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.
918 =head2 guestfs_hexdump
920 char *guestfs_hexdump (guestfs_h *handle,
923 This runs C<hexdump -C> on the given C<path>. The result is
924 the human-readable, canonical hex dump of the file.
926 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
927 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
929 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
930 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
933 =head2 guestfs_is_busy
935 int guestfs_is_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
937 This returns true iff this handle is busy processing a command
938 (in the C<BUSY> state).
940 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
942 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
944 =head2 guestfs_is_config
946 int guestfs_is_config (guestfs_h *handle);
948 This returns true iff this handle is being configured
949 (in the C<CONFIG> state).
951 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
953 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
955 =head2 guestfs_is_dir
957 int guestfs_is_dir (guestfs_h *handle,
960 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a directory
961 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
962 other objects like files.
964 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
966 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
968 =head2 guestfs_is_file
970 int guestfs_is_file (guestfs_h *handle,
973 This returns C<true> if and only if there is a file
974 with the given C<path> name. Note that it returns false for
975 other objects like directories.
977 See also C<guestfs_stat>.
979 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
981 =head2 guestfs_is_launching
983 int guestfs_is_launching (guestfs_h *handle);
985 This returns true iff this handle is launching the subprocess
986 (in the C<LAUNCHING> state).
988 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
990 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
992 =head2 guestfs_is_ready
994 int guestfs_is_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
996 This returns true iff this handle is ready to accept commands
997 (in the C<READY> state).
999 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1001 This function returns a C truth value on success or -1 on error.
1003 =head2 guestfs_kill_subprocess
1005 int guestfs_kill_subprocess (guestfs_h *handle);
1007 This kills the qemu subprocess. You should never need to call this.
1009 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1011 =head2 guestfs_launch
1013 int guestfs_launch (guestfs_h *handle);
1015 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
1018 You should call this after configuring the handle
1019 (eg. adding drives) but before performing any actions.
1021 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1023 =head2 guestfs_list_devices
1025 char **guestfs_list_devices (guestfs_h *handle);
1027 List all the block devices.
1029 The full block device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda>
1031 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1032 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1033 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1035 =head2 guestfs_list_partitions
1037 char **guestfs_list_partitions (guestfs_h *handle);
1039 List all the partitions detected on all block devices.
1041 The full partition device names are returned, eg. C</dev/sda1>
1043 This does not return logical volumes. For that you will need to
1044 call C<guestfs_lvs>.
1046 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1047 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1048 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1052 char *guestfs_ll (guestfs_h *handle,
1053 const char *directory);
1055 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
1056 there is no cwd) in the format of 'ls -la'.
1058 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. It
1059 is I<not> intended that you try to parse the output string.
1061 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1062 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1066 char **guestfs_ls (guestfs_h *handle,
1067 const char *directory);
1069 List the files in C<directory> (relative to the root directory,
1070 there is no cwd). The '.' and '..' entries are not returned, but
1071 hidden files are shown.
1073 This command is mostly useful for interactive sessions. Programs
1074 should probably use C<guestfs_readdir> instead.
1076 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1077 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1078 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1080 =head2 guestfs_lstat
1082 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_lstat (guestfs_h *handle,
1085 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
1087 This is the same as C<guestfs_stat> except that if C<path>
1088 is a symbolic link, then the link is stat-ed, not the file it
1091 This is the same as the C<lstat(2)> system call.
1093 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
1094 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1095 or NULL if there was an error.
1096 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1098 =head2 guestfs_lvcreate
1100 int guestfs_lvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1102 const char *volgroup,
1105 This creates an LVM volume group called C<logvol>
1106 on the volume group C<volgroup>, with C<size> megabytes.
1108 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1110 =head2 guestfs_lvm_remove_all
1112 int guestfs_lvm_remove_all (guestfs_h *handle);
1114 This command removes all LVM logical volumes, volume groups
1115 and physical volumes.
1117 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1119 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1120 can easily destroy all your data>.
1122 =head2 guestfs_lvremove
1124 int guestfs_lvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1125 const char *device);
1127 Remove an LVM logical volume C<device>, where C<device> is
1128 the path to the LV, such as C</dev/VG/LV>.
1130 You can also remove all LVs in a volume group by specifying
1131 the VG name, C</dev/VG>.
