1 =head2 guestfs_add_cdrom
3 int guestfs_add_cdrom (guestfs_h *handle,
6 This function adds a virtual CD-ROM disk image to the guest.
8 This is equivalent to the qemu parameter C<-cdrom filename>.
10 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
12 =head2 guestfs_add_drive
14 int guestfs_add_drive (guestfs_h *handle,
15 const char *filename);
17 This function adds a virtual machine disk image C<filename> to the
18 guest. The first time you call this function, the disk appears as IDE
19 disk 0 (C</dev/sda>) in the guest, the second time as C</dev/sdb>, and
22 You don't necessarily need to be root when using libguestfs. However
23 you obviously do need sufficient permissions to access the filename
24 for whatever operations you want to perform (ie. read access if you
25 just want to read the image or write access if you want to modify the
28 This is equivalent to the qemu parameter C<-drive file=filename>.
30 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
32 =head2 guestfs_aug_close
34 int guestfs_aug_close (guestfs_h *handle);
36 Close the current Augeas handle and free up any resources
37 used by it. After calling this, you have to call
38 C<guestfs_aug_init> again before you can use any other
41 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
43 =head2 guestfs_aug_defnode
45 struct guestfs_int_bool *guestfs_aug_defnode (guestfs_h *handle,
50 Defines a variable C<name> whose value is the result of
53 If C<expr> evaluates to an empty nodeset, a node is created,
54 equivalent to calling C<guestfs_aug_set> C<expr>, C<value>.
55 C<name> will be the nodeset containing that single node.
57 On success this returns a pair containing the
58 number of nodes in the nodeset, and a boolean flag
59 if a node was created.
61 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_int_bool *>,
62 or NULL if there was an error.
63 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_int_bool> after use>.
65 =head2 guestfs_aug_defvar
67 int guestfs_aug_defvar (guestfs_h *handle,
71 Defines an Augeas variable C<name> whose value is the result
72 of evaluating C<expr>. If C<expr> is NULL, then C<name> is
75 On success this returns the number of nodes in C<expr>, or
76 C<0> if C<expr> evaluates to something which is not a nodeset.
78 On error this function returns -1.
80 =head2 guestfs_aug_get
82 char *guestfs_aug_get (guestfs_h *handle,
85 Look up the value associated with C<path>. If C<path>
86 matches exactly one node, the C<value> is returned.
88 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
89 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
91 =head2 guestfs_aug_init
93 int guestfs_aug_init (guestfs_h *handle,
97 Create a new Augeas handle for editing configuration files.
98 If there was any previous Augeas handle associated with this
99 guestfs session, then it is closed.
101 You must call this before using any other C<guestfs_aug_*>
104 C<root> is the filesystem root. C<root> must not be NULL,
107 The flags are the same as the flags defined in
108 E<lt>augeas.hE<gt>, the logical I<or> of the following
113 =item C<AUG_SAVE_BACKUP> = 1
115 Keep the original file with a C<.augsave> extension.
117 =item C<AUG_SAVE_NEWFILE> = 2
119 Save changes into a file with extension C<.augnew>, and
120 do not overwrite original. Overrides C<AUG_SAVE_BACKUP>.
122 =item C<AUG_TYPE_CHECK> = 4
124 Typecheck lenses (can be expensive).
126 =item C<AUG_NO_STDINC> = 8
128 Do not use standard load path for modules.
130 =item C<AUG_SAVE_NOOP> = 16
132 Make save a no-op, just record what would have been changed.
134 =item C<AUG_NO_LOAD> = 32
136 Do not load the tree in C<guestfs_aug_init>.
140 To close the handle, you can call C<guestfs_aug_close>.
142 To find out more about Augeas, see L<http://augeas.net/>.
144 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
146 =head2 guestfs_aug_insert
148 int guestfs_aug_insert (guestfs_h *handle,
153 Create a new sibling C<label> for C<path>, inserting it into
154 the tree before or after C<path> (depending on the boolean
157 C<path> must match exactly one existing node in the tree, and
158 C<label> must be a label, ie. not contain C</>, C<*> or end
159 with a bracketed index C<[N]>.
