Tell me more ×
Server Fault is a question and answer site for professional system and network administrators. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote -1 down vote favorite

What is the best filesystem for KVM Hypervisor?

raw + VirtIO or qcow2 + VirtIO ?

Performance is the main issue.

share|improve this question

closed as not constructive by Tom O'Connor, Chopper3, Tim Brigham, ewwhite, dunxd Sep 4 '12 at 13:51

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

1 Answer

up vote 3 down vote accepted

raw + virtio provides slightly better performance, but it lacks the snapshot ability. None of these is actually a filesystem, by the way.

share|improve this answer
Thanks, and which caching method do you suggest? writeback, writethrough or none ? – Zim3r Sep 4 '12 at 11:49
none is fine if you have cache in the disks and the controller – dyasny Sep 4 '12 at 12:13
I actually didn't set any cache in the disks. and what is controller? Thanks – Zim3r Sep 4 '12 at 12:19
and my last issue: is there much difference between qcow2 without virtio and raw+virtio? Thanks – Zim3r Sep 4 '12 at 12:30
controller is the SCSI card that your disks/disk backplane are connected to. In normal servers it has it's own cache and battery. as for with or without virtio - always go with for better performance. – dyasny Sep 4 '12 at 13:18
show 1 more comment

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.