diff --git a/config/arm32.mk b/config/arm32.mk
index aa79d22..f3599a3 100644
--- a/config/arm32.mk
+++ b/config/arm32.mk
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ CONFIG_ARM_32 := y
 CONFIG_ARM_$(XEN_OS) := y
 
 CONFIG_XEN_INSTALL_SUFFIX :=
+CONFIG_QEMU_ARCH := arm
+CONFIG_QEMU_TARGET := arm-softmmu
 
 # -march= -mcpu=
 
diff --git a/config/arm64.mk b/config/arm64.mk
index 15b57a4..4ff15e0 100644
--- a/config/arm64.mk
+++ b/config/arm64.mk
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ CONFIG_ARM_64 := y
 CONFIG_ARM_$(XEN_OS) := y
 
 CONFIG_XEN_INSTALL_SUFFIX :=
+CONFIG_QEMU_ARCH := aarch64
+CONFIG_QEMU_TARGET := arm-softmmu
 
 CFLAGS += #-marm -march= -mcpu= etc
 
diff --git a/config/x86_32.mk b/config/x86_32.mk
index 7f76b25..da3111d 100644
--- a/config/x86_32.mk
+++ b/config/x86_32.mk
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ CONFIG_X86 := y
 CONFIG_X86_32 := y
 CONFIG_X86_$(XEN_OS) := y
 
+CONFIG_QEMU_ARCH := i386
+CONFIG_QEMU_TARGET := i386-softmmu
+
 CONFIG_HVM := y
 CONFIG_MIGRATE := y
 CONFIG_XCUTILS := y
diff --git a/config/x86_64.mk b/config/x86_64.mk
index 11104bd..f59e36d 100644
--- a/config/x86_64.mk
+++ b/config/x86_64.mk
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ CONFIG_X86 := y
 CONFIG_X86_64 := y
 CONFIG_X86_$(XEN_OS) := y
 
+CONFIG_QEMU_ARCH := x86_64
+CONFIG_QEMU_ARCH := i386-softmmu
+
 CONFIG_COMPAT := y
 CONFIG_HVM := y
 CONFIG_MIGRATE := y
diff --git a/tools/Makefile b/tools/Makefile
index 00c69ee..250b931 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile
+++ b/tools/Makefile
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ distclean: subdirs-distclean
 		config.cache autom4te.cache
 
 ifneq ($(XEN_COMPILE_ARCH),$(XEN_TARGET_ARCH))
-IOEMU_CONFIGURE_CROSS ?= --cpu=$(XEN_TARGET_ARCH) \
+IOEMU_CONFIGURE_CROSS ?= --cpu=$(CONFIG_QEMU_ARCH) \
 			 --cross-prefix=$(CROSS_COMPILE) \
 			 --interp-prefix=$(CROSS_SYS_ROOT)
 endif
@@ -186,8 +186,7 @@ subdir-all-qemu-xen-dir: qemu-xen-dir-find
 		source=.; \
 	fi; \
 	cd qemu-xen-dir; \
-	$$source/configure --enable-xen --target-list=i386-softmmu \
-		$(QEMU_XEN_ENABLE_DEBUG) \
+	$$source/configure --enable-xen --target-list=$(CONFIG_QEMU_TARGET) \
 		--prefix=$(PREFIX) \
 		--source-path=$$source \
 		--extra-cflags="-I$(XEN_ROOT)/tools/include \
diff --git a/tools/hotplug/Linux/init.d/xencommons b/tools/hotplug/Linux/init.d/xencommons
index 4ebd636..f568085 100644
--- a/tools/hotplug/Linux/init.d/xencommons
+++ b/tools/hotplug/Linux/init.d/xencommons
@@ -116,11 +116,7 @@ do_start () {
 	echo Starting xenconsoled...
 	test -z "$XENCONSOLED_TRACE" || XENCONSOLED_ARGS=" --log=$XENCONSOLED_TRACE"
 	${SBINDIR}/xenconsoled --pid-file=$XENCONSOLED_PIDFILE $XENCONSOLED_ARGS
-	echo Starting QEMU as disk backend for dom0
-	test -z "$QEMU_XEN" && QEMU_XEN="${LIBEXEC}/qemu-system-i386"
-	$QEMU_XEN -xen-domid 0 -xen-attach -name dom0 -nographic -M xenpv -daemonize \
-		-monitor /dev/null -serial /dev/null -parallel /dev/null \
-		-pidfile $QEMU_PIDFILE
+	xl launch-dom0-qemu $QEMU_XEN
 }
 do_stop () {
         echo Stopping xenconsoled
diff --git a/tools/libxl/Makefile b/tools/libxl/Makefile
index d8495bb..d8b6a5c 100644
--- a/tools/libxl/Makefile
+++ b/tools/libxl/Makefile
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ CFLAGS_LIBXL += $(CFLAGS_libxenguest)
 CFLAGS_LIBXL += $(CFLAGS_libxenstore)
 CFLAGS_LIBXL += $(CFLAGS_libblktapctl) 
 CFLAGS_LIBXL += -Wshadow
+CFLAGS_LIBXL += -DCONFIG_QEMU_ARCH=\"$(CONFIG_QEMU_ARCH)\"
 
