The available sources do not establish what “QEMU v0.96” refers to or whether that exact version included virtio-blk, so its presence in that release cannot be confirmed. They do document a virtio block device patch posted to QEMU’s development list in December 2007, as well as later guidance on choosing between virtio-blk and virtio-scsi.
What virtio-blk does
Virtio-blk is a virtual block device that QEMU presents to a virtual machine. A guest can use it as a disk device; the choice of controller matters when you need particular SCSI features or plan to attach many disks.
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In QEMU’s 2021 configuration article, virtio-blk is described as offering a thin software stack and as a good choice when performance is a priority. That is configuration guidance, not a benchmark result: actual performance depends on the host, guest, workload and backing storage.
The Tool Desk
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On 4 December 2007, Anthony Liguori posted a patch titled “virtio block device” to the QEMU development list. The patch description says, “This patch implements the backend support for the virtio block device.” It describes a design intended for in-order queueing and performance, including “in-order queueing of a virtually unlimited size.” These statements explain the author’s design rationale; they are not independently measured performance results.
A QEMU source-history listing records a later change on 16 July 2009 titled “qdev/compat: virtio-blk-pci 0.10 compatibility.” That entry establishes later compatibility work, but it does not identify what was in a release called “v0.96.” The OASIS Virtio 1.4 specification’s revision notes also say it documents virtio-blk capacity changes implemented in Linux and QEMU since 2011; that note does not by itself establish the feature set of an earlier QEMU release.
Did QEMU v0.96 support virtio-blk?
The sources available here do not verify that an exact release named “QEMU v0.96” existed, identify its source tree, or show whether that tree contained virtio-blk. The 2007 patch and later history entries cannot answer that release-specific question. Confirming it requires identifying the intended release tag or source archive and checking its files or release notes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Virtio-blk or virtio-scsi?
QEMU’s 2021 configuration guidance recommends virtio-blk when a thin software stack and performance priority suit the setup. It recommends virtio-scsi when attaching more than 28 disks or when full SCSI support is required. Treat the disk-count threshold as that article’s guidance, not as a universal performance boundary or a guarantee for every QEMU version.
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Quick Recap
- Choose based on the number of disks and whether full SCSI support or SCSI passthrough is required.
- Confirm that the guest has a suitable driver for the selected device.
- Check the documentation for your QEMU release before relying on a particular feature or compatibility mode.
Sources
- Anthony Liguori’s 4 December 2007 virtio block device patch
- QEMU source history for virtio-blk
- QEMU’s 2021 virtio-blk and virtio-scsi configuration guidance
- OASIS Virtio 1.4 specification
- QEMU deprecation documentation
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