161 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
163 =head2 guestfs_aug_load
165 int guestfs_aug_load (guestfs_h *handle);
167 Load files into the tree.
169 See C<aug_load> in the Augeas documentation for the full gory
172 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
174 =head2 guestfs_aug_ls
176 char **guestfs_aug_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
179 This is just a shortcut for listing C<guestfs_aug_match>
180 C<path/*> and sorting the resulting nodes into alphabetical order.
182 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
183 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
184 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
186 =head2 guestfs_aug_match
188 char **guestfs_aug_match (guestfs_h *handle,
191 Returns a list of paths which match the path expression C<path>.
192 The returned paths are sufficiently qualified so that they match
193 exactly one node in the current tree.
195 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
196 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
197 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
199 =head2 guestfs_aug_mv
201 int guestfs_aug_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
205 Move the node C<src> to C<dest>. C<src> must match exactly
206 one node. C<dest> is overwritten if it exists.
208 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
210 =head2 guestfs_aug_rm
212 int guestfs_aug_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
215 Remove C<path> and all of its children.
217 On success this returns the number of entries which were removed.
219 On error this function returns -1.
221 =head2 guestfs_aug_save
223 int guestfs_aug_save (guestfs_h *handle);
225 This writes all pending changes to disk.
227 The flags which were passed to C<guestfs_aug_init> affect exactly
230 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
232 =head2 guestfs_aug_set
234 int guestfs_aug_set (guestfs_h *handle,
238 Set the value associated with C<path> to C<value>.
240 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
242 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_flushbufs
244 int guestfs_blockdev_flushbufs (guestfs_h *handle,
247 This tells the kernel to flush internal buffers associated
250 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
252 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
254 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getbsz
256 int guestfs_blockdev_getbsz (guestfs_h *handle,
259 This returns the block size of a device.
261 (Note this is different from both I<size in blocks> and
262 I<filesystem block size>).
264 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
266 On error this function returns -1.
268 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getro
270 int guestfs_blockdev_getro (guestfs_h *handle,
273 Returns a boolean indicating if the block device is read-only
274 (true if read-only, false if not).
276 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
278 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
280 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getsize64
282 int64_t guestfs_blockdev_getsize64 (guestfs_h *handle,
285 This returns the size of the device in bytes.
287 See also C<guestfs_blockdev_getsz>.
289 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
291 On error this function returns -1.
293 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getss
295 int guestfs_blockdev_getss (guestfs_h *handle,
298 This returns the size of sectors on a block device.
299 Usually 512, but can be larger for modern devices.
301 (Note, this is not the size in sectors, use C<guestfs_blockdev_getsz>
304 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
306 On error this function returns -1.
308 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_getsz
310 int64_t guestfs_blockdev_getsz (guestfs_h *handle,
313 This returns the size of the device in units of 512-byte sectors
314 (even if the sectorsize isn't 512 bytes ... weird).
316 See also C<guestfs_blockdev_getss> for the real sector size of
317 the device, and C<guestfs_blockdev_getsize64> for the more
318 useful I<size in bytes>.
320 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
322 On error this function returns -1.
324 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_rereadpt
326 int guestfs_blockdev_rereadpt (guestfs_h *handle,
329 Reread the partition table on C<device>.
331 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
333 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
335 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setbsz
337 int guestfs_blockdev_setbsz (guestfs_h *handle,
341 This sets the block size of a device.
343 (Note this is different from both I<size in blocks> and
344 I<filesystem block size>).
346 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
348 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
350 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setro
352 int guestfs_blockdev_setro (guestfs_h *handle,
355 Sets the block device named C<device> to read-only.
357 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
359 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
361 =head2 guestfs_blockdev_setrw
363 int guestfs_blockdev_setrw (guestfs_h *handle,
366 Sets the block device named C<device> to read-write.
368 This uses the L<blockdev(8)> command.
370 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
374 char *guestfs_cat (guestfs_h *handle,
377 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
379 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
380 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
381 as end of string). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_download>
382 function which has a more complex interface.
384 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
385 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
387 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
388 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
391 =head2 guestfs_checksum
393 char *guestfs_checksum (guestfs_h *handle,
394 const char *csumtype,
397 This call computes the MD5, SHAx or CRC checksum of the
400 The type of checksum to compute is given by the C<csumtype>
401 parameter which must have one of the following values:
407 Compute the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) specified by POSIX
408 for the C<cksum> command.
412 Compute the MD5 hash (using the C<md5sum> program).
416 Compute the SHA1 hash (using the C<sha1sum> program).
420 Compute the SHA224 hash (using the C<sha224sum> program).
424 Compute the SHA256 hash (using the C<sha256sum> program).
428 Compute the SHA384 hash (using the C<sha384sum> program).
432 Compute the SHA512 hash (using the C<sha512sum> program).
436 The checksum is returned as a printable string.
438 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
439 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
443 int guestfs_chmod (guestfs_h *handle,
447 Change the mode (permissions) of C<path> to C<mode>. Only
448 numeric modes are supported.
