diff --git a/templates.fif.json b/templates.fif.json
index 6599f510..bf00bd03 100644
--- a/templates.fif.json
+++ b/templates.fif.json
@@ -2568,7 +2568,6 @@
             "settings": {
                 "BOOTFROM": "c",
                 "HDD_1": "disk_f%CURRREL%_support_6_%ARCH%.qcow2",
-                "HDDSIZEGB": "12",
                 "NICTYPE": "tap",
                 "NUMDISKS": "2",
                 "PARALLEL_CANCEL_WHOLE_CLUSTER": "0",
@@ -2587,7 +2586,6 @@
             "settings": {
                 "BOOTFROM": "c",
                 "HDD_1": "disk_f%CURRREL%_support_6_%ARCH%.qcow2",
-                "HDDSIZEGB": "12",
                 "NICTYPE": "tap",
                 "NUMDISKS": "2",
                 "PARALLEL_CANCEL_WHOLE_CLUSTER": "0",
diff --git a/tests/_support_server.pm b/tests/_support_server.pm
index 82ac5a83..4c5dc45a 100644
--- a/tests/_support_server.pm
+++ b/tests/_support_server.pm
@@ -144,14 +144,14 @@ sub run {
     # for compose tests, we do all this stuff
     else {
         # create the repo share
-        assert_script_run "mkdir -p /repo";
+        assert_script_run "mkdir -p /repo /repo/images";
         # create a mount point for the ISO
         assert_script_run "mkdir -p /mnt/iso";
         # mount the ISO there
         assert_script_run "mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/iso";
-        # copy the contents of the ISO to the repo share
-        assert_script_run "dnf -y install rsync", 180;
-        assert_script_run "rsync -av /mnt/iso/ /repo", 180;
+        # link the relevant contents of the ISO to the repo share
+        assert_script_run "ln -s /mnt/iso/{repodata,Packages,media.repo} /repo";
+        assert_script_run "ln -s /mnt/iso/images/* /repo/images";
         # put the updates image in the NFS repo (for testing this update
         # image delivery method)
         assert_script_run "curl -o /repo/images/updates.img https://fedorapeople.org/groups/qa/updates/updates-openqa.img";