# ECE - Confusion about docker storage driver to use - overlay or overlay2?

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ece-confusion-about-docker-storage-driver-to-use-overlay-or-overlay2/210927>\
**Category:** Elastic Cloud Enterprise (ECE)\
**Created:** [December 6, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ece-confusion-about-docker-storage-driver-to-use-overlay-or-overlay2/210927 "2019-12-06T18:31:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ygirouard\_stm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/ygirouard_stm/32/47823_2.png) [@ygirouard\_stm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ygirouard_stm)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ece-confusion-about-docker-storage-driver-to-use-overlay-or-overlay2/210927/1 "2019-12-06T18:31:36Z")

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Docker's documentation is clear: if possible and your kernel supports it, use overlay2 as the storage driver, as stated here: [Use the OverlayFS storage driver | Docker Docs](https://docs.docker.com/storage/storagedriver/overlayfs-driver/)

> **Note** : If you use OverlayFS, use the `overlay2` driver rather than the `overlay` driver, because it is more efficient in terms of inode utilization. To use the new driver, you need version 4.0 or higher of the Linux kernel, or RHEL or CentOS using version 3.10.0-514 and above.

However, ECE's documentation and installation script says otherwise and recommends `overlay` over `overlay2` during the prereq check phase:

> Checking Docker storage driver...
> 
> - The installation with overlay2 can proceed; however, we recommend using overlay

... and, confusingly, the official [Ansible playbook](https://github.com/elastic/ansible-elastic-cloud-enterprise) sets overlay2 as the storage driver when installing ECE on RHEL7.

Why the discrepancy, and why recommend `overlay` over `overlay2` when Docker themselves recommends otherwise?

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**Author:** ![ygirouard\_stm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/ygirouard_stm/32/47823_2.png) [@ygirouard\_stm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ygirouard_stm)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 2:42pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ece-confusion-about-docker-storage-driver-to-use-overlay-or-overlay2/210927/2 "2019-12-11T14:42:42Z")

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Nobody?

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**Author:** ![Alex\_Piggott](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/alex_piggott/32/11053_2.png) [@Alex\_Piggott](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Alex_Piggott)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ece-confusion-about-docker-storage-driver-to-use-overlay-or-overlay2/210927/3 "2019-12-11T15:59:43Z")

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Sorry, missed this - let me go ask around. (It is likely that for some docker/kernel versions `overlay2` caused problems with ECE and therefore we recommend that by default)

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ece-confusion-about-docker-storage-driver-to-use-overlay-or-overlay2/210927/4 "2019-12-25T16:09:11Z")

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