Base image or "Linked clones" as vmware calls it. Possble on PVE?

[Giovanni]

Hi guys,

I have a test lab for Windows Server 2003 and 2008 that i Need to setup and need several Windows VMs based off a single image. I was reading how vmware and xenserver offer this and how to use sysprep to setup windows to have a unique secure ID.

Now, does PVE 2.0 allow the creation of linked clones, or is there a way that I can create a single VM at first, install and update everything, then create either storage pointers to the original image and have differentiating disks created for the child VMs off this image?

Thanks!

 

[e100]

The developers are working to implement such a feature, I suspect it will be in version 3.0.

For now the closest solution would be to backup your sysprep windows install and restore that backup each time you need a new vm.

 

[mo_]

KVM is capable of that and has been for quite some time, its just that this feature set hasnt made it into the proxmox GUI yet. that being said, heres now to do it:

http://www.linux-kvm.com/content/how-you-can-use-qemukvm-base-images-be-more-productive-part-1

since all this does is write a differential image to a base image this should even be migrateable within the scope of proxmox, all you have to make sure is that the base image is identical in content, filename and -path on both/all nodes.

 

[spirit]

It will be ready for proxmox 3.0, and will works for raw,qcow2,rbd,sheepdog storage !

(I'm already testing patches in production)

 

[dietmar]

It will be ready for proxmox 3.0, and will works for raw,qcow2,rbd,sheepdog storage !

I am not sure this will go into 3.0.

 

[badji]

I am not sure this will go into 3.0.

Dietmar and Alexandre put you agree, it will be for version 3.0 or not

 

[dietmar]

Dietmar and Alexandre put you agree, it will be for version 3.0 or not

The plan is to include that as soon as possible. So it depends a bit on the debian wheezy final release date. If it is ready we will include it, but there is also the option to delay it to 3.1 and do any early wheezy release.