diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index fdf454870045e7e357aa4cf0e8fdc5ef5a115ec8..e819049496c8f4cfabd486797af83ae94fcbbf48 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1941,6 +1941,7 @@ virStorageSourceFree;
 virStorageSourceGetActualType;
 virStorageSourceGetSecurityLabelDef;
 virStorageSourceInitChainElement;
+virStorageSourceIsEmpty;
 virStorageSourceIsLocalStorage;
 virStorageSourceNewFromBacking;
 virStorageSourcePoolDefFree;
diff --git a/src/util/virstoragefile.c b/src/util/virstoragefile.c
index 299edcd48e2282042e71efa2376b1d0faf995d58..5db918489818014cec28b6a1fe8c4e35da388320 100644
--- a/src/util/virstoragefile.c
+++ b/src/util/virstoragefile.c
@@ -1975,6 +1975,27 @@ virStorageSourceIsLocalStorage(virStorageSourcePtr src)
 }
 
 
+/**
+ * virStorageSourceIsEmpty:
+ *
+ * @src: disk source to check
+ *
+ * Returns true if the guest disk has no associated host storage source
+ * (such as an empty cdrom drive).
+ */
+bool
+virStorageSourceIsEmpty(virStorageSourcePtr src)
+{
+    if (virStorageSourceIsLocalStorage(src) && !src->path)
+        return true;
+
+    if (src->type == VIR_STORAGE_TYPE_NONE)
+        return true;
+
+    return false;
+}
+
+
 /**
  * virStorageSourceBackingStoreClear:
  *
diff --git a/src/util/virstoragefile.h b/src/util/virstoragefile.h
index eccbf4e4664476a81816867569f7beabcf67588c..2583e107a6cc4b0645cf58fe2348368a8d791219 100644
--- a/src/util/virstoragefile.h
+++ b/src/util/virstoragefile.h
@@ -353,6 +353,7 @@ void virStorageSourcePoolDefFree(virStorageSourcePoolDefPtr def);
 void virStorageSourceClear(virStorageSourcePtr def);
 int virStorageSourceGetActualType(virStorageSourcePtr def);
 bool virStorageSourceIsLocalStorage(virStorageSourcePtr src);
+bool virStorageSourceIsEmpty(virStorageSourcePtr src);
 void virStorageSourceFree(virStorageSourcePtr def);
 void virStorageSourceBackingStoreClear(virStorageSourcePtr def);
 virStorageSourcePtr virStorageSourceNewFromBacking(virStorageSourcePtr parent);