diff --git a/qemud/qemud.c b/qemud/qemud.c
index a58a767..b5e3665 100644
--- a/qemud/qemud.c
+++ b/qemud/qemud.c
@@ -2542,7 +2542,7 @@ remoteReadConfigFile (struct qemud_server *server, const char *filename)
         auth_unix_ro = REMOTE_AUTH_NONE;
 #endif
 
-    conf = virConfReadFile (filename);
+    conf = virConfReadFile (filename, 0);
     if (!conf) return -1;
 
     /*
diff --git a/src/conf.c b/src/conf.c
index b5bfc0c..ef1a28f 100644
--- a/src/conf.c
+++ b/src/conf.c
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ struct _virConfEntry {
 
 struct _virConf {
     const char* filename;
+    unsigned int flags;
     virConfEntryPtr entries;
 };
 
@@ -167,6 +168,7 @@ virConfNew(void)
         return(NULL);
     }
     ret->filename = NULL;
+    ret->flags = 0;
 
     return(ret);
 }
@@ -174,17 +176,20 @@ virConfNew(void)
 /**
  * virConfCreate:
  * @filename: the name to report errors
+ * @flags: combination of virConfFlag(s)
  *
  * Create a configuration internal structure
  *
  * Returns a pointer or NULL in case of error.
  */
 static virConfPtr
-virConfCreate(const char *filename)
+virConfCreate(const char *filename, unsigned int flags)
 {
     virConfPtr ret = virConfNew();
-    if (ret)
+    if (ret) {
         ret->filename = filename;
+        ret->flags = flags;
+    }
     return(ret);
 }
 
@@ -523,7 +528,10 @@ virConfParseName(virConfParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
         virConfError(ctxt, VIR_ERR_CONF_SYNTAX, _("expecting a name"));
         return(NULL);
     }
-    while ((ctxt->cur < ctxt->end) && (c_isalnum(CUR) || (CUR == '_')))
+    while ((ctxt->cur < ctxt->end) &&
+           (c_isalnum(CUR) || (CUR == '_') ||
+            ((ctxt->conf->flags & VIR_CONF_FLAG_ALLOW_VMX_NAMES) &&
+             ((CUR == ':') || (CUR == '.')))))
         NEXT;
     ret = strndup(base, ctxt->cur - base);
     if (ret == NULL) {
@@ -649,6 +657,7 @@ virConfParseStatement(virConfParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
  * @filename: the name to report errors
  * @content: the configuration content in memory
  * @len: the length in bytes
+ * @flags: combination of virConfFlag(s)
  *
  * Parse the subset of the Python language needed to handle simple
  * Xen configuration files.
@@ -657,7 +666,8 @@ virConfParseStatement(virConfParserCtxtPtr ctxt)
  *         read or parse the file, use virConfFree() to free the data.
  */
 static virConfPtr
-virConfParse(const char *filename, const char *content, int len) {
+virConfParse(const char *filename, const char *content, int len,
+             unsigned int flags) {
     virConfParserCtxt ctxt;
 
     ctxt.filename = filename;
@@ -665,7 +675,7 @@ virConfParse(const char *filename, const char *content, int len) {
     ctxt.end = content + len - 1;
     ctxt.line = 1;
 
-    ctxt.conf = virConfCreate(filename);
+    ctxt.conf = virConfCreate(filename, flags);
     if (ctxt.conf == NULL)
         return(NULL);
 
@@ -695,6 +705,7 @@ error:
 /**
  * virConfReadFile:
  * @filename: the path to the configuration file.
+ * @flags: combination of virConfFlag(s)
  *
  * Reads a configuration file.
  *
@@ -702,7 +713,7 @@ error:
  *         read or parse the file, use virConfFree() to free the data.
  */
 virConfPtr
-virConfReadFile(const char *filename)
+virConfReadFile(const char *filename, unsigned int flags)
 {
     char *content;
     int len;
@@ -717,7 +728,7 @@ virConfReadFile(const char *filename)
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    conf = virConfParse(filename, content, len);
+    conf = virConfParse(filename, content, len, flags);
 
     VIR_FREE(content);
 
