diff --git a/PVE/Storage/CIFSPlugin.pm b/PVE/Storage/CIFSPlugin.pm
index 4284c35..d238844 100644
--- a/PVE/Storage/CIFSPlugin.pm
+++ b/PVE/Storage/CIFSPlugin.pm
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ sub properties {
 sub options {
     return {
 	path => { fixed => 1 },
-	dirs => { optional => 1 },
+	'content-dirs' => { optional => 1 },
 	server => { fixed => 1 },
 	share => { fixed => 1 },
 	nodes => { optional => 1 },
diff --git a/PVE/Storage/DirPlugin.pm b/PVE/Storage/DirPlugin.pm
index 3c907ca..9e305f5 100644
--- a/PVE/Storage/DirPlugin.pm
+++ b/PVE/Storage/DirPlugin.pm
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ sub properties {
 sub options {
     return {
 	path => { fixed => 1 },
-	dirs => { optional => 1 },
+	'content-dirs' => { optional => 1 },
 	nodes => { optional => 1 },
 	shared => { optional => 1 },
 	disable => { optional => 1 },
diff --git a/PVE/Storage/NFSPlugin.pm b/PVE/Storage/NFSPlugin.pm
index b7e8318..0bdde84 100644
--- a/PVE/Storage/NFSPlugin.pm
+++ b/PVE/Storage/NFSPlugin.pm
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ sub properties {
 sub options {
     return {
 	path => { fixed => 1 },
-	dirs => { optional => 1 },
+	'content-dirs' => { optional => 1 },
 	server => { fixed => 1 },
 	export => { fixed => 1 },
 	nodes => { optional => 1 },
diff --git a/PVE/Storage/Plugin.pm b/PVE/Storage/Plugin.pm
index 5cb3d90..a3aac61 100644
--- a/PVE/Storage/Plugin.pm
+++ b/PVE/Storage/Plugin.pm
@@ -181,8 +181,8 @@ my $defaultData = {
 	    default => 'metadata',
 	    optional => 1,
 	},
-	dirs => {
-	    description => "Overrides for default directories",
+	'content-dirs' => {
+	    description => "Overrides for default content type directories.",
 	    type => "string", format => "pve-dir-override-list",
 	    optional => 1,
 	},
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ sub valid_content_types {
 sub dirs_hash_to_string {
     my $hash = shift;
 
-    return join(',', map { "$_:$hash->{$_}" } sort keys %$hash);
+    return join(',', map { "$_=$hash->{$_}" } sort keys %$hash);
 }
 
 sub default_format {
@@ -350,8 +350,8 @@ PVE::JSONSchema::register_format('pve-dir-override', \&verify_dir_override);
 sub verify_dir_override {
     my ($value, $noerr) = @_;
 
-    if($value =~ m/^([a-z]+):(.+)$/ &&
-	verify_content($1, $noerr) && verify_path($2, $noerr)) {
+    if($value =~ m/^([a-z]+)=\/.+$/ &&
+	verify_content($1, $noerr)) {
 	return $value;
     }
 
@@ -429,12 +429,12 @@ sub decode_value {
 	#}
 
 	return $res;
-    } elsif ($key eq 'dirs') {
+    } elsif ($key eq 'content-dirs') {
 	my $valid_content = $def->{content}->[0];
 	my $res = {};
 
 	foreach my $dir (PVE::Tools::split_list($value)) {
-	    my ($content, $path) = split(/:/, $dir, 2);
+	    my ($content, $path) = split(/=/, $dir, 2);
 
 	    if (!$valid_content->{$content}) {
 		warn "storage does not support content type '$content'\n";
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@ sub encode_value {
     } elsif ($key eq 'content') {
 	my $res = content_hash_to_string($value) || 'none';
 	return $res;
-    } elsif ($key eq 'dirs') {
+    } elsif ($key eq 'content-dirs') {
 	my $res = dirs_hash_to_string($value);
 	return $res;
     }
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@ sub get_subdir {
     die "storage definition has no path\n" if !$path;
     die "unknown vtype '$vtype'\n" if !exists($vtype_subdirs->{$vtype});
 
-    my $subdir = $scfg->{dirs}->{$vtype} // "/".$vtype_subdirs->{$vtype};
+    my $subdir = $scfg->{"content-dirs"}->{$vtype} // "/".$vtype_subdirs->{$vtype};
 
     return $path.$subdir;
 }
diff --git a/test/get_subdir_test.pm b/test/get_subdir_test.pm
index 26c08d5..ff42985 100644
--- a/test/get_subdir_test.pm
+++ b/test/get_subdir_test.pm
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ foreach my $type (keys %$vtype_subdirs) {
 # creates additional tests for overrides
 foreach my $type (keys %$vtype_subdirs) {
     my $override = "/${type}_override";
-    my $scfg_with_override = { path => '/some/path', dirs => { $type => $override } };
-    push @$tests, [ $scfg_with_override, $type, "$scfg_with_override->{path}$scfg_with_override->{dirs}->{$type}" ];
+    my $scfg_with_override = { path => '/some/path', 'content-dirs' => { $type => $override } };
+    push @$tests, [ $scfg_with_override, $type, "$scfg_with_override->{path}$scfg_with_override->{'content-dirs'}->{$type}" ];
 }
 
 plan tests => scalar @$tests;