Proxmox VM Auto-Start After Backup 🚀 Automatically start Proxmox VMs after backup completion with 6:00 AM timeout

A bash script for Proxmox VE that monitors backup completion and automatically starts a specified VM. If the backup doesn't complete by 6:00 AM, the VM is started anyway to ensure availability.

✨ Features Smart VM startup: Starts VM only after backup completion Morning timeout: Ensures VM is running by 6:00 AM regardless of backup status Duplicate prevention: Prevents multiple startups for the same backup Comprehensive logging: Detailed logs with timestamps and emojis Safety checks: Multiple status verifications to prevent errors Race condition protection: Handles concurrent operations safely 📋 Prerequisites Proxmox VE environment Root access required VM backup configured with vzdump VM ID must be known 🛠️ Installation Download the script: bash wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/yourusername/proxmox-vm-autostart/main/start_vm_after_backup.sh Make it executable: bash chmod +x start_vm_after_backup.sh Move to appropriate location: bash mv start_vm_after_backup.sh /usr/local/bin/ ⚙️ Configuration Edit the script configuration section:

bash

=== Configuration ===

VMID=100 # Your VM ID LOGFILE="/var/log/start_vm_after_backup_${VMID}.log" LAST_LOG_FILE="/tmp/last_backup_vm_${VMID}.txt" VZDUMP_LOG="/var/log/vzdump/qemu-${VMID}.log" MAX_AGE_SECONDS=3600 # Log age threshold (1 hour) TIMEOUT_HOUR=6 # Morning timeout (24-hour format) Configuration Parameters Parameter Description Default VMID Proxmox VM ID to manage 100 TIMEOUT_HOUR Hour to force VM start (0-23) 6 (6:00 AM) MAX_AGE_SECONDS Maximum log age to consider 3600 (1 hour) 🚀 Usage Manual Execution bash sudo /usr/local/bin/start_vm_after_backup.sh Automated Execution (Recommended) Add to crontab to run every 5 minutes:

bash

Edit root crontab

sudo crontab -e

Add this line

*/5 * * * * /usr/local/bin/start_vm_after_backup.sh >/dev/null 2>&1 Hook Integration You can also integrate it as a post-backup hook in Proxmox:

bash

In your backup job configuration

hookscript: local:snippets/post-backup-hook.sh 📊 How It Works mermaid flowchart TD A[Script Start] --> B{VM Already Running?} B -->|Yes| C[Exit - No Action Needed] B -->|No| D{Current Time >= 6:00 AM?} D -->|Yes| E[Start VM - Timeout Reached] D -->|No| F{Backup Log Recent?} F -->|No| G[Exit - Log Too Old] F -->|Yes| H{Backup Completed?} H -->|No| I[Exit - No Completion Found] H -->|Yes| J{Already Processed?} J -->|Yes| K[Exit - Already Handled] J -->|No| L[Start VM - Backup Complete] E --> M[Log Success/Failure] L --> M M --> N[End] 📁 Log Files The script generates several log files:

Main log: /var/log/start_vm_after_backup_${VMID}.log Processing tracker: /tmp/last_backup_vm_${VMID}.txt Vzdump log: /var/log/vzdump/qemu-${VMID}.log Sample Log Output [2025-07-13 18:04:58] -------------------------------------------------- [2025-07-13 18:04:58] 🚀 Script started for VM 100 [2025-07-13 18:04:58] 📅 Ultimo backup completato: 2025-07-13 17:45:32 [2025-07-13 18:04:58] 🚀 Avvio della VM 100 in corso... [2025-07-13 18:04:59] ✅ VM 100 avviata con successo. [2025-07-13 18:04:59] 📌 Backup marcato come gestito: 2025-07-13 17:45:32 🔧 Troubleshooting Common Issues Error: "VM already running"

This is handled automatically by the script's safety checks No action needed Error: "Log file not found"

Check if VM ID is correct Verify backup is configured for the VM Ensure vzdump is running VM not starting after backup

Check log file for errors Verify VM configuration Ensure sufficient resources Debug Mode For detailed debugging, run manually:

bash sudo bash -x /usr/local/bin/start_vm_after_backup.sh 🔒 Security Considerations Script requires root privileges Log files contain system information Consider log rotation for long-running systems Review script before execution in production 🤝 Contributing Fork the repository Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature-name Commit changes: git commit -am 'Add feature' Push to branch: git push origin feature-name Submit a Pull Request 📝 License This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🆘 Support Issues: Report bugs via GitHub Issues Discussions: Use GitHub Discussions for questions Wiki: Check the wiki for additional documentation 🙏 Acknowledgments Proxmox VE community Contributors and testers Inspired by enterprise backup automation needs ⚠️ Note: This script includes Italian language log messages. It's designed for Italian-speaking Proxmox administrators but can be easily localized.

🔗 Related Projects:

Proxmox VE Documentation Proxmox Backup Server Made with ❤️ for the Proxmox community