1133 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1135 =head2 guestfs_lvresize
1137 int guestfs_lvresize (guestfs_h *handle,
1141 This resizes (expands or shrinks) an existing LVM logical
1142 volume to C<mbytes>. When reducing, data in the reduced part
1145 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1149 char **guestfs_lvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1151 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1152 of the L<lvs(8)> command.
1154 This returns a list of the logical volume device names
1155 (eg. C</dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00>).
1157 See also C<guestfs_lvs_full>.
1159 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1160 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1161 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1163 =head2 guestfs_lvs_full
1165 struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *guestfs_lvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1167 List all the logical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1168 of the L<lvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1170 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_lv_list *>
1171 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1172 or NULL if there was an error.
1173 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_lv_list> after use>.
1175 =head2 guestfs_mkdir
1177 int guestfs_mkdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1180 Create a directory named C<path>.
1182 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1184 =head2 guestfs_mkdir_p
1186 int guestfs_mkdir_p (guestfs_h *handle,
1189 Create a directory named C<path>, creating any parent directories
1190 as necessary. This is like the C<mkdir -p> shell command.
1192 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1194 =head2 guestfs_mkdtemp
1196 char *guestfs_mkdtemp (guestfs_h *handle,
1197 const char *template);
1199 This command creates a temporary directory. The
1200 C<template> parameter should be a full pathname for the
1201 temporary directory with the six characters being
1204 For example: "/tmp/tmpXXXXXX" or "/Temp/tmpXXXXXX",
1205 the second one being suitable for Windows.
1207 The name of the temporary directory that was created
1210 The caller is responsible for deleting the temporary
1211 directory and its contents after use.
1213 See also: L<mkdtemp(3)>
1215 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1216 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1220 int guestfs_mkfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1222 const char *device);
1224 This creates a filesystem on C<device> (usually a partition
1225 or LVM logical volume). The filesystem type is C<fstype>, for
1228 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1230 =head2 guestfs_mount
1232 int guestfs_mount (guestfs_h *handle,
1234 const char *mountpoint);
1236 Mount a guest disk at a position in the filesystem. Block devices
1237 are named C</dev/sda>, C</dev/sdb> and so on, as they were added to
1238 the guest. If those block devices contain partitions, they will have
1239 the usual names (eg. C</dev/sda1>). Also LVM C</dev/VG/LV>-style
1242 The rules are the same as for L<mount(2)>: A filesystem must
1243 first be mounted on C</> before others can be mounted. Other
1244 filesystems can only be mounted on directories which already
1247 The mounted filesystem is writable, if we have sufficient permissions
1248 on the underlying device.
1250 The filesystem options C<sync> and C<noatime> are set with this
1251 call, in order to improve reliability.
1253 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1255 =head2 guestfs_mount_options
1257 int guestfs_mount_options (guestfs_h *handle,
1258 const char *options,
1260 const char *mountpoint);
1262 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1263 allows you to set the mount options as for the
1264 L<mount(8)> I<-o> flag.
1266 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1268 =head2 guestfs_mount_ro
1270 int guestfs_mount_ro (guestfs_h *handle,
1272 const char *mountpoint);
1274 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1275 mounts the filesystem with the read-only (I<-o ro>) flag.
1277 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1279 =head2 guestfs_mount_vfs
1281 int guestfs_mount_vfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1282 const char *options,
1283 const char *vfstype,
1285 const char *mountpoint);
1287 This is the same as the C<guestfs_mount> command, but it
1288 allows you to set both the mount options and the vfstype
1289 as for the L<mount(8)> I<-o> and I<-t> flags.
1291 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1293 =head2 guestfs_mounts
1295 char **guestfs_mounts (guestfs_h *handle);
1297 This returns the list of currently mounted filesystems. It returns
1298 the list of devices (eg. C</dev/sda1>, C</dev/VG/LV>).
1300 Some internal mounts are not shown.
1302 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1303 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1304 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1308 int guestfs_mv (guestfs_h *handle,
1312 This moves a file from C<src> to C<dest> where C<dest> is
1313 either a destination filename or destination directory.
