diff --git a/src/storage/storage_backend.c b/src/storage/storage_backend.c
index f4124dfda4..aba8937616 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage_backend.c
+++ b/src/storage/storage_backend.c
@@ -873,6 +873,60 @@ virStorageBackendForType(int type) {
 }
 
 
+/*
+ * Allows caller to silently ignore files with improper mode
+ *
+ * Returns -1 on error, -2 if file mode is unexpected.
+ */
+int
+virStorageBackendVolOpenCheckMode(const char *path, unsigned int flags)
+{
+    int fd, mode = 0;
+    struct stat sb;
+
+    if ((fd = open(path, O_RDONLY|O_NONBLOCK|O_NOCTTY)) < 0) {
+        virReportSystemError(errno,
+                             _("cannot open volume '%s'"),
+                             path);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (fstat(fd, &sb) < 0) {
+        virReportSystemError(errno,
+                             _("cannot stat file '%s'"),
+                             path);
+        close(fd);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (S_ISREG(sb.st_mode))
+        mode = VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_REG;
+    else if (S_ISCHR(sb.st_mode))
+        mode = VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_CHAR;
+    else if (S_ISBLK(sb.st_mode))
+        mode = VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_BLOCK;
+
+    if (!(mode & flags)) {
+        close(fd);
+
+        if (mode & VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_ERROR) {
+            virStorageReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                                  _("unexpected storage mode for '%s'"), path);
+            return -1;
+        }
+
+        return -2;
+    }
+
+    return fd;
+}
+
+int virStorageBackendVolOpen(const char *path)
+{
+    return virStorageBackendVolOpenCheckMode(path,
+                                             VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_DEFAULT);
+}
+
 int
 virStorageBackendUpdateVolTargetInfo(virStorageVolTargetPtr target,
                                      unsigned long long *allocation,
@@ -880,13 +934,10 @@ virStorageBackendUpdateVolTargetInfo(virStorageVolTargetPtr target,
 {
     int ret, fd;
 
-    if ((fd = open(target->path, O_RDONLY)) < 0) {
-        virReportSystemError(errno,
-                             _("cannot open volume '%s'"),
-                             target->path);
-        return -1;
-    }
+    if ((ret = virStorageBackendVolOpen(target->path)) < 0)
+        return ret;
 
+    fd = ret;
     ret = virStorageBackendUpdateVolTargetInfoFD(target,
                                                  fd,
                                                  allocation,
@@ -920,12 +971,11 @@ virStorageBackendUpdateVolInfo(virStorageVolDefPtr vol,
  * virStorageBackendUpdateVolTargetInfoFD:
  * @conn: connection to report errors on
  * @target: target definition ptr of volume to update
- * @fd: fd of storage volume to update
+ * @fd: fd of storage volume to update, via virStorageBackendOpenVol*
  * @allocation: If not NULL, updated allocation information will be stored
  * @capacity: If not NULL, updated capacity info will be stored
  *
- * Returns 0 for success-1 on a legitimate error condition,
- *    -2 if passed FD isn't a regular, char, or block file.
+ * Returns 0 for success, -1 on a legitimate error condition.
  */
 int
 virStorageBackendUpdateVolTargetInfoFD(virStorageVolTargetPtr target,
@@ -945,11 +995,6 @@ virStorageBackendUpdateVolTargetInfoFD(virStorageVolTargetPtr target,
         return -1;
     }
 
-    if (!S_ISREG(sb.st_mode) &&
-        !S_ISCHR(sb.st_mode) &&
-        !S_ISBLK(sb.st_mode))
-        return -2;
-
     if (allocation) {
         if (S_ISREG(sb.st_mode)) {
 #ifndef WIN32
diff --git a/src/storage/storage_backend.h b/src/storage/storage_backend.h
index 907c4bc29a..bb4d1c053b 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage_backend.h
+++ b/src/storage/storage_backend.h
@@ -80,6 +80,27 @@ struct _virStorageBackend {
 
 virStorageBackendPtr virStorageBackendForType(int type);
 
+int virStorageBackendVolOpen(const char *path)
+ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK
+ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);
+
+/* VolOpenCheckMode flags */
+enum {
+    VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_ERROR  = 1 << 0, /* warn if unexpected type
+                                           * encountered */
+    VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_REG    = 1 << 1, /* regular files okay */
+    VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_BLOCK  = 1 << 2, /* block files okay */
+    VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_CHAR   = 1 << 3, /* char files okay */
+};
+
+#define VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_DEFAULT (VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_ERROR    |\
+                                      VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_REG      |\
+                                      VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_CHAR     |\
+                                      VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_BLOCK)
+
+int virStorageBackendVolOpenCheckMode(const char *path, unsigned int flags)
+ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK
+ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);
 
 int virStorageBackendUpdateVolInfo(virStorageVolDefPtr vol,
                                    int withCapacity);
diff --git a/src/storage/storage_backend_fs.c b/src/storage/storage_backend_fs.c
index c96c4f3eb9..f0cd77040a 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage_backend_fs.c
+++ b/src/storage/storage_backend_fs.c
@@ -61,18 +61,16 @@ virStorageBackendProbeTarget(virStorageVolTargetPtr target,
     if (encryption)
         *encryption = NULL;
 
