diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index d773aee571..52e9c6313f 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -2580,6 +2580,7 @@ virNetDevSetOnline;
 virNetDevSetPromiscuous;
 virNetDevSetRcvAllMulti;
 virNetDevSetRcvMulti;
+virNetDevSetRootQDisc;
 virNetDevSetupControl;
 virNetDevSysfsFile;
 virNetDevValidateConfig;
diff --git a/src/util/virnetdev.c b/src/util/virnetdev.c
index e711a6dc8a..5c7660dab4 100644
--- a/src/util/virnetdev.c
+++ b/src/util/virnetdev.c
@@ -3394,3 +3394,49 @@ virNetDevRunEthernetScript(const char *ifname, const char *script)
 
     return virCommandRun(cmd, NULL);
 }
+
+
+/**
+ * virNetDevSetRootQDisc:
+ * @ifname: the interface name
+ * @qdisc: queueing discipline to set
+ *
+ * For given interface @ifname set its root queueing discipline
+ * to @qdisc. This can be used to replace the default qdisc
+ * (usually pfifo_fast or whatever is set in
+ * /proc/sys/net/core/default_qdisc) with different qdisc.
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success,
+ *         -1 if failed to exec tc (with error reported)
+ *         -2 if tc failed (with no error reported)
+ */
+int
+virNetDevSetRootQDisc(const char *ifname,
+                      const char *qdisc)
+{
+    g_autoptr(virCommand) cmd = NULL;
+    g_autofree char *outbuf = NULL;
+    g_autofree char *errbuf = NULL;
+    int status;
+
+    /* Ideally, we would have a netlink implementation and just
+     * call it here.  But honestly, I tried and failed miserably.
+     * Fallback to spawning tc. */
+    cmd = virCommandNewArgList(TC, "qdisc", "add", "dev", ifname,
+                               "root", "handle", "0:", qdisc,
+                               NULL);
+
+    virCommandAddEnvString(cmd, "LC_ALL=C");
+    virCommandSetOutputBuffer(cmd, &outbuf);
+    virCommandSetErrorBuffer(cmd, &errbuf);
+
+    if (virCommandRun(cmd, &status) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
+    if (status != 0) {
+        VIR_DEBUG("Setting qdisc failed: output='%s' err='%s'", outbuf, errbuf);
+        return -2;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/util/virnetdev.h b/src/util/virnetdev.h
index 5f581323ed..82943b8e08 100644
--- a/src/util/virnetdev.h
+++ b/src/util/virnetdev.h
@@ -312,4 +312,7 @@ int virNetDevSysfsFile(char **pf_sysfs_device_link,
 int virNetDevRunEthernetScript(const char *ifname, const char *script)
     G_GNUC_NO_INLINE;
 
+int virNetDevSetRootQDisc(const char *ifname,
+                          const char *qdisc);
+
 G_DEFINE_AUTOPTR_CLEANUP_FUNC(virNetDevRxFilter, virNetDevRxFilterFree);