[PATCH manager/qemu-server v2 0/2] fix #5032: sync guest time after restore from saved state

[PATCH manager/qemu-server v2 0/2] fix #5032: sync guest time after restore from saved state

[Jakob Klocker]

This series adds a new agent option set-time-on-resume to
automatically synchronize the guest clock via the QEMU Guest Agent 
after operations that can leave the guest time stale. The option is 
enabled by default when the QEMU Guest Agent is configured.

When a VM is restored from a saved state (hibernation or snapshot with
RAM), the guest clock continues from the point the state was saved and
no longer matches wall-clock time. The same skew can appear after
creating a snapshot of a running VM. For guests whose OS does not
correct this on its own, the drift persists until the next NTP sync (if
any), which can cause problems for time-sensitive workloads.

This series introduces the set-time-on-resume agent option and triggers
a guest-set-time call:
 * after restoring a VM from a saved state or snapshot with RAM
 * after taking a snapshot

The option is exposed in the VM configuration GUI so it can be toggled
per guest.

This series depends on [0] being applied first.

[0] https://lore.proxmox.com/pve-devel/20260612100758.116697-1-j.klocker@proxmox.com/T/#u

Link: https://bugzilla.proxmox.com/show_bug.cgi?id=5032

changes from v1 to v2 (thanks to Arthur for reviewing)
- qemu: adapt warning message in the resume-from-saved-state path
- ui: reword the agent option label for clarity

qemu-server:

Jakob Klocker (1):
  fix #5032: qemu: sync guest time on resume and snapshot of saved state

 src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm       |  7 ++++++
 src/PVE/QemuServer.pm       | 10 ++++++++
 src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm | 47 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 64 insertions(+)


pve-manager:

Jakob Klocker (1):
  fix #5032: ui: qemu agent: add set-time-on-resume option

 www/manager6/Utils.js                     |  2 ++
 www/manager6/form/AgentFeatureSelector.js | 20 ++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 22 insertions(+)


Summary over all repositories:
  5 files changed, 86 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)

-- 
Generated by murpp 0.12.0

[PATCH qemu-server v2 1/2] fix #5032: qemu: sync guest time on resume and snapshot of saved state

[Jakob Klocker]

When a VM is resumed from a saved state (hibernation or snapshot with
RAM), the guest clock may be stale. A time skew can occur when
creating a snapshot of a running VM.

Add a new agent option `set-time-on-resume` to automatically
synchronize the guest time with the host using the QEMU Guest Agent.

Trigger time synchronization:
- after restoring a VM from a saved state or snapshot with RAM
- after taking a snapshot

This ensures consistent guest time after rollback, restore, or
snapshot operations when the guest OS clock does not automatically
correct itself.

Link: https://bugzilla.proxmox.com/show_bug.cgi?id=5032

Signed-off-by: Jakob Klocker <j.klocker@proxmox.com>
Reviewed-by: Arthur Bied-Charreton <a.bied-charreton@proxmox.com>
Tested-by: Arthur Bied-Charreton <a.bied-charreton@proxmox.com>
---

changes since v1:
- adapt warning message in the resume-from-saved-state path

 src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm       |  7 ++++++
 src/PVE/QemuServer.pm       | 10 ++++++++
 src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm | 47 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 64 insertions(+)

diff --git a/src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm b/src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm
index c24eb835..3f0ff663 100644
--- a/src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm
+++ b/src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm
@@ -383,6 +383,13 @@ sub __snapshot_create_vol_snapshots_hook {
                     next;
                 }
             }
+            if ($snap->{vmstate}) {
+                my $conf = $class->load_config($vmid);
+                if (PVE::QemuServer::Agent::should_set_time_on_resume($conf->{agent})) {
+                    eval { PVE::QemuServer::Agent::guest_set_time($vmid); 1 }
+                        or warn "could not sync guest time after snapshot - $@";
+                }
+            }
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/PVE/QemuServer.pm b/src/PVE/QemuServer.pm
index 55e9f520..daf10904 100644
--- a/src/PVE/QemuServer.pm
+++ b/src/PVE/QemuServer.pm
@@ -5992,6 +5992,16 @@ sub vm_start_nolock {
         );
     }
 
