I<-C>, I<-H> and I<-S> parameters. If you pass C<0> for any
1707 of these, then the corresponding parameter is omitted. Usually for
1708 'large' disks, you can just pass C<0> for these, but for small
1709 (floppy-sized) disks, sfdisk (or rather, the kernel) cannot work
1710 out the right geometry and you will need to tell it.
1712 C<lines> is a list of lines that we feed to C<sfdisk>. For more
1713 information refer to the L<sfdisk(8)> manpage.
1715 To create a single partition occupying the whole disk, you would
1716 pass C<lines> as a single element list, when the single element being
1717 the string C<,> (comma).
1719 See also: C<guestfs_sfdisk_l>, C<guestfs_sfdisk_N>
1721 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1723 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1724 can easily destroy all your data>.
1726 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_N
1728 int guestfs_sfdisk_N (guestfs_h *handle,
1736 This runs L<sfdisk(8)> option to modify just the single
1737 partition C<n> (note: C<n> counts from 1).
1739 For other parameters, see C<guestfs_sfdisk>. You should usually
1740 pass C<0> for the cyls/heads/sectors parameters.
1742 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1744 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1745 can easily destroy all your data>.
1747 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_disk_geometry
1749 char *guestfs_sfdisk_disk_geometry (guestfs_h *handle,
1750 const char *device);
1752 This displays the disk geometry of C<device> read from the
1753 partition table. Especially in the case where the underlying
1754 block device has been resized, this can be different from the
1755 kernel's idea of the geometry (see C<guestfs_sfdisk_kernel_geometry>).
1757 The result is in human-readable format, and not designed to
1760 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1761 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1763 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_kernel_geometry
1765 char *guestfs_sfdisk_kernel_geometry (guestfs_h *handle,
1766 const char *device);
1768 This displays the kernel's idea of the geometry of C<device>.
1770 The result is in human-readable format, and not designed to
1773 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1774 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1776 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_l
1778 char *guestfs_sfdisk_l (guestfs_h *handle,
1779 const char *device);
1781 This displays the partition table on C<device>, in the
1782 human-readable output of the L<sfdisk(8)> command. It is
1783 not intended to be parsed.
1785 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1786 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1790 char *guestfs_sh (guestfs_h *handle,
1791 const char *command);
1793 This call runs a command from the guest filesystem via the
1796 This is like C<guestfs_command>, but passes the command to:
1798 /bin/sh -c "command"
1800 Depending on the guest's shell, this usually results in
1801 wildcards being expanded, shell expressions being interpolated
1804 All the provisos about C<guestfs_command> apply to this call.
1806 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1807 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1809 =head2 guestfs_sh_lines
1811 char **guestfs_sh_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
1812 const char *command);
1814 This is the same as C<guestfs_sh>, but splits the result
1815 into a list of lines.
1817 See also: C<guestfs_command_lines>
1819 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1820 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1821 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1823 =head2 guestfs_sleep
1825 int guestfs_sleep (guestfs_h *handle,
1828 Sleep for C<secs> seconds.
1830 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1834 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_stat (guestfs_h *handle,
1837 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
1839 This is the same as the C<stat(2)> system call.
1841 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
1842 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1843 or NULL if there was an error.
1844 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1846 =head2 guestfs_statvfs
1848 struct guestfs_statvfs *guestfs_statvfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1851 Returns file system statistics for any mounted file system.
1852 C<path> should be a file or directory in the mounted file system
1853 (typically it is the mount point itself, but it doesn't need to be).
1855 This is the same as the C<statvfs(2)> system call.
1857 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_statvfs *>
1858 (see L<statvfs(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1859 or NULL if there was an error.
1860 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1862 =head2 guestfs_strings
1864 char **guestfs_strings (guestfs_h *handle,
1867 This runs the L<strings(1)> command on a file and returns
1868 the list of printable strings found.
1870 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1871 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1872 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1874 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1875 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1878 =head2 guestfs_strings_e
1880 char **guestfs_strings_e (guestfs_h *handle,
1881 const char *encoding,
1884 This is like the C<guestfs_strings> command, but allows you to
1885 specify the encoding.
