[libvirt] libguestfs integration: rich disk access for libvirt applications

Libguestfs provides very nice functionality for applications that need to work with disk images. The includes provisioning applications that set up or customize disk images. It also includes backup applications that want to look inside disk image snapshots - both at the block and file level. What's missing for libguestfs to fill this role is integration that allows libvirt and libguestfs to work together with the same network-transparent remote API approach. In the past we have discussed remoting libguestfs and Richard presented possible approaches: https://www.redhat.com/archives/libguestfs/2011-May/msg00093.html Could libvirt could provide a secure channel over which the libguestfs client that an application is linked against talks to the remote guestfsd? Would libguestfs need some new parameters to connect to a remote libvirtd and create its appliance VM? In terms of application use cases, I'm thinking along the lines of using libvirt to enumerate storage volumes and then switching to libguestfs to actually access the storage volume remotely. Is there enough information exposed by libvirt today to switch over to libguestfs and point it at the storage volume/image file? Stefan