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Proxmox VE with ZFS

Complete guide to installing Proxmox VE virtualization platform with ZFS storage on Unraid for enterprise-grade virtual machine management.

Proxmox VE Virtualization Platform

Video [IBRACORP Video Tutorial - Coming Soon]

Useful Links

Related Videos

  • Virtual Machine Management
  • Storage Configuration
  • Network Setup
Disclaimer

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Please read our disclaimer https://docs.ibracorp.io/disclaimer

Credits​

RoleContributor
Writer / ProducerSycotix
Video Recording and VoiceSycotix
ContributorDiscDuck
Testing / ProofreadingHawks, North

Feature List​

Comprehensive Virtualization Platform

  • Virtual Machine Management with web-based interface
  • Container Support with LXC containers
  • ZFS Storage Integration with snapshots and replication
  • High Availability Clustering for enterprise environments
  • Backup and Restore with automated scheduling
  • Network Management with software-defined networking
  • Role-based Access Control for multi-user environments
  • API Integration for automation and monitoring
  • Live Migration of VMs between cluster nodes
  • Storage Replication for disaster recovery
  • Web Console Access for remote management
  • Template System for rapid VM deployment

Prerequisites​

Hardware Requirements

  • CPU with virtualization extensions (Intel VT-x or AMD-V)
  • Minimum 2GB RAM (8GB+ recommended)
  • 32GB+ storage for Proxmox OS
  • Additional storage for ZFS pool (3+ drives recommended)
  • Network connectivity
  • UEFI/BIOS with virtualization enabled

Software Requirements

  • Unraid server (if installing as VM)
  • Proxmox VE ISO (version 7.0 or later)
  • Basic understanding of virtualization concepts
  • SSH client for command-line access

Installation​

Download Proxmox VE ISO​

  1. Download ISO: Visit Proxmox Downloads
  2. Select Version: Download latest stable Proxmox VE ISO
  3. Place ISO: Copy to your Unraid's /mnt/user/isos/ directory

VM Creation on Unraid​

Create Proxmox VM

  1. Enable VM Manager: In Unraid, go to Settings → VM Manager and enable VMs

  2. Create New VM: Click "Add VM" and select "Linux"

  3. VM Configuration:

    Name: Proxmox-VE
    Template: Debian
    CPU: 2+ threads (4+ recommended)
    Initial Memory: 2048MB (4096MB+ recommended)
    Max Memory: Match initial memory

  4. Storage Configuration:

    • vDisk 1: 32GB (Proxmox OS)
    • vDisk 2: 100GB (ZFS Pool Member 1)
    • vDisk 3: 100GB (ZFS Pool Member 2)
    • vDisk 4: 100GB (ZFS Pool Member 3)

  5. Network Settings:

    Network Source: br0 (or your bridge)
    Network Model: VirtIO (paravirtualized)

  6. Graphics: VNC for installation, can be changed later

Proxmox VE Installation Process​

Boot and Install

  1. Start VM: Boot from Proxmox VE ISO

  2. Installation Menu: Select "Install Proxmox VE"

  3. Accept EULA: Read and accept the End User License Agreement

  4. Target Harddisk: Select the 32GB disk for Proxmox installation

  5. Location and Time Zone: Configure your geographic settings

  6. Administration Password: Set strong root password

  7. Network Configuration:

    Hostname: pve.yourdomain.local
    IP Address: 192.168.1.100/24 (adjust for your network)
    Gateway: 192.168.1.1
    DNS Server: 8.8.8.8

  8. Summary: Review settings and confirm installation

  9. Installation: Wait for installation to complete (5-10 minutes)

  10. Reboot: Remove ISO and restart VM

Initial Configuration​

First Boot Setup​

  1. Access Web Interface: Open browser to https://your-proxmox-ip:8006
  2. Login: Use root and the password set during installation
  3. Accept Certificate: Add security exception for self-signed certificate

