Expert Guide, Use CaseProxmox: Installation manual for the VMware alternative

Proxmox installation - introduction 

Following the takeover of VMware, the new pricing and product policy is causing headaches for many VMware customers. Small and medium-sized companies in particular are affected by this policy, as the use of VMware can become significantly more expensive.

In light of this, alternatives are being sought. The gold standard on Linux is KVM (Kernel-based virtual machine). However, KVM itself is not yet a usable product in itself, but an infrastructure of the Linux kernel that can be used for virtualisation. Ultimately, this can be utilised by QEMU.

in particular. Although this can be used via powerful command line tools, it is ultimately not a platform solution such as that offered by VMware. For very small infrastructures (< 10 hosts), pure QEMU operation is conceivable, possibly flanked by a web interface such as Cockpit; for larger infrastructures, however, the possibilities of vSphere will increasingly be missed.

Proxmox VE (Proxmox Virtual Environment), a Debian-based platform solution for controlling a virtualisation solution based on KVM and QEMU, can be used to take the next step. Linux Containers (LXC) is also included.

Requirements

The minimum requirements include a 64-bit CPU with Intel VT/AMD-V support and "at least 1GB RAM" as well as a hard drive and a network card. We have interpreted these requirements somewhat more generously for an initial test installation:

CPU: 8 CPU
RAM: 32 GB
HDD: 200 GB

For evaluation purpose, we used a VM within another virtualisation solution. This is possible if you transfer the CPU to the virtual machine. 

Proxmox installation step by step

To date, the Proxmox installation file can be downloaded from the Proxmox website as an ISO file without further ado. This can then be transferred to a USB stick using dd under Linux or a tool such as Rufus.

If you are using a virtualisation solution, you can transfer the ISO file to it and use it when you create the virtual machine. 

Start the host so that it boots from your data storage device.

After booting, you should immediately see the Proxmox installation screen:

Now select "Install Proxmox VE (Graphical)". You will then receive a 'Wizard' that will guide you through the installation:

• Read the End User Licence Agreement carefully ( twinkle, twinkle) and continue with I agree.
• Select the target hard drive in "Target Harddisk". Please note that installers do not always select a 'sensible' sequence of hard disks, so make sure that you select the correct target hard disk.
• Continue with Next.
• Select country, time zone and keyboard layout in the next area and continue with Next.
• The next window allows you to assign a secure root password, which you will need both for logging in via the console/SSH and the Proxmox web interface. It must therefore be sufficiently strong. You can also enter an e-mail address to which Proxmox can send notifications. Continue with Next.

• In the next step, you can enter the usual values for IP, host name, gateway and DNS. If you have a DHCP server in the network, an IP address from the DHCP range may already be suggested here, but I recommend using a fixed IP address. Do not forget to adjust the FQDN as well. Continue with Next.

• In the next window you will see a summary of the configuration and can start the actual installation with Install.

Proxmox interface

After installation, the system is restarted once and then displays the usual Linux console, where you will also find the address of your server's web interface:

• https://fqdn.example.com:8006

If you call up this address, you will have to accept a certificate warning, as the server was of course installed with a self-signed SSL certificate. You can then log in with the root user and the password you have chosen.

Repository customisations

Attention: The instructions listed here reflect the status in May 2024. Please check under 

https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Package_Repositories,

whether the status is still up to date. If in doubt, copy the listed commands from the manufacturer's instructions.

Productive use

If you want to use Proxmox on a daily basis, we recommend that you purchase at least the basic support option (currently „Community“, available at https://www.proxmox.com/de/proxmoxvirtual-environment/preise). With this option you get access to the Proxmox enterprise repository and the latest updates. Proxmox also offers a 'No subscription' repository, which you must set up separately.

To do this, log in to your server using ssh and the root password assigned during installation and define the required repository:

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

Afterwards you can download updates from this repository.

apt provides error messages for the preset Enterprise repositories in the event of an update, but you can ignore these for the moment.

The first VM

But now we want to create our first VM!

To do this, we go to the option for ISO images in the side menu:

The option "Download from URL" worked at least for Debian NetInstall. Alternatively, an ISO can be uploaded from your own hard drive.

Once the ISO is ready, we can press the "Create VM" button in the top right-hand corner of the interface. The following process should be familiar to anyone who is already familiar with other virtualisation solutions:

• Assign a name below General.

• Select the ISO image we just uploaded below OS.

• System can be left unchanged.

• For Discs, the default 32 GiB can be left or changed. 10 GiB are more than sufficient for a pure test system with Debian.

• CPU and memory can be adjusted as required.

• In "Network", a network bridge is already set up with vmbr0, which enables the virtual machine to use a "public" IP from the same network as the Proxmox server or to obtain it via DHCP.

• The virtual machine can finally be created with Confirm and Finish.

The virtual machine then appears in the side menu and can be selected there to start it with Start Now.

Evaluating the solution for use in productive environments

Of course, a single VM says little about a virtualisation solution. For a more in-depth evaluation, I would recommend running a real load on the installation on the way to the production system in order to familiarise yourself with the system and to identify any general problems or problems occurring in your own environment.

Particularly suitable for this:

• Running other products virtualised for evaluation.
• Test systems that are used as a test for updates to productive environments, as long as the difference in the virtualisation solution is considered an acceptable deviation.
• Cattle referring, for example, to build systems that are regularly rebooted automatically anyway. Using this example, you can also directly test whether and how Proxmox can be integrated into corresponding build pipelines. 

The lack of support tailored to Proxmox from providers of virtual appliances and backup software will be a main factor hindering its distribution. With regard to the latter, we will initially have to rely on our own designs.

Conclusion

Proxmox is quick to set up for small infrastructures and ultimately offers essential functions that you are used to from VMware. In our experience, KVM-based virtualisation is stable, fast and resource-efficient. With regard to the latter, it should be added that our freshly installed Proxmox  consumed a whole 327 MB of RAM without load.

The lack of support from providers of virtual appliances and backup software tailored to Proxmox will be a major obstacle to its widespread use. As far as the latter is concerned, we will initially have to rely on our own designs.