-    if ((fd = open(target->path, O_RDONLY)) < 0) {
-        virReportSystemError(errno,
-                             _("cannot open volume '%s'"),
-                             target->path);
-        return -1;
-    }
+    if ((ret = virStorageBackendVolOpenCheckMode(target->path,
+                                                 (VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_DEFAULT & ~VIR_STORAGE_VOL_OPEN_ERROR))) < 0)
+        return ret; /* Take care to propagate ret, it is not always -1 */
+    fd = ret;
 
     if ((ret = virStorageBackendUpdateVolTargetInfoFD(target, fd,
                                                       allocation,
                                                       capacity)) < 0) {
         close(fd);
-        return ret; /* Take care to propagate ret, it is not always -1 */
+        return -1;
     }
 
     memset(&meta, 0, sizeof(meta));
diff --git a/src/storage/storage_backend_logical.c b/src/storage/storage_backend_logical.c
index 06238d194c..616ca1ad3e 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage_backend_logical.c
+++ b/src/storage/storage_backend_logical.c
@@ -559,7 +559,7 @@ virStorageBackendLogicalCreateVol(virConnectPtr conn,
                                   virStoragePoolObjPtr pool,
                                   virStorageVolDefPtr vol)
 {
-    int fd = -1;
+    int fdret, fd = -1;
     char size[100];
     const char *cmdargvnew[] = {
         LVCREATE, "--name", vol->name, "-L", size,
@@ -602,12 +602,9 @@ virStorageBackendLogicalCreateVol(virConnectPtr conn,
     if (virRun(cmdargv, NULL) < 0)
         return -1;
 
-    if ((fd = open(vol->target.path, O_RDONLY)) < 0) {
-        virReportSystemError(errno,
-                             _("cannot read path '%s'"),
-                             vol->target.path);
+    if ((fdret = virStorageBackendVolOpen(vol->target.path)) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
-    }
+    fd = fdret;
 
     /* We can only chown/grp if root */
     if (getuid() == 0) {
diff --git a/src/storage/storage_backend_mpath.c b/src/storage/storage_backend_mpath.c
index 3a137eb3e8..3d7dfcc072 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage_backend_mpath.c
+++ b/src/storage/storage_backend_mpath.c
@@ -44,14 +44,11 @@ virStorageBackendMpathUpdateVolTargetInfo(virStorageVolTargetPtr target,
                                           unsigned long long *capacity)
 {
     int ret = -1;
-    int fd = -1;
+    int fdret, fd = -1;
 
-    if ((fd = open(target->path, O_RDONLY)) < 0) {
-        virReportSystemError(errno,
-                             _("cannot open volume '%s'"),
-                             target->path);
+    if ((fdret = virStorageBackendVolOpen(target->path)) < 0)
         goto out;
-    }
+    fd = fdret;
 
     if (virStorageBackendUpdateVolTargetInfoFD(target,
                                                fd,
diff --git a/src/storage/storage_backend_scsi.c b/src/storage/storage_backend_scsi.c
index 40f4fd83ca..71492cf68f 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage_backend_scsi.c
+++ b/src/storage/storage_backend_scsi.c
@@ -135,14 +135,12 @@ virStorageBackendSCSIUpdateVolTargetInfo(virStorageVolTargetPtr target,
                                          unsigned long long *allocation,
                                          unsigned long long *capacity)
 {
-    int fd, ret = -1;
+    int fdret, fd = -1;
+    int ret = -1;
 
-    if ((fd = open(target->path, O_RDONLY)) < 0) {
-        virReportSystemError(errno,
-                             _("cannot open volume '%s'"),
-                             target->path);
-        return -1;
-    }
+    if ((fdret = virStorageBackendVolOpen(target->path)) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+    fd = fdret;
 
     if (virStorageBackendUpdateVolTargetInfoFD(target,
                                                fd,
@@ -155,8 +153,9 @@ virStorageBackendSCSIUpdateVolTargetInfo(virStorageVolTargetPtr target,
 
     ret = 0;
 
-  cleanup:
-    close(fd);
+cleanup:
+    if (fd >= 0)
+        close(fd);
 
     return ret;
 }