diff --git a/lib/hypervisor/hv_base.py b/lib/hypervisor/hv_base.py
index 58db39599a3165d22317ed0f64445c642cb1df76..1465da2401a570e4232604403e295acca1d4dc45 100644
--- a/lib/hypervisor/hv_base.py
+++ b/lib/hypervisor/hv_base.py
@@ -101,10 +101,14 @@ class BaseHypervisor(object):
           - a function to check for parameter validity on the remote node,
             in the L{ValidateParameters} function
           - an error message for the above function
+  @type CAN_MIGRATE: boolean
+  @cvar CAN_MIGRATE: whether this hypervisor can do migration (either
+      live or non-live)
 
   """
   PARAMETERS = {}
   ANCILLARY_FILES = []
+  CAN_MIGRATE = False
 
   def __init__(self):
     pass
diff --git a/lib/hypervisor/hv_fake.py b/lib/hypervisor/hv_fake.py
index cea05d61ef7c2cdd8e629915cdf4d5e3b26c5b27..a97bebe299c502406e692cc712108b041882d9c6 100644
--- a/lib/hypervisor/hv_fake.py
+++ b/lib/hypervisor/hv_fake.py
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ class FakeHypervisor(hv_base.BaseHypervisor):
   a real virtualisation software installed.
 
   """
+  CAN_MIGRATE = True
+
   _ROOT_DIR = constants.RUN_DIR + "/ganeti-fake-hypervisor"
 
   def __init__(self):
diff --git a/lib/hypervisor/hv_kvm.py b/lib/hypervisor/hv_kvm.py
index b311a8de5ed692796640f0a423a4c1aa19c04251..13c09ddce547c8bfb9da5f096075a97d58641afb 100644
--- a/lib/hypervisor/hv_kvm.py
+++ b/lib/hypervisor/hv_kvm.py
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ from ganeti.hypervisor import hv_base
 
 class KVMHypervisor(hv_base.BaseHypervisor):
   """KVM hypervisor interface"""
+  CAN_MIGRATE = True
 
   _ROOT_DIR = constants.RUN_GANETI_DIR + "/kvm-hypervisor"
   _PIDS_DIR = _ROOT_DIR + "/pid" # contains live instances pids
diff --git a/lib/hypervisor/hv_xen.py b/lib/hypervisor/hv_xen.py
index 575e3b9404e990bd1de7589c1da3939ba8958897..a281e6a9b41d9434162a10847bfe010494b2e8f7 100644
--- a/lib/hypervisor/hv_xen.py
+++ b/lib/hypervisor/hv_xen.py
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ class XenHypervisor(hv_base.BaseHypervisor):
   all the functionality that is identical for both.
 
   """
+  CAN_MIGRATE = True
   REBOOT_RETRY_COUNT = 60
   REBOOT_RETRY_INTERVAL = 10