1315 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1317 =head2 guestfs_ntfs_3g_probe
1319 int guestfs_ntfs_3g_probe (guestfs_h *handle,
1321 const char *device);
1323 This command runs the L<ntfs-3g.probe(8)> command which probes
1324 an NTFS C<device> for mountability. (Not all NTFS volumes can
1325 be mounted read-write, and some cannot be mounted at all).
1327 C<rw> is a boolean flag. Set it to true if you want to test
1328 if the volume can be mounted read-write. Set it to false if
1329 you want to test if the volume can be mounted read-only.
1331 The return value is an integer which C<0> if the operation
1332 would succeed, or some non-zero value documented in the
1333 L<ntfs-3g.probe(8)> manual page.
1335 On error this function returns -1.
1337 =head2 guestfs_ping_daemon
1339 int guestfs_ping_daemon (guestfs_h *handle);
1341 This is a test probe into the guestfs daemon running inside
1342 the qemu subprocess. Calling this function checks that the
1343 daemon responds to the ping message, without affecting the daemon
1344 or attached block device(s) in any other way.
1346 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1348 =head2 guestfs_pvcreate
1350 int guestfs_pvcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
1351 const char *device);
1353 This creates an LVM physical volume on the named C<device>,
1354 where C<device> should usually be a partition name such
1357 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1359 =head2 guestfs_pvremove
1361 int guestfs_pvremove (guestfs_h *handle,
1362 const char *device);
1364 This wipes a physical volume C<device> so that LVM will no longer
1367 The implementation uses the C<pvremove> command which refuses to
1368 wipe physical volumes that contain any volume groups, so you have
1369 to remove those first.
1371 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1373 =head2 guestfs_pvresize
1375 int guestfs_pvresize (guestfs_h *handle,
1376 const char *device);
1378 This resizes (expands or shrinks) an existing LVM physical
1379 volume to match the new size of the underlying device.
1381 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1385 char **guestfs_pvs (guestfs_h *handle);
1387 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1388 of the L<pvs(8)> command.
1390 This returns a list of just the device names that contain
1391 PVs (eg. C</dev/sda2>).
1393 See also C<guestfs_pvs_full>.
1395 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1396 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1397 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1399 =head2 guestfs_pvs_full
1401 struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *guestfs_pvs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
1403 List all the physical volumes detected. This is the equivalent
1404 of the L<pvs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
1406 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_pv_list *>
1407 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1408 or NULL if there was an error.
1409 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_pv_list> after use>.
1411 =head2 guestfs_read_lines
1413 char **guestfs_read_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
1416 Return the contents of the file named C<path>.
1418 The file contents are returned as a list of lines. Trailing
1419 C<LF> and C<CRLF> character sequences are I<not> returned.
1421 Note that this function cannot correctly handle binary files
1422 (specifically, files containing C<\0> character which is treated
1423 as end of line). For those you need to use the C<guestfs_read_file>
1424 function which has a more complex interface.
1426 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1427 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1428 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1430 =head2 guestfs_resize2fs
1432 int guestfs_resize2fs (guestfs_h *handle,
1433 const char *device);
1435 This resizes an ext2 or ext3 filesystem to match the size of
1436 the underlying device.
1438 I<Note:> It is sometimes required that you run C<guestfs_e2fsck_f>
1439 on the C<device> before calling this command. For unknown reasons
1440 C<resize2fs> sometimes gives an error about this and sometimes not.
1441 In any case, it is always safe to call C<guestfs_e2fsck_f> before
1442 calling this function.
1444 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1448 int guestfs_rm (guestfs_h *handle,
1451 Remove the single file C<path>.
1453 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1455 =head2 guestfs_rm_rf
1457 int guestfs_rm_rf (guestfs_h *handle,
1460 Remove the file or directory C<path>, recursively removing the
1461 contents if its a directory. This is like the C<rm -rf> shell
1464 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1466 =head2 guestfs_rmdir
1468 int guestfs_rmdir (guestfs_h *handle,
1471 Remove the single directory C<path>.
1473 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1475 =head2 guestfs_scrub_device
1477 int guestfs_scrub_device (guestfs_h *handle,
1478 const char *device);
1480 This command writes patterns over C<device> to make data retrieval
1483 It is an interface to the L<scrub(1)> program. See that
1484 manual page for more details.
