ansible_proxmox_VM/CHANGELOG.md

CHANGELOG

Version 2.0 - Production-Grade Improvements (2025-11-15)

Major Changes

1. Architecture Refactoring

• ADDED: Split tasks/main.yml into 6 modular task files
• ADDED: tasks/preflight-checks.yml - Environment validation
• ADDED: tasks/download-image.yml - Debian image with caching
• ADDED: tasks/create-vm.yml - Idempotent VM creation
• ADDED: tasks/configure-vm.yml - Disk, Cloud-Init, TPM, GPU
• ADDED: tasks/create-template.yml - Idempotent template conversion
• ADDED: tasks/create-clones.yml - Clone deployment with per-clone error handling
• CHANGED: tasks/main.yml now orchestrates subtasks via include_tasks
• BENEFIT: Each stage is independent, testable, and reusable

2. Error Handling

• ADDED: Block/rescue error handling to all major operations
• ADDED: Automatic retry logic (3 retries, 5-second delays)
• ADDED: Context-aware error messages with next steps
• ADDED: Validation checks before operations
• BENEFIT: Clear failures with guidance, not silent errors

3. Idempotency

• ADDED: Status checks before all state-changing operations
• FIXED: Template conversion (was broken on re-run)
  • Before: Used non-existent .lock file as idempotency marker
  • After: Checks actual template: 1 flag in VM config
• ADDED: VM existence check before creation
• ADDED: Clone existence check before cloning
• ADDED: Image existence check before download
• BENEFIT: Safe to re-run playbook multiple times

4. Pre-flight Validation

• ADDED: Comprehensive pre-flight checks (20+ validations)
  • Proxmox installation and version
  • User permissions for qm commands
  • Storage pool existence and accessibility
  • SSH key file existence and readability
  • VM ID uniqueness and format
  • Clone ID uniqueness and format
  • IP address format validation (CIDR)
  • Gateway IP validation
  • DNS server IP validation
  • Snippets directory existence
• BENEFIT: Fail fast with clear messages, not 50% through playbook

5. Configuration Improvements

• IMPROVED: defaults/main.yml with extensive documentation
• ADDED: Retry and timeout configuration variables
• ADDED: Debug mode option
• ADDED: Security warnings and Vault integration example
• CHANGED: Better-organized variable sections with headers
• BENEFIT: Clear, maintainable configuration

6. Task Enhancements

download-image.yml

• ADDED: Caching (skips re-download if exists)
• ADDED: Directory creation if missing
• ADDED: Automatic retry on download failure
• ADDED: Image integrity verification (size check)
• ADDED: Image info display (size, date)

create-vm.yml

• ADDED: VM existence check
• ADDED: Error handling with meaningful messages
• ADDED: Verification after creation
• ADDED: Status messages before and after

configure-vm.yml

• ADDED: Block/rescue for disk configuration
• ADDED: SSH key validation before use
• ADDED: Retry logic for disk import
• ADDED: Cloud-Init snippet validation
• ADDED: Separate blocks for TPM, disk, GPU configs
• IMPROVED: Better error recovery

create-template.yml

• FIXED: Idempotent template conversion (major fix!)
• ADDED: VM stop verification before conversion
• ADDED: Template status check
• ADDED: Proper error handling
• CHANGED: Skip if already templated

create-clones.yml

• ADDED: Per-clone error handling (loop with block/rescue)
• ADDED: Clone existence check
• ADDED: Clone list validation
• ADDED: Individual clone result reporting
• BENEFIT: One failed clone doesn't stop others

7. Cloud-Init Improvements

• ADDED: SSH key readability check
• ADDED: Snippet file validation
• IMPROVED: Cloud-Init configuration application
• BENEFIT: Clear errors if configuration fails

8. Helper Utilities

• ADDED: tasks/helpers.yml with reusable functions
  • check_vm_exists - Check if VM exists
  • check_template - Check if VM is template
  • check_vm_status - Get VM status
  • check_storage - Check storage space
  • validate_vm_id - Validate VM ID format
  • get_vm_info - Read VM configuration
  • list_vms - List all VMs
  • cleanup_snippets - Remove old snippets
• BENEFIT: Reusable functions for automation

