Getting Started with Proxmox

knowledge proxmox virtualization tutorial

Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE) is a powerful open-source platform for running virtual machines and containers. This guide will walk you through the initial setup.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • A dedicated machine or server
  • At least 8GB RAM (16GB+ recommended)
  • A 64-bit processor with virtualization support
  • A USB drive for installation media

Installation

noteAlways back up important data before installing a new operating system.

  1. Download the Proxmox VE ISO from the official website.
  2. Create a bootable USB drive using a tool like Balena Etcher.
  3. Boot from the USB drive and follow the installation wizard.

Initial Configuration

After installation, access the web interface at https://your-server-ip:8006.

tipUse the root account you created during installation to log in.

Update the System

First, update your Proxmox installation:

apt update && apt full-upgrade -y

Create Your First VM

  1. Click “Create VM” in the top right
  2. Follow the wizard to configure:
    • Name and VM ID
    • ISO image
    • System settings
    • Disk size
    • CPU and memory

warningAllocating too much memory to VMs can cause the host to become unstable.

Next Steps

Now that you have Proxmox running, you might want to explore:

  • Setting up containers with LXC
  • Configuring storage pools
  • Setting up backups
  • Clustering multiple nodes

This article is part of the Infrastructure series.