X-Git-Url: https://git.proxmox.com/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=qemu-img.texi;h=768054e9008d93bf0e8420bfbf02516dd8eab0f7;hb=30c367ed446b6ea53245589a5cf373578ac075d7;hp=b2ca3a542cd3c7aacc262f3f38a2b3d0d76be55f;hpb=3cfdd0da7e513e740b759a2abec49db3c086d6e2;p=qemu.git diff --git a/qemu-img.texi b/qemu-img.texi index b2ca3a542..768054e90 100644 --- a/qemu-img.texi +++ b/qemu-img.texi @@ -4,6 +4,16 @@ usage: qemu-img command [command options] @c man end @end example +@c man begin DESCRIPTION +qemu-img allows you to create, convert and modify images offline. It can handle +all image formats supported by QEMU. + +@b{Warning:} Never use qemu-img to modify images in use by a running virtual +machine or any other process; this may destroy the image. Also, be aware that +querying an image that is being modified by another process may encounter +inconsistent state. +@c man end + @c man begin OPTIONS The following commands are supported: @@ -18,6 +28,10 @@ Command parameters: is the disk image format. It is guessed automatically in most cases. See below for a description of the supported disk formats. +@item --backing-chain +will enumerate information about backing files in a disk image chain. Refer +below for further description. + @item size is the disk image size in bytes. Optional suffixes @code{k} or @code{K} (kilobyte, 1024) @code{M} (megabyte, 1024k) and @code{G} (gigabyte, 1024M) @@ -40,6 +54,9 @@ indicates that target image must be compressed (qcow format only) with or without a command shows help and lists the supported formats @item -p display progress bar (convert and rebase commands only) +@item -q +Quiet mode - do not print any output (except errors). There's no progress bar +in case both @var{-q} and @var{-p} options are used. @item -S @var{size} indicates the consecutive number of bytes that must contain only zeros for qemu-img to create a sparse image during conversion. This value is rounded @@ -67,12 +84,38 @@ deletes a snapshot lists all snapshots in the given image @end table +Parameters to compare subcommand: + +@table @option + +@item -f +First image format +@item -F +Second image format +@item -s +Strict mode - fail on on different image size or sector allocation +@end table + +Parameters to convert subcommand: + +@table @option + +@item -n +Skip the creation of the target volume +@end table + Command description: @table @option -@item check [-f @var{fmt}] @var{filename} +@item check [-f @var{fmt}] [--output=@var{ofmt}] [-r [leaks | all]] @var{filename} -Perform a consistency check on the disk image @var{filename}. +Perform a consistency check on the disk image @var{filename}. The command can +output in the format @var{ofmt} which is either @code{human} or @code{json}. + +If @code{-r} is specified, qemu-img tries to repair any inconsistencies found +during the check. @code{-r leaks} repairs only cluster leaks, whereas +@code{-r all} fixes all kinds of errors, with a higher risk of choosing the +wrong fix or hiding corruption that has already occurred. Only the formats @code{qcow2}, @code{qed} and @code{vdi} support consistency checks. @@ -95,7 +138,48 @@ it doesn't need to be specified separately in this case. Commit the changes recorded in @var{filename} in its base image. -@item convert [-c] [-p] [-f @var{fmt}] [-t @var{cache}] [-O @var{output_fmt}] [-o @var{options}] [-s @var{snapshot_name}] [-S @var{sparse_size}] @var{filename} [@var{filename2} [...]] @var{output_filename} +@item compare [-f @var{fmt}] [-F @var{fmt}] [-p] [-s] [-q] @var{filename1} @var{filename2} + +Check if two images have the same content. You can compare images with +different format or settings. + +The format is probed unless you specify it by @var{-f} (used for +@var{filename1}) and/or @var{-F} (used for @var{filename2}) option. + +By default, images with different size are considered identical if the larger +image contains only unallocated and/or zeroed sectors in the area after the end +of the other image. In addition, if any sector is not allocated in one image +and contains only zero bytes in the second one, it is evaluated as equal. You +can use Strict mode by specifying the @var{-s} option. When compare runs in +Strict mode, it fails in case image size differs or a sector is allocated in +one image and is not allocated in the second one. + +By default, compare prints out a result message. This message displays +information that both images are same or the position of the first different +byte. In addition, result message can report different image size in case +Strict mode is used. + +Compare exits with @code{0} in case the images are equal and with @code{1} +in case the images differ. Other exit codes mean an error occurred during +execution and standard error output should