9. Logging & Visibility

• ADDED: Task naming convention [STAGE] Action: description
• ADDED: Progress banner at playbook start
• ADDED: Completion summary at playbook end
• ADDED: Per-operation status messages
• ADDED: Rich debug output throughout
• BENEFIT: Clear visibility into what's happening

10. Documentation

• ADDED: IMPROVEMENTS.md - Detailed guide with before/after
• ADDED: QUICK_REFERENCE.md - Commands and troubleshooting
• ADDED: IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md - Overview and manifest
• ADDED: CHANGELOG.md - This file
• ADDED: Extensive inline comments in all task files
• IMPROVED: defaults/main.yml comments and structure

Backward Compatibility

⚠️ Breaking Changes: None - role is backward compatible

• Old create_clones and make_template variables still work
• Old task structure wrapped in new modular approach
• All existing variables are preserved
• Default values unchanged

Migration

1. Replace task files with new versions
2. Update defaults/main.yml (new options are optional)
3. Run --tags preflight -vvv to verify environment
4. Test with --check flag
5. Run normally

Known Issues Fixed

Issue	Before	After
Template conversion fails on re-run	❌ Broken	✅ Idempotent
No validation of SSH key	❌ Silent failure	✅ Checked before use
One failed clone stops all clones	❌ All-or-nothing	✅ Per-clone handling
Poor error messages	❌ Generic errors	✅ Context-aware
No pre-flight validation	❌ Fails mid-playbook	✅ Early validation
Can't re-run playbook safely	❌ Fails or duplicates	✅ Idempotent

Performance Improvements

• Image caching: No re-download if already present
• Selective execution: Use tags to skip expensive operations
• Retry logic: Automatic recovery without manual intervention

Testing Recommendations

# 1. Validate environment
ansible-playbook tasks/main.yml --tags preflight -vvv

# 2. Dry run
ansible-playbook tasks/main.yml --check -vv

# 3. Full test
ansible-playbook tasks/main.yml -vv

# 4. Verify idempotency (re-run)
ansible-playbook tasks/main.yml -vv

# 5. Add clones only
ansible-playbook tasks/main.yml --tags clones -vv

Configuration Examples Added

• Minimal DHCP setup
• Production static IP setup
• TPM + Vault integration
• Multi-clone scenarios

Security Enhancements

• SSH key validation before use
• Permissions checking for qm command
• Ansible Vault integration example
• Clear security warnings in comments

Files Status

File	Status	Notes
tasks/main.yml	Refactored	Now an orchestrator
tasks/preflight-checks.yml	New	20+ checks
tasks/download-image.yml	Improved	Caching + validation
tasks/create-vm.yml	Improved	Idempotent + error handling
tasks/configure-vm.yml	Improved	Block/rescue for each feature
tasks/create-template.yml	Improved	Fixed idempotency bug
tasks/create-clones.yml	Improved	Per-clone error handling
tasks/helpers.yml	New	8 utility functions
defaults/main.yml	Improved	Documentation + new options
templates/cloudinit_userdata.yaml.j2	Unchanged	No changes needed
templates/cloudinit_vendor.yaml.j2	Unchanged	No changes needed
IMPROVEMENTS.md	New	Comprehensive guide
QUICK_REFERENCE.md	New	Quick reference
IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md	New	Overview
CHANGELOG.md	New	This file

Deprecated

None - all old functionality is preserved

Future Roadmap

• Molecule testing integration
• Terraform module wrapper
• Backup/restore functionality
• Notification callbacks (Slack, email)
• Performance metrics collection
• Cleanup/destroy role
• Galaxy package publishing
• Prometheus metrics export

Thanks

To the Proxmox and Ansible communities for best practices and inspiration.

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Migration Status: ✅ Ready for production use

Testing: Recommended in dev environment first

Support: See IMPROVEMENTS.md or QUICK_REFERENCE.md for issues