+    my $from_saved_state = $resume || ($statefile && !$migratedfrom);
+
+    if (
+        $from_saved_state
+        && PVE::QemuServer::Agent::should_set_time_on_resume($conf->{agent})
+    ) {
+        eval { PVE::QemuServer::Agent::guest_set_time($vmid); 1 }
+            or warn "could not sync guest time after resume from saved state - $@";
+    }
+
     return $res;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm b/src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm
index be6df443..be8bbae6 100644
--- a/src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm
+++ b/src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use v5.36;
 
 use JSON;
 use MIME::Base64 qw(decode_base64 encode_base64);
+use Time::HiRes ();
 
 use PVE::JSONSchema;
 
@@ -18,6 +19,8 @@ our @EXPORT_OK = qw(
     get_qga_key
     parse_guest_agent
     qga_check_running
+    should_set_time_on_resume
+    guest_set_time
 );
 
 our $agent_fmt = {
@@ -52,6 +55,21 @@ our $agent_fmt = {
         optional => 1,
         default => 1,
     },
+    'set-time-on-resume' => {
+        description => "Update the guest clock through QGA after resuming from"
+            . " hibernation or rolling back to a snapshot with RAM.",
+        verbose_description =>
+            "Whether to issue the guest-set-time QEMU guest agent command after the VM"
+            . " resumes with a restored RAM state, that is, when waking from hibernation"
+            . " or after rolling back to a snapshot that includes RAM. In these cases the"
+            . " guest's clock still reflects the time the state was saved. With this"
+            . " option enabled, the clock is synchronized to the host's current time,"
+            . " provided the QEMU Guest Agent option is enabled in the guest's"
+            . " configuration and the agent is running inside of the guest.",
+        type => 'boolean',
+        optional => 1,
+        default => 1,
+    },
     type => {
         description => "Select the agent type",
         type => 'string',
@@ -332,4 +350,33 @@ sub guest_fs_freeze_applicable($agent_str, $vmid, $logfunc = undef) {
     return 1;
 }
 
+=head3 should_set_time_on_resume
+
+Returns whether the guest's clock should be synchronized to the host's via the QEMU Guest Agent
+when the VM is resumed from saved state. Does B<not> check whether the agent is actually running.
+
+=cut
+
+sub should_set_time_on_resume($agent_str) {
+    my $agent = parse_guest_agent($agent_str);
+    return 0 if !$agent->{enabled};
+    return $agent->{'set-time-on-resume'} // 1;
+}
+
+=head3 guest_set_time
+
+Sets the guest's clock via the QEMU Guest Agent's C<guest-set-time> command. If C<$time_ns>
+(nanoseconds since the UNIX epoch, UTC) is not given, the current host time is used. Passing
+an explicit time is required because the agent's argument-less form reads the guest's RTC,
+which may itself be stale after a vmstate snapshot or resume.
+
+=cut
+
+sub guest_set_time($vmid, $time_ns = undef) {
+    $time_ns //= int(Time::HiRes::time() * 1_000_000_000);
+    my $res = PVE::QemuServer::Monitor::mon_cmd($vmid, 'guest-set-time', time => $time_ns);
+    check_agent_error($res, "unable to set guest time");
+    return;
+}
+
 1;
-- 
2.47.3

[PATCH pve-manager v2 2/2] fix #5032: ui: qemu agent: add set-time-on-resume option

[Jakob Klocker]

Expose the new agent configuration option `set-time-on-resume`
in the VM configuration GUI.

This allows enabling/disabling automatic guest clock
synchronization after resume from saved state or snapshot
restore with RAM.

Link: https://bugzilla.proxmox.com/show_bug.cgi?id=5032
Signed-off-by: Jakob Klocker <j.klocker@proxmox.com>
Reviewed-by: Arthur Bied-Charreton <a.bied-charreton@proxmox.com>
Tested-by: Arthur Bied-Charreton <a.bied-charreton@proxmox.com>
---
changes since v1:
- reword the agent option label for clarity

 www/manager6/Utils.js                     |  2 ++
 www/manager6/form/AgentFeatureSelector.js | 20 ++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 22 insertions(+)

diff --git a/www/manager6/Utils.js b/www/manager6/Utils.js
index bbf59d8f..20862875 100644
--- a/www/manager6/Utils.js
+++ b/www/manager6/Utils.js
@@ -523,6 +523,8 @@ Ext.define('PVE.Utils', {
                     continue;
                 } else if (key === 'freeze-fs' && PVE.Parser.parseBoolean(value)) {
                     continue;
+                } else if (key === 'set-time-on-resume' && PVE.Parser.parseBoolean(value)) {
+                    continue;
                 } else if (PVE.Parser.parseBoolean(value)) {
                     displayText = Proxmox.Utils.enabledText;
                 }
diff --git a/www/manager6/form/AgentFeatureSelector.js b/www/manager6/form/AgentFeatureSelector.js
index 3cae4194..a7cec6c2 100644
--- a/www/manager6/form/AgentFeatureSelector.js
+++ b/www/manager6/form/AgentFeatureSelector.js
@@ -45,6 +45,20 @@ Ext.define('PVE.form.AgentFeatureSelector', {
                 hidden: '{freeze_fs.checked}',
             },
         },
+        {
+            xtype: 'proxmoxcheckbox',
+            boxLabel: gettext(
+                "Synchronize guest clock with the host's after resume from saved state",
+            ),
+            name: 'set-time-on-resume',
+            reference: 'set_time_on_resume',
+            bind: {
+                disabled: '{!enabled.checked}',
+            },
+            disabled: true,
+            uncheckedValue: '0',
+            defaultValue: '1',
+        },
         {
             xtype: 'displayfield',
             userCls: 'pmx-hint',
@@ -74,6 +88,9 @@ Ext.define('PVE.form.AgentFeatureSelector', {
         if (PVE.Parser.parseBoolean(values['freeze-fs'])) {
             delete values['freeze-fs'];
         }
+        if (PVE.Parser.parseBoolean(values['set-time-on-resume'])) {
+            delete values['set-time-on-resume'];
+        }
 
         const agentstr = PVE.Parser.printPropertyString(values, 'enabled');
         return { agent: agentstr };
@@ -90,6 +107,9 @@ Ext.define('PVE.form.AgentFeatureSelector', {
         if (!Ext.isDefined(res['freeze-fs'])) {
             res['freeze-fs'] = 1;
         }
+        if (!Ext.isDefined(res['set-time-on-resume'])) {
+            res['set-time-on-resume'] = 1;
+        }
 
         this.callParent([res]);
     },
-- 
2.47.3

Re: [PATCH manager/qemu-server v2 0/2] fix #5032: sync guest time after restore from saved state

[Michael Köppl]

Tested these patches in combination with proxmox-test-tools.
proxmox-test-instance would regularly run into problems with rollbacks
of entire clusters of test instances when using snapshots with RAM. I
ran automated test runs with rollbacks with RAM in between and checked
that the guest time was the same as on the host for each new test that
was run. Works as expected!

Had a look at the code as well. With the patch mentioned in the cover
letter applied before, the code lgtm as well!

Consider this:
Tested-by: Michael Köppl <m.koeppl@proxmox.com>
Reviewed-by: Michael Köppl <m.koeppl@proxmox.com>

On Mon Jun 22, 2026 at 3:47 PM CEST, Jakob Klocker wrote:
> This series adds a new agent option set-time-on-resume to
> automatically synchronize the guest clock via the QEMU Guest Agent 
> after operations that can leave the guest time stale. The option is 
> enabled by default when the QEMU Guest Agent is configured.

[snip]

Re: [PATCH qemu-server v2 1/2] fix #5032: qemu: sync guest time on resume and snapshot of saved state

[Fiona Ebner]

Am 22.06.26 um 3:47 PM schrieb Jakob Klocker:
> When a VM is resumed from a saved state (hibernation or snapshot with
> RAM), the guest clock may be stale. A time skew can occur when
> creating a snapshot of a running VM.
> 
> Add a new agent option `set-time-on-resume` to automatically
> synchronize the guest time with the host using the QEMU Guest Agent.
> 
> Trigger time synchronization:
> - after restoring a VM from a saved state or snapshot with RAM
> - after taking a snapshot
> 
> This ensures consistent guest time after rollback, restore, or
> snapshot operations when the guest OS clock does not automatically
> correct itself.
> 

It's not limited to snapshots with RAM. A snapshot operation without RAM
will also pause the guest. And I think it also makes sense to do it for
resume after a pause.

For rollback, the agent option from the saved snapshot configuration
will be used, right? So if I created the snapshot originally with
'set-time-on-resume', then it will always be applied upon rollback with
no way to opt-out. And vice-versa if disabled. Should we add an option
to the 'qm rollback' command to allow overriding this? Or
unconditionally use the current value for 'set-time-on-resume' instead
upon rollback? Not sure if that would be more in line with expectations
or more surprising?

Not quite the same for resume from hibernation, but it will also be
impossible to modify the setting if already suspended, because of the
config lock.

And for a paused VM, it would be impossible to change because 'agent'
property changes are not (yet) hot-plugged, but that might make sense to
do actually. But not sure if that would be better done as part of a
major release.

On the other hand, resume (from pause and suspend) could also gain
support for an option to override the 'set-time-on-resume' setting.

Maybe the command options could default to the current guest config
setting if not explicitly specified?

What do you think?

> Link: https://bugzilla.proxmox.com/show_bug.cgi?id=5032
> 
> Signed-off-by: Jakob Klocker <j.klocker@proxmox.com>
> Reviewed-by: Arthur Bied-Charreton <a.bied-charreton@proxmox.com>
> Tested-by: Arthur Bied-Charreton <a.bied-charreton@proxmox.com>
> ---
> 
> changes since v1:
> - adapt warning message in the resume-from-saved-state path
> 
>  src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm       |  7 ++++++
>  src/PVE/QemuServer.pm       | 10 ++++++++
>  src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm | 47 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  3 files changed, 64 insertions(+)
> 
> diff --git a/src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm b/src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm
> index c24eb835..3f0ff663 100644
> --- a/src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm
> +++ b/src/PVE/QemuConfig.pm
> @@ -383,6 +383,13 @@ sub __snapshot_create_vol_snapshots_hook {
>                      next;
>                  }
>              }
> +            if ($snap->{vmstate}) {
> +                my $conf = $class->load_config($vmid);
> +                if (PVE::QemuServer::Agent::should_set_time_on_resume($conf->{agent})) {
> +                    eval { PVE::QemuServer::Agent::guest_set_time($vmid); 1 }
> +                        or warn "could not sync guest time after snapshot - $@";

Style nit: our code base uses the following pattern:
eval { func(); };
warn "msg - $@" if $@;

> +                }
> +            }
>          }
>      }
>  }
> diff --git a/src/PVE/QemuServer.pm b/src/PVE/QemuServer.pm
> index 55e9f520..daf10904 100644
> --- a/src/PVE/QemuServer.pm
> +++ b/src/PVE/QemuServer.pm
> @@ -5992,6 +5992,16 @@ sub vm_start_nolock {
>          );
>      }
>  
> +    my $from_saved_state = $resume || ($statefile && !$migratedfrom);

Style nit: I'd kinda prefer to avoid this one-off variable. Maybe add a
short comment near the expression instead?

> +
> +    if (
> +        $from_saved_state
> +        && PVE::QemuServer::Agent::should_set_time_on_resume($conf->{agent})
> +    ) {
> +        eval { PVE::QemuServer::Agent::guest_set_time($vmid); 1 }
> +            or warn "could not sync guest time after resume from saved state - $@";

Same style nit as above.

