File Level restore direct from PBS

[poxin]

We are utilizing a remote sync job to an offsite location that doesn't have PVE running there. I'm wondering, can we do a file level restore of a VM that is backed up by this remote PBS? Drilling into the content under the datastore, I can only see .blob and .fidx files but no way to mount them to view the content or otherwise.

Is this something that is possible if we wanted to pull a single file from one of those disks without PVE?

 

[poxin]

I think I figured out a way via console, though not ideal.

proxmox-backup-client snapshot list --repository BackupPool
## Found: vm/148/2025-03-12T06:00:06Z

proxmox-backup-client map vm/148/2025-03-12T06:00:06Z drive-scsi0.img --repository BackupPool
Image 'BackupPool:vm/148/2025-03-12T06:00:06Z/drive-scsi0.img' mapped on /dev/loop0

lsblk
NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
loop0         7:0    0    50G  1 loop
├─loop0p1   259:6    0     1M  1 part
└─loop0p2   259:7    0    50G  1 part

mkdir /mnt/restore
mount /dev/loop0p2 /mnt/restore/

## RESTORE FILES (connect via SSH to download locally)

umount /mnt/restore

proxmox-backup-client unmap /dev/loop0

Is there a feature request area for PBS where this functionality could be implemented in the web gui like PVE already has?

 

[fabian]

doing that safely requires starting a VM.. which is why this is done on the PVE side, where all the machinery for that already exists and can be re-used.

 

[poxin]

doing that safely requires starting a VM.. which is why this is done on the PVE side, where all the machinery for that already exists and can be re-used.

When you do a file level restore from a VM in PVE, it creates & starts a VM to do so?

 

[fabian]

for image/block-based backups (like those of VM disks), yes.