diff --git a/src/conf/domain_addr.c b/src/conf/domain_addr.c
index c3469eec9f..9148ca65fa 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_addr.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_addr.c
@@ -975,6 +975,37 @@ virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetFree(virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetPtr addrs)
     }
 }
 
+
+/* virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetCreateFromDomain
++ *
++ * @def: Domain def to introspect
++ *
++ * Inspect the domain definition and return an address set containing
++ * every virtio serial address we find
++ */
+virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetPtr
+virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetCreateFromDomain(virDomainDefPtr def)
+{
+    virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetPtr addrs = NULL;
+    virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetPtr ret = NULL;
+
+    if (!(addrs = virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetCreate()))
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetAddControllers(addrs, def) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (virDomainDeviceInfoIterate(def, virDomainVirtioSerialAddrReserve,
+                                   addrs) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    ret = addrs;
+    addrs = NULL;
+ cleanup:
+    virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetFree(addrs);
+    return ret;
+}
+
 static int
 virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetAutoaddController(virDomainDefPtr def,
                                               virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetPtr addrs,
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_addr.h b/src/conf/domain_addr.h
index ce949812dd..4584e0a7c4 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_addr.h
+++ b/src/conf/domain_addr.h
@@ -208,6 +208,9 @@ virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetAddControllers(virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetPtr addrs
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2);
 void
 virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetFree(virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetPtr addrs);
+virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetPtr
+virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetCreateFromDomain(virDomainDefPtr def)
+    ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);
 bool
 virDomainVirtioSerialAddrIsComplete(virDomainDeviceInfoPtr info);
 int
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 9396c4eb1b..6b548129da 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ virDomainVirtioSerialAddrRelease;
 virDomainVirtioSerialAddrReserve;
 virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetAddControllers;
 virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetCreate;
+virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetCreateFromDomain;
 virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetFree;
 
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.c b/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.c
index 787b357d82..2bd095fe1f 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain_address.c
@@ -114,14 +114,7 @@ qemuDomainAssignVirtioSerialAddresses(virDomainDefPtr def,
     virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetPtr addrs = NULL;
     qemuDomainObjPrivatePtr priv = NULL;
 
-    if (!(addrs = virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetCreate()))
-        goto cleanup;
-
-    if (virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetAddControllers(addrs, def) < 0)
-        goto cleanup;
-
-    if (virDomainDeviceInfoIterate(def, virDomainVirtioSerialAddrReserve,
-                                   addrs) < 0)
+    if (!(addrs = virDomainVirtioSerialAddrSetCreateFromDomain(def)))
         goto cleanup;
 
     VIR_DEBUG("Finished reserving existing ports");