diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index 57eb2150d9..1e80f55aba 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -18538,16 +18538,17 @@ virDomainDiskDefForeachPath(virDomainDiskDefPtr disk,
 
     if (iter(disk, path, 0, opaque) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
-
-    tmp = disk->backingChain;
-    while (tmp && virStorageIsFile(tmp->backingStore)) {
-        if (!ignoreOpenFailure && !tmp->backingMeta) {
+    /* XXX: temporarily we need to select the second element of the backing
+     * chain to start as the first is the copy of the disk itself. */
+    tmp = disk->backingChain ? disk->backingChain->backingMeta : NULL;
+    while (tmp && virStorageIsFile(tmp->path)) {
+        if (!ignoreOpenFailure && tmp->backingStoreRaw && !tmp->backingMeta) {
             virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
                            _("unable to visit backing chain file %s"),
-                           tmp->backingStore);
+                           tmp->backingStoreRaw);
             goto cleanup;
         }
-        if (iter(disk, tmp->backingStore, ++depth, opaque) < 0)
+        if (iter(disk, tmp->path, ++depth, opaque) < 0)
             goto cleanup;
         tmp = tmp->backingMeta;
     }
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 11cb86d200..92794e58e7 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -15123,7 +15123,7 @@ qemuDomainBlockCopy(virDomainObjPtr vm,
 
     if ((flags & VIR_DOMAIN_BLOCK_REBASE_SHALLOW) &&
         STREQ_NULLABLE(format, "raw") &&
-        disk->backingChain->backingStore) {
+        disk->backingChain->backingMeta->path) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
                        _("disk '%s' has backing file, so raw shallow copy "
                          "is not possible"),
@@ -15336,14 +15336,14 @@ qemuDomainBlockCommit(virDomainPtr dom, const char *path, const char *base,
                                                        &top_parent))) {
         goto endjob;
     }
-    if (!top_meta || !top_meta->backingStore) {
+    if (!top_meta || !top_meta->backingMeta) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INVALID_ARG,
                        _("top '%s' in chain for '%s' has no backing file"),
                        top_canon, path);
         goto endjob;
     }
     if (!base && (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_BLOCK_COMMIT_SHALLOW))
-        base_canon = top_meta->backingStore;
+        base_canon = top_meta->backingMeta->path;
     else if (!(base_canon = virStorageFileChainLookup(top_meta,
                                                       base, NULL, NULL)))
         goto endjob;
@@ -15352,7 +15352,7 @@ qemuDomainBlockCommit(virDomainPtr dom, const char *path, const char *base,
      * virStorageFileChainLookup guarantees a simple pointer
      * comparison will work, rather than needing full-blown STREQ.  */
     if ((flags & VIR_DOMAIN_BLOCK_COMMIT_SHALLOW) &&
-        base_canon != top_meta->backingStore) {
+        base_canon != top_meta->backingMeta->path) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INVALID_ARG,
                        _("base '%s' is not immediately below '%s' in chain "
                          "for '%s'"),
diff --git a/src/util/virstoragefile.c b/src/util/virstoragefile.c
index bde3ab044f..f4d5b2cfdf 100644
--- a/src/util/virstoragefile.c
+++ b/src/util/virstoragefile.c
@@ -1190,8 +1190,6 @@ virStorageFileGetMetadataRecurse(const char *path, const char *canonPath,
                 return -1;
         }
 
-        if (VIR_STRDUP(meta->backingStore, backingPath) < 0)
-            return -1;
 
         if (backingFormat == VIR_STORAGE_FILE_AUTO && !allow_probe)
             backingFormat = VIR_STORAGE_FILE_RAW;
@@ -1204,7 +1202,6 @@ virStorageFileGetMetadataRecurse(const char *path, const char *canonPath,
                                              uid, gid, allow_probe,
                                              cycle, backing) < 0) {
             /* If we failed to get backing data, mark the chain broken */
-            VIR_FREE(meta->backingStore);
             virStorageFileFreeMetadata(backing);
         } else {
             meta->backingMeta = backing;
@@ -1332,7 +1329,6 @@ virStorageFileFreeMetadata(virStorageFileMetadata *meta)
     VIR_FREE(meta->relDir);
 
     virStorageFileFreeMetadata(meta->backingMeta);
-    VIR_FREE(meta->backingStore);
     VIR_FREE(meta->backingStoreRaw);
     VIR_FREE(meta->compat);
     virBitmapFree(meta->features);
diff --git a/src/util/virstoragefile.h b/src/util/virstoragefile.h
index 3f072b6862..2e9312f9d3 100644
--- a/src/util/virstoragefile.h
+++ b/src/util/virstoragefile.h
@@ -148,11 +148,6 @@ struct _virStorageFileMetadata {
     unsigned long long capacity;
     virBitmapPtr features; /* bits described by enum virStorageFileFeature */
     char *compat;
-
-    /* Fields I'm trying to delete, because it is confusing to have to
-     * query the parent metadata for details about the backing
-     * store.  */
-    char *backingStore; /* Canonical name (absolute file, or protocol). Should be same as backingMeta->canonPath */
 };
 
