"qcow2" vs "raw" - KVM Disk Format

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nick

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Mar 28, 2007
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what is the best format - stable and secure.

What we use for Windows? What we use for Linux?
 
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why? must be an explination...

Until now I use a lot qcow2...I need to change format? It's much better raw format?
 
nick said:
why? must be an explination...
Until now I use a lot qcow2...I need to change format? It's much better raw format?
Click to expand...

'qcow2' is quite stable, but it is a complex format so there is an additional software layer involved (which may have some errors).

'raw' is no format at all (direct pass through to the file), so there is no additional software between.

- Dietmar
 
for backup with "snapshot" option what is the best format?

I use VZDUMP with option spanshot...
 
vzdump can handle both formats. But 'raw' format can be restored to any storage type (lvm, iscsi), where qcow2 can only be restored to a filesystem type storage (nfs, directory).
 
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I use only PVE...so for me it's teh same filesystem. Like I already specify, until now I use qcow2 for KVM machines...and snapshot work correct, except SBS2008.

I realy want to understand what is the good way for windows (or recomanded) and what is the configuration recomanded for Linux.
 
nick said:
what is the best format - stable and secure.

What we use for Windows? What we use for Linux?
Click to expand...


Its a down back in this raw: waste space. When create multiples guests with qcow2 you can provisioning max disk size (but without use it) so you can have many guests and in future, with grow, you can realocate then or add a bigger disk... now with raw or you make guests with tiny disks or wast your storage for long time.

Dietemar,

Its any tecnical problem in use qcow2 in sahre storage like lvm/drbd ? Its possible in future proxmox suport it ?
 
A raw filesystem can be mounted in other emulators (ie: virtualbox), or other proxmox servers?
 
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