1486 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1488 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1489 can easily destroy all your data>.
1491 =head2 guestfs_scrub_file
1493 int guestfs_scrub_file (guestfs_h *handle,
1496 This command writes patterns over a file to make data retrieval
1499 The file is I<removed> after scrubbing.
1501 It is an interface to the L<scrub(1)> program. See that
1502 manual page for more details.
1504 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1506 =head2 guestfs_scrub_freespace
1508 int guestfs_scrub_freespace (guestfs_h *handle,
1511 This command creates the directory C<dir> and then fills it
1512 with files until the filesystem is full, and scrubs the files
1513 as for C<guestfs_scrub_file>, and deletes them.
1514 The intention is to scrub any free space on the partition
1517 It is an interface to the L<scrub(1)> program. See that
1518 manual page for more details.
1520 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1522 =head2 guestfs_set_append
1524 int guestfs_set_append (guestfs_h *handle,
1525 const char *append);
1527 This function is used to add additional options to the
1528 guest kernel command line.
1530 The default is C<NULL> unless overridden by setting
1531 C<LIBGUESTFS_APPEND> environment variable.
1533 Setting C<append> to C<NULL> means I<no> additional options
1534 are passed (libguestfs always adds a few of its own).
1536 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1538 =head2 guestfs_set_autosync
1540 int guestfs_set_autosync (guestfs_h *handle,
1543 If C<autosync> is true, this enables autosync. Libguestfs will make a
1544 best effort attempt to run C<guestfs_umount_all> followed by
1545 C<guestfs_sync> when the handle is closed
1546 (also if the program exits without closing handles).
1548 This is disabled by default (except in guestfish where it is
1549 enabled by default).
1551 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1553 =head2 guestfs_set_busy
1555 int guestfs_set_busy (guestfs_h *handle);
1557 This sets the state to C<BUSY>. This is only used when implementing
1558 actions using the low-level API.
1560 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1562 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1564 =head2 guestfs_set_e2label
1566 int guestfs_set_e2label (guestfs_h *handle,
1570 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem label of the filesystem on
1571 C<device> to C<label>. Filesystem labels are limited to
1574 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2label>
1575 to return the existing label on a filesystem.
1577 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1579 =head2 guestfs_set_e2uuid
1581 int guestfs_set_e2uuid (guestfs_h *handle,
1585 This sets the ext2/3/4 filesystem UUID of the filesystem on
1586 C<device> to C<uuid>. The format of the UUID and alternatives
1587 such as C<clear>, C<random> and C<time> are described in the
1588 L<tune2fs(8)> manpage.
1590 You can use either C<guestfs_tune2fs_l> or C<guestfs_get_e2uuid>
1591 to return the existing UUID of a filesystem.
1593 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1595 =head2 guestfs_set_path
1597 int guestfs_set_path (guestfs_h *handle,
1600 Set the path that libguestfs searches for kernel and initrd.img.
1602 The default is C<$libdir/guestfs> unless overridden by setting
1603 C<LIBGUESTFS_PATH> environment variable.
1605 Setting C<path> to C<NULL> restores the default path.
1607 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1609 =head2 guestfs_set_qemu
1611 int guestfs_set_qemu (guestfs_h *handle,
1614 Set the qemu binary that we will use.
1616 The default is chosen when the library was compiled by the
1619 You can also override this by setting the C<LIBGUESTFS_QEMU>
1620 environment variable.
1622 Setting C<qemu> to C<NULL> restores the default qemu binary.
1624 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1626 =head2 guestfs_set_ready
1628 int guestfs_set_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
1630 This sets the state to C<READY>. This is only used when implementing
1631 actions using the low-level API.
1633 For more information on states, see L<guestfs(3)>.
1635 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1637 =head2 guestfs_set_verbose
1639 int guestfs_set_verbose (guestfs_h *handle,
1642 If C<verbose> is true, this turns on verbose messages (to C<stderr>).
1644 Verbose messages are disabled unless the environment variable
1645 C<LIBGUESTFS_DEBUG> is defined and set to C<1>.
1647 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1649 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk
1651 int guestfs_sfdisk (guestfs_h *handle,
1656 char * const* const lines);
1658 This is a direct interface to the L<sfdisk(8)> program for creating
1659 partitions on block devices.