450 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
454 int guestfs_chown (guestfs_h *handle,
459 Change the file owner to C<owner> and group to C<group>.
461 Only numeric uid and gid are supported. If you want to use
462 names, you will need to locate and parse the password file
463 yourself (Augeas support makes this relatively easy).
465 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
467 =head2 guestfs_command
469 char *guestfs_command (guestfs_h *handle,
470 char * const* const arguments);
472 This call runs a command from the guest filesystem. The
473 filesystem must be mounted, and must contain a compatible
474 operating system (ie. something Linux, with the same
475 or compatible processor architecture).
477 The single parameter is an argv-style list of arguments.
478 The first element is the name of the program to run.
479 Subsequent elements are parameters. The list must be
480 non-empty (ie. must contain a program name).
482 The return value is anything printed to I<stdout> by
485 If the command returns a non-zero exit status, then
486 this function returns an error message. The error message
487 string is the content of I<stderr> from the command.
489 The C<$PATH> environment variable will contain at least
490 C</usr/bin> and C</bin>. If you require a program from
491 another location, you should provide the full path in the
494 Shared libraries and data files required by the program
495 must be available on filesystems which are mounted in the
496 correct places. It is the caller's responsibility to ensure
497 all filesystems that are needed are mounted at the right
500 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
501 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
503 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
504 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
507 =head2 guestfs_command_lines
509 char **guestfs_command_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
510 char * const* const arguments);
512 This is the same as C<guestfs_command>, but splits the
513 result into a list of lines.
515 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
516 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
517 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
519 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
520 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
523 =head2 guestfs_config
525 int guestfs_config (guestfs_h *handle,
526 const char *qemuparam,
527 const char *qemuvalue);
529 This can be used to add arbitrary qemu command line parameters
530 of the form C<-param value>. Actually it's not quite arbitrary - we
531 prevent you from setting some parameters which would interfere with
532 parameters that we use.
534 The first character of C<param> string must be a C<-> (dash).
536 C<value> can be NULL.
538 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
542 int guestfs_cp (guestfs_h *handle,
546 This copies a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
547 either a destination filename or destination directory.
549 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
553 int guestfs_cp_a (guestfs_h *handle,
557 This copies a file or directory from C<src> to C<dest>
558 recursively using the C<cp -a> command.
560 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
564 char *guestfs_debug (guestfs_h *handle,
566 char * const* const extraargs);
568 The C<guestfs_debug> command exposes some internals of
569 C<guestfsd> (the guestfs daemon) that runs inside the
572 There is no comprehensive help for this command. You have
573 to look at the file C<daemon/debug.c> in the libguestfs source
574 to find out what you can do.
576 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
577 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
581 char *guestfs_dmesg (guestfs_h *handle);
583 This returns the kernel messages (C<dmesg> output) from
584 the guest kernel. This is sometimes useful for extended
585 debugging of problems.
587 Another way to get the same information is to enable
588 verbose messages with C<guestfs_set_verbose> or by setting
589 the environment variable C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG=1> before
592 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
593 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
595 =head2 guestfs_download
597 int guestfs_download (guestfs_h *handle,
598 const char *remotefilename,
599 const char *filename);
601 Download file C<remotefilename> and save it as C<filename>
602 on the local machine.
604 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
606 See also C<guestfs_upload>, C<guestfs_cat>.
608 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
610 =head2 guestfs_drop_caches
612 int guestfs_drop_caches (guestfs_h *handle,
615 This instructs the guest kernel to drop its page cache,
616 and/or dentries and inode caches. The parameter C<whattodrop>
617 tells the kernel what precisely to drop, see
618 L<http://linux-mm.org/Drop_Caches>
620 Setting C<whattodrop> to 3 should drop everything.
622 This automatically calls L<sync(2)> before the operation,
623 so that the maximum guest memory is freed.
625 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
627 =head2 guestfs_end_busy
629 int guestfs_end_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
631 This sets the state to C<READY>, or if in C<CONFIG> then it leaves the
632 state as is. This is only used when implementing
633 actions using the low-level API.
