Any way around raw storage on container creation?

[caius]

I was wondering why Proxmox defaults to a raw rootfs when I create a new container. In fact, there seems to be no way around it.

However, I really want to be able to directly access my files. They are on a nfs share backed by zfs so the raw image keeps me from using snapshot, rollback, clone, and dedup, quotas, etc in a transparent way.

Direct access to vm files from the server would vastly simplify management, git, configuration changes, automation, etc.

So now I am left either 1) hand-creating containers and modifying pve files or 2) mounting the image, copying the vm files, and modifying the lxc config to reflect the new rootfs.

Why?

Why not allow a selection between raw image or files? It could be as simple as setting size=0 and a pop up.

Is there an easier way, or is there a reason to use raw images?

 

[dietmar]

Why not allow a selection between raw image or files? It could be as simple as setting size=0 and a pop up.

Because the container could use all our disk space, without limits.

If you want to avoid raw images, you need to use ZFS. Proxmox VE creates subvolumes if the underlying file system support that.

 

[LnxBil]

However, I really want to be able to directly access my files.

Yes, I asked about this exact same problem several times, but I think I was misunderstood every time :-(

I also want to have a ZFS-backed server on another machine that exports a container dataset via NFS to a PVE box and the PVE box runs a container on this NFS. Similar to ZFS-over-iSCSI, this would be ZFS-over-NFS. PVE should initiate the creation of the dataset on the server, set the share flag and mount it to the proper directory on the PVE node and provisions it via its normal provisioning.

 

[caius]

Because the container could use all our disk space, without limits.

If you want to avoid raw images, you need to use ZFS. Proxmox VE creates subvolumes if the underlying file system support that.

I don't think you answered my question but thanks. (See title: Any way around raw storage on container creation?) And as I said ZFS is the underlying filesystem...it's just over NFS.

So, there is no security or performance benefit to raw images other than the quota? But I can set my own quotas. I don't need to have my hand held. (Hence why I said include a pop up--to give warning.) Since the NFS is ZFS backed, quotas are easy.

However, is there any Proxmox way to create the container with a directory backing instead of a raw? Doing it by hand in the CLI makes Proxmox much less useful.

 

[LnxBil]

Yes, I asked about this exact same problem several times, but I think I was misunderstood every time :-(

There are other people around that built something similar, e.g. for kubernetes:

https://github.com/gentics/kubernetes-zfs-provisioner