diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 98d8a4f9e7c565b87846e431f824fbd25ae0c705..fd31cd31369773618f499a235f0d097059895855 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -985,6 +985,7 @@ lib/_autoconf.py: Makefile | lib/.dir
 	  echo "NODED_USER = '$(NODED_USER)'"; \
 	  echo "NODED_GROUP = '$(NODED_GROUP)'"; \
 	  echo "DISK_SEPARATOR = '$(DISK_SEPARATOR)'"; \
+	  echo "QEMUIMG_PATH = '$(QEMUIMG_PATH)'"; \
 	  if [ "$(HTOOLS)" ]; then \
 	    echo "HTOOLS = True"; \
 	  else \
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 52587437ac64ea05a6dbf9fe6fc26b5e2dc6fa08..6d47a54ba2ee8fbfe8c3fe81299ace6d3a0c9220 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -335,6 +335,14 @@ fi
 
 if test "$enable_htools" != "no"; then
 
+# Check for qemu-img
+AC_ARG_VAR(QEMUIMG_PATH, [qemu-img path])
+AC_PATH_PROG(QEMUIMG_PATH, [qemu-img], [])
+if test -z "$QEMUIMG_PATH"
+then
+  AC_MSG_WARN([qemu-img not found, using ovfconverter will not be possible])
+fi
+
 # Check for ghc
 AC_ARG_VAR(GHC, [ghc path])
 AC_PATH_PROG(GHC, [ghc], [])
diff --git a/lib/constants.py b/lib/constants.py
index 003774c588b98e76ac4f3d05fb011a24dd9cdf40..18c3f4d03a500eb09ba7d0e4d028a7527f7230a8 100644
--- a/lib/constants.py
+++ b/lib/constants.py
@@ -1700,6 +1700,9 @@ VALID_ALLOC_POLICIES = [
 # Temporary external/shared storage parameters
 BLOCKDEV_DRIVER_MANUAL = "manual"
 
+# qemu-img path, required for ovfconverter
+QEMUIMG_PATH = _autoconf.QEMUIMG_PATH
+
 # Whether htools was enabled at compilation time
 HTOOLS = _autoconf.HTOOLS
 # The hail iallocator
diff --git a/lib/ovf.py b/lib/ovf.py
index eabc71a8ee812d4e9eb54f972f4c6167a799f83d..ac0a709693f48ddfd0a60371e7c4f305752ddb09 100644
--- a/lib/ovf.py
+++ b/lib/ovf.py
@@ -143,6 +143,15 @@ DISK_FORMAT = {
   COW: "http://www.gnome.org/~markmc/qcow-image-format.html",
 }
 
+def CheckQemuImg():
+  """ Make sure that qemu-img is present before performing operations.
+
+  @raise errors.OpPrereqError: when qemu-img was not found in the system
+
+  """
+  if not constants.QEMUIMG_PATH:
+    raise errors.OpPrereqError("qemu-img not found at build time, unable"
+                               " to continue")
 
 def LinkFile(old_path, prefix=None, suffix=None, directory=None):
   """Create link with a given prefix and suffix.
@@ -916,6 +925,7 @@ class Converter(object):
     @raise errors.OpPrereqError: convertion of the disk failed
 
     """
+    CheckQemuImg()
     disk_file = os.path.basename(disk_path)
     (disk_name, disk_extension) = os.path.splitext(disk_file)
     if disk_extension != disk_format:
@@ -953,6 +963,7 @@ class Converter(object):
     @raise errors.OpPrereqError: format information cannot be retrieved
 
     """
+    CheckQemuImg()
     args = ["qemu-img", "info", disk_path]
     run_result = utils.RunCmd(args, cwd=os.getcwd())
     if run_result.failed:
@@ -1317,6 +1328,7 @@ class OVFImporter(Converter):
       information or size information is invalid or creation failed
 
     """
+    CheckQemuImg()
     assert self.options.disks
     results = {}
     for (disk_id, disk_desc) in self.options.disks: