# 🛠️ PBS Restore Guide (Proxmox Backup Server)

This guide walks through restoring Proxmox VMs/CTs from local PBS backups or from encrypted offsite backups stored in Backblaze B2.

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## ✅ Restore from Local PBS (proxmox04-backups)

### 🧭 Step-by-Step via Proxmox VE GUI
1. Log into **Proxmox VE UI** (`https://192.168.1.37:8006`)
2. Navigate to **Datacenter → Storage → proxmox04-backups**
3. Click **Backups → Select a Snapshot**
4. Click **Restore**
   - Set a new VM/CT ID (don’t overwrite unless testing)
   - Choose target storage (e.g., `vm_data`)
   - ✅ Tick “Unique MAC” if cloning
   - ✅ Enable start after restore (optional)
5. Wait for restore to complete

### 🖥️ Or via CLI (on Proxmox04)
```bash
# Restore a container (CT)
pct restore <NEW_ID> /mnt/pve/proxmox04-backups/dump/vzdump-lxc-XXX.tar.zst \
  -storage vm_data -unique

# Restore a VM
qmrestore /mnt/pve/proxmox04-backups/dump/vzdump-qemu-XXX.vma.zst <NEW_ID>
```

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## 🔐 Restore from Offsite (Backblaze B2 via rclone)

### 🔧 Requirements
- Access to `rclone` with `b2-pbs-encrypted` remote
- The `rclone` crypt password/salt (stored in Bitwarden)
- Destination path for recovered data (e.g., `/mnt/tmp_restore`)

### 🪜 Steps
#### 1. Mount or sync the backup
```bash
# Mount B2 encrypted remote (temporary access)
rclone mount b2-pbs-encrypted: /mnt/b2-restore --vfs-cache-mode full

# OR copy needed backup group to local disk
rclone copy b2-pbs-encrypted:host/immich-nocompress/2025-07-21T01:00:00Z \
  /mnt/tmp_restore/immich --progress
```

#### 2. Import into PBS (if needed)
```bash
# Place restored data under PBS datastore path
mv /mnt/tmp_restore/immich /mnt/backup_nvme/.chunks/...

# Use the PBS UI or CLI to re-index if necessary
proxmox-backup-manager datastore verify proxmox04-backups
```

#### 3. Restore from PBS
Once data is in PBS, follow normal restore process as above.

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## 💡 Best Practices
- Always restore to a **new ID** first
- Snapshot the target before testing restore
- Confirm service boots and config is intact before re-linking DNS or tunnels
- Keep restore documentation printed or synced to mobile/Bitwarden vault

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### 🔁 Testing Restore Periodically
- Test at least **quarterly**
- Rotate restores across high-value services (Nextcloud, Immich, Home Assistant)
- Validate backups are working *before* you need them

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Created: 2025-07-22
Maintainer: chris.darrigo@gmail.com
Stored in: Gitea (`HomeLabDocs`)