Hello libvirt community,
I am seeking clarification on the behavior of `virsh snapshot-delete` when used with
external snapshots (created with the `--disk-only` option).
**Environment:**
- libvirt version: 10.5.0
- Kernel version: 5.14.0-503.22.1.el9_5.x86_64
- Disk image format: qcow2
- Host OS: RHEL 9.5
**Steps to reproduce:**
1. Create an external snapshot:
virsh snapshot-create-as --domain <vm> --name snap1 --disk-only
--atomic
2. Delete the snapshot:
virsh snapshot-delete <vm> --snapshotname snap1
**Observed behavior:**
- Changes from the overlay (snapshot) file are merged into the base image.
- The snapshot metadata is removed from libvirt.
- The snapshot file remains on disk (appears orphaned).
**Questions:**
- Is the observed automatic merge of the overlay file into the base image during
`snapshot-delete` the intended behavior for external snapshots in recent libvirt versions?
Or we need separate `blockcommit` step.
- Should the snapshot file be deleted automatically, or is manual cleanup required?
- Is there any official documentation that clarifies this behavior for external snapshots,
as most documentation seems to focus on internal snapshots?
Thank you for your help and clarification!
Best regards,
Raj.