Proxmox for beginners #1 installation and first setup

What is Proxmox and what are its main features?

Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) is a robust platform for virtualization and management containers, which offer a number of functions for personal and business use. Here are the key options and practical uses of Proxmox summarized in simple points.

Virtualization

Uses KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) for full virtualization and creating virtual machines (VMs). Supports various operating systems in VMs, including Windows, Linux and others.

Containers

Integrates LXC (Linux Containers) for light virtualization and running containers that share the host core.
Offers process and resource isolation with less overhead than traditional VMs.

High availability

Enables configuration of clusters for high availability, automatic failover and shared storage.

Storage

Supports various storage types, including local disk, NFS, iSCSI, Fibre Channel, and Ceph. Enables easy storage management and snapshots.

Backup and restore

Offers a built-in solution for backup and recovery of VMs and containers.
Enables scheduling backups and storing them on various storage.

Networking

Provides advanced networking features, including VLAN, bonding, and software-defined networking.
Allows creating isolated network environments for VMs and containers.

Web interface

Offers a full featured web interface for management of the Proxmox cluster.
Allows users to manage VMs, containers, storage, network and clusters without the command line.

Clusters and extensibility< /h3>

Supports the creation of clusters for better resource management and simplification of management.
Allows expansion and adding additional nodes without outage of service.

API and automation

Provides REST API for task automation and integration with other systems.
Enables to write scripts and use management automation tools.

Security

Includes features such as firewall, two-factor authentication and role-based access control (RBAC) for security environments.

Support and community

Has an active community and forums for user support. Offers commercial support and services for business deployment.

Check BIOS/UEFI: Restart the machine you want to install Proxmox on and enter BIOS/UEFI settings. Look for options related to virtualization, such as "Intel Virtualization Technology" or "Intel VT-x" and make sure they are enabled.

If in BIOS enabled Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x) option means that your machine supports hardware virtualization, which is a key prerequisite for using virtualization platforms as is Proxmox VE.

Step 1: Download Proxmox VE ISO

1. Visit Proxmox VE official site (https://www.proxmox.com/proxmox-ve) and download the latest version of the ISO image .

Step 2: Create a bootable USB

1. Use a tool like Rufus (https://rufus.ie/) or package dd on Linux, to create a bootable USB disk with Proxmox VE ISO image.

Step 3: Prepare the machine for installation

1. Turn on the PC and enter BIOS/UEFI.
2. Make sure the boot setting is set to USB or external disk before the internal hard disk.
3. Make sure that hardware virtualization (Intel VT-x/AMD-V) is enabled.

Step 4: Installing Proxmox VE

1. Insert the bootable USB drive into the mini PC and restart it.
2. After the restart the mini PC should boot from the USB drive and display the Proxmox VE installer.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen. During installation I recommend using the installer graphical interface, which is suitable for beginners. Subsequently, you must:
   • Select the disk on which you want Proxmox install.
   • Set country time zone and keyboard.
   • Enter password for "root" account and email address for system alerts.
   • Configure network settings, including IP address, subnet mask, gateway and DNS servers.

Step 5: Completing Installation

1. After installation is complete, remove the USB disk and restart the mini PC.
2. After the reboot the PC should boot into Proxmox VE and display the login screen.
3. Login using the username "root" and the passwords that you set during installation.

Step 6: First login

1. After the first login you can access the Proxmox VE web interface using the IP address, which you set during installation (typically e.g. https://192.168.1.10:8006)
2. At the same time it is appropriate to update the system by clicking on the created node in the left panel and subsequently on the option "Updates". I also recommend to "Repositories" using the button "Add" to add the option "No-subscription" and then execute Update a Restart the system.
3. Now you can start configuring Proxmox VE, creating virtual machines and containers, setting storage and network resources etc.