[Plugin] NBD Export — host disks over Network Block Device + image to qcow2/raw - Plugin Support

Friday at 04:10 AM5 days

This thread is the support topic for NBD Export

Install the plugin, open Settings → Network Services → NBD, host a disk/partition over TCP with qemu-nbd, or pull a remote nbd:// target into qcow2 or raw on Unraid. For bugs or feedback, post here with Unraid version, plugin version, Host vs Pull, bind IP, read-only / Destructive mode settings, whether qemu-nbd and qemu-img are present, and what you expected vs what you saw. Screenshots of Network Services → NBD help a lot.

NBD Export is for block-level export and imaging over a path you trust — not file sharing, not iSCSI. Basic NBD has no authentication; prefer a private LAN or Thunderbolt IP bind.

Supported workflows when qemu tools are present:

Host export — disk or partition as Network Block Device (read-only by default)
Pull — remote nbd:// into qcow2 or raw under /mnt only
Peer imaging between two Unraid boxes (or other qemu-nbd peers)
One-slot / dock patterns — image a prepared volume onto a new NVMe in USB/TB enclosure

Same plugin UI for Host, Pull, Status, and Settings. NBD is not SMB/NFS (files/folders). It is not iSCSI (different stack). This plugin uses qemu-nbd / qemu-img (usually already present if you use Unraid VMs).

INSTALLATION

Recommended (Community Applications)

Apps → Search NBD Export → Install

Alternatively, Manual setup (same plugin)

Plugins → Install Plugin, paste this URL:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ibigsnet/NBDExport/stable/nbd.plg

After install: Settings → Network Services → NBD (tabs: Status · Host · Pull · Settings — next to NFS and SMB). Hard-refresh the browser after update if the UI looks stale.

WHAT IT DOES

Host a disk or partition over TCP with qemu-nbd
Pull a remote nbd:// target into qcow2 or raw with qemu-img convert
Read-only host export by default
Bind to a specific IP (not 0.0.0.0 unless you explicitly allow it)
Destructive mode = Off by default — blocks writable host and array/cache/pool/mounted/boot sources until you opt in
Pull jobs write under /mnt only — never to /dev/… block devices
Status, Host, Pull, and Settings tabs under Network Services → NBD
Optional companion underlay: Thunderbolt Net for a fast private path (bind NBD to a TB IP)

Default product path: read-only host, specific bind IP, Destructive off, pull to /mnt only.

WHAT IT IS NOT

Not SMB or NFS — no folders, shares, or file-level permissions; this is block protocol
Not iSCSI — different stack and tooling
Not a guarantee of security on untrusted networks — plain NBD has no auth; do not bind to the world
Not “always write the array/boot device” — Destructive mode stays Off until you deliberately enable it
Not a replacement for parity-aware Unraid array tools — imaging and block export are different jobs
Never treat a live writable host export as a casual backup of a mounted filesystem without understanding consistency

Prefer private or Thunderbolt binds. Details: security-and-bind.md · destructive-mode.md (links below).

COMPATIBILITY

Plugin allows Unraid 6.12.0+. Developed and tested on Unraid 7.x. Needs qemu-nbd and qemu-img on PATH (typical with VM support). Peer can be another Unraid with this plugin, or any host that speaks qemu-nbd / nbd. Optional: Thunderbolt Net for host-to-host underlay; Fabric Routing only if you need multi-hop IP — NBD itself is ordinary TCP. Reports welcome.