1661 C<device> should be a block device, for example C</dev/sda>.
1663 C<cyls>, C<heads> and C<sectors> are the number of cylinders, heads
1664 and sectors on the device, which are passed directly to sfdisk as
1665 the I<-C>, I<-H> and I<-S> parameters. If you pass C<0> for any
1666 of these, then the corresponding parameter is omitted. Usually for
1667 'large' disks, you can just pass C<0> for these, but for small
1668 (floppy-sized) disks, sfdisk (or rather, the kernel) cannot work
1669 out the right geometry and you will need to tell it.
1671 C<lines> is a list of lines that we feed to C<sfdisk>. For more
1672 information refer to the L<sfdisk(8)> manpage.
1674 To create a single partition occupying the whole disk, you would
1675 pass C<lines> as a single element list, when the single element being
1676 the string C<,> (comma).
1678 See also: C<guestfs_sfdisk_l>, C<guestfs_sfdisk_N>
1680 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1682 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1683 can easily destroy all your data>.
1685 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_N
1687 int guestfs_sfdisk_N (guestfs_h *handle,
1695 This runs L<sfdisk(8)> option to modify just the single
1696 partition C<n> (note: C<n> counts from 1).
1698 For other parameters, see C<guestfs_sfdisk>. You should usually
1699 pass C<0> for the cyls/heads/sectors parameters.
1701 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1703 B<This command is dangerous. Without careful use you
1704 can easily destroy all your data>.
1706 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_disk_geometry
1708 char *guestfs_sfdisk_disk_geometry (guestfs_h *handle,
1709 const char *device);
1711 This displays the disk geometry of C<device> read from the
1712 partition table. Especially in the case where the underlying
1713 block device has been resized, this can be different from the
1714 kernel's idea of the geometry (see C<guestfs_sfdisk_kernel_geometry>).
1716 The result is in human-readable format, and not designed to
1719 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1720 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1722 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_kernel_geometry
1724 char *guestfs_sfdisk_kernel_geometry (guestfs_h *handle,
1725 const char *device);
1727 This displays the kernel's idea of the geometry of C<device>.
1729 The result is in human-readable format, and not designed to
1732 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1733 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1735 =head2 guestfs_sfdisk_l
1737 char *guestfs_sfdisk_l (guestfs_h *handle,
1738 const char *device);
1740 This displays the partition table on C<device>, in the
1741 human-readable output of the L<sfdisk(8)> command. It is
1742 not intended to be parsed.
1744 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1745 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1749 char *guestfs_sh (guestfs_h *handle,
1750 const char *command);
1752 This call runs a command from the guest filesystem via the
1755 This is like C<guestfs_command>, but passes the command to:
1757 /bin/sh -c "command"
1759 Depending on the guest's shell, this usually results in
1760 wildcards being expanded, shell expressions being interpolated
1763 All the provisos about C<guestfs_command> apply to this call.
1765 This function returns a string, or NULL on error.
1766 I<The caller must free the returned string after use>.
1768 =head2 guestfs_sh_lines
1770 char **guestfs_sh_lines (guestfs_h *handle,
1771 const char *command);
1773 This is the same as C<guestfs_sh>, but splits the result
1774 into a list of lines.
1776 See also: C<guestfs_command_lines>
1778 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1779 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1780 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1782 =head2 guestfs_sleep
1784 int guestfs_sleep (guestfs_h *handle,
1787 Sleep for C<secs> seconds.
1789 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1793 struct guestfs_stat *guestfs_stat (guestfs_h *handle,
1796 Returns file information for the given C<path>.
1798 This is the same as the C<stat(2)> system call.
1800 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_stat *>
1801 (see L<stat(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1802 or NULL if there was an error.
1803 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1805 =head2 guestfs_statvfs
1807 struct guestfs_statvfs *guestfs_statvfs (guestfs_h *handle,
1810 Returns file system statistics for any mounted file system.
1811 C<path> should be a file or directory in the mounted file system
1812 (typically it is the mount point itself, but it doesn't need to be).
1814 This is the same as the C<statvfs(2)> system call.
1816 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_statvfs *>
1817 (see L<statvfs(2)> and E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
1818 or NULL if there was an error.