635 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
637 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
641 int guestfs_equal (guestfs_h *handle,
645 This compares the two files C<file1> and C<file2> and returns
646 true if their content is exactly equal, or false otherwise.
648 The external L<cmp(1)> program is used for the comparison.
650 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
652 =head2 guestfs_exists
654 int guestfs_exists (guestfs_h *handle,
657 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file, directory
658 (or anything) with the given C<path> name.
660 See also C<guestfs_is_file>, C<guestfs_is_dir>, C<guestfs_stat>.
662 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
666 char *guestfs_file (guestfs_h *handle,
669 This call uses the standard L<file(1)> command to determine
670 the type or contents of the file. This also works on devices,
671 for example to find out whether a partition contains a filesystem.
673 The exact command which runs is C<file -bsL path>. Note in
674 particular that the filename is not prepended to the output
677 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
678 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
682 int guestfs_fsck (guestfs_h *handle,
686 This runs the filesystem checker (fsck) on C<device> which
687 should have filesystem type C<fstype>.
689 The returned integer is the status. See L<fsck(8)> for the
690 list of status codes from C<fsck>.
698 Multiple status codes can be summed together.
702 A non-zero return code can mean "success", for example if
703 errors have been corrected on the filesystem.
707 Checking or repairing NTFS volumes is not supported
712 This command is entirely equivalent to running C<fsck -a -t fstype device>.
714 On error this function returns -1.
716 =head2 guestfs_get_autosync
718 int guestfs_get_autosync (guestfs_h *handle);
720 Get the autosync flag.
722 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
724 =head2 guestfs_get_e2label
726 char *guestfs_get_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
729 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
732 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
733 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
735 =head2 guestfs_get_e2uuid
737 char *guestfs_get_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
740 This returns the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
743 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
744 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
746 =head2 guestfs_get_path
748 const char *guestfs_get_path (guestfs_h *handle);
750 Return the current search path.
752 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
753 return the default path.
755 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
756 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
758 =head2 guestfs_get_qemu
760 const char *guestfs_get_qemu (guestfs_h *handle);
762 Return the current qemu binary.
764 This is always non-NULL. If it wasn't set already, then this will
765 return the default qemu binary name.
767 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
768 The string is owned by the guest handle and must I<not> be freed.
770 =head2 guestfs_get_state
772 int guestfs_get_state (guestfs_h *handle);
774 This returns the current state as an opaque integer. This is
775 only useful for printing debug and internal error messages.
777 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
779 On error this function returns -1.
781 =head2 guestfs_get_verbose
783 int guestfs_get_verbose (guestfs_h *handle);
785 This returns the verbose messages flag.
787 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
789 =head2 guestfs_grub_install
791 int guestfs_grub_install (guestfs_h *handle,
795 This command installs GRUB (the Grand Unified Bootloader) on
796 C<device>, with the root directory being C<root>.
798 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
800 =head2 guestfs_hexdump
802 char *guestfs_hexdump (guestfs_h *handle,
805 This runs C<hexdump -C> on the given C<path>. The result is
806 the human-readable, canonical hex dump of the file.
808 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
809 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
811 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
812 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
815 =head2 guestfs_is_busy
817 int guestfs_is_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
819 This returns true iff this handle is busy processing a command
820 (in the C<BUSY> state).
822 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
824 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
826 =head2 guestfs_is_config
828 int guestfs_is_config (guestfs_h *handle);
830 This returns true iff this handle is being configured
831 (in the C<CONFIG> state).
833 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
835 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
837 =head2 guestfs_is_dir
839 int guestfs_is_dir (guestfs_h *handle,
842 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a directory
843 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
844 other objects like files.
846 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
848 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
850 =head2 guestfs_is_file
852 int guestfs_is_file (guestfs_h *handle,
855 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file
856 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
857 other objects like directories.
859 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
861 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
863 =head2 guestfs_is_launching
865 int guestfs_is_launching (guestfs_h *handle);
867 This returns true iff this handle is launching the subprocess
868 (in the C<LAUNCHING> state).
870 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
872 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
874 =head2 guestfs_is_ready
876 int guestfs_is_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
878 This returns true iff this handle is ready to accept commands
879 (in the C<READY> state).
881 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
883 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
885 =head2 guestfs_kill_subprocess
887 int guestfs_kill_subprocess (guestfs_h *handle);
889 This kills the qemu subprocess. You should never need to call this.
891 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
893 =head2 guestfs_launch
895 int guestfs_launch (guestfs_h *handle);
897 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
900 You should call this after configuring the handle
901 (eg. adding drives) but before performing any actions.
