diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_alias.c b/src/qemu/qemu_alias.c
index ed96f9f4cb6210acd0ef77aa594ab0fb12342f47..ed3af04decc6ac3c4b7145afd6740570785fe191 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_alias.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_alias.c
@@ -190,14 +190,10 @@ qemuAssignDeviceDiskAlias(virDomainDefPtr def,
 
     if (disk->info.type == VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_ADDRESS_TYPE_DRIVE) {
         if (disk->bus == VIR_DOMAIN_DISK_BUS_SCSI) {
-            virDomainControllerDefPtr cont;
-
-            cont = virDomainDeviceFindSCSIController(def, &disk->info);
-            if (cont)
-                controllerModel = cont->model;
-
-            if ((qemuDomainSetSCSIControllerModel(def, qemuCaps,
-                                                  &controllerModel)) < 0)
+            controllerModel = qemuDomainFindSCSIControllerModel(def,
+                                                                &disk->info,
+                                                                qemuCaps);
+            if (controllerModel < 0)
                 return -1;
         }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index 113a2919bdb43f9b71ef1af399fb4bc17c2b5f94..32ff385cf6c7de55a2f301eb3d9dcdb690b3cf69 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -1957,7 +1957,6 @@ qemuBuildDriveDevStr(const virDomainDef *def,
                      virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps)
 {
     virBuffer opt = VIR_BUFFER_INITIALIZER;
-    virDomainControllerDefPtr cont;
     const char *bus = virDomainDiskQEMUBusTypeToString(disk->bus);
     const char *contAlias;
     char *drivealias;
@@ -2043,11 +2042,9 @@ qemuBuildDriveDevStr(const virDomainDef *def,
             goto error;
         }
 
-        cont = virDomainDeviceFindSCSIController(def, &disk->info);
-        if (cont)
-            controllerModel = cont->model;
-        if ((qemuDomainSetSCSIControllerModel(def, qemuCaps,
-                                              &controllerModel)) < 0)
+        controllerModel = qemuDomainFindSCSIControllerModel(def, &disk->info,
+                                                            qemuCaps);
+        if (controllerModel < 0)
             goto error;
 
         if (disk->device == VIR_DOMAIN_DISK_DEVICE_LUN) {
@@ -5143,16 +5140,12 @@ qemuBuildSCSIHostdevDevStr(const virDomainDef *def,
                            virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps)
 {
     virBuffer buf = VIR_BUFFER_INITIALIZER;
-    virDomainControllerDefPtr cont;
     int model = -1;
     char *driveAlias;
     const char *contAlias;
 
-    cont = virDomainDeviceFindSCSIController(def, dev->info);
-    if (cont)
-        model = cont->model;
-
-    if (qemuDomainSetSCSIControllerModel(def, qemuCaps, &model) < 0)
+    model = qemuDomainFindSCSIControllerModel(def, dev->info, qemuCaps);
+    if (model < 0)
         goto error;
 
     if (model == VIR_DOMAIN_CONTROLLER_MODEL_SCSI_LSILOGIC) {
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.c b/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.c
index 86fe7ad11b617de6b6c3e71a11cf18ac222624e4..74f7df205c865fb5c403051533a56df18117f848 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.c
@@ -74,6 +74,37 @@ qemuDomainSetSCSIControllerModel(const virDomainDef *def,
 }
 
 
+/**
+ * @def: Domain definition
+ * @info: Domain device info
+ * @qemuCaps: QEMU capabilities
+ *
+ * Using the device info, find the controller related to the
+ * device by index and use that controller to return the model.
+ *
+ * Returns the model if found, -1 if not with an error message set
+ */
+int
+qemuDomainFindSCSIControllerModel(const virDomainDef *def,
+                                  virDomainDeviceInfoPtr info,
+                                  virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps)
+{
+    virDomainControllerDefPtr cont;
+    int model;
+
+    if (!(cont = virDomainDeviceFindSCSIController(def, info))) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                       _("unable to find a SCSI controller for idx=%d"),
+                       info->addr.drive.controller);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    model = cont->model;
+    ignore_value(qemuDomainSetSCSIControllerModel(def, qemuCaps, &model));
+    return model;
+}
+
+
 static int
 qemuDomainAssignVirtioSerialAddresses(virDomainDefPtr def)
 {
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.h b/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.h
index e951a4c884901f8fdfe7462bd56217f4fb5ded22..8a43468927f7930d311897cb5ec6ff5e890d585c 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.h
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ int qemuDomainSetSCSIControllerModel(const virDomainDef *def,
                                      virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps,
                                      int *model);
 
+int qemuDomainFindSCSIControllerModel(const virDomainDef *def,
+                                      virDomainDeviceInfoPtr info,
+                                      virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps);
+
 int qemuDomainAssignAddresses(virDomainDefPtr def,
                               virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps,
                               virQEMUDriverPtr driver,