@@ -728,6 +739,7 @@ virConfReadFile(const char *filename)
  * virConfReadMem:
  * @memory: pointer to the content of the configuration file
  * @len: length in byte
+ * @flags: combination of virConfFlag(s)
  *
  * Reads a configuration file loaded in memory. The string can be
  * zero terminated in which case @len can be 0
@@ -736,7 +748,7 @@ virConfReadFile(const char *filename)
  *         parse the content, use virConfFree() to free the data.
  */
 virConfPtr
-virConfReadMem(const char *memory, int len)
+virConfReadMem(const char *memory, int len, unsigned int flags)
 {
     if ((memory == NULL) || (len < 0)) {
         virConfError(NULL, VIR_ERR_INVALID_ARG, __FUNCTION__);
@@ -745,7 +757,7 @@ virConfReadMem(const char *memory, int len)
     if (len == 0)
         len = strlen(memory);
 
-    return(virConfParse("memory conf", memory, len));
+    return(virConfParse("memory conf", memory, len, flags));
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/conf.h b/src/conf.h
index 13c33a6..4bb825a 100644
--- a/src/conf.h
+++ b/src/conf.h
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ typedef enum {
     VIR_CONF_LIST = 3		/* a list */
 } virConfType;
 
+typedef enum {
+    VIR_CONF_FLAG_ALLOW_VMX_NAMES = 1,  /* allow : and . in names for compatibility
+                                           with VMware VMX configuration file */
+} virConfFlags;
+
 static inline const char *
 virConfTypeName (virConfType t)
 {
@@ -62,9 +67,9 @@ typedef struct _virConf virConf;
 typedef virConf *virConfPtr;
 
 virConfPtr      virConfNew             (void);
-virConfPtr	virConfReadFile	(const char *filename);
+virConfPtr	virConfReadFile	(const char *filename, unsigned int flags);
 virConfPtr	virConfReadMem		(const char *memory,
-                                         int len);
+                                         int len, unsigned int flags);
 int		virConfFree		(virConfPtr conf);
 void            virConfFreeValue      (virConfValuePtr val);
 
diff --git a/src/qemu_conf.c b/src/qemu_conf.c
index ff11d2d..a68a79b 100644
--- a/src/qemu_conf.c
+++ b/src/qemu_conf.c
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ int qemudLoadDriverConfig(struct qemud_driver *driver,
      */
     if (access (filename, R_OK) == -1) return 0;
 
-    conf = virConfReadFile (filename);
+    conf = virConfReadFile (filename, 0);
     if (!conf) return 0;
 
 
diff --git a/src/xen_unified.c b/src/xen_unified.c
index 27fc56b..f2ffc25 100644
--- a/src/xen_unified.c
+++ b/src/xen_unified.c
@@ -1084,7 +1084,7 @@ xenUnifiedDomainXMLFromNative(virConnectPtr conn,
     }
 
     if (STREQ(format, XEN_CONFIG_FORMAT_XM)) {
-        conf = virConfReadMem(config, strlen(config));
+        conf = virConfReadMem(config, strlen(config), 0);
         if (!conf)
             goto cleanup;
 
diff --git a/src/xm_internal.c b/src/xm_internal.c
index f4b3a6c..9d021eb 100644
--- a/src/xm_internal.c
+++ b/src/xm_internal.c
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ xenXMConfigReadFile(virConnectPtr conn, const char *filename) {
     virConfPtr conf;
     virDomainDefPtr def;
 
-    if (!(conf = virConfReadFile(filename)))
+    if (!(conf = virConfReadFile(filename, 0)))
         return NULL;
 
     def = xenXMDomainConfigParse(conn, conf);
diff --git a/tests/conftest.c b/tests/conftest.c
index 14232bd..d265de2 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.c
+++ b/tests/conftest.c
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         exit(1);
     }
 
-    conf = virConfReadFile(argv[1]);
+    conf = virConfReadFile(argv[1], 0);
     if (conf == NULL) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Failed to process %s\n", argv[1]);
         exit(2);
diff --git a/tests/xmconfigtest.c b/tests/xmconfigtest.c
index d49f010..f5f6a5f 100644
--- a/tests/xmconfigtest.c
+++ b/tests/xmconfigtest.c
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ static int testCompareFormatXML(const char *xmcfg, const char *xml,
     priv.caps = caps;
     conn->privateData = &priv;
 
-    if (!(conf = virConfReadMem(xmcfgPtr, strlen(xmcfgPtr))))
+    if (!(conf = virConfReadMem(xmcfgPtr, strlen(xmcfgPtr), 0)))
         goto fail;
 
     if (!(def = xenXMDomainConfigParse(conn, conf)))