diff --git a/src/mad/sh/scripts_common.sh b/src/mad/sh/scripts_common.sh
index 5ec094f37a..7333493b72 100644
--- a/src/mad/sh/scripts_common.sh
+++ b/src/mad/sh/scripts_common.sh
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ MD5SUM=${MD5SUM:-md5sum}
 MKFS=${MKFS:-mkfs}
 MKISOFS=${MKISOFS:-genisoimage}
 MKSWAP=${MKSWAP:-mkswap}
-QEMU_IMG=${QMEMU_IMG:-qemu-img}
+QEMU_IMG=${QEMU_IMG:-qemu-img}
 RADOS=${RADOS:-rados}
 RBD=${RBD:-rbd}
 READLINK=${READLINK:-readlink}
diff --git a/src/tm_mad/ceph/mkimage b/src/tm_mad/ceph/mkimage
index a24b7c159a..8d87eba7e4 100755
--- a/src/tm_mad/ceph/mkimage
+++ b/src/tm_mad/ceph/mkimage
@@ -83,16 +83,21 @@ CEPH_CONF="${XPATH_ELEMENTS[j++]}"
 POOL_NAME="${XPATH_ELEMENTS[j++]:-$POOL_NAME}"
 RBD_FORMAT="${XPATH_ELEMENTS[j++]:-$RBD_FORMAT}"
 
+QEMU_OPTS=''
+
 if [ -n "$CEPH_USER" ]; then
     RBD="$RBD --id ${CEPH_USER}"
+    QEMU_OPTS="${QEMU_OPTS}:id=${CEPH_USER}"
 fi
 
 if [ -n "$CEPH_KEY" ]; then
     RBD="$RBD --keyfile ${CEPH_KEY}"
+    QEMU_OPTS="${QEMU_OPTS}:keyfile=${CEPH_KEY}"
 fi
 
 if [ -n "$CEPH_CONF" ]; then
     RBD="$RBD --conf ${CEPH_CONF}"
+    QEMU_OPTS="${QEMU_OPTS}:conf=${CEPH_CONF}"
 fi
 
 if [ "$RBD_FORMAT" = "2" ]; then
@@ -101,14 +106,27 @@ fi
 
 RBD_SOURCE="${POOL_NAME}/one-sys-${VMID}-${DISK_ID}"
 
+ssh_make_path $DST_HOST $DST_DIR
+
+# if user requested a swap, we need to create a local
+# swap formatted image and upload into existing Ceph image
+MKFS_CMD=`mkfs_command $DST_PATH $FSTYPE $SIZE`
+
 MKIMAGE_CMD=$(cat <<EOF
+    set -e -o pipefail
+
     export PATH=/usr/sbin:/sbin:\$PATH
-    $RBD create $FORMAT_OPT $RBD_SOURCE --size ${SIZE} || exit \$?
+
+    $RBD create $FORMAT_OPT $RBD_SOURCE --size ${SIZE}
 
     if [ "$FSTYPE" = "swap" ]; then
-        $SUDO $RBD map $RBD_SOURCE || exit \$?
-        $SUDO $MKSWAP -L swap /dev/rbd/$RBD_SOURCE
-        $SUDO $RBD unmap /dev/rbd/$RBD_SOURCE
+        ${MKFS_CMD}
+
+        ${QEMU_IMG} convert -n \
+            -f raw "${DST_PATH}" \
+            -O rbd "rbd:${RBD_SOURCE}${QEMU_OPTS}"
+
+        ${RM} -f "${DST_PATH}"
     fi
 EOF
 )
@@ -116,6 +134,7 @@ EOF
 DELIMAGE_CMD=$(cat <<EOF
     export PATH=/usr/sbin:/sbin:\$PATH
     $RBD rm $RBD_SOURCE
+    ${RM} -f "${DST_PATH}"
 EOF
 )
 
diff --git a/src/tm_mad/ceph/mvds b/src/tm_mad/ceph/mvds
index a2dbfb3f29..c3600ea474 100755
--- a/src/tm_mad/ceph/mvds
+++ b/src/tm_mad/ceph/mvds
@@ -89,16 +89,21 @@ ORIGINAL_SIZE="${XPATH_ELEMENTS[j++]}"
 # Copy Image back to the datastore
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+QEMU_OPTS=''
+
 if [ -n "$CEPH_USER" ]; then
     RBD="$RBD --id ${CEPH_USER}"
+    QEMU_OPTS="${QEMU_OPTS}:id=${CEPH_USER}"
 fi
 
 if [ -n "$CEPH_KEY" ]; then
     RBD="$RBD --keyfile ${CEPH_KEY}"
+    QEMU_OPTS="${QEMU_OPTS}:keyfile=${CEPH_KEY}"
 fi
 
 if [ -n "$CEPH_CONF" ]; then
     RBD="$RBD --conf ${CEPH_CONF}"
+    QEMU_OPTS="${QEMU_OPTS}:conf=${CEPH_CONF}"
 fi
 
 if [ "${TYPE}" = 'FILE' ]; then
@@ -111,9 +116,9 @@ if [ "${TYPE}" = 'FILE' ]; then
             $RBD resize $RBD_SRC --size $SIZE
         fi
 
-        $SUDO $RBD map $RBD_SRC
-        trap "$SUDO $RBD unmap /dev/rbd/$RBD_SRC" EXIT TERM INT HUP
-        $DD if=$SRC_PATH of=/dev/rbd/$RBD_SRC bs=64k
+        ${QEMU_IMG} convert -n \
+            -f raw "${SRC_PATH}" \
+            -O rbd "rbd:${RBD_SRC}${QEMU_OPTS}"
 EOF
 )
 else