diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 1f4d281849..b97906b852 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -2199,6 +2199,7 @@ virHostMemSetParameters;
 
 
 # util/virhostuptime.h
+virHostBootTimeInit;
 virHostGetBootTime;
 
 
diff --git a/src/util/virhostuptime.c b/src/util/virhostuptime.c
index 8c49c3d40e..661ed588cd 100644
--- a/src/util/virhostuptime.c
+++ b/src/util/virhostuptime.c
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ virHostGetBootTimeOnceInit(void)
 int
 virHostGetBootTime(unsigned long long *when)
 {
-    if (virOnce(&virHostGetBootTimeOnce, virHostGetBootTimeOnceInit) < 0)
+    if (virHostBootTimeInit() < 0)
         return -1;
 
     if (bootTimeErrno) {
@@ -137,3 +137,13 @@ virHostGetBootTime(unsigned long long *when)
     *when = bootTime;
     return 0;
 }
+
+
+int
+virHostBootTimeInit(void)
+{
+    if (virOnce(&virHostGetBootTimeOnce, virHostGetBootTimeOnceInit) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
+    return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/util/virhostuptime.h b/src/util/virhostuptime.h
index 7e2c4c0c81..1ac638fd6e 100644
--- a/src/util/virhostuptime.h
+++ b/src/util/virhostuptime.h
@@ -25,3 +25,6 @@
 int
 virHostGetBootTime(unsigned long long *when)
     G_GNUC_NO_INLINE;
+
+int
+virHostBootTimeInit(void);