Where Does Harvester Store VM Data?
Harvester HCI splits OS install from VM data across disks, with Longhorn volumes and Rancher-managed config.
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Harvester divides disks by role at install: an installation disk for the OS and a data disk for VM images and Longhorn replicas. Management kubeconfig lives at /etc/rancher/rke2/rke2.yaml on nodes.
Single-disk installs squeeze VM data into a persistent partition, which works until images grow. Plan data disks per node upfront; rebalancing storage later is far more painful than overprovisioning now.
Where Harvester stores this, by platform
/var/lib/harvester (VM data; install disk holds OS)
Install disk plus data disk(s) per node; Longhorn manages VM volumes. Management kubeconfig at /etc/rancher/rke2/rke2.yaml. Back up via Harvester targets.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up Harvester VMs?
Back up VM volumes via Harvester backup targets plus cluster config exports. Raw disk copies miss the Longhorn metadata tying replicas together.
One disk or two for Harvester install?
Use a separate data disk at install; single-disk setups need a large persistent partition for images and containers. 150 GiB is the floor, not the goal.
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