903 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
905 =head2 guestfs_list_devices
907 char **guestfs_list_devices (guestfs_h *handle);
909 List all the block devices.
911 The full block device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda>
913 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
914 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
915 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
917 =head2 guestfs_list_partitions
919 char **guestfs_list_partitions (guestfs_h *handle);
921 List all the partitions detected on all block devices.
923 The full partition device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda1>
925 This does not return logical volumes. For that you will need to
928 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
929 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
930 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
934 char *guestfs_ll (guestfs_h *handle,
935 const char *directory);
937 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
938 there is no cwd) in the format of 'ls -la'.
940 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. It
941 is I<not> intended that you try to parse the output string.
943 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
944 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
948 char **guestfs_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
949 const char *directory);
951 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
952 there is no cwd). The '.' and '..' entries are not returned, but
953 hidden files are shown.
955 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. Programs
956 should probably use C<guestfs_readdir> instead.
958 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
959 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
960 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
964 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_lstat (guestfs_h *handle,
967 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
969 This is the same as C<guestfs_stat> except that if C<path>
970 is a symbolic link, then the link is stat-ed, not the file it
973 This is the same as the C<lstat(2)> system call.
975 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
976 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
977 or NULL if there was an error.
978 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
980 =head2 guestfs_lvcreate
982 int guestfs_lvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
984 const char *volgroup,
987 This creates an LVM volume group called C<logvol>
988 on the volume group C<volgroup>, with C<size> megabytes.
990 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
992 =head2 guestfs_lvm_remove_all
994 int guestfs_lvm_remove_all (guestfs_h *handle);
996 This command removes all LVM logical volumes, volume groups
997 and physical volumes.
999 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1001 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1002 can easily destroy all your data>.
1004 =head2 guestfs_lvremove
1006 int guestfs_lvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1007 const char *device);
1009 Remove an LVM logical volume C<device>, where C<device> is
1010 the path to the LV, such as C</dev/VG/LV>.
1012 You can also remove all LVs in a volume group by specifying
1013 the VG name, C</dev/VG>.
1015 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1019 char **guestfs_lvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1021 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1022 of the L<lvs(8)> command.
1024 This returns a list of the logical volume device names
1025 (eg. C</dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00>).
1027 See also C<guestfs_lvs_full>.
1029 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1030 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1031 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1033 =head2 guestfs_lvs_full
1035 struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *guestfs_lvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1037 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1038 of the L<lvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1040 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *>
1041 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1042 or NULL if there was an error.
1043 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_lv_list> after use>.
1045 =head2 guestfs_mkdir
1047 int guestfs_mkdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1050 Create a directory named C<path>.
1052 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1054 =head2 guestfs_mkdir_p
1056 int guestfs_mkdir_p (guestfs_h *handle,
1059 Create a directory named C<path>, creating any parent directories
1060 as necessary. This is like the C<mkdir -p> shell command.
1062 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1066 int guestfs_mkfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1068 const char *device);
1070 This creates a filesystem on C<device> (usually a partition
1071 or LVM logical volume). The filesystem type is C<fstype>, for
1074 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1076 =head2 guestfs_mount
1078 int guestfs_mount (guestfs_h *handle,
1080 const char *mountpoint);
1082 Mount a guest disk at a position in the filesystem. Block devices
1083 are named C</dev/sda>, C</dev/sdb> and so on, as they were added to
1084 the guest. If those block devices contain partitions, they will have
1085 the usual names (eg. C</dev/sda1>). Also LVM C</dev/VG/LV>-style
1088 The rules are the same as for L<mount(2)>: A filesystem must
1089 first be mounted on C</> before others can be mounted. Other
1090 filesystems can only be mounted on directories which already
1093 The mounted filesystem is writable, if we have sufficient permissions
1094 on the underlying device.
1096 The filesystem options C<sync> and C<noatime> are set with this
1097 call, in order to improve reliability.
1099 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1101 =head2 guestfs_mount_options
1103 int guestfs_mount_options (guestfs_h *handle,
1104 const char *options,
1106 const char *mountpoint);
1108 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1109 allows you to set the mount options as for the
1110 L<mount(8)> I<-o> flag.
1112 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1114 =head2 guestfs_mount_ro
1116 int guestfs_mount_ro (guestfs_h *handle,
1118 const char *mountpoint);
1120 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1121 mounts the filesystem with the read-only (I<-o ro>) flag.
