If have a HP dl365 G5 with SUSE Linux host with two .qcow2 guests . I like to expand my RAID (2 disk) to RAID 5. I need more space. Server is only used for minor workload with one Samba server guest and maybe one quest Windows server the make.
What are the best steps to backup an place the guests back to the new RAID with 3 disks? Or are there other configuration where expand storage is better supported.
regards, Maarten

Are you saying that the only data on this array is two qcow files?
This could be my thinking.
If so then you might consider copying the files off to a backup media or rsync them. (really any means where it verifies the file written)

Then create the new array and copy back with verify.

Others may have a better solution also if I didn't fully understand the question.

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@Jefro
Thanks for your answer.
The only concern I have is if I place the .qcows (geust) back wil they work on the new RAID and fresh installed SuSE OS as virtual host? Or do I have to special tricks to let the copied guest work on the new RAID with SUSE?
It's the same hardware only more data and new RAID.

With a rsync command I need the same amount of volume. I dont't have this at the moment.
If I rsync the complete root is this also the complete mbr just like a clone?
And could I startup with a boot USB and rsync everything back to the new RAID including mbr and root?

The MBR holds the information on how the logical partitions, containing file systems, are organized on that medium. So I'm thinking that using rsync for the rootfs may not be the same as the mbr as if cloned.

Using rsync can synchronize Unix clients to a central Unix server using rsync/ssh and standard Unix accounts. It can be used in desktop environments, for example to efficiently synchronize files with a backup copy on an external hard drive. It looks like the automated backup with SSH is your best bet. I'm not sure if you can startup with a USB.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rsync

After reading the man page for rsync I was able to determine that it will not copy the mbr.
http://linuxcommand.org/man_pages/rsync1.html

I think you need to use the dd cmd to move the /boot and the mbr.
But don't take my word on this.
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/ubu...will-work.html

Wait for jefro's advise on this he has the experience.

The qcow file has no ties to the underlying raid. It is simply a data file. It's always nice in my mind to keep it contiguous if possible. Using tar command would insure that usually. I think rsync has a way to do that.

Backup is the only way to protect data. You can try to fool with files in place but you run a risk.



A virtual machine has two parts in this question. One is the virtual hard drive file system and the second is the collection of virtual and physical hardware. Since you haven't changed any of the virtual/physical hardware the machine will be the same in all respects. The virtual hard drive filesystem can easily be moved or copied to any location you wish generally. Placing it on drobox or some place like that would render it very slow of course. An iscis or usb attached hard drive or any sort of local hard drive or array is just fine.

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Now I know I like your opinion on backup method. I could snapshot directly to external disk.
original is snapshot and a new image is created.
or
shutdown and tar or rsync to an external disk
Long downtime is ok. qcow2 image is 24Gb.

Not sure you get the entire machine on a snapshot. Do you? I don't remember.