proxmox/reports/r630-02-hook-error-investigation.md

Pre-start Hook Error Investigation

Date: January 19, 2026
Issue: All containers failing with "lxc.hook.pre-start" error (exit code 32)

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Problem

All 33 containers on r630-01 (192.168.11.11) are failing to start with:

run_buffer: 571 Script exited with status 32
lxc_init: 845 Failed to run lxc.hook.pre-start for container "XXXX"
__lxc_start: 2047 Failed to initialize container "XXXX"
startup for container 'XXXX' failed

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Affected Containers

All containers are affected:

• CT 3000-3003, 3500-3501, 5200, 6000, 6400
• CT 10000-10092 (Order services)
• CT 10100-10151 (DBIS services)
• CT 10200-10230 (Monitoring services)
• CT 10232

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Root Cause Analysis

Hook Script

• Location: /usr/share/lxc/hooks/lxc-pve-prestart-hook
• Type: Perl script (part of Proxmox VE)
• Exit Code: 32 (specific error code)

Possible Causes

1. Proxmox Cluster Issue

   • Hook may be trying to communicate with cluster
   • Cluster services may be down or misconfigured

2. Storage/Configuration Issue

   • Hook validates storage configuration
   • May be failing due to storage pool issues

3. Permission Issue

   • Hook may need specific permissions
   • File system permissions may be incorrect

4. Missing Dependencies

   • Perl modules may be missing
   • Proxmox packages may be incomplete

5. Container State Issue

   • Containers may be in inconsistent state
   • Previous operations may have left containers in bad state

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Investigation Steps Taken

1. ✅ Checked container configs - all appear correct
2. ✅ Verified storage volumes exist
3. ✅ Checked hook script exists and is executable
4. ⏳ Checking Proxmox services status
5. ⏳ Checking cluster status
6. ⏳ Checking hook warnings/errors

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Next Steps

1. Check Proxmox Services:

   systemctl status pve-cluster pvedaemon pveproxy
   

2. Check Cluster Status:

   pvecm status
   

3. Check Hook Warnings:

   cat /run/pve/ct-XXXX.warnings
   

4. Try Manual Hook Execution:

   perl /usr/share/lxc/hooks/lxc-pve-prestart-hook lxc 3000 start
   

5. Check Proxmox Logs:

   journalctl -u pve-cluster -n 50
   journalctl -u pvedaemon -n 50
   

6. Check Container Logs:

   tail -50 /var/log/pve/lxc/3000.log
   

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Potential Solutions

Solution 1: Restart Proxmox Services

systemctl restart pve-cluster
systemctl restart pvedaemon
systemctl restart pveproxy

Solution 2: Fix Cluster Issues

If cluster is misconfigured:

pvecm status
# Fix cluster configuration if needed

Solution 3: Reinstall/Update Proxmox Packages

If packages are corrupted:

apt update
apt install --reinstall pve-container

Solution 4: Bypass Hook (Temporary)

If hook is corrupted and containers need to start:

• This is not recommended but may be necessary for emergency access
• Would require modifying LXC configuration

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Status

Current: Investigating system-level cause
Next: Check Proxmox services and cluster status