Proxmox VE

Open-source server virtualization platform combining KVM and LXC with a web-based management interface, supporting clustering, live migration, high availability, and enterprise storage backends.

Table of Contents#

1. Overview
2. Architecture
3. Installation
4. Network Configuration
5. CLI Management
6. Virtual Machines and Containers
7. Backup and Restore
8. Monitoring and Maintenance
9. Troubleshooting
10. See Also
11. Sources

1. Overview#

Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) is an open-source platform for enterprise virtualization that integrates KVM hypervisor and LXC containers. It provides:

• Web-based management interface and full CLI/API access
• Cluster management with centralized resource pooling
• Live migration, high availability, and software-defined networking
• Multiple storage backends (local, NFS, iSCSI, Ceph, ZFS, LINSTOR)
• Built-in backup/restore with vzdump and Proxmox Backup Server integration

2. Architecture#

2.1 Nodes and Clusters#

Nodes are individual servers running Proxmox VE. These can be combined into clusters for centralized management and resource pooling. Clusters use Corosync for communication and pmxcfs (a cluster-aware filesystem) to synchronize configuration across all nodes.

2.2 Storage Models#

2.2.1 Local Storage#

Local storage refers to disks physically attached to the server. Proxmox VE can use local storage for VM and container disks, ISO images, and backup files. Common backends include LVM, LVM-thin, ZFS, and directory-based storage.

2.2.2 Shared Storage#

Shared storage is accessible by all nodes within a Proxmox VE cluster. Types include NFS, iSCSI, Ceph RBD, CephFS, and GlusterFS. Shared storage is required for features like live migration and high availability.

2.2.3 iSCSI Multipath#

iSCSI Multipath ensures continuous availability and high performance by utilizing multiple paths between the Proxmox server and the iSCSI storage, providing redundancy and load balancing.

Enabling iSCSI Multipath:

1. Install multipath tools:

   apt-get update
   apt-get install multipath-tools

2. Identify WWIDs for each iSCSI device:

   /lib/udev/scsi_id -g -u -d /dev/<device>

3. Configure /etc/multipath.conf:

   blacklist {
       wwid .*
   }
   
   blacklist_exceptions {
       wwid "<wwid-1>"
       wwid "<wwid-2>"
   }
   
   multipaths {
       multipath {
           wwid "<wwid-1>"
           alias mpath0
       }
       multipath {
           wwid "<wwid-2>"
           alias mpath1
       }
   }

4. Add WWIDs to multipath:

   multipath -a <wwid>

5. Restart and verify:

   systemctl restart multipath-tools.service
   multipath -ll

Configuring Proxmox VE for iSCSI Multipath:

1. Discover targets:

   iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p <target-ip>

2. Log into the target:

   iscsiadm -m node -T <target-iqn> -p <target-ip> --login

3. Add the iSCSI storage through the Proxmox web interface or CLI, selecting the multipath option.

3. Installation#

3.1 Requirements#

• 64-bit processor with hardware virtualization support (Intel VT-x or AMD-V)
• Minimum 2 GB RAM (8 GB+ recommended for production)
• 16 GB disk space minimum
• Network interface card

3.2 From ISO#

Burn the ISO to a USB drive (e.g., with dd or Etcher), boot from it, and follow the on-screen instructions for disk partitioning, administrator password, and network settings.

3.3 On Existing Debian#

# Add the Proxmox VE repository
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg] http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve bookworm pve-no-subscription" \
    | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-install-repo.list

# Add the repository GPG key
wget https://enterprise.proxmox.com/debian/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg \
    -O /usr/share/keyrings/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg

# Install Proxmox VE
sudo apt update
sudo apt install proxmox-ve

4. Network Configuration#

Network settings can be configured through the web interface or by editing /etc/network/interfaces.

4.1 Creating a Cluster#

To create a cluster:

# On the first node
pvecm create <cluster-name>

# On additional nodes (join the cluster)
pvecm add <existing-node-ip>

# Verify cluster status
pvecm nodes
pvecm status

5. CLI Management#

5.1 Managing Virtual Machines (qm)#

5.2 Managing Containers (pct)#

5.3 Cluster Operations#

6. Virtual Machines and Containers#

6.1 Creating a VM via CLI#

# Create the VM
qm create 100 --name "example-vm" --memory 2048 --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0

# Attach installation media and a virtual disk
qm set 100 --ide2 local:iso/<iso-file>.iso,media=cdrom
qm set 100 --virtio0 local-lvm:32

# Configure boot options
qm set 100 --boot c --bootdisk virtio0

# Start the VM
qm start 100

6.2 Connecting to a VM#

Via Serial Console:

qm set 100 --serial0 socket
qm terminal 100

Via SPICE:

remote-viewer spice://<proxmox-host>:<port>?tls-port=<tls-port>

6.3 Managing Containers#

Containers share the kernel with the host, making them faster and more resource-efficient than VMs. Create them via the web interface ("Create CT" button) or CLI with pct create.

7. Backup and Restore#

7.1 Setting Up Backups#

Proxmox VE includes vzdump for backups. Configure scheduled backups through the web interface or CLI:

# Backup a single VM/container
vzdump <vmid> --storage <backup-storage> --mode snapshot

# Backup all VMs on the node
vzdump --all --storage <backup-storage> --mode snapshot --compress zstd

7.2 Restoring from Backup#

# Restore a VM
qmrestore <backup-file>.vma <vmid>

# Restore a container
pct restore <vmid> <backup-file>.tar.zst

8. Monitoring and Maintenance#

8.1 CLI Monitoring Tools#

Troubleshooting#

See Also#

• Proxmox Backup
• Linux Containers (LXC)
• KVM Tuning

Sources#

• https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki
• https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs
• https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Storage
• https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Cluster_Manager