diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 4cfa4ab4dc..ae23901329 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -2308,7 +2308,6 @@ virFileCacheSetPriv;
 # util/virfirewall.h
 virFirewallAddRuleFull;
 virFirewallApply;
-virFirewallBackendSynchronize;
 virFirewallFree;
 virFirewallNew;
 virFirewallRemoveRule;
@@ -2329,6 +2328,7 @@ virFirewallDGetVersion;
 virFirewallDGetZones;
 virFirewallDInterfaceSetZone;
 virFirewallDIsRegistered;
+virFirewallDSynchronize;
 virFirewallDZoneExists;
 
 
diff --git a/src/util/virfirewall.c b/src/util/virfirewall.c
index 2fc9f94729..f3172e5c96 100644
--- a/src/util/virfirewall.c
+++ b/src/util/virfirewall.c
@@ -611,49 +611,6 @@ virFirewallApplyRuleFirewallD(virFirewallRule *rule,
 }
 
 
-void
-virFirewallBackendSynchronize(void)
-{
-    const char *arg = "-V";
-    g_autofree char *output = NULL;
-    int firewallDRegistered = virFirewallDIsRegistered();
-
-    /*
-     * virFirewallBackendSynchronize() should be called after
-     * receiving an ownership-change event or reload event for
-     * firewalld from dbus, prior to performing any operations on the
-     * default table "filter".
-     *
-     * Our iptables filter rules are added to (private chains within)
-     * the default table named "filter", which is flushed by firewalld
-     * any time it is restarted or reloads its rules. libvirt watches
-     * for notifications that firewalld has been restarted / its rules
-     * reloaded, and then reloads the libvirt rules. But it's possible
-     * for libvirt to be notified that firewalld has restarted prior
-     * to firewalld completing initialization, and when that race
-     * happens, firewalld can potentially flush out rules that libvirt
-     * has just added!
-     *
-     * To prevent this, we send a simple command ("iptables -V") via
-     * firewalld's passthrough iptables API, and wait until it's
-     * finished before sending our own directly-executed iptables
-     * commands. This assures that firewalld has fully initialized and
-     * caught up with its internal queue of iptables commands, and
-     * won't stomp all over the new rules we subsequently add.
-     *
-     */
-
-    VIR_DEBUG("Firewalld is registered ? %d", firewallDRegistered);
-
-    if (firewallDRegistered < 0)
-        return; /* firewalld (or dbus?) not functional, don't sync */
-
-    ignore_value(virFirewallDApplyRule(VIR_FIREWALL_LAYER_IPV4,
-                                       (char **)&arg, 1, true, &output));
-    VIR_DEBUG("Result of 'iptables -V' via firewalld: %s", NULLSTR(output));
-}
-
-
 static int
 virFirewallApplyRule(virFirewall *firewall,
                      virFirewallRule *rule,
diff --git a/src/util/virfirewall.h b/src/util/virfirewall.h
index 169d99fe2b..7448825dbc 100644
--- a/src/util/virfirewall.h
+++ b/src/util/virfirewall.h
@@ -109,6 +109,4 @@ void virFirewallStartRollback(virFirewall *firewall,
 
 int virFirewallApply(virFirewall *firewall);
 
-void virFirewallBackendSynchronize(void);
-
 G_DEFINE_AUTOPTR_CLEANUP_FUNC(virFirewall, virFirewallFree);
diff --git a/src/util/virfirewalld.c b/src/util/virfirewalld.c
index 3178bf4b3d..4795bf7925 100644
--- a/src/util/virfirewalld.c
+++ b/src/util/virfirewalld.c
@@ -368,3 +368,46 @@ virFirewallDInterfaceSetZone(const char *iface,
                              "changeZoneOfInterface",
                              message);
 }
+
+
+void
+virFirewallDSynchronize(void)
+{
+    const char *arg = "-V";
+    g_autofree char *output = NULL;
+    int firewallDRegistered = virFirewallDIsRegistered();
+
+    /*
+     * virFirewallDSynchronize() should be called after receiving an
+     * ownership-change event or reload event for firewalld from dbus,
+     * prior to performing any operations on the default table
+     * "filter".
+     *
+     * Our iptables filter rules are added to (private chains within)
+     * the default table named "filter", which is flushed by firewalld
+     * any time it is restarted or reloads its rules. libvirt watches
+     * for notifications that firewalld has been restarted / its rules
+     * reloaded, and then reloads the libvirt rules. But it's possible
+     * for libvirt to be notified that firewalld has restarted prior
+     * to firewalld completing initialization, and when that race
+     * happens, firewalld can potentially flush out rules that libvirt
+     * has just added!
+     *
+     * To prevent this, we send a simple command ("iptables -V") via
+     * firewalld's passthrough iptables API, and wait until it's
+     * finished before sending our own directly-executed iptables
+     * commands. This assures that firewalld has fully initialized and
+     * caught up with its internal queue of iptables commands, and
+     * won't stomp all over the new rules we subsequently add.
+     *
+     */
+
+    VIR_DEBUG("Firewalld is registered ? %d", firewallDRegistered);
+
+    if (firewallDRegistered < 0)
+        return; /* firewalld (or dbus?) not functional, don't sync */
+
+    ignore_value(virFirewallDApplyRule(VIR_FIREWALL_LAYER_IPV4,
+                                       (char **)&arg, 1, true, &output));
+    VIR_DEBUG("Result of 'iptables -V' via firewalld: %s", NULLSTR(output));
+}
diff --git a/src/util/virfirewalld.h b/src/util/virfirewalld.h
index d2db3b6f47..c396802a2f 100644
--- a/src/util/virfirewalld.h
+++ b/src/util/virfirewalld.h
@@ -41,3 +41,5 @@ int virFirewallDApplyRule(virFirewallLayer layer,
 
 int virFirewallDInterfaceSetZone(const char *iface,
                                  const char *zone);
+
+void virFirewallDSynchronize(void);
diff --git a/src/util/viriptables.c b/src/util/viriptables.c
index 34ce9cd018..7db09a0d80 100644
--- a/src/util/viriptables.c
+++ b/src/util/viriptables.c
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 
 #include "internal.h"
 #include "viriptables.h"
+#include "virfirewalld.h"
 #include "vircommand.h"
 #include "viralloc.h"
 #include "virerror.h"
@@ -143,7 +144,7 @@ iptablesSetupPrivateChains(virFirewallLayer layer)
      * initialization, otherwise it might delete our rules soon after
      * we add them!
      */
-    virFirewallBackendSynchronize();
+    virFirewallDSynchronize();
 
     virFirewallStartTransaction(fw, 0);