Repository Configuration​

Switch to No-Subscription Repository

  1. Access Shell: Click on your node → Shell

  2. Edit Sources:

    nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-enterprise.list

  3. Comment Enterprise Repo: Add # before the line:

    # deb https://enterprise.proxmox.com/debian/pve bullseye pve-enterprise

  4. Add No-Subscription Repo:

    echo "deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve bullseye pve-no-subscription" >> /etc/apt/sources.list

  5. Update Package Lists:

    apt update

System Updates​

Update Proxmox

# Update package database
apt update

# Upgrade system packages
apt full-upgrade -y

# Reboot to apply kernel updates
reboot

ZFS Configuration​

Create ZFS Pool​

Set Up RAIDZ-1 Pool

  1. Access Shell: Log into Proxmox shell

  2. Identify Disks: List available disks:

    lsblk
    fdisk -l

  3. Create ZFS Pool: Create RAIDZ-1 with three disks:

    zpool create -f storage raidz /dev/sdb /dev/sdc /dev/sdd

  4. Verify Pool: Check pool status:

    zpool status
    zpool list

  5. Set Pool Properties:

    # Enable compression
    zfs set compression=lz4 storage

    # Set deduplication (optional, uses more RAM)
    zfs set dedup=on storage

    # Set auto-snapshots
    zfs set com.sun:auto-snapshot=true storage

Add Storage to Proxmox​

Configure ZFS Storage in Web Interface

  1. Navigate to Storage: Datacenter → Storage

  2. Add ZFS: Click Add → ZFS

  3. Configuration:

    ID: zfs-storage
    ZFS Pool: storage
    Content: Disk image, Container, VZDump backup file
    Nodes: Select your Proxmox node

  4. Enable: Check "Enabled" and click Add

ZFS Management Commands​

Useful ZFS Commands

# Check pool health
zpool status -v

# View pool I/O statistics
zpool iostat -v 2

# Create snapshot
zfs snapshot storage@backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# List snapshots
zfs list -t snapshot

# Rollback to snapshot
zfs rollback storage@backup-20231201

# Destroy snapshot
zfs destroy storage@backup-20231201

# Check filesystem usage
zfs list

# Set quotas
zfs set quota=50G storage/vm-disk

# Monitor ZFS ARC
arc_summary

VM and Container Management​

Creating Virtual Machines​

Create VM from Web Interface

  1. Click Create VM: Top right corner

  2. General Tab:

    • VM ID: Auto-assigned or custom
    • Name: Descriptive name
    • Resource Pool: Optional

  3. OS Tab:

    • ISO Image: Select from uploaded ISOs
    • Guest OS Type: Match your OS

  4. System Tab:

    • BIOS: UEFI (recommended for modern OSes)
    • Machine: Default (q35)

  5. Hard Disk Tab:

    • Bus/Device: SCSI (VirtIO SCSI)
    • Storage: zfs-storage
    • Disk size: As needed
    • Cache: Write back (unsafe)

  6. CPU Tab:

    • Cores: Based on requirements
    • Type: host (best performance)

  7. Memory Tab:

    • Memory: Set based on guest requirements
    • Ballooning: Enable for dynamic allocation

  8. Network Tab:

    • Bridge: vmbr0
    • Model: VirtIO (paravirtualized)

LXC Container Creation​

Create Linux Container

  1. Click Create CT: Next to Create VM

  2. General:

    • CT ID: Auto or custom
    • Hostname: Container name
    • Password: Root password

  3. Template:

    • Storage: local
    • Template: Choose from available

  4. Disks:

    • Storage: zfs-storage
    • Disk size: Container requirements

  5. CPU: Set core allocation

  6. Memory: Set RAM and swap

  7. Network: Configure as needed

Advanced Configuration​

High Availability Setup​

Cluster Configuration

# Create cluster (on first node)
pvecm create cluster-name

# Add node to cluster (on additional nodes)
pvecm add existing-cluster-ip

# Check cluster status
pvecm status

Backup Configuration​

Automatic Backup Setup

  1. Navigate: Datacenter → Backup

  2. Add Backup Job:

    • Storage: Select backup storage
    • Schedule: Cron format or preset
    • Mode: Snapshot, Suspend, or Stop
    • Compression: LZO or GZIP

