diff --git a/include/libvirt/virterror.h b/include/libvirt/virterror.h
index 94d686c..78114e9 100644
--- a/include/libvirt/virterror.h
+++ b/include/libvirt/virterror.h
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ typedef enum {
     VIR_FROM_NWFILTER,  /* Error from network filter driver */
     VIR_FROM_HOOK,      /* Error from Synchronous hooks */
     VIR_FROM_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT, /* Error from domain snapshot */
-    VIR_FROM_AUDIT      /* Error from auditing subsystem */
+    VIR_FROM_AUDIT,     /* Error from auditing subsystem */
+    VIR_FROM_SYSINFO    /* Error from sysinfo/SMBIOS */
 } virErrorDomain;
 
 
diff --git a/po/POTFILES.in b/po/POTFILES.in
index dafef47..ec974cc 100644
--- a/po/POTFILES.in
+++ b/po/POTFILES.in
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ src/util/pci.c
 src/util/processinfo.c
 src/util/stats_linux.c
 src/util/storage_file.c
+src/util/sysinfo.c
 src/util/util.c
 src/util/virtaudit.c
 src/util/virterror.c
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 4a11c37..b9376be 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ UTIL_SOURCES =							\
 		util/qparams.c util/qparams.h			\
 		util/stats_linux.c util/stats_linux.h		\
 		util/storage_file.c util/storage_file.h		\
+		util/sysinfo.c util/sysinfo.h			\
 		util/threads.c util/threads.h			\
 		util/threads-pthread.h				\
 		util/threads-win32.h				\
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index c3184aa..9f3c08e 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -721,25 +721,6 @@ virDomainClockDefClear(virDomainClockDefPtr def)
     VIR_FREE(def->timers);
 }
 
-static void virSysinfoDefFree(virSysinfoDefPtr def)
-{
-    if (def == NULL)
-        return;
-
-    VIR_FREE(def->bios_vendor);
-    VIR_FREE(def->bios_version);
-    VIR_FREE(def->bios_date);
-    VIR_FREE(def->bios_release);
-
-    VIR_FREE(def->system_manufacturer);
-    VIR_FREE(def->system_product);
-    VIR_FREE(def->system_version);
-    VIR_FREE(def->system_serial);
-    VIR_FREE(def->system_uuid);
-    VIR_FREE(def->system_sku);
-    VIR_FREE(def);
-}
-
 void virDomainDefFree(virDomainDefPtr def)
 {
     unsigned int i;
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.h b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
index decacd8..8e32c3b 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 # include "nwfilter_params.h"
 # include "nwfilter_conf.h"
 # include "macvtap.h"
+# include "sysinfo.h"
 
 /* Private component of virDomainXMLFlags */
 typedef enum {
@@ -606,30 +607,6 @@ struct _virDomainMemballoonDef {
 };
 
 
-enum virDomainSysinfoType {
-    VIR_DOMAIN_SYSINFO_SMBIOS,
-
-    VIR_DOMAIN_SYSINFO_LAST
-};
-
-typedef struct _virSysinfoDef virSysinfoDef;
-typedef virSysinfoDef *virSysinfoDefPtr;
-struct _virSysinfoDef {
-    int type;
-
-    char *bios_vendor;
-    char *bios_version;
-    char *bios_date;
-    char *bios_release;
-
-    char *system_manufacturer;
-    char *system_product;
-    char *system_version;
-    char *system_serial;
-    char *system_uuid;
-    char *system_sku;
-};
-
 enum virDomainSmbiosMode {
     VIR_DOMAIN_SMBIOS_NONE,
     VIR_DOMAIN_SMBIOS_EMULATE,
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 430c7c1..8f267f6 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -694,6 +694,11 @@ virStorageFileProbeFormat;
 virStorageFileProbeFormatFromFD;
 