1123 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1125 =head2 guestfs_mount_vfs
1127 int guestfs_mount_vfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1128 const char *options,
1129 const char *vfstype,
1131 const char *mountpoint);
1133 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1134 allows you to set both the mount options and the vfstype
1135 as for the L<mount(8)> I<-o> and I<-t> flags.
1137 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1139 =head2 guestfs_mounts
1141 char **guestfs_mounts (guestfs_h *handle);
1143 This returns the list of currently mounted filesystems. It returns
1144 the list of devices (eg. C</dev/sda1>, C</dev/VG/LV>).
1146 Some internal mounts are not shown.
1148 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1149 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1150 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1154 int guestfs_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
1158 This moves a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
1159 either a destination filename or destination directory.
1161 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1163 =head2 guestfs_ping_daemon
1165 int guestfs_ping_daemon (guestfs_h *handle);
1167 This is a test probe into the guestfs daemon running inside
1168 the qemu subprocess. Calling this function checks that the
1169 daemon responds to the ping message, without affecting the daemon
1170 or attached block device(s) in any other way.
1172 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1174 =head2 guestfs_pvcreate
1176 int guestfs_pvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1177 const char *device);
1179 This creates an LVM physical volume on the named C<device>,
1180 where C<device> should usually be a partition name such
1183 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1185 =head2 guestfs_pvremove
1187 int guestfs_pvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1188 const char *device);
1190 This wipes a physical volume C<device> so that LVM will no longer
1193 The implementation uses the C<pvremove> command which refuses to
1194 wipe physical volumes that contain any volume groups, so you have
1195 to remove those first.
1197 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1201 char **guestfs_pvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1203 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1204 of the L<pvs(8)> command.
1206 This returns a list of just the device names that contain
1207 PVs (eg. C</dev/sda2>).
1209 See also C<guestfs_pvs_full>.
1211 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1212 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1213 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1215 =head2 guestfs_pvs_full
1217 struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *guestfs_pvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1219 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1220 of the L<pvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1222 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *>
1223 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1224 or NULL if there was an error.
1225 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_pv_list> after use>.
1227 =head2 guestfs_read_lines
1229 char **guestfs_read_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
1232 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
1234 The file contents are returned as a list of lines. Trailing
1235 C<LF> and C<CRLF> character sequences are I<not> returned.
1237 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
1238 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
1239 as end of line). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_read_file>
1240 function which has a more complex interface.
1242 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1243 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1244 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1248 int guestfs_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
1251 Remove the single file C<path>.
1253 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1255 =head2 guestfs_rm_rf
1257 int guestfs_rm_rf (guestfs_h *handle,
1260 Remove the file or directory C<path>, recursively removing the
1261 contents if its a directory. This is like the C<rm -rf> shell
1264 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1266 =head2 guestfs_rmdir
1268 int guestfs_rmdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1271 Remove the single directory C<path>.
1273 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1275 =head2 guestfs_set_autosync
1277 int guestfs_set_autosync (guestfs_h *handle,
1280 If C<autosync> is true, this enables autosync. Libguestfs will make a
1281 best effort attempt to run C<guestfs_umount_all> followed by
1282 C<guestfs_sync> when the handle is closed
1283 (also if the program exits without closing handles).
1285 This is disabled by default (except in guestfish where it is
1286 enabled by default).
1288 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1290 =head2 guestfs_set_busy
1292 int guestfs_set_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
1294 This sets the state to C<BUSY>. This is only used when implementing
1295 actions using the low-level API.
1297 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1299 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1301 =head2 guestfs_set_e2label
1303 int guestfs_set_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
1307 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
1308 C<device> to C<label>. Filesystem labels are limited to
1311 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2label>
1312 to return the existing label on a filesystem.
1314 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1316 =head2 guestfs_set_e2uuid
1318 int guestfs_set_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
1322 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
1323 C<device> to C<uuid>. The format of the UUID and alternatives
1324 such as C<clear>, C<random> and C<time> are described in the
1325 L<tune2fs(8)> manpage.
1327 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2uuid>
1328 to return the existing UUID of a filesystem.
1330 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1332 =head2 guestfs_set_path
1334 int guestfs_set_path (guestfs_h *handle,
1337 Set the path that libguestfs searches for kernel and initrd.img.
1339 The default is C<$libdir/guestfs> unless overridden by setting
1340 C<LIBGUESTFS_PATH> environment variable.
1342 The string C<path> is stashed in the libguestfs handle, so the caller
1343 must make sure it remains valid for the lifetime of the handle.