  3. Backup Script Example:

    #!/bin/bash
    # Backup all VMs
    vzdump --all --mode snapshot --storage zfs-storage --compress lzo

Network Configuration​

Advanced Networking

# Edit network configuration
nano /etc/network/interfaces

# Example bridge configuration
auto vmbr1
iface vmbr1 inet static
    address 10.0.0.1/24
    bridge-ports none
    bridge-stp off
    bridge-fd 0
    post-up iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -s '10.0.0.0/24' -o vmbr0 -j MASQUERADE
    post-down iptables -t nat -D POSTROUTING -s '10.0.0.0/24' -o vmbr0 -j MASQUERADE

Storage Management​

Additional Storage Types

# Add directory storage
pvesm add dir local-storage --path /mnt/extra-storage --content backup,iso

# Add NFS storage
pvesm add nfs nfs-storage --server 192.168.1.200 --export /volume1/proxmox --content backup,iso

# Add iSCSI storage
pvesm add iscsi iscsi-storage --portal 192.168.1.201 --target iqn.2021-01.local.storage:target1

Monitoring and Maintenance​

Performance Monitoring​

System Monitoring Commands

# CPU and memory usage
htop

# Disk I/O monitoring
iotop

# Network monitoring
iftop

# ZFS pool monitoring
zpool iostat -v 2

# VM resource usage
qm list
pct list

Maintenance Tasks​

Regular Maintenance

# Update Proxmox
apt update && apt upgrade

# Clean old kernels
apt autoremove

# Check ZFS pool health
zpool scrub storage

# Backup configuration
tar -czf /root/proxmox-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /etc/pve

# Log rotation
logrotate -f /etc/logrotate.conf

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Boot Problems

  1. Grub Issues: Boot from rescue mode and reinstall:

    grub-install /dev/sda
    update-grub

  2. ZFS Import Failures: Force import pool:

    zpool import -f storage

Network Issues

  1. Bridge Configuration: Verify bridge settings:

    ip link show
    brctl show

  2. VM Network Problems: Check VM network configuration and restart networking

Storage Issues

  1. ZFS Pool Degraded: Check disk health:

    zpool status -v
    smartctl -a /dev/sdb

  2. Storage Full: Clean old backups and snapshots:

    zfs list -t snapshot
    zfs destroy storage@old-snapshot

Recovery Procedures​

Emergency Recovery

  1. Boot from Live CD: Use Proxmox installer in rescue mode
  2. Mount ZFS Pool: Import and mount existing pool
  3. Restore Configuration: Copy /etc/pve from backup
  4. Rebuild Boot: Reinstall bootloader if needed

Security Best Practices​

Access Control​

User Management

  1. Create Users: Avoid using root for daily operations
  2. Role Assignment: Use built-in roles or create custom ones
  3. Two-Factor Authentication: Enable 2FA for additional security
  4. API Tokens: Use tokens instead of passwords for automation

Network Security​

Firewall Configuration

# Enable firewall
pve-firewall start

# Configure rules in web interface:
# Datacenter → Firewall → Options → Enable

SSL Certificates​

Custom SSL Certificate

# Generate certificate request
openssl req -new -nodes -keyout /etc/pve/local/pve-ssl.key -out /etc/pve/local/pve-ssl.csr

# Install certificate
cp your-certificate.crt /etc/pve/local/pve-ssl.pem
systemctl restart pveproxy

Special Thanks​

  • Proxmox Team for creating this excellent virtualization platform
  • OpenZFS Community for the robust ZFS filesystem
  • To our fantastic Discord community and our Admins DiscDuck and Hawks for their input and testing

Please support the developers and creators involved in this work to help show them some love. ❤️

Final Words​

We hope you enjoyed this guide. It was conceptualized, written, and implemented by our Admin Sycotix.

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