1819 I<The caller must call C<free> after use>.
1821 =head2 guestfs_strings
1823 char **guestfs_strings (guestfs_h *handle,
1826 This runs the L<strings(1)> command on a file and returns
1827 the list of printable strings found.
1829 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1830 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1831 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1833 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1834 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1837 =head2 guestfs_strings_e
1839 char **guestfs_strings_e (guestfs_h *handle,
1840 const char *encoding,
1843 This is like the C<guestfs_strings> command, but allows you to
1844 specify the encoding.
1846 See the L<strings(1)> manpage for the full list of encodings.
1848 Commonly useful encodings are C<l> (lower case L) which will
1849 show strings inside Windows/x86 files.
1851 The returned strings are transcoded to UTF-8.
1853 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
1854 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
1855 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1857 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
1858 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
1863 int guestfs_sync (guestfs_h *handle);
1865 This syncs the disk, so that any writes are flushed through to the
1866 underlying disk image.
1868 You should always call this if you have modified a disk image, before
1871 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1873 =head2 guestfs_tar_in
1875 int guestfs_tar_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1876 const char *tarfile,
1877 const char *directory);
1879 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarfile> (an
1880 I<uncompressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1882 To upload a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_in>.
1884 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1886 =head2 guestfs_tar_out
1888 int guestfs_tar_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1889 const char *directory,
1890 const char *tarfile);
1892 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1893 it to local file C<tarfile>.
1895 To download a compressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tgz_out>.
1897 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1899 =head2 guestfs_tgz_in
1901 int guestfs_tgz_in (guestfs_h *handle,
1902 const char *tarball,
1903 const char *directory);
1905 This command uploads and unpacks local file C<tarball> (a
1906 I<gzip compressed> tar file) into C<directory>.
1908 To upload an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_in>.
1910 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1912 =head2 guestfs_tgz_out
1914 int guestfs_tgz_out (guestfs_h *handle,
1915 const char *directory,
1916 const char *tarball);
1918 This command packs the contents of C<directory> and downloads
1919 it to local file C<tarball>.
1921 To download an uncompressed tarball, use C<guestfs_tar_out>.
1923 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1925 =head2 guestfs_touch
1927 int guestfs_touch (guestfs_h *handle,
1930 Touch acts like the L<touch(1)> command. It can be used to
1931 update the timestamps on a file, or, if the file does not exist,
1932 to create a new zero-length file.
1934 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1936 =head2 guestfs_tune2fs_l
1938 char **guestfs_tune2fs_l (guestfs_h *handle,
1939 const char *device);
1941 This returns the contents of the ext2, ext3 or ext4 filesystem
1942 superblock on C<device>.
1944 It is the same as running C<tune2fs -l device>. See L<tune2fs(8)>
1945 manpage for more details. The list of fields returned isn't
1946 clearly defined, and depends on both the version of C<tune2fs>
1947 that libguestfs was built against, and the filesystem itself.
1949 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of
1950 strings, or NULL if there was an error.
1951 The array of strings will always have length C<2n+1>, where
1952 C<n> keys and values alternate, followed by the trailing NULL entry.
1953 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
1955 =head2 guestfs_umount
1957 int guestfs_umount (guestfs_h *handle,
1958 const char *pathordevice);
1960 This unmounts the given filesystem. The filesystem may be
1961 specified either by its mountpoint (path) or the device which
1962 contains the filesystem.
1964 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1966 =head2 guestfs_umount_all
1968 int guestfs_umount_all (guestfs_h *handle);
1970 This unmounts all mounted filesystems.
1972 Some internal mounts are not unmounted by this call.
1974 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1976 =head2 guestfs_upload
1978 int guestfs_upload (guestfs_h *handle,
1979 const char *filename,
1980 const char *remotefilename);
1982 Upload local file C<filename> to C<remotefilename> on the
1985 C<filename> can also be a named pipe.
1987 See also C<guestfs_download>.
1989 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
1991 =head2 guestfs_vg_activate
1993 int guestfs_vg_activate (guestfs_h *handle,
1995 char * const* const volgroups);
1997 This command activates or (if C<activate> is false) deactivates
1998 all logical volumes in the listed volume groups C<volgroups>.
