API tokens syntax is an unlucky choice about cv4pve-autosnap

[meyergru]

As I wrote, I would have to specifiy 4 different files for the 4 periods in the original example crontab. However, one can also use @file with additional parameters. So, I modified the crontab entry to this:

PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/bin/
MAILTO="[email protected]"

SNAP_CREDENTIALS=/etc/cv4pve-autosnap/credentials.conf

# "all" for all VMs, exceptions with "-123" possible, or just the following VMs: "123,124"
SNAP_VMID="all,-105"

SNAP_KEEP_HOURLY=23
SNAP_KEEP_DAILY=6
SNAP_KEEP_WEEKLY=4
SNAP_KEEP_MONTHLY=3

# hourly
1 1-23  *       *       *       root    cv4pve-autosnap @"$SNAP_CREDENTIALS" --vmid="$SNAP_VMID" snap --only-running --label="hourly" --keep="$SNAP_KEEP_HOURLY" > /dev/null

# weekly -> So; daily -> Mo-Sa
1 0     2-31    *       *       root    [ "$(date +\%u)" = "7" ] && cv4pve-autosnap @"$SNAP_CREDENTIALS" --vmid="$SNAP_VMID" snap --only-running --label="weekly" --keep="$SNAP_KEEP_WEEKLY" > /dev/null || cv4pve-autosnap @"$SNAP_CREDENTIALS" --vmid="$SNAP_VMID" snap --only-running --label="daily" --keep="$SNAP_KEEP_DAILY" > /dev/null

# monthly
1 0     1       *       *       root    cv4pve-autosnap @"$SNAP_CREDENTIALS" --vmid="$SNAP_VMID" snap --only-running --label="monthly" --keep="$SNAP_KEEP_MONTHLY" > /dev/null

With /etc/cv4pve-autosnap/credentials containing this:

--host=127.0.0.1 --api-token=--host=127.0.0.1 --api-token=snapshot@pam!snapshot=42cfa924-0c23-4b9f-9eba-db62c3984b33
or this:

--host=127.0.0.1 --username=snapshot@pam --password=snappass

[franklupo]

Hi,
This is a format user from Proxmox

[meyergru]

I know that, but the way it is given to the program makes it impossible to use. If the parameter format for cv4pve-autosnap was not like "--xxx=yyy", but "-x yyy", there was no problem if an API token like USER@REALM!TOKENID=UUID was provided.

The problem is the second '=', since after crontab expansion is used, all is left is "--api-token=USER@REALM!TOKENID=UUID" without any possibility of quoting it. That remaining string is cut off at the second '='.

[franklupo]

Hi,
You can use wothout =,
--api-token USER@REALM!TOKENID=UUID

[meyergru]

It tried, but within a crontab, it does not work. It is capped at the '='.

[franklupo]

In shell work?

[franklupo]

If you wanth can specify esternal file for parameters.

[franklupo]

https://github.com/Corsinvest/cv4pve-autosnap#execution-with-file-parameter

[meyergru]

Yes, it works in a shell because there, I can quote, which is not possible in a crontab entry. Here is the full example for /etc/cron.d/whatever:

PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/bin/
MAILTO="[email protected]"

SNAP_HOST="127.0.0.1"
SNAP_USER="snapshot@pam"
SNAP_PASS="snappass"
SNAP_APITOKEN="snapshot@pam!snapshot=42cfa924-0c23-4b9f-9eba-db62c3984b33"

# "all" for all VMs, exceptions with "-105"
SNAP_VMID="all,-105'

SNAP_KEEP_HOURLY=23
SNAP_KEEP_DAILY=6
SNAP_KEEP_WEEKLY=4
SNAP_KEEP_MONTHLY=3

# hourly
#1 1-23  *       *       *       root    cv4pve-autosnap --host="$SNAP_HOST" --username="$SNAP_USER" --password="$SNAP_PASS" --vmid="$SNAP_VMID" snap --only-running --label="hourly" --keep="$SNAP_KEEP_HOURLY" > /dev/null
* *  *       *       *       root    cv4pve-autosnap --host="$SNAP_HOST" --api-token="$SNAP_APITOKEN" --vmid="$SNAP_VMID" snap --only-running --label="minute" --keep="$SNAP_KEEP_HOURLY"

As you can see, I commented out and modified the username/passwd version in order to send mail of the output and start once every minute. You have to modify MAILTO to get the results. I have tried every imaginable way of quoting and escaping - including using a space after --api-token, but this never works. And obviously, the user/pass and api-tokens are not real.

The example is from here: https://techlr.de/proxmox-automatische-snapshots-einrichten/ , thus there are a few lines missing. They all use the same parameters, so it is not really feasible to insert the API key literally everywhere.

Specifying in a file is difficult if you want to have it centrally in a crontab file, especially if you have multiple invocations. I would need 4 additional parameter files, although it would be a valid workaround.

[franklupo]

Try with ' symbol to esecute command
'cv4pve-autosnap ...'

[meyergru]

No, that is interpreted as one whole string when given to /bin/sh, also the expansions are not done within single quotes:

/bin/sh: 1: cv4pve-autosnap --host="$SNAP_HOST" --api-token="$SNAP_APITOKEN" --vmid="$SNAP_VMID" snap --only-running --label="minute" --keep="$SNAP_KEEP_HOURLY" : not found

[meyergru]

It is a fine line to keep expanding parameters and having the result kept together despite containing special characters.

Even the '!' is a problem there, because it has special meaning in a shell. That is why you need single quotes around the API token in an interactive shell.

[franklupo]

External file with all comman line is a solution