> +    }
> +
>      return $res;
>  }
>  
> diff --git a/src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm b/src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm
> index be6df443..be8bbae6 100644
> --- a/src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm
> +++ b/src/PVE/QemuServer/Agent.pm
> @@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use v5.36;
>  
>  use JSON;
>  use MIME::Base64 qw(decode_base64 encode_base64);
> +use Time::HiRes ();

Stlye nit: I'd use qw() for consistency with the previous line.

>  
>  use PVE::JSONSchema;
>  
> @@ -18,6 +19,8 @@ our @EXPORT_OK = qw(
>      get_qga_key
>      parse_guest_agent
>      qga_check_running
> +    should_set_time_on_resume
> +    guest_set_time

I don't think these are worth exporting. You already call them with the
module prefix and I do think it's helpful to be explicit like that.

>  );
>  
>  our $agent_fmt = {
> @@ -52,6 +55,21 @@ our $agent_fmt = {
>          optional => 1,
>          default => 1,
>      },
> +    'set-time-on-resume' => {

I wonder if 'set' is the best? I'm thinking about 'update' or
'synchronize', but maybe those make it too long? 'sync'? Not sure. What
do you think?

> +        description => "Update the guest clock through QGA after resuming from"
> +            . " hibernation or rolling back to a snapshot with RAM.",
> +        verbose_description =>
> +            "Whether to issue the guest-set-time QEMU guest agent command after the VM"
> +            . " resumes with a restored RAM state, that is, when waking from hibernation"
> +            . " or after rolling back to a snapshot that includes RAM. In these cases the"
> +            . " guest's clock still reflects the time the state was saved. With this"

Nit: s/was saved/was saved at/

The description does not mention that it also happens after a snapshot
create operation.

> +            . " option enabled, the clock is synchronized to the host's current time,"
> +            . " provided the QEMU Guest Agent option is enabled in the guest's"
> +            . " configuration and the agent is running inside of the guest.",
> +        type => 'boolean',
> +        optional => 1,
> +        default => 1,

I don't think we should enable this by default, at least not outside of
a major release. What if something relies on the current behavior and
expects a rolled-back state to have the old time?

> +    },
>      type => {
>          description => "Select the agent type",
>          type => 'string',
> @@ -332,4 +350,33 @@ sub guest_fs_freeze_applicable($agent_str, $vmid, $logfunc = undef) {
>      return 1;
>  }
>  
> +=head3 should_set_time_on_resume
> +
> +Returns whether the guest's clock should be synchronized to the host's via the QEMU Guest Agent
> +when the VM is resumed from saved state. Does B<not> check whether the agent is actually running.
> +
> +=cut
> +
> +sub should_set_time_on_resume($agent_str) {
> +    my $agent = parse_guest_agent($agent_str);
> +    return 0 if !$agent->{enabled};
> +    return $agent->{'set-time-on-resume'} // 1;
> +}
> +
> +=head3 guest_set_time
> +
> +Sets the guest's clock via the QEMU Guest Agent's C<guest-set-time> command. If C<$time_ns>
> +(nanoseconds since the UNIX epoch, UTC) is not given, the current host time is used. Passing
> +an explicit time is required because the agent's argument-less form reads the guest's RTC,
> +which may itself be stale after a vmstate snapshot or resume.
> +
> +=cut
> +
> +sub guest_set_time($vmid, $time_ns = undef) {

Not sure if adding the time parameter is worth it if it's not used. We
can still add it later if a caller that needs it pops up.

> +    $time_ns //= int(Time::HiRes::time() * 1_000_000_000);
> +    my $res = PVE::QemuServer::Monitor::mon_cmd($vmid, 'guest-set-time', time => $time_ns);

Nit: I'd prefer the coercing to int() to be done here when passing the
param to mon_cmd()

> +    check_agent_error($res, "unable to set guest time");
> +    return;
> +}
> +
>  1;