1887 See the L<strings(1)> manpage for the full list of encodings.
1889 Commonly useful encodings are C<l> (lower case L) which will
1890 show strings inside Windows/x86 files.
1892 The returned strings are transcoded to UTF-8.
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 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1899 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1904 int guestfs_sync (guestfs_h *handle);
1906 This syncs the disk, so that any writes are flushed through to the
1907 underlying disk image.
1909 You should always call this if you have modified a disk image, before
1912 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1916 char **guestfs_tail (guestfs_h *handle,
1919 This command returns up to the last 10 lines of a file as
1922 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1923 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1924 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1926 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1927 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1930 =head2 guestfs_tail_n
1932 char **guestfs_tail_n (guestfs_h *handle,
1936 If the parameter C<nrlines> is a positive number, this returns the last
1937 C<nrlines> lines of the file C<path>.
1939 If the parameter C<nrlines> is a negative number, this returns lines
1940 from the file C<path>, starting with the C<-nrlines>th line.
1942 If the parameter C<nrlines> is zero, this returns an empty list.
1944 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1945 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1946 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1948 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1949 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1952 =head2 guestfs_tar_in
1954 int guestfs_tar_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1955 const char *tarfile,
1956 const char *directory);
1958 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarfile> (an
1959 I<uncompressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1961 To upload a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_in>.
1963 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1965 =head2 guestfs_tar_out
1967 int guestfs_tar_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1968 const char *directory,
1969 const char *tarfile);
1971 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1972 it to local file C<tarfile>.
1974 To download a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_out>.
1976 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1978 =head2 guestfs_tgz_in
1980 int guestfs_tgz_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1981 const char *tarball,
1982 const char *directory);
1984 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarball> (a
1985 I<gzip compressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1987 To upload an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_in>.
1989 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1991 =head2 guestfs_tgz_out
1993 int guestfs_tgz_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1994 const char *directory,
1995 const char *tarball);
1997 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1998 it to local file C<tarball>.
2000 To download an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_out>.
2002 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2004 =head2 guestfs_touch
2006 int guestfs_touch (guestfs_h *handle,
2009 Touch acts like the L<touch(1)> command. It can be used to
2010 update the timestamps on a file, or, if the file does not exist,
2011 to create a new zero-length file.
2013 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2015 =head2 guestfs_tune2fs_l
2017 char **guestfs_tune2fs_l (guestfs_h *handle,
2018 const char *device);
2020 This returns the contents of the ext2, ext3 or ext4 filesystem
2021 superblock on C<device>.
2023 It is the same as running C<tune2fs -l device>. See L<tune2fs(8)>
2024 manpage for more details. The list of fields returned isn't
2025 clearly defined, and depends on both the version of C<tune2fs>
2026 that libguestfs was built against, and the filesystem itself.
2028 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of
2029 strings, or NULL if there was an error.
2030 The array of strings will always have length C<2n+1>, where
2031 C<n> keys and values alternate, followed by the trailing NULL entry.
2032 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
2034 =head2 guestfs_umount
2036 int guestfs_umount (guestfs_h *handle,
2037 const char *pathordevice);
2039 This unmounts the given filesystem. The filesystem may be
2040 specified either by its mountpoint (path) or the device which
2041 contains the filesystem.
2043 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2045 =head2 guestfs_umount_all
2047 int guestfs_umount_all (guestfs_h *handle);
2049 This unmounts all mounted filesystems.
2051 Some internal mounts are not unmounted by this call.
2053 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2055 =head2 guestfs_upload
2057 int guestfs_upload (guestfs_h *handle,
2058 const char *filename,
2059 const char *remotefilename);
2061 Upload local file C<filename> to C<remotefilename> on the
2064 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
2066 See also C<guestfs_download>.
2068 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2070 =head2 guestfs_vg_activate
2072 int guestfs_vg_activate (guestfs_h *handle,
2074 char * const* const volgroups);
2076 This command activates or (if C<activate> is false) deactivates
2077 all logical volumes in the listed volume groups C<volgroups>.