 
+# sysinfo.h
+virSysinfoDefFree;
+virSysinfoRead;
+
+
 # threads.h
 virCondBroadcast;
 virCondDestroy;
diff --git a/src/util/sysinfo.c b/src/util/sysinfo.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ad98fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/sysinfo.c
@@ -0,0 +1,236 @@
+/*
+ * sysinfo.c: get SMBIOS/sysinfo information from the host
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2010 Red Hat, Inc.
+ * Copyright (C) 2010 Daniel Veillard
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307  USA
+ *
+ * Author: Daniel Veillard <veillard@redhat.com>
+ */
+
+#include <config.h>
+
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+#include "virterror_internal.h"
+#include "sysinfo.h"
+#include "util.h"
+#include "conf/domain_conf.h"
+#include "logging.h"
+#include "memory.h"
+
+#define VIR_FROM_THIS VIR_FROM_SYSINFO
+
+#define virSmbiosReportError(code, ...)                              \
+    virReportErrorHelper(NULL, VIR_FROM_SYSINFO, code, __FILE__,      \
+                         __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
+
+#define SYSINFO_SMBIOS_DECODER "dmidecode"
+
+/**
+ * virSysinfoDefFree:
+ * @def: a sysinfo structure
+ *
+ * Free up the sysinfo structure
+ */
+
+void virSysinfoDefFree(virSysinfoDefPtr def)
+{
+    if (def == NULL)
+        return;
+
+    VIR_FREE(def->bios_vendor);
+    VIR_FREE(def->bios_version);
+    VIR_FREE(def->bios_date);
+    VIR_FREE(def->bios_release);
+
+    VIR_FREE(def->system_manufacturer);
+    VIR_FREE(def->system_product);
+    VIR_FREE(def->system_version);
+    VIR_FREE(def->system_serial);
+    VIR_FREE(def->system_uuid);
+    VIR_FREE(def->system_sku);
+    VIR_FREE(def);
+}
+
+/**
+ * virSysinfoRead:
+ *
+ * Tries to read the SMBIOS information from the current host
+ *
+ * Returns: a filled up sysinfo structure or NULL in case of error
+ */
+#ifdef WIN32
+virSysinfoDefPtr
+virSysinfoRead(void) {
+    /*
+     * this can probably be extracted from Windows using API or registry
+     * http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/firmware/SMBIOS.mspx
+     */
+    virReportSystemError(ENOSYS, "%s",
+                 _("Host sysinfo extraction not supported on this platform"));
+    return(NULL);
+}
+#else
+virSysinfoDefPtr
+virSysinfoRead(void) {
+    char *path, *cur, *eol, *base;
+    int pid, outfd = -1, errfd = -1;
+    virSysinfoDefPtr ret = NULL;
+    const char *argv[] = { NULL, "-q", "-t", "0,1", NULL };
+    int res, waitret, exitstatus;
+    char *outbuf = NULL;
+    char *errbuf = NULL;
+
+    path = virFindFileInPath(SYSINFO_SMBIOS_DECODER);
+    if (path == NULL) {
+        virSmbiosReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                           _("Failed to find path for %s binary"),
+                             SYSINFO_SMBIOS_DECODER);
+        return(NULL);
+    }
+    argv[0] = path;
+
+    res = virExec(argv, NULL, NULL, &pid, -1, &outfd, &errfd,
+                  VIR_EXEC_NONE | VIR_EXEC_NONBLOCK);
+    if (res < 0) {
+        virSmbiosReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                           _("Failed to execute command %s"),
+                             path);
+        res = 1;
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    /*
+     * we are interested in the output, capture it and errors too
+     */
+    if (virPipeReadUntilEOF(outfd, errfd, &outbuf, &errbuf) < 0) {
+        virReportSystemError(errno, _("cannot wait for '%s'"), path);
+        while (waitpid(pid, &exitstatus, 0) == -1 && errno == EINTR)
+            ;
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (outbuf)
+        VIR_DEBUG("Command stdout: %s", outbuf);
+    if (errbuf)
+        VIR_DEBUG("Command stderr: %s", errbuf);
+
+    while ((waitret = waitpid(pid, &exitstatus, 0) == -1) &&
+           (errno == EINTR));
+    if (waitret == -1) {
+        virReportSystemError(errno, _("Failed to wait for '%s'"), path);
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+    if (exitstatus != 0) {
+        virSmbiosReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                           _("command %s failed with error code %d:%s"),
+                             path, exitstatus, errbuf);
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (VIR_ALLOC(ret) < 0)
