VMStops

VMStops is a term used in virtualization to describe the action or event of stopping one or more virtual machines. It is not a standardized product feature, but a generic label that appears in management interfaces, logs, and documentation to indicate that a VM has ceased execution, either temporarily or permanently.

Stops can be executed in several ways. A graceful stop initiates an orderly shutdown inside the guest operating system, allowing applications to close and data to be flushed. A forced stop powers off the VM without completing a shutdown, which can risk data loss or file-system inconsistencies if not preceded by quiescing or backups.

Typical workflows involve administrative actions or automated policies. VMStops may be triggered by user commands, maintenance windows, resource reclamation, or hardware failures. In many tools, a stop is represented as a state transition (for example, from running to stopped or suspended) and is recorded in audit logs with metadata such as VM identifier, host, timestamp, user, and reason code.

Operational considerations include ensuring data integrity by using guest shutdown procedures or VM snapshots, coordinating with dependent services, and planning for service continuity through replication or migration. Some platforms distinguish between suspended (paused) and powered-off stops, informing monitoring and backup systems accordingly.

See also: virtualization, VM lifecycle, live migration, VM snapshot, power management.