2078 If activated, then they are made known to the
2079 kernel, ie. they appear as C</dev/mapper> devices. If deactivated,
2080 then those devices disappear.
2082 This command is the same as running C<vgchange -a y|n volgroups...>
2084 Note that if C<volgroups> is an empty list then B<all> volume groups
2085 are activated or deactivated.
2087 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2089 =head2 guestfs_vg_activate_all
2091 int guestfs_vg_activate_all (guestfs_h *handle,
2094 This command activates or (if C<activate> is false) deactivates
2095 all logical volumes in all volume groups.
2096 If activated, then they are made known to the
2097 kernel, ie. they appear as C</dev/mapper> devices. If deactivated,
2098 then those devices disappear.
2100 This command is the same as running C<vgchange -a y|n>
2102 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2104 =head2 guestfs_vgcreate
2106 int guestfs_vgcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
2107 const char *volgroup,
2108 char * const* const physvols);
2110 This creates an LVM volume group called C<volgroup>
2111 from the non-empty list of physical volumes C<physvols>.
2113 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2115 =head2 guestfs_vgremove
2117 int guestfs_vgremove (guestfs_h *handle,
2118 const char *vgname);
2120 Remove an LVM volume group C<vgname>, (for example C<VG>).
2122 This also forcibly removes all logical volumes in the volume
2125 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2129 char **guestfs_vgs (guestfs_h *handle);
2131 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
2132 of the L<vgs(8)> command.
2134 This returns a list of just the volume group names that were
2135 detected (eg. C<VolGroup00>).
2137 See also C<guestfs_vgs_full>.
2139 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
2140 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
2141 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
2143 =head2 guestfs_vgs_full
2145 struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *guestfs_vgs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
2147 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
2148 of the L<vgs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
2150 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *>
2151 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
2152 or NULL if there was an error.
2153 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_vg_list> after use>.
2155 =head2 guestfs_wait_ready
2157 int guestfs_wait_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
2159 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
2162 You should call this after C<guestfs_launch> to wait for the launch
2165 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2169 int guestfs_wc_c (guestfs_h *handle,
2172 This command counts the characters in a file, using the
2173 C<wc -c> external command.
2175 On error this function returns -1.
2179 int guestfs_wc_l (guestfs_h *handle,
2182 This command counts the lines in a file, using the
2183 C<wc -l> external command.
2185 On error this function returns -1.
2189 int guestfs_wc_w (guestfs_h *handle,
2192 This command counts the words in a file, using the
2193 C<wc -w> external command.
2195 On error this function returns -1.
2197 =head2 guestfs_write_file
2199 int guestfs_write_file (guestfs_h *handle,
2201 const char *content,
2204 This call creates a file called C<path>. The contents of the
2205 file is the string C<content> (which can contain any 8 bit data),
2206 with length C<size>.
2208 As a special case, if C<size> is C<0>
2209 then the length is calculated using C<strlen> (so in this case
2210 the content cannot contain embedded ASCII NULs).
2212 I<NB.> Owing to a bug, writing content containing ASCII NUL
2213 characters does I<not> work, even if the length is specified.
2214 We hope to resolve this bug in a future version. In the meantime
2215 use C<guestfs_upload>.
2217 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2219 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
2220 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
2225 int guestfs_zero (guestfs_h *handle,
2226 const char *device);
2228 This command writes zeroes over the first few blocks of C<device>.
2230 How many blocks are zeroed isn't specified (but it's I<not> enough
2231 to securely wipe the device). It should be sufficient to remove
2232 any partition tables, filesystem superblocks and so on.
2234 See also: C<guestfs_scrub_device>.
2236 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2238 =head2 guestfs_zerofree
2240 int guestfs_zerofree (guestfs_h *handle,
2241 const char *device);
2243 This runs the I<zerofree> program on C<device>. This program
2244 claims to zero unused inodes and disk blocks on an ext2/3
2245 filesystem, thus making it possible to compress the filesystem
2248 You should B<not> run this program if the filesystem is
2251 It is possible that using this program can damage the filesystem
2252 or data on the filesystem.
2254 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.