diff --git a/lib/hypervisor/hv_base.py b/lib/hypervisor/hv_base.py
index 55e0bcb018c4ada7a8728d277b5a47efdca3ed70..c723a4d30adf184350f28b4688005fc8dbc96e46 100644
--- a/lib/hypervisor/hv_base.py
+++ b/lib/hypervisor/hv_base.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #
 #
 
-# Copyright (C) 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 Google Inc.
+# Copyright (C) 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 Google Inc.
 #
 # This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
 # it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
@@ -520,3 +520,17 @@ class BaseHypervisor(object):
       result = utils.RunCmd(["reboot", "-n", "-f"])
       if not result:
         logging.error("Can't run shutdown: %s", result.output)
+
+  @staticmethod
+  def _FormatVerifyResults(msgs):
+    """Formats the verification results, given a list of errors.
+
+    @param msgs: list of errors, possibly empty
+    @return: overall problem description if something is wrong,
+        C{None} otherwise
+
+    """
+    if msgs:
+      return "; ".join(msgs)
+    else:
+      return None
diff --git a/test/py/ganeti.hypervisor_unittest.py b/test/py/ganeti.hypervisor_unittest.py
index c046f8e94001308733b2604bc83020f8b1aeddbf..1d3e524e76cbd4ed982011f6d8c82f196edb0187 100755
--- a/test/py/ganeti.hypervisor_unittest.py
+++ b/test/py/ganeti.hypervisor_unittest.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/python
 #
 
-# Copyright (C) 2010 Google Inc.
+# Copyright (C) 2010, 2013 Google Inc.
 #
 # This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
 # it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ from ganeti import compat
 from ganeti import objects
 from ganeti import errors
 from ganeti import hypervisor
+from ganeti.hypervisor import hv_base
 
 import testutils
 
@@ -48,5 +49,14 @@ class TestParameters(unittest.TestCase):
                         (hv, pname))
 
 
+class TestBase(unittest.TestCase):
+  def testVerifyResults(self):
+    fn = hv_base.BaseHypervisor._FormatVerifyResults
+    # FIXME: use assertIsNone when py 2.7 is minimum supported version
+    self.assertEqual(fn([]), None)
+    self.assertEqual(fn(["a"]), "a")
+    self.assertEqual(fn(["a", "b"]), "a; b")
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
   testutils.GanetiTestProgram()