1345 Setting C<path> to C<NULL> restores the default path.
1347 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1349 =head2 guestfs_set_qemu
1351 int guestfs_set_qemu (guestfs_h *handle,
1354 Set the qemu binary that we will use.
1356 The default is chosen when the library was compiled by the
1359 You can also override this by setting the C<LIBGUESTFS_QEMU>
1360 environment variable.
1362 The string C<qemu> is stashed in the libguestfs handle, so the caller
1363 must make sure it remains valid for the lifetime of the handle.
1365 Setting C<qemu> to C<NULL> restores the default qemu binary.
1367 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1369 =head2 guestfs_set_ready
1371 int guestfs_set_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1373 This sets the state to C<READY>. This is only used when implementing
1374 actions using the low-level API.
1376 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1378 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1380 =head2 guestfs_set_verbose
1382 int guestfs_set_verbose (guestfs_h *handle,
1385 If C<verbose> is true, this turns on verbose messages (to C<stderr>).
1387 Verbose messages are disabled unless the environment variable
1388 C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG> is defined and set to C<1>.
1390 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1392 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk
1394 int guestfs_sfdisk (guestfs_h *handle,
1399 char * const* const lines);
1401 This is a direct interface to the L<sfdisk(8)> program for creating
1402 partitions on block devices.
1404 C<device> should be a block device, for example C</dev/sda>.
1406 C<cyls>, C<heads> and C<sectors> are the number of cylinders, heads
1407 and sectors on the device, which are passed directly to sfdisk as
1408 the I<-C>, I<-H> and I<-S> parameters. If you pass C<0> for any
1409 of these, then the corresponding parameter is omitted. Usually for
1410 'large' disks, you can just pass C<0> for these, but for small
1411 (floppy-sized) disks, sfdisk (or rather, the kernel) cannot work
1412 out the right geometry and you will need to tell it.
1414 C<lines> is a list of lines that we feed to C<sfdisk>. For more
1415 information refer to the L<sfdisk(8)> manpage.
1417 To create a single partition occupying the whole disk, you would
1418 pass C<lines> as a single element list, when the single element being
1419 the string C<,> (comma).
1421 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1423 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1424 can easily destroy all your data>.
1428 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_stat (guestfs_h *handle,
1431 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
1433 This is the same as the C<stat(2)> system call.
1435 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
1436 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1437 or NULL if there was an error.
1438 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1440 =head2 guestfs_statvfs
1442 struct guestfs_statvfs *guestfs_statvfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1445 Returns file system statistics for any mounted file system.
1446 C<path> should be a file or directory in the mounted file system
1447 (typically it is the mount point itself, but it doesn't need to be).
1449 This is the same as the C<statvfs(2)> system call.
1451 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_statvfs *>
1452 (see L<statvfs(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1453 or NULL if there was an error.
1454 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1456 =head2 guestfs_strings
1458 char **guestfs_strings (guestfs_h *handle,
1461 This runs the L<strings(1)> command on a file and returns
1462 the list of printable strings found.
1464 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1465 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1466 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1468 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1469 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1472 =head2 guestfs_strings_e
1474 char **guestfs_strings_e (guestfs_h *handle,
1475 const char *encoding,
1478 This is like the C<guestfs_strings> command, but allows you to
1479 specify the encoding.
1481 See the L<strings(1)> manpage for the full list of encodings.
1483 Commonly useful encodings are C<l> (lower case L) which will
1484 show strings inside Windows/x86 files.
1486 The returned strings are transcoded to UTF-8.
1488 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1489 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1490 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1492 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1493 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1498 int guestfs_sync (guestfs_h *handle);
1500 This syncs the disk, so that any writes are flushed through to the
1501 underlying disk image.
1503 You should always call this if you have modified a disk image, before
1506 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1508 =head2 guestfs_tar_in
1510 int guestfs_tar_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1511 const char *tarfile,
1512 const char *directory);
1514 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarfile> (an
1515 I<uncompressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1517 To upload a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_in>.
1519 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1521 =head2 guestfs_tar_out
1523 int guestfs_tar_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1524 const char *directory,
1525 const char *tarfile);
1527 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1528 it to local file C<tarfile>.
