diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 73534d0f159617eaa459355305c6775467167115..fb6732039169324e863556d455d5fb43c2c13aa8 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+Tue Mar 28 16:40:08 CEST 2006 Daniel Veillard <veillard@redhat.com>
+
+	* python/libvir.c: call the initialize entry point
+	* src/libvirt_sym.version: add initialize entry point
+	* src/libvirt.c: make sure we always initialize the lib
+	* python/tests/*.py: start updating exemple for exception
+	  handling as pointed by Jim Meyering
+
 Tue Mar 28 11:49:59 CEST 2006 Daniel Veillard <veillard@redhat.com>
 
 	* doc/site.xsl doc/libvir.html doc/*: added informations about
diff --git a/python/libvir.c b/python/libvir.c
index 47da369d2532e92928436477f3b7ae72bed54ee1..1d97037704621cfc419b44aed207737a5c2d0b47 100644
--- a/python/libvir.c
+++ b/python/libvir.c
@@ -269,6 +269,8 @@ initlibvirtmod(void)
     if (initialized != 0)
         return;
 
+    virInitialize();
+
     /* intialize the python extension module */
     Py_InitModule((char *) "libvirtmod", libvirtMethods);
 
diff --git a/python/tests/basic.py b/python/tests/basic.py
index b6f8831a1e40e11e9440e91a36da098c77bf44b9..c6dec81f9bae5ccdf7191cfab513d2f12f0c0280 100755
--- a/python/tests/basic.py
+++ b/python/tests/basic.py
@@ -14,8 +14,9 @@ if conn == None:
 
 # print conn
 
-dom0 = conn.lookupByName("Domain-0")
-if dom0 == None:
+try:
+    dom0 = conn.lookupByName("Domain-0")
+except:
     print 'Failed to find the main domain'
     sys.exit(1)
 
diff --git a/python/tests/create.py b/python/tests/create.py
index c897741edd4d0b345ceb87bacd0c1e629c1a8b15..b717db18819e4747c5629ced9ba08a045243c6a2 100755
--- a/python/tests/create.py
+++ b/python/tests/create.py
@@ -115,13 +115,20 @@ time.sleep(10)
 print "shutdown of test domain"
 
 if dom.shutdown() != 0:
+    okay = 0
     print 'Failed to shutdown domain test'
 
 i = 0
 while i < 30:
     time.sleep(1)
     i = i + 1
-    t = dom.info()[4]
+    try:
+	t = dom.info()[4]
+    except:
+        okay = 0
+	t = -1
+	break;
+        
     if t == 0:
         break
 
diff --git a/python/tests/uuid.py b/python/tests/uuid.py
index d71d420687420fb81953ef421433aa3cb19763e4..605b7594242530ba6f5289593dabed5b9a07aa74 100755
--- a/python/tests/uuid.py
+++ b/python/tests/uuid.py
@@ -19,16 +19,18 @@ if ids == None or len(ids) == 0:
 
 id = ids[-1]
 
-dom = conn.lookupByID(id)
-if dom == None:
+try:
+    dom = conn.lookupByID(id)
+except:
     print 'Failed to find the domain %d'
     sys.exit(1)
 
 name0 = dom.name()
 uuid = dom.UUID()
 print "Using domain %s" % (name0)
-dom2 = conn.lookupByUUID(uuid)
-if dom2 == None:
+try:
+    dom2 = conn.lookupByUUID(uuid)
+except:
     print 'Failed to lookup domain %d based on its UUID'
     sys.exit(1)
 if dom2.name() != name0:
diff --git a/src/libvirt.c b/src/libvirt.c
index eedf52d00d8ebdd7701d150c542d52dc7924c3ab..d5c268bb2e6cbc045fa3a973976d6d4efbb59d89 100644
--- a/src/libvirt.c
+++ b/src/libvirt.c
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ virInitialize(void)
 
     if (initialized)
         return(0);
+    initialized = 1;
 
     /*
      * should not be needed but...
@@ -70,7 +71,6 @@ virInitialize(void)
     xenHypervisorRegister();
     xenDaemonRegister();
     xenStoreRegister();
-    initialized = 1;
     return(0);
 }
 
@@ -136,6 +136,9 @@ virRegisterDriver(virDriverPtr driver)
 {
     int i;
 
+    if (!initialized)
+        virInitialize();
+
     if (driver == NULL) {
         virLibConnError(NULL, VIR_ERR_INVALID_ARG, __FUNCTION__);
 	return(-1);
@@ -173,6 +176,9 @@ int
 virGetVersion(unsigned long *libVer, const char *type,
               unsigned long *typeVer)
 {
+    if (!initialized)
+        virInitialize();
+
     if (libVer == NULL)
         return (-1);
     *libVer = LIBVIR_VERSION_NUMBER;
@@ -212,6 +218,9 @@ virConnectOpen(const char *name)
 {
     virConnectPtr ret = NULL;
 
+    if (!initialized)
+        virInitialize();
+
     /* we can only talk to the local Xen supervisor ATM */
     if (name != NULL) {
         virLibConnError(NULL, VIR_ERR_NO_SUPPORT, name);
@@ -270,6 +279,9 @@ virConnectOpenReadOnly(const char *name)
     int res;
     virConnectPtr ret = NULL;
 
+    if (!initialized)
+        virInitialize();
+
     /* we can only talk to the local Xen supervisor ATM */
     if (name != NULL) {
         virLibConnError(NULL, VIR_ERR_NO_SUPPORT, name);
diff --git a/src/libvirt_sym.version b/src/libvirt_sym.version
index 85e2694b1150ebe3696854ed6f42cb994d318977..0a298f82402f40c05cfa59aa7a84ded0509d694d 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_sym.version
+++ b/src/libvirt_sym.version
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
     global:
+        virInitialize;
 	virConnectClose;
 	virConnectGetType;
 	virConnectGetVersion;