+        goto no_memory;
+
+    ret->type = VIR_DOMAIN_SYSINFO_SMBIOS;
+
+    base = outbuf;
+
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "Vendor: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 8;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) && ((ret->bios_vendor = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "Version: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 9;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) && ((ret->bios_version = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "Release Date: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 14;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) && ((ret->bios_date = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "BIOS Revision: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 15;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) && ((ret->bios_release = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+    if ((base = strstr(outbuf, "System Information")) == NULL)
+        goto cleanup;
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "Manufacturer: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 14;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) &&
+            ((ret->system_manufacturer = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "Product Name: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 14;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) && ((ret->system_product = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "Version: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 9;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) && ((ret->system_version = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "Serial Number: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 15;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) && ((ret->system_serial = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "UUID: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 6;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) && ((ret->system_uuid = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+    if ((cur = strstr(base, "SKU Number: ")) != NULL) {
+        cur += 12;
+        eol = strchr(cur, '\n');
+        if ((eol) && ((ret->system_sku = strndup(cur, eol - cur)) == NULL))
+                goto no_memory;
+    }
+
+cleanup:
+    VIR_FREE(outbuf);
+    VIR_FREE(errbuf);
+    VIR_FREE(path);
+
+    return(ret);
+
+no_memory:
+    virReportOOMError();
+
+
+    virSysinfoDefFree(ret);
+    ret = NULL;
+    goto cleanup;
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/src/util/sysinfo.h b/src/util/sysinfo.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..611d54e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/sysinfo.h
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/*
+ * sysinfo.h: structure and entry points for sysinfo support
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2010 Red Hat, Inc.
+ * Copyright (C) 2010 Daniel Veillard
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
+ * Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307  USA
+ *
+ * Author: Daniel Veillard <veillard@redhat.com>
+ */
+
+#ifndef __VIR_SYSINFOS_H__
+# define __VIR_SYSINFOS_H__
+
+# include "internal.h"
+# include "util.h"
+
+enum virDomainSysinfoType {
+    VIR_DOMAIN_SYSINFO_SMBIOS,
+
+    VIR_DOMAIN_SYSINFO_LAST
+};
+
+typedef struct _virSysinfoDef virSysinfoDef;
+typedef virSysinfoDef *virSysinfoDefPtr;
+struct _virSysinfoDef {
+    int type;
+
+    char *bios_vendor;
+    char *bios_version;
+    char *bios_date;
+    char *bios_release;
+
+    char *system_manufacturer;
+    char *system_product;
+    char *system_version;
+    char *system_serial;
+    char *system_uuid;
+    char *system_sku;
+};
+
+virSysinfoDefPtr virSysinfoRead(void);
+
+void virSysinfoDefFree(virSysinfoDefPtr def);
+
+#endif /* __VIR_SYSINFOS_H__ */
diff --git a/src/util/virterror.c b/src/util/virterror.c
index dc08aaa..3b28b13 100644
--- a/src/util/virterror.c
+++ b/src/util/virterror.c
@@ -190,6 +190,9 @@ static const char *virErrorDomainName(virErrorDomain domain) {
         case VIR_FROM_AUDIT:
             dom = "Audit ";
             break;
+        case VIR_FROM_SYSINFO:
+            dom = "Sysinfo";
+            break;
     }
     return(dom);
 }