1999 If activated, then they are made known to the
2000 kernel, ie. they appear as C</dev/mapper> devices. If deactivated,
2001 then those devices disappear.
2003 This command is the same as running C<vgchange -a y|n volgroups...>
2005 Note that if C<volgroups> is an empty list then B<all> volume groups
2006 are activated or deactivated.
2008 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2010 =head2 guestfs_vg_activate_all
2012 int guestfs_vg_activate_all (guestfs_h *handle,
2015 This command activates or (if C<activate> is false) deactivates
2016 all logical volumes in all volume groups.
2017 If activated, then they are made known to the
2018 kernel, ie. they appear as C</dev/mapper> devices. If deactivated,
2019 then those devices disappear.
2021 This command is the same as running C<vgchange -a y|n>
2023 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2025 =head2 guestfs_vgcreate
2027 int guestfs_vgcreate (guestfs_h *handle,
2028 const char *volgroup,
2029 char * const* const physvols);
2031 This creates an LVM volume group called C<volgroup>
2032 from the non-empty list of physical volumes C<physvols>.
2034 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2036 =head2 guestfs_vgremove
2038 int guestfs_vgremove (guestfs_h *handle,
2039 const char *vgname);
2041 Remove an LVM volume group C<vgname>, (for example C<VG>).
2043 This also forcibly removes all logical volumes in the volume
2046 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2050 char **guestfs_vgs (guestfs_h *handle);
2052 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
2053 of the L<vgs(8)> command.
2055 This returns a list of just the volume group names that were
2056 detected (eg. C<VolGroup00>).
2058 See also C<guestfs_vgs_full>.
2060 This function returns a NULL-terminated array of strings
2061 (like L<environ(3)>), or NULL if there was an error.
2062 I<The caller must free the strings and the array after use>.
2064 =head2 guestfs_vgs_full
2066 struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *guestfs_vgs_full (guestfs_h *handle);
2068 List all the volumes groups detected. This is the equivalent
2069 of the L<vgs(8)> command. The "full" version includes all fields.
2071 This function returns a C<struct guestfs_lvm_vg_list *>
2072 (see E<lt>guestfs-structs.hE<gt>),
2073 or NULL if there was an error.
2074 I<The caller must call C<guestfs_free_lvm_vg_list> after use>.
2076 =head2 guestfs_wait_ready
2078 int guestfs_wait_ready (guestfs_h *handle);
2080 Internally libguestfs is implemented by running a virtual machine
2083 You should call this after C<guestfs_launch> to wait for the launch
2086 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2088 =head2 guestfs_write_file
2090 int guestfs_write_file (guestfs_h *handle,
2092 const char *content,
2095 This call creates a file called C<path>. The contents of the
2096 file is the string C<content> (which can contain any 8 bit data),
2097 with length C<size>.
2099 As a special case, if C<size> is C<0>
2100 then the length is calculated using C<strlen> (so in this case
2101 the content cannot contain embedded ASCII NULs).
2103 I<NB.> Owing to a bug, writing content containing ASCII NUL
2104 characters does I<not> work, even if the length is specified.
2105 We hope to resolve this bug in a future version. In the meantime
2106 use C<guestfs_upload>.
2108 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2110 Because of the message protocol, there is a transfer limit
2111 of somewhere between 2MB and 4MB. To transfer large files you should use
2116 int guestfs_zero (guestfs_h *handle,
2117 const char *device);
2119 This command writes zeroes over the first few blocks of C<device>.
2121 How many blocks are zeroed isn't specified (but it's I<not> enough
2122 to securely wipe the device). It should be sufficient to remove
2123 any partition tables, filesystem superblocks and so on.
2125 See also: C<guestfs_scrub_device>.
2127 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.
2129 =head2 guestfs_zerofree
2131 int guestfs_zerofree (guestfs_h *handle,
2132 const char *device);
2134 This runs the I<zerofree> program on C<device>. This program
2135 claims to zero unused inodes and disk blocks on an ext2/3
2136 filesystem, thus making it possible to compress the filesystem
2139 You should B<not> run this program if the filesystem is
2142 It is possible that using this program can damage the filesystem
2143 or data on the filesystem.
2145 This function returns 0 on success or -1 on error.