Installing Proxmox

Why Proxmox?

I chose Proxmox for a variety of reasons, but mostly because Broadcom decided to buy VMware and gut ESXi, the product I loved. I was a full supporter of VMUG (VMware User Group), and when Broadcom brought VMware, I could see the writing on the wall. It wasn’t long after I migrated off of ESXi that VMUG became untenable for the average person to use.

At some point, I may switch to Nutanix CE, XCG-NG, or Red Hat Openshift, but none of those have shown to have the same ease of use that Proxmox did. However, the great hypervisor war is far from over so I expect this to change with time.

That being said, I have been presently surprised by Proxmox’s robustness and flexibility. It is a rock-solid KVM platform that allows you to run and maintain highly available virtual machines and containers. Its basic backup integrations and dedicated backup software (Proxmox Backup Server) have made it a go-to for myself and many others. That only scratches the surface so with that let’s get it installed!

Prerequisites

• A dedicated server or bare-metal machine
• At least 2GB RAM (4GB+ recommended)
• 64-bit processor with virtualization support (Intel VT/AMD-V)
• Reliable internet connection
• Backup any important data (installation will erase the disk)

Step 1: Download Proxmox VE ISO

1. Go to the Proxmox Downloads page.
2. Download the latest Proxmox VE ISO Installer.

Step 2: Create a Bootable USB Drive

• Use tools like Rufus (Windows), balenaEtcher (Linux/macOS/Windows), or dd (Linux/macOS) to write the ISO to a USB drive.

Example using dd:

sudo dd if=proxmox-ve_*.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress

Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device.

Step 3: Boot from USB

1. Insert the USB drive into your server.
2. Reboot and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings.
3. Set the USB drive as the primary boot device.
4. Save and reboot.

Step 4: Install Proxmox VE

1. When the Proxmox installer loads, select Install Proxmox VE.
2. Accept the license agreement.
3. Select the target hard disk for installation.
4. Configure country, time zone, and keyboard layout.
5. Set a strong password and provide an email address.
6. Configure network settings (hostname, IP, gateway, DNS).
7. Confirm and start the installation.

Step 5: First Boot and Web Interface

1. After installation, remove the USB drive and reboot.
2. Access the Proxmox web interface from another computer:

   https://<your-server-ip>:8006
   

3. Log in with the root user and the password you set during installation.

Step 6: Update Proxmox VE

After logging in, update your system:

apt update && apt full-upgrade

Additional Resources

• Proxmox VE Documentation
• Proxmox Community Forum

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