contain an error message. +The following table sumarizes all exit codes of the compare subcommand: + +@table @option + +@item 0 +Images are identical +@item 1 +Images differ +@item 2 +Error on opening an image +@item 3 +Error on checking a sector allocation +@item 4 +Error on reading data + +@end table + +@item convert [-c] [-p] [-n] [-f @var{fmt}] [-t @var{cache}] [-O @var{output_fmt}] [-o @var{options}] [-s @var{snapshot_name}] [-S @var{sparse_size}] @var{filename} [@var{filename2} [...]] @var{output_filename} Convert the disk image @var{filename} or a snapshot @var{snapshot_name} to disk image @var{output_filename} using format @var{output_fmt}. It can be optionally compressed (@code{-c} @@ -114,12 +198,88 @@ created as a copy on write image of the specified base image; the @var{backing_file} should have the same content as the input's base image, however the path, image format, etc may differ. -@item info [-f @var{fmt}] @var{filename} +If the @code{-n} option is specified, the target volume creation will be +skipped. This is useful for formats such as @code{rbd} if the target +volume has already been created with site specific options that cannot +be supplied through qemu-img. + +@item info [-f @var{fmt}] [--output=@var{ofmt}] [--backing-chain] @var{filename} Give information about the disk image @var{filename}. Use it in particular to know the size reserved on disk which can be different from the displayed size. If VM snapshots are stored in the disk image, -they are displayed too. +they are displayed too. The command can output in the format @var{ofmt} +which is either @code{human} or @code{json}. + +If a disk image has a backing file chain, information about each disk image in +the chain can be recursively enumerated by using the option @code{--backing-chain}. + +For instance, if you have an image chain like: + +@example +base.qcow2 <- snap1.qcow2 <- snap2.qcow2 +@end example + +To enumerate information about each disk image in the above chain, starting from top to base, do: + +@example +qemu-img info --backing-chain snap2.qcow2 +@end example + +@item map [-f @var{fmt}] [--output=@var{ofmt}] @var{filename} + +Dump the metadata of image @var{filename} and its backing file chain. +In particular, this commands dumps the allocation state of every sector +of @var{filename}, together with the topmost file that allocates it in +the backing file chain. + +Two option formats are possible. The default format (@code{human}) +only dumps known-nonzero areas of the file. Known-zero parts of the +file are omitted altogether, and likewise for parts that are not allocated +throughout the chain. @command{qemu-img} output will identify a file +from where the data can be read, and the offset in the file. Each line +will include four fields, the first three of which are hexadecimal +numbers. For example the first line of: +@example +Offset Length Mapped to File +0 0x20000 0x50000 /tmp/overlay.qcow2 +0x100000 0x10000 0x95380000 /tmp/backing.qcow2 +@end example +@noindent +means that 0x20000 (131072) bytes starting at offset 0 in the image are +available in /tmp/overlay.qcow2 (opened in @code{raw} format) starting +at offset 0x50000 (327680). Data that is compressed, encrypted, or +otherwise not available in raw format will cause an error if @code{human} +format is in use. Note that file names can include newlines, thus it is +not safe to parse this output format in scripts. + +The alternative format @code{json} will return an array of dictionaries +in JSON format. It will include similar information in +the @code{start}, @code{length}, @code{offset} fields; +it will also include other more specific information: +@itemize @minus +@item +whether the sectors contain actual data or not (boolean field @code{data}; +if false, the sectors are either unallocated or stored as optimized +all-zero clusters); + +@item +whether the data is known to read as zero (boolean field @code{zero}); + +@item +in order to make the output shorter, the target file is expressed as +a @code{depth}; for example, a depth of 2 refers to the backing file +of the backing file of @var{filename}. +@end itemize + +In JSON format, the @code{offset} field is optional; it is absent in +cases where @code{human} format would omit the entry or exit with an error. +If @code{data} is false and the @code{offset} field is present, the +corresponding sectors in the file are not yet in use, but they are +preallocated. + +For more information, consult @file{include/block/block.h} in QEMU's +source code. @item snapshot [-l | -a @var{snapshot} | -c @var{snapshot} | -d @var{snapshot} ] @var{filename} @@ -132,7 +292,9 @@ Changes the backing file of an image. Only the formats @code{qcow2} and The backing file is changed to @var{backing_file} and (if the