10 {pve} is based on Debian and comes with an installation CD-ROM
11 which includes a complete Debian system ("stretch" for version 5.x) as
12 well as all necessary {pve} packages.
14 The installer just asks you a few questions, then partitions the local
15 disk(s), installs all required packages, and configures the system
16 including a basic network setup. You can get a fully functional system
17 within a few minutes. This is the preferred and recommended
20 Alternatively, {pve} can be installed on top of an existing Debian
21 system. This option is only recommended for advanced users since
22 detail knowledge about {pve} is necessary.
26 include::pve-system-requirements.adoc[]
31 Using the {pve} Installation CD-ROM
32 -----------------------------------
34 You can download the ISO from http://www.proxmox.com. It includes the
37 * Complete operating system (Debian Linux, 64-bit)
39 * The {pve} installer, which partitions the hard drive(s) with ext4,
40 ext3, xfs or ZFS and installs the operating system.
42 * {pve} kernel (Linux) with LXC and KVM support
44 * Complete toolset for administering virtual machines, containers and
45 all necessary resources
47 * Web based management interface for using the toolset
49 NOTE: By default, the complete server is used and all existing data is
52 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-grub-menu.png"]
54 Please insert the installation CD-ROM, then boot from that
55 drive. Immediately afterwards you can choose the following menu
60 Start normal installation.
62 Install Proxmox VE (Debug mode)::
64 Start installation in debug mode. It opens a shell console at several
65 installation steps, so that you can debug things if something goes
66 wrong. Please press `CTRL-D` to exit those debug consoles and continue
67 installation. This option is mostly for developers and not meant for
72 This option allows you to boot an existing installation. It searches
73 all attached hard disks and, if it finds an existing installation,
74 boots directly into that disk using the existing Linux kernel. This
75 can be useful if there are problems with the boot block (grub), or the
76 BIOS is unable to read the boot block from the disk.
80 Runs `memtest86+`. This is useful to check if your memory is
81 functional and error free.
83 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-select-target-disk.png"]
85 You normally select *Install Proxmox VE* to start the installation.
86 After that you get prompted to select the target hard disk(s). The
87 `Options` button lets you select the target file system, which
88 defaults to `ext4`. The installer uses LVM if you select `ext