 
diff --git a/tests/virstoragetest.c b/tests/virstoragetest.c
index dabaa996dc..646c15e91a 100644
--- a/tests/virstoragetest.c
+++ b/tests/virstoragetest.c
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ testStorageChain(const void *args)
             virAsprintf(&actual,
                         "store:%s\nraw:%s\nother:%lld %d\n"
                         "relPath:%s\npath:%s\nrelDir:%s\ntype:%d %d\n",
-                        NULLSTR(elt->backingStore),
+                        NULLSTR(elt->backingMeta ? elt->backingMeta->path : NULL),
                         NULLSTR(elt->backingStoreRaw),
                         elt->capacity, !!elt->encryption,
                         NULLSTR(elt->relPath),
@@ -841,16 +841,16 @@ mymain(void)
     TEST_LOOKUP(0, "bogus", NULL, NULL, NULL);
     TEST_LOOKUP(1, "wrap", chain->path, chain, NULL);
     TEST_LOOKUP(2, abswrap, chain->path, chain, NULL);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(3, "qcow2", chain->backingStore, chain->backingMeta,
+    TEST_LOOKUP(3, "qcow2", chain->backingMeta->path, chain->backingMeta,
                 chain->path);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(4, absqcow2, chain->backingStore, chain->backingMeta,
+    TEST_LOOKUP(4, absqcow2, chain->backingMeta->path, chain->backingMeta,
                 chain->path);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(5, "raw", chain->backingMeta->backingStore,
-                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingStore);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(6, absraw, chain->backingMeta->backingStore,
-                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingStore);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(7, NULL, chain->backingMeta->backingStore,
-                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingStore);
+    TEST_LOOKUP(5, "raw", chain->backingMeta->backingMeta->path,
+                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingMeta->path);
+    TEST_LOOKUP(6, absraw, chain->backingMeta->backingMeta->path,
+                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingMeta->path);
+    TEST_LOOKUP(7, NULL, chain->backingMeta->backingMeta->path,
+                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingMeta->path);
 
     /* Rewrite wrap and qcow2 back to 3-deep chain, relative backing */
     virCommandFree(cmd);
@@ -877,16 +877,16 @@ mymain(void)
     TEST_LOOKUP(8, "bogus", NULL, NULL, NULL);
     TEST_LOOKUP(9, "wrap", chain->path, chain, NULL);
     TEST_LOOKUP(10, abswrap, chain->path, chain, NULL);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(11, "qcow2", chain->backingStore, chain->backingMeta,
+    TEST_LOOKUP(11, "qcow2", chain->backingMeta->path, chain->backingMeta,
                 chain->path);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(12, absqcow2, chain->backingStore, chain->backingMeta,
+    TEST_LOOKUP(12, absqcow2, chain->backingMeta->path, chain->backingMeta,
                 chain->path);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(13, "raw", chain->backingMeta->backingStore,
-                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingStore);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(14, absraw, chain->backingMeta->backingStore,
-                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingStore);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(15, NULL, chain->backingMeta->backingStore,
-                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingStore);
+    TEST_LOOKUP(13, "raw", chain->backingMeta->backingMeta->path,
+                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingMeta->path);
+    TEST_LOOKUP(14, absraw, chain->backingMeta->backingMeta->path,
+                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingMeta->path);
+    TEST_LOOKUP(15, NULL, chain->backingMeta->backingMeta->path,
+                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingMeta->path);
 
     /* Use link to wrap with cross-directory relative backing */
     virCommandFree(cmd);
@@ -908,17 +908,17 @@ mymain(void)
     TEST_LOOKUP(17, "sub/link2", chain->path, chain, NULL);
     TEST_LOOKUP(18, "wrap", chain->path, chain, NULL);
     TEST_LOOKUP(19, abswrap, chain->path, chain, NULL);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(20, "../qcow2", chain->backingStore, chain->backingMeta,
+    TEST_LOOKUP(20, "../qcow2", chain->backingMeta->path, chain->backingMeta,
                 chain->path);
     TEST_LOOKUP(21, "qcow2", NULL, NULL, NULL);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(22, absqcow2, chain->backingStore, chain->backingMeta,
+    TEST_LOOKUP(22, absqcow2, chain->backingMeta->path, chain->backingMeta,
                 chain->path);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(23, "raw", chain->backingMeta->backingStore,
-                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingStore);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(24, absraw, chain->backingMeta->backingStore,
-                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingStore);
-    TEST_LOOKUP(25, NULL, chain->backingMeta->backingStore,
-                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingStore);
+    TEST_LOOKUP(23, "raw", chain->backingMeta->backingMeta->path,
+                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingMeta->path);
+    TEST_LOOKUP(24, absraw, chain->backingMeta->backingMeta->path,
+                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingMeta->path);
+    TEST_LOOKUP(25, NULL, chain->backingMeta->backingMeta->path,
+                chain->backingMeta->backingMeta, chain->backingMeta->path);
 
  cleanup:
     /* Final cleanup */