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azlin batch start

Start multiple VMs simultaneously

Description

The azlin batch start command starts multiple stopped or deallocated VMs in parallel. This is useful for quickly spinning up entire development environments, test fleets, or production workloads.

Usage

azlin batch start [OPTIONS]

Options

Option Type Description
--tag TEXT Key=Value Filter VMs by tag (format: key=value)
--vm-pattern TEXT Pattern Filter VMs by name pattern (glob syntax)
--all Flag Select all VMs in resource group
--resource-group, --rg TEXT Name Azure resource group
--config PATH Path Config file path
--max-workers INTEGER Count Maximum parallel workers (default: 10)
--confirm Flag Skip confirmation prompt
-h, --help Flag Show command help and exit

Examples

Start VMs by Tag

# Start all dev environment VMs
azlin batch start --tag 'env=dev'

# Start all VMs for a project
azlin batch start --tag 'project=webapp'

Start VMs by Name Pattern

# Start all test VMs
azlin batch start --vm-pattern 'test-*'

# Start specific numbered VMs
azlin batch start --vm-pattern 'worker-[1-5]'

Start All VMs

# Start all VMs in resource group (with confirmation)
azlin batch start --all

# Start all without confirmation
azlin batch start --all --confirm

Custom Parallelism

# Start with more workers for faster execution
azlin batch start --tag 'env=staging' --max-workers 20

# Limit workers to avoid rate limiting
azlin batch start --all --max-workers 5

Common Workflows

Morning Team Startup

# Start all team VMs at once
azlin batch start --tag 'team=engineering' --confirm

Environment Spin-Up

# Start entire staging environment
azlin batch start --tag 'env=staging' --confirm

# Start entire test environment
azlin batch start --tag 'env=test' --confirm

Cost-Saving Workflows

# Stop VMs at night (in stop.md)
# Start them in the morning
azlin batch start --tag 'auto-schedule=true' --confirm

Project-Based Workflows

# Start all VMs for Project A
azlin batch start --tag 'project=project-a' --confirm

# Start all VMs for Project B
azlin batch start --tag 'project=project-b' --confirm

Output Example

Batch Start VMs

Scanning for VMs...
Found 5 VMs matching criteria

VMs to start:
  dev-vm-1    (deallocated)
  dev-vm-2    (stopped)
  dev-vm-3    (deallocated)
  dev-vm-4    (stopped)
  dev-vm-5    (deallocated)

Continue? [y/N]: y

Starting VMs (max 10 parallel workers)...
✓ dev-vm-1 started
✓ dev-vm-2 started
✓ dev-vm-3 started
✓ dev-vm-4 started
✓ dev-vm-5 started

Batch start complete!
  Total: 5 VMs
  Started: 5
  Failed: 0
  Time: 2m 15s

Troubleshooting

No VMs Match Criteria

Symptoms: "No VMs found matching criteria"

Solutions: 

# List VMs to verify tags/names
azlin list

# Check tag syntax
azlin list --tag env=dev

# Try broader pattern
azlin batch start --vm-pattern '*'

Start Fails for Some VMs

Symptoms: Some VMs fail to start

Solutions: 

# Check VM status
azlin status

# Check for quota limits
azlin list --show-quota

# Retry failed VMs individually
azlin start failed-vm-name

Rate Limiting

Symptoms: "Too many requests" errors

Solutions: 

# Reduce parallel workers
azlin batch start --all --max-workers 3

# Or start in batches
azlin batch start --vm-pattern 'vm-[1-5]'
azlin batch start --vm-pattern 'vm-[6-10]'

Best Practices

Use Tags for Organization

# Tag VMs by environment
azlin tag my-vm --add env=dev

# Tag VMs by team
azlin tag my-vm --add team=backend

# Then batch start by tag
azlin batch start --tag 'team=backend'

Automation with Cron

# Start VMs every weekday at 8 AM
# 0 8 * * 1-5 azlin batch start --tag 'auto-schedule=true' --confirm

# Stop VMs every weekday at 6 PM
# 0 18 * * 1-5 azlin batch stop --tag 'auto-schedule=true' --confirm

Pre-Meeting Preparation

#!/bin/bash
# Start demo environment before client meeting

echo "Starting demo environment..."
azlin batch start --tag 'env=demo' --confirm

echo "Waiting for VMs to be fully ready..."
sleep 60

echo "Demo environment ready!"
azlin list --tag 'env=demo'

Performance

VMs Workers Start Time
5 VMs 10 2-3 minutes
10 VMs 10 3-4 minutes
20 VMs 10 5-7 minutes
20 VMs 20 4-5 minutes

Times assume VMs are already deallocated

Source Code

See Also