1530 To download a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_out>.
1532 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1534 =head2 guestfs_tgz_in
1536 int guestfs_tgz_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1537 const char *tarball,
1538 const char *directory);
1540 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarball> (a
1541 I<gzip compressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1543 To upload an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_in>.
1545 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1547 =head2 guestfs_tgz_out
1549 int guestfs_tgz_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1550 const char *directory,
1551 const char *tarball);
1553 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1554 it to local file C<tarball>.
1556 To download an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_out>.
1558 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1560 =head2 guestfs_touch
1562 int guestfs_touch (guestfs_h *handle,
1565 Touch acts like the L<touch(1)> command. It can be used to
1566 update the timestamps on a file, or, if the file does not exist,
1567 to create a new zero-length file.
1569 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1571 =head2 guestfs_tune2fs_l
1573 char **guestfs_tune2fs_l (guestfs_h *handle,
1574 const char *device);
1576 This returns the contents of the ext2, ext3 or ext4 filesystem
1577 superblock on C<device>.
1579 It is the same as running C<tune2fs -l device>. See L<tune2fs(8)>
1580 manpage for more details. The list of fields returned isn't
1581 clearly defined, and depends on both the version of C<tune2fs>
1582 that libguestfs was built against, and the filesystem itself.
1584 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of
1585 strings, or NULL if there was an error.
1586 The array of strings will always have length C<2n+1>, where
1587 C<n> keys and values alternate, followed by the trailing NULL entry.
1588 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1590 =head2 guestfs_umount
1592 int guestfs_umount (guestfs_h *handle,
1593 const char *pathordevice);
1595 This unmounts the given filesystem. The filesystem may be
1596 specified either by its mountpoint (path) or the device which
1597 contains the filesystem.
1599 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1601 =head2 guestfs_umount_all
1603 int guestfs_umount_all (guestfs_h *handle);
1605 This unmounts all mounted filesystems.
1607 Some internal mounts are not unmounted by this call.
1609 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1611 =head2 guestfs_upload
1613 int guestfs_upload (guestfs_h *handle,
1614 const char *filename,
1615 const char *remotefilename);
1617 Upload local file C<filename> to C<remotefilename> on the
1620 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
1622 See also C<guestfs_download>.
1624 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1626 =head2 guestfs_vgcreate
1628 int guestfs_vgcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1629 const char *volgroup,
1630 char * const* const physvols);
1632 This creates an LVM volume group called C<volgroup>
1633 from the non-empty list of physical volumes C<physvols>.
1635 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1637 =head2 guestfs_vgremove
1639 int guestfs_vgremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1640 const char *vgname);
1642 Remove an LVM volume group C<vgname>, (for example C<VG>).
1644 This also forcibly removes all logical volumes in the volume
1647 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1651 char **guestfs_vgs (guestfs_h *handle);
1653 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
1654 of the L<vgs(8)> command.
1656 This returns a list of just the volume group names that were
1657 detected (eg. C<VolGroup00>).
1659 See also C<guestfs_vgs_full>.
1661 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1662 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1663 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1665 =head2 guestfs_vgs_full
1667 struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *guestfs_vgs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1669 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
1670 of the L<vgs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1672 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *>
1673 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1674 or NULL if there was an error.
1675 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_vg_list> after use>.
1677 =head2 guestfs_wait_ready
1679 int guestfs_wait_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1681 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
1684 You should call this after C<guestfs_launch> to wait for the launch
1687 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1689 =head2 guestfs_write_file
1691 int guestfs_write_file (guestfs_h *handle,
1693 const char *content,
1696 This call creates a file called C<path>. The contents of the
1697 file is the string C<content> (which can contain any 8 bit data),
1698 with length C<size>.
1700 As a special case, if C<size> is C<0>
1701 then the length is calculated using C<strlen> (so in this case
1702 the content cannot contain embedded ASCII NULs).
1704 I<NB.> Owing to a bug, writing content containing ASCII NUL
1705 characters does I<not> work, even if the length is specified.
1706 We hope to resolve this bug in a future version. In the meantime
1707 use C<guestfs_upload>.
1709 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1711 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1712 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1717 int guestfs_zero (guestfs_h *handle,
1718 const char *device);
1720 This command writes zeroes over the first few blocks of C<device>.
1722 How many blocks are zeroed isn't specified (but it's I<not> enough
1723 to securely wipe the device). It should be sufficient to remove
1724 any partition tables, filesystem superblocks and so on.
1726 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.