fast-virtual-disk · research · also FVD

Fast Virtual Disk (FVD)

Fast Virtual Disk is a research virtual-disk format that separates copy-on-write tracking from storage allocation.

Related Observatory article: Fast Virtual Disk (FVD) on hesela.com

Architecture: Tang's FVD uses a bitmap for data location and an optional lookup table for allocation. Copy-on-read caches base-image data locally; adaptive prefetching can fetch remaining blocks. [1]

Scope: the published comparison disabled copy-on-read and prefetching. It does not evaluate today's QCOW2 external-data feature. [1]

Relations

related
QCOW2, Copy-on-write (storage), Thin provisioning

Limitations

  • The 2011 prototype evaluation is not evidence of present-day QCOW2 performance.

Citations

  1. Chunqiang Tang (2011), FVD: a High-Performance Virtual Machine Image Format for Cloud, USENIX ATC 11, sections 2-4 (accessed 2026-10-21)
Sources & caveats
  • Historical research design, not a claim of current product availability or a Hesela benchmark.

JSON: /data/terms/fast-virtual-disk.json

Published by Hesela team · Updated

Report a correction · Editorial standards · Reuse guidance

Cite this page
Hesela team. Fast Virtual Disk (FVD). Hesela. 2026-10-21. https://hesela.dev/terms/fast-virtual-disk/