 LIBXL_LIBS-$(CONFIG_ARM) += -lfdt
 
diff --git a/tools/libxl/libxl.h b/tools/libxl/libxl.h
index 12d6c31..0287a35 100644
--- a/tools/libxl/libxl.h
+++ b/tools/libxl/libxl.h
@@ -605,6 +605,9 @@ int libxl_ctx_alloc(libxl_ctx **pctx, int version,
                     xentoollog_logger *lg);
 int libxl_ctx_free(libxl_ctx *ctx /* 0 is OK */);
 
+/* exec's device model for dom0 and does not return. */
+void libxl_launch_dom0_qemu(libxl_ctx *ctx, const char *qemu_path, const char *pidfile);
+
 /* domain related functions */
 
 int libxl_domain_create_new(libxl_ctx *ctx, libxl_domain_config *d_config,
diff --git a/tools/libxl/libxl_dm.c b/tools/libxl/libxl_dm.c
index f6f7bbd..f0b13a9 100644
--- a/tools/libxl/libxl_dm.c
+++ b/tools/libxl/libxl_dm.c
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ static const char *qemu_xen_path(libxl__gc *gc)
 #ifdef QEMU_XEN_PATH
     return QEMU_XEN_PATH;
 #else
-    return libxl__abs_path(gc, "qemu-system-i386", libxl__libexec_path());
+    return libxl__abs_path(gc, "qemu-system-" CONFIG_QEMU_ARCH, libxl__libexec_path());
 #endif
 }
 
@@ -1560,6 +1560,37 @@ out:
     return ret;
 }
 
+void libxl_launch_dom0_qemu(libxl_ctx *ctx, const char *qemu_path, const char *pidfile)
+{
+    GC_INIT(ctx);
+
+    flexarray_t *dm_args = flexarray_make(gc, 16, 1);
+
+    if (qemu_path == NULL)
+        qemu_path = qemu_xen_path(gc);
+
+    flexarray_vappend(dm_args,
+                      "-xen-domid", "0",
+                      "-xen-attach",
+                      "-name", "dom0",
+                      "-nographic",
+                      "-M" "xenpv",
+                      "-daemonize",
+                      "-monitor", "/dev/null",
+                      "-serial", "/dev/null",
+                      "-parallel", "/dev/null",
+                      NULL);
+    if (pidfile)
+        flexarray_append_pair(dm_args, "-pidfile", libxl__strdup(gc, pidfile));
+
+    libxl__exec(gc, -1, -1, -1,
+                qemu_path, (char **)flexarray_contents(dm_args), NULL);
+
+    /* Shouldn't return */
+    LOG(CRITICAL, "Failed to exec dom0 device model");
+    GC_FREE;
+}
+
 /*
  * Local variables:
  * mode: C
diff --git a/tools/libxl/xl.h b/tools/libxl/xl.h
index c876a33..1d7602c 100644
--- a/tools/libxl/xl.h
+++ b/tools/libxl/xl.h
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ int main_setenforce(int argc, char **argv);
 int main_loadpolicy(int argc, char **argv);
 int main_remus(int argc, char **argv);
 int main_devd(int argc, char **argv);
+int main_launch_dom0_qemu(int argc, char **argv);
 
 void help(const char *command);
 
diff --git a/tools/libxl/xl_cmdimpl.c b/tools/libxl/xl_cmdimpl.c
index bd26bcc..108dfac 100644
--- a/tools/libxl/xl_cmdimpl.c
+++ b/tools/libxl/xl_cmdimpl.c
@@ -7313,6 +7313,31 @@ out:
     return ret;
 }
 
+int main_launch_dom0_qemu(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+    int opt;
+    const char *qemu = NULL;
+    const char *pidfile = NULL;
+
+    SWITCH_FOREACH_OPT(opt, "p:", NULL, "launch-dom-qemu", 0) {
+    case 'p':
+        pidfile = optarg;
+        break;
+        /* No options */
+    }
+    if (optind < argc)
+        qemu = argv[optind];
+
+    fprintf(stderr, "argc %d\n", argc);
+    fprintf(stderr, "qemu = %s", qemu ? : "<default>");
+
+    fprintf(stdout, "Starting QEMU as disk backend for dom0");
+
+    libxl_launch_dom0_qemu(ctx, qemu, pidfile);
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
 /*
  * Local variables:
  * mode: C
diff --git a/tools/libxl/xl_cmdtable.c b/tools/libxl/xl_cmdtable.c
index ebe0220..ab4d56c 100644
--- a/tools/libxl/xl_cmdtable.c
+++ b/tools/libxl/xl_cmdtable.c
@@ -494,6 +494,12 @@ struct cmd_spec cmd_table[] = {
       "[options]",
       "-F                      Run in the foreground",
     },
+    { "launch-dom0-qemu",
+      &main_launch_dom0_qemu, 0, 1,
+      "Start qemu process to service dom0 disk backends",
+      "[options] [QEMU_PATH]",
+      "-p PIDFILE              Write a PIDFILE\n",
+    },
 };
 
 int cmdtable_len = sizeof(cmd_table)/sizeof(struct cmd_spec);
