Re: docs on storage pools?

[Cole Robinson <crobinso@redhat.com>]

Richard Wurman wrote:
> So far I've been using files and/or LVM partitions for my VMs --
> basically by using virt-manager and modifying existing XML configs and
> just copying my VM files to be reused.
> 
> I'm wondering how KVM storage pools work -- at first I thought it was
> something like KVM's version of LVM where you can just dump all your
> VMs in one space .. .but it looks like it's really means "different
> places you want to store your VMs":
> 

The 'storage pool' concept you're talking about is libvirt functionality, not
KVM/QEMU:

http://libvirt.org/storage.html

> - dir: Filesystem Directory
> - disk: Physical Disk Device
> - fs: Pre-Formatted Block Device
> - iscsi: iSCSI Target
> -logical: LVM Volume Group
> - netfs: Network exported directory
> 
> I understand things like LVM and storing VMs in a filesystem
> directory.. but what real difference is there by going through the
> GUI? I suppose nothing. Maybe I'm overthinking this -- it's just a
> frontend to where you store your VMs?

Exposing storage management through libvirt allows remote storage
provisioning, and saves libvirt users (like virt-install and virt-manager) the
trouble of knowing all the differing details between creating lvm LVs, disk
partitions, raw/qcow2/vmdk images, etc. For desktop virt using raw files for
storage, there isn't much need to concern yourself with the concept.

Any further questions should be directed to libvirt-list@redhat.com (for
libvirt) or virt-tools-list@redhat.com (for virt-manager).

- Cole