image format of @var{filename} supports this) the backing file format is changed to -@var{backing_fmt}. +@var{backing_fmt}. If @var{backing_file} is specified as ``'' (the empty +string), then the image is rebased onto no backing file (i.e. it will exist +independently of any backing file). There are two different modes in which @code{rebase} can operate: @table @option @@ -159,6 +321,24 @@ It can be used without an accessible old backing file, i.e. you can use it to fix an image whose backing file has already been moved/renamed. @end table +You can use @code{rebase} to perform a ``diff'' operation on two +disk images. This can be useful when you have copied or cloned +a guest, and you want to get back to a thin image on top of a +template or base image. + +Say that @code{base.img} has been cloned as @code{modified.img} by +copying it, and that the @code{modified.img} guest has run so there +are now some changes compared to @code{base.img}. To construct a thin +image called @code{diff.qcow2} that contains just the differences, do: + +@example +qemu-img create -f qcow2 -b modified.img diff.qcow2 +qemu-img rebase -b base.img diff.qcow2 +@end example + +At this point, @code{modified.img} can be discarded, since +@code{base.img + diff.qcow2} contains the same information. + @item resize @var{filename} [+ | -]@var{size} Change the disk image as if it had been created with @var{size}. @@ -170,8 +350,16 @@ sizes accordingly. Failure to do so will result in data loss! After using this command to grow a disk image, you must use file system and partitioning tools inside the VM to actually begin using the new space on the device. + +@item amend [-f @var{fmt}] -o @var{options} @var{filename} + +Amends the image format specific @var{options} for the image file +@var{filename}. Not all file formats support this operation. @end table +@c man end +@ignore +@c man begin NOTES Supported image file formats: @table @option @@ -192,6 +380,13 @@ support of multiple VM snapshots. Supported options: @table @code +@item compat +Determines the qcow2 version to use. @code{compat=0.10} uses the traditional +image format that can be read by any QEMU since 0.10 (this is the default). +@code{compat=1.1} enables image format extensions that only QEMU 1.1 and +newer understand. Amongst others, this includes zero clusters, which allow +efficient copy-on-read for sparse images. + @item backing_file File name of a base image (see @option{create} subcommand) @item backing_fmt @@ -212,50 +407,33 @@ Preallocation mode (allowed values: off, metadata). An image with preallocated metadata is initially larger but can improve performance when the image needs to grow. -@end table - +@item lazy_refcounts +If this option is set to @code{on}, reference count updates are postponed with +the goal of avoiding metadata I/O and improving performance. This is +particularly interesting with @option{cache=writethrough} which doesn't batch +metadata updates. The tradeoff is that after a host crash, the reference count +tables must be rebuilt, i.e. on the next open an (automatic) @code{qemu-img +check -r all} is required, which may take some time. -@item qcow -Old QEMU image format. Left for compatibility. +This option can only be enabled if @code{compat=1.1} is specified. -Supported options: -@table @code -@item backing_file -File name of a base image (see @option{create} subcommand) -@item encryption -If this option is set to @code{on}, the image is encrypted. @end table -@item cow -User Mode Linux Copy On Write image format. Used to be the only growable -image format in QEMU. It is supported only for compatibility with -previous versions. It does not work on win32. -@item vdi -VirtualBox 1.1 compatible image format. -@item vmdk -VMware 3 and 4 compatible image format. +@item Other +QEMU also supports various other image file formats for compatibility with +older QEMU versions or other hypervisors, including VMDK, VDI, VHD (vpc), qcow1 +and QED. For a full list of supported formats see @code{qemu-img --help}. +For a more detailed description of these formats, see the QEMU Emulation User +Documentation. -Supported options: -@table @code -@item backing_fmt -Image format of the base image -@item compat6 -Create a VMDK version 6 image (instead of version 4) -@end table - -@item vpc -VirtualPC compatible image format (VHD). - -@item cloop -Linux Compressed Loop image, useful only to reuse directly compressed -CD-ROM images present for example in the Knoppix CD-ROMs. +The main purpose of the block drivers for these formats is image conversion. +For running VMs, it is recommended to convert the disk images to either raw or +qcow2 in order to achieve good performance. @end table @c man end -@ignore - @setfilename qemu-img @settitle QEMU disk image utility