So where do you store the virtual machine image?? Most use a separate partition but most of that is optional
I would say, use your normal way of making backups.
Only when you backup by “cloning” whole partitions, that is of course not the correct way, because on “cloning” back, you would have the XFS file system again.
Sigh! I just replied to this. But the forum redirected to the login page and lost everything.
The virtual machine image for KVM/libvirt will probably be in “/var/lib/libvirt/images”.
Here’s what I did on my system.
I used a separate disk, which I mount at “/shared”. I created the directory “/shared/libvirt”.
I then shutdown libvirtd
systemctl stop libvirtd
Then I moved the content of "/var/lib/libvirt to “/shared/libvirt”
And I replace “/var/lib/libvirt” with a symbolic link.
ls -l /var/lib/libvirt
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 15 Aug 4 07:17 /var/lib/libvirt -> /shared/libvirt
So now my virtual machine images are not part of the root file system.
Good point, if I clone it wont solve anything.
418,9 GiB of my home dir is used, 500 gig free.
420 gig is something I should be able to easily store on the windows disk.
What I once did, was to create on the windows disk a folder called Linux, then copy all I wanted to keep from Linux to that folder.
Then after formatting the Linux disk , copy it back. ( then check the rights, because the rights might get messed up, because of copying to and from NTFS )
Thank, will sort that out. Now I remember what makes me worry. Before looking I am pretty sure it is stored in root.
:shame:
This might be my problem, I remember during the install of the virtual machine, I was asked if I wanted to use a different partition for something.
Hardly knowing what I was doing, I probably did not create an extra partition.
If I understand things right, I need to make room on my windows disk, but I do not see that as a problem.
Shrink the NTFS partition, format the created space to ext 4, and link to it ?
Bit off topic but this vid helped me.
Different types of SSD. From cheap to fastest.
Don’t mess. Stick to KISS: Triple boot Tumbleweed, Leap and Windows 10:
**i3-4130:~ #** inxi -D
**Drives: Local Storage:****total:** 232.89 GiB **used:** 26.77 GiB (11.5%)
**ID-1:** /dev/sda **vendor:** Crucial **model:** CT250MX500SSD1 **size:** 232.89 GiB
**i3-4130:~ #** fdisk -l
**Disk /dev/sda: 232.89 GiB, 250059350016 bytes, 488397168 sectors**
Disk model: CT250MX500SSD1
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 3B04C452-DAD9-45C6-9BD3-AE398288F628
**Device**** Start**** End**** Sectors**** Size****Type**
/dev/sda1 2048 1026047 1024000 500M EFI System
/dev/sda2 1026048 283596799 282570752 134.7G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda3 283596800 385996799 102400000 48.8G Linux filesystem
/dev/sda4 385996800 386029567 32768 16M Microsoft reserved
/dev/sda5 386029568 488396799 102367232 48.8G Microsoft basic data
**i3-4130:~ #** lsblk -f
NAME FSTYPE FSVER LABEL UUID FSAVAIL FSUSE% MOUNTPOINT
sda
├─sda1 vfat FAT16 6B6D-1CDE 471.7M 6% /boot/efi
├─sda2 btrfs tumbleweed 227128c2-8703-4859-a006-30dccf5b299c 107G 20% /
├─sda3 btrfs leap 85d405ec-d559-49a1-b59c-5c5c9f176724
├─sda4
└─sda5 ntfs FE06394606390167
**i3-4130:~ #**
Btrfs is the most flexible and reliable solution. Backup and delete everything but EFI and Tumbleweed system partition. Grow Tumbleweed system to maximum and restore. Beware: Some users ignore btrfs documentation, start goofing with the file system and end up with a broken one.
Is that the way you normally backup the contents of your /home file system?
And it looks like a strange thing to me to throw anything MS Windows in the solution when we are Linux (more special openSUSE) users here.
To get a (compressed) backup file of what is in /home, you could e.g. do
cd /home
tar cvfz <some path to a file> *
Where you should replace <some path to a file> by a place outside /home (logical, isn’t it), in your case on another disk (e.g. a USB memory stick, might even be on a non-Linux file system, because all Linux things are inside the archive).
BTW people have the (not so bad) habit to add a suffix to the archive file name of .tar, or in the compressed case, .tar.gz
But of course most important is to find out first why your root partition has grown too much. Giving it more space will not stop growing and is only a sort of temporary by-pass and NOT a solution.
Thank you but one small remark. I used openSUSE to create that folder called Linux on the windows disk, also the copying of the stuff was done by Linux. (Dolphin)
So I used the disk were windows lives to store stuff, but not windows the operating system. 
I am gonna use the commands you gave me to see if I can find why my root is too small.
Good command-line exercise for me.
I am also looking at this:
https://tweakers.net/solid-state-drives/vergelijken/
Samsung 870 Evo 1 TB. (sata 600)
Samsung 970 Evo plus. 1TB (M2)
Samsung 870 QVO 1TB (sata 600) only 79 euro. 
The prices for SSD have gone down a lot since I build this pc. Windows won’t get an SSD, the SSD will be for openSUSE.
Even a sata 600 SSD will be an upgrade for me, gonna do some thinking if the extra money for an M2 is it worth for me.
But first gonna fix the real problem, I don’t have any room left on the Linux disk, and because its xfs, I can’t fix this.
So I will have to create room on the windows disk, to store the virtual machine files. (shrink the ntfs partition, then in the free room, create a Linux partition. I am however very tempted to format the Linux disk after backing up my stuff and then go brtfs.
I clearly messed up when I build this pc, because home should have been ext 4, and not xfs as it is now.
Don’t count on me as soon as Windows is mentioned. I do know almost nothing of it.
And BTW, I would never use Dolphin in the action we are doing now. I also do not understand how you can use Dolphin.
- As you are copying /home, /home must be out of use, thus no users that have their home directory inside /home can be logged in.
- You must do this as root (partly because of the above and for the rest because the whole action is a system managers action with no end-user involved) and root may not log in in the GUI and thus can not use Dolphin at all.
I stay to my advice above to use tar (as root of course and with /home not in use by anything). Either you want to try that and can ask questions about that. Or you do something different. and you may ask questions about that. But when you involve Windows (except that the compressed tar archive may be stored on a Windows file system when that is available) I can not answer (maybe others can).
Does not matter what was used to create a folder on Windows it is still a Windows folder not a Linux folder. Any files copied to it will lose their Linux permissions since Windows does not support Linux permissions. Encapsulating in a TAR file will preserve permissions.
Backups should be done to an external device not to another partition on the computer. That’s fine for temp storage but not backups.
Dear friends, there are two hard disk in my pc.
So if I want to store something it will be on the Linux or windows disk. ( or look for free online storage )
If I want to use a third hard disk, I will have to buy one first.
I can’t make room on the Linux disk, because of the xfs partition, so unless I get another hard-disk, the windows disk is the only option I have, to store stuff.
I am not arguing that this is not the right way to create a backup, but I think its the only option I currently have.
I am open to better solutions though.
Do you read and understand what we say?
If you have place on a Windows file system (probably on what you call your “windows disk”), then put the tar file there (as I indicated it can be a compressed one). So what is your problem with this solution?
I don’t have a problem with that solution. 
There are two, 1 terabyte hard-disk in my pc, one for windows, one for openSUSE, so I call them the windows disk and the Linux disk.
( fun fact: I on purpose bought two different brands, so even in the bios its easy to see what disk is what)
Maybe were having a slight miscommunication, because I am thinking of two solutions for the root filling up.
One would be a clean tumbleweed install ( to get rid of xfs), the other one would be to shrink the ntfs partition on the windows disk, then create a Linux partition there, and tell the virtual machine to store its files there.
As I said earlier, your problem is the growing of your rot partition. You should find out why that is happening. All other things are by-passes, running before the flood catches you, ignoring the problem, …
I probably know the cause but can´t find yet, were that path is stored. It is not under settings in virtual manager.
So I am searching the net, were to edit that path. Also to confirm it is using the root partition now.
Might not be accessible by the gui. Will sort it out, might have to read the virtual manager manual or read up on qemu.
Also gonna read again a reply in this topic, about that path.
I might be getting closer:
14.11 Configuring storage devicesThe following procedure shows how to add storage devices to the VM Guest:
Time for a question.
Is there a webpage explaining all about the virtual machine I am using, with libvert ?
What I find are pages about qemu and pages about libvirts, I am starting to loose track of were I have to search. (For the paths were the virtual machine stores stuff)
On the planing for tomorrow, try the commands provided by HCVV, to see what is eating up my root space.
Also to compress my home folder, been thinking about it a lot, and a fresh install of tumbleweed is by far the best solution.
Slightly off topic, wondering about getting an SSD to replace one hard disk.
a samsung 870 QVO or a samsung 980 (both 1 terrabyte)
First one is cheaper, second one should be faster, because how it’s connected to the motherboard.
With help from the dutch Tweakers forum, I know my motherboards supports all types of ssd.
M.2 (PCI-e 3.0 x4), M.2 (SATA), 4x SATA-600
The 980 should go into the M.2 (pci-e 3.0)
Another option would be to get a 500gig ssd, that would be big enough for thumbleweed and I can keep the older type hard disk for extra storage space.
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/1663014/samsung-980-500gb.html
Let me try to make clear, what I need some help with.
I only need a list of things I need to google and or RTFM.
I’ll start:
Virual machine handler
Qemu
Virsh
Libvirt
Is that all ?