3.2 KiB
3.2 KiB
Proxmox Backup Reference
vzdump Overview
Built-in backup tool for VMs and containers.
# Basic backup
vzdump <vmid>
# With options
vzdump <vmid> --mode snapshot --storage backup-nfs --compress zstd
# Backup all VMs
vzdump --all --compress zstd
Backup Modes
| Mode | Downtime | Method | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| stop | Full | Shutdown, backup, start | Consistent, any storage |
| suspend | Brief | Pause, backup, resume | Running state preserved |
| snapshot | None | LVM/ZFS/Ceph snapshot | Production, requires snapshot storage |
Mode Selection
# Stop mode (most consistent)
vzdump <vmid> --mode stop
# Suspend mode (preserves RAM state)
vzdump <vmid> --mode suspend
# Snapshot mode (live, requires compatible storage)
vzdump <vmid> --mode snapshot
Backup Formats
| Format | Type | Compression |
|---|---|---|
| VMA | VMs | Native Proxmox format |
| tar | Containers | Standard tar archive |
Compression Options
| Type | Speed | Ratio | CPU |
|---|---|---|---|
| none | Fastest | 1:1 | Low |
| lzo | Fast | Good | Low |
| gzip | Moderate | Better | Medium |
| zstd | Fast | Best | Medium |
Recommendation: zstd for best balance.
vzdump <vmid> --compress zstd
Storage Configuration
# Backup to specific storage
vzdump <vmid> --storage backup-nfs
# Check available backup storage
pvesm status | grep backup
Scheduled Backups
Configure in Datacenter → Backup:
- Schedule (cron format)
- Selection (all, pool, specific VMs)
- Storage destination
- Mode and compression
- Retention policy
Retention Policy
keep-last: 3 # Keep last N backups
keep-daily: 7 # Keep daily for N days
keep-weekly: 4 # Keep weekly for N weeks
keep-monthly: 6 # Keep monthly for N months
Restore Operations
Full Restore
# Restore VM
qmrestore <backup-file> <vmid>
# Restore to different VMID
qmrestore <backup-file> <new-vmid>
# Restore container
pct restore <ctid> <backup-file>
Restore Options
# Restore to different storage
qmrestore <backup> <vmid> --storage local-lvm
# Force overwrite existing VM
qmrestore <backup> <vmid> --force
File-Level Restore
# Mount backup for file extraction
# (Use web UI: Backup → Restore → File Restore)
Proxmox Backup Server (PBS)
Dedicated backup server with deduplication.
Benefits
- Deduplication across backups
- Encryption at rest
- Verification and integrity checks
- Efficient incremental backups
- Remote backup sync
Integration
Add PBS storage:
pvesm add pbs <storage-id> \
--server <pbs-server> \
--datastore <datastore> \
--username <user>@pbs \
--fingerprint <fingerprint>
Backup Best Practices
- Store backups on separate storage from VMs
- Use snapshot mode for production VMs
- Test restores regularly
- Offsite backup copy for disaster recovery
- Monitor backup job completion
- Set appropriate retention policy
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Check |
|---|---|
| Backup fails | Storage space, VM state, permissions |
| Slow backup | Mode (snapshot faster), compression, network |
| Restore fails | Storage compatibility, VMID conflicts |
| Snapshot fails | Storage doesn't support snapshots |