diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index c299c0319a759ddd5030fcdc514ecab90344d8b0..7c1fb4767da1ead618ff264c43cfe77236f7d022 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -7148,75 +7148,12 @@ static int
 virDomainSysinfoDefFormat(virBufferPtr buf,
                           virSysinfoDefPtr def)
 {
-    const char *type = virDomainSysinfoTypeToString(def->type);
+    char *format = virSysinfoFormat(def, "  ");
 
-    if (!type) {
-        virDomainReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-                             _("unexpected sysinfo type model %d"),
-                             def->type);
+    if (!format)
         return -1;
-    }
-
-    virBufferVSprintf(buf, "  <sysinfo type='%s'>\n", type);
-    if ((def->bios_vendor != NULL) || (def->bios_version != NULL) ||
-        (def->bios_date != NULL) || (def->bios_release != NULL)) {
-        virBufferAddLit(buf, "    <bios>\n");
-        if (def->bios_vendor != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='vendor'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->bios_vendor);
-        if (def->bios_version != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='version'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->bios_version);
-        if (def->bios_date != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='date'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->bios_date);
-        if (def->bios_release != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='release'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->bios_release);
-        virBufferAddLit(buf, "    </bios>\n");
-    }
-    if ((def->system_manufacturer != NULL) || (def->system_product != NULL) ||
-        (def->system_version != NULL) || (def->system_serial != NULL) ||
-        (def->system_uuid != NULL) || (def->system_sku != NULL) ||
-        (def->system_family != NULL)) {
-        virBufferAddLit(buf, "    <system>\n");
-        if (def->system_manufacturer != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                          "      <entry name='manufacturer'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->system_manufacturer);
-        if (def->system_product != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='product'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->system_product);
-        if (def->system_version != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='version'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->system_version);
-        if (def->system_serial != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='serial'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->system_serial);
-        if (def->system_uuid != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='uuid'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->system_uuid);
-        if (def->system_sku != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='sku'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->system_sku);
-        if (def->system_family != NULL)
-            virBufferEscapeString(buf,
-                                  "      <entry name='family'>%s</entry>\n",
-                                  def->system_family);
-        virBufferAddLit(buf, "    </system>\n");
-    }
-
-    virBufferAddLit(buf, "  </sysinfo>\n");
-
+    virBufferAdd(buf, format, strlen(format));
+    VIR_FREE(format);
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 1bbd44e8dd91d5bdc1486ddd3707b306feaf12ec..b9e3efe50fffc20536a4b938e7accee8d8d8a072 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -800,6 +800,7 @@ virStorageFileProbeFormatFromFD;
 
 # sysinfo.h
 virSysinfoDefFree;
+virSysinfoFormat;
 virSysinfoRead;
 
 
diff --git a/src/util/sysinfo.c b/src/util/sysinfo.c
index 48ab26702bc36adb0c11bc0c26398f81cd797ab8..2b764ae21c4942765f835ca114de373031deb9d2 100644
--- a/src/util/sysinfo.c
+++ b/src/util/sysinfo.c
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * sysinfo.c: get SMBIOS/sysinfo information from the host
  *
- * Copyright (C) 2010 Red Hat, Inc.
+ * Copyright (C) 2010-2011 Red Hat, Inc.
  * Copyright (C) 2010 Daniel Veillard
  *
  * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
@@ -91,7 +91,18 @@ virSysinfoRead(void) {
                  _("Host sysinfo extraction not supported on this platform"));
     return NULL;
 }
-#else
+
+char *
+virSysinfoFormat(virSysinfoDefPtr def ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                 const char *prefix ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
+{
+    virReportSystemError(ENOSYS, "%s",
+                 _("Host sysinfo extraction not supported on this platform"));
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+#else /* !WIN32 */
+
 virSysinfoDefPtr
 virSysinfoRead(void) {
     char *path, *cur, *eol, *base;
@@ -207,4 +218,112 @@ no_memory:
     ret = NULL;
     goto cleanup;
 }
-#endif
+
+/**
+ * virSysinfoFormat:
+ * @def: structure to convert to xml string
+ * @prefix: string to prefix before each line of xml
+ *
+ * This returns the XML description of the sysinfo, or NULL after
+ * generating an error message.
+ */
+char *
+virSysinfoFormat(virSysinfoDefPtr def, const char *prefix)
+{
+    const char *type = virDomainSysinfoTypeToString(def->type);
+    virBuffer buf = VIR_BUFFER_INITIALIZER;
+    size_t len = strlen(prefix);
+
+    if (!type) {
+        virSmbiosReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                             _("unexpected sysinfo type model %d"),
+                             def->type);
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    virBufferVSprintf(&buf, "%s<sysinfo type='%s'>\n", prefix, type);
+    if ((def->bios_vendor != NULL) || (def->bios_version != NULL) ||
+        (def->bios_date != NULL) || (def->bios_release != NULL)) {
+        virBufferVSprintf(&buf, "%s  <bios>\n", prefix);
+        if (def->bios_vendor != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='vendor'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->bios_vendor);
+        }
+        if (def->bios_version != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='version'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->bios_version);
+        }
+        if (def->bios_date != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='date'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->bios_date);
+        }
+        if (def->bios_release != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='release'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->bios_release);
+        }
+        virBufferVSprintf(&buf, "%s  </bios>\n", prefix);
+    }
+    if ((def->system_manufacturer != NULL) || (def->system_product != NULL) ||
+        (def->system_version != NULL) || (def->system_serial != NULL) ||
+        (def->system_uuid != NULL) || (def->system_sku != NULL) ||
+        (def->system_family != NULL)) {
+        virBufferVSprintf(&buf, "%s  <system>\n", prefix);
+        if (def->system_manufacturer != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='manufacturer'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->system_manufacturer);
+        }
+        if (def->system_product != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='product'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->system_product);
+        }
+        if (def->system_version != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='version'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->system_version);
+        }
+        if (def->system_serial != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='serial'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->system_serial);
+        }
+        if (def->system_uuid != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='uuid'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->system_uuid);
+        }
+        if (def->system_sku != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='sku'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->system_sku);
+        }
+        if (def->system_family != NULL) {
+            virBufferAdd(&buf, prefix, len);
+            virBufferEscapeString(&buf,
+                                  "    <entry name='family'>%s</entry>\n",
+                                  def->system_family);
+        }
+        virBufferVSprintf(&buf, "%s  </system>\n", prefix);
+    }
+
+    virBufferVSprintf(&buf, "%s</sysinfo>\n", prefix);
+
+    return virBufferContentAndReset(&buf);
+}
+
+#endif /* !WIN32 */
diff --git a/src/util/sysinfo.h b/src/util/sysinfo.h
index 1af7ef6f73671d3d7f4008f3ae915ad746c1dad3..66a59db70bbefdbdf4091f31c08b82fe9c4415e9 100644
--- a/src/util/sysinfo.h
+++ b/src/util/sysinfo.h
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * sysinfo.h: structure and entry points for sysinfo support
  *
- * Copyright (C) 2010 Red Hat, Inc.
+ * Copyright (C) 2010-2011 Red Hat, Inc.
  * Copyright (C) 2010 Daniel Veillard
  *
  * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
@@ -56,4 +56,7 @@ virSysinfoDefPtr virSysinfoRead(void);
 
 void virSysinfoDefFree(virSysinfoDefPtr def);
 
+char *virSysinfoFormat(virSysinfoDefPtr def, const char *prefix)
+    ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2);
+
 #endif /* __VIR_SYSINFOS_H__ */