diff --git a/tests/qemu-iotests/group b/tests/qemu-iotests/group
index 7ac9a5ea4a7..a8ca5fd7823 100644
--- a/tests/qemu-iotests/group
+++ b/tests/qemu-iotests/group
@@ -1,8 +1,21 @@
 #
 # QA groups control file
 # Defines test groups
+#
+# Some notes about the groups:
+#
 # - do not start group names with a digit
 #
+# - quick : Tests in this group should finish within some few seconds.
+#
+# - img : Tests in this group can be used to excercise the qemu-img tool.
+#
+# - auto : Tests in this group are used during "make check" and should be
+#   runnable in any case. That means they should run with every QEMU binary
+#   (also non-x86), with every QEMU configuration (i.e. must not fail if
+#   an optional feature is not compiled in - but reporting a "skip" is ok),
+#   and work all kind of host filesystems and users (e.g. "nobody" or "root").
+#
 
 #
 # test-group association ... one line per test
@@ -32,11 +45,11 @@
 023 rw auto
 024 rw backing auto quick
 025 rw auto quick
-026 rw blkdbg auto
+026 rw blkdbg
 027 rw auto quick
-028 rw backing auto quick
+028 rw backing quick
 029 rw auto quick
-030 rw auto backing
+030 rw backing
 031 rw auto quick
 032 rw auto quick
 033 rw auto quick
@@ -46,35 +59,35 @@
 037 rw auto backing quick
 038 rw auto backing quick
 039 rw auto quick
-040 rw auto
-041 rw auto backing
+040 rw
+041 rw backing
 042 rw auto quick
 043 rw auto backing
-044 rw auto
-045 rw auto quick
+044 rw
+045 rw quick
 046 rw auto aio quick
 047 rw auto quick
 048 img auto quick
 049 rw auto
 050 rw auto backing quick
-051 rw auto
+051 rw
 052 rw auto backing quick
 053 rw auto quick
 054 rw auto quick
-055 rw auto
-056 rw auto backing
-057 rw auto
-058 rw auto quick
+055 rw
+056 rw backing
+057 rw
+058 rw quick
 059 rw auto quick
 060 rw auto quick
 061 rw auto
 062 rw auto quick
 063 rw auto quick
 064 rw auto quick
-065 rw auto quick
+065 rw quick
 066 rw auto quick
-067 rw auto quick
-068 rw auto quick
+067 rw quick
+068 rw quick
 069 rw auto quick
 070 rw auto quick
 071 rw auto quick
@@ -91,18 +104,18 @@
 082 rw auto quick
 083 rw auto
 084 img auto quick
-085 rw auto
+085 rw
 086 rw auto quick
-087 rw auto quick
+087 rw quick
 088 rw auto quick
 089 rw auto quick
 090 rw auto quick
 091 rw auto migration
 092 rw auto quick
-093 auto
+093 throttle
 094 rw auto quick
-095 rw auto quick
-096 rw auto quick
+095 rw quick
+096 rw quick
 097 rw auto backing
 098 rw auto backing quick
 099 rw auto quick
@@ -118,60 +131,60 @@
 109 rw auto
 110 rw auto backing quick
 111 rw auto quick
-112 rw auto
+112 rw
 113 rw auto quick
 114 rw auto quick
-115 rw auto
+115 rw
 116 rw auto quick
 117 rw auto
-118 rw auto
+118 rw
 119 rw auto quick
 120 rw auto quick
-121 rw auto
+121 rw
 122 rw auto
 123 rw auto quick
-124 rw auto backing
-125 rw auto
+124 rw backing
+125 rw
 126 rw auto backing
-127 rw auto backing quick
+127 rw backing quick
 128 rw auto quick
-129 rw auto quick
+129 rw quick
 130 rw auto quick
 131 rw auto quick
-132 rw auto quick
+132 rw quick
 133 auto quick
 134 rw auto quick
 135 rw auto
-136 rw auto
+136 rw
 137 rw auto
 138 rw auto quick
-139 rw auto quick
+139 rw quick
 140 rw auto quick
 141 rw auto quick
 142 auto
 143 auto quick
-144 rw auto quick
-145 auto quick
+144 rw quick
+145 quick
 146 auto quick
-147 auto
-148 rw auto quick
-149 rw auto sudo
+147 img
+148 rw quick
+149 rw sudo
 150 rw auto quick
-151 rw auto
-152 rw auto quick
-153 rw auto quick
+151 rw
+152 rw quick
+153 rw quick
 154 rw auto backing quick
-155 rw auto
+155 rw
 156 rw auto quick
-157 auto
+157 quick
 158 rw auto quick
 159 rw auto quick
 160 rw auto quick
 161 rw auto quick
-162 auto quick
-163 rw auto
-165 rw auto quick
-169 rw auto quick migration
+162 quick
+163 rw
+165 rw quick
+169 rw quick migration
 170 rw auto quick
 171 rw auto quick
 172 auto
@@ -180,72 +193,72 @@
 175 auto quick
 176 rw auto backing
 177 rw auto quick
-178 auto
+178 img
 179 rw auto quick
 181 rw auto migration
-182 rw auto quick
-183 rw auto migration
+182 rw quick
+183 rw migration
 184 rw auto quick
-185 rw auto
+185 rw
 186 rw auto
 187 rw auto
-188 rw auto quick
-189 rw auto
+188 rw quick
+189 rw
 190 rw auto quick
 191 rw auto
 192 rw auto quick
-194 rw auto migration quick
+194 rw migration quick
 195 rw auto quick
-196 rw auto quick migration
+196 rw quick migration
 197 rw auto quick
-198 rw auto
-199 rw auto migration
-200 rw auto
+198 rw
+199 rw migration
+200 rw
 201 rw auto migration
-202 rw auto quick
-203 rw auto migration
-204 rw auto quick
-205 rw auto quick
-206 rw auto
+202 rw quick
+203 rw migration
+204 rw quick
+205 rw quick
+206 rw
 207 rw auto
-208 rw auto quick
-209 rw auto quick
+208 rw quick
+209 rw quick
 210 rw auto
 211 rw auto quick
 212 rw auto quick
 213 rw auto quick
 214 rw auto
 215 rw auto quick
-216 rw auto quick
+216 rw quick
 217 rw auto quick
-218 rw auto quick
-219 rw auto
+218 rw quick
+219 rw
 220 rw auto
 221 rw auto quick
-222 rw auto quick
-223 rw auto quick
-224 rw auto quick
+222 rw quick
+223 rw quick
+224 rw quick
 225 rw auto quick
 226 auto quick
-227 auto quick
-228 rw auto quick
+227 quick
+228 rw quick
 229 auto quick
 231 auto quick
-232 auto quick
+232 quick
 233 auto quick
-234 auto quick migration
-235 auto quick
-236 auto quick
+234 quick migration
+235 quick
+236 quick
 237 rw auto quick
-238 auto quick
+238 quick
 239 rw auto quick
-240 auto quick
+240 quick
 241 rw auto quick
-242 rw auto quick
+242 rw quick
 243 rw auto quick
 244 rw auto quick
-245 rw auto
-246 rw auto quick
-247 rw auto quick
-248 rw auto quick
+245 rw
+246 rw quick
+247 rw quick
+248 rw quick
 249 rw auto quick
