qm-reset

Reset a virtual machine

$ qm reset [vm_id]

$ qm reset --skiplock [true] [vm_id]

qm reset <vmid>
Example: qm reset 101

vmid
    The unique numeric ID of the virtual machine (VM) to reset.

qm reset is a Proxmox VE command used to forcefully restart a QEMU/KVM virtual machine. It acts like a hard power cycle, similar to pressing the reset button on a physical computer. This command is typically employed when a virtual machine becomes unresponsive, is frozen, or cannot be gracefully shut down using qm shutdown or qm stop. It bypasses the guest operating system's shutdown process, immediately powering off the VM and then restarting it. While effective for unresponsive VMs, it carries a risk of data corruption if the guest OS was writing data at the time of the reset. Therefore, it should be used as a last resort when other graceful methods fail.

Using qm reset can lead to data loss or file system corruption within the guest operating system, especially if the VM was actively writing data when reset. It should be used as a last resort when graceful shutdown or stop commands fail. Always ensure important data is backed up before resorting to a forced reset.

Unlike qm shutdown <vmid>, which attempts a graceful ACPI shutdown of the guest OS, or qm stop <vmid>, which sends a power-off signal but waits a short period, qm reset <vmid> performs an immediate and forceful power cycle. This means it does not wait for the guest OS to clean up processes or flush data, making it quicker but riskier for data integrity.

The qm reset command is an integral part of the Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) ecosystem, a comprehensive open-source platform for enterprise virtualization. It is provided by the qemu-server package, which manages QEMU/KVM virtual machines within Proxmox. Its development and usage are intrinsically linked to the evolution of Proxmox VE, offering administrators a crucial tool for managing unresponsive VMs since early versions of the platform.

qm start(1), qm stop(1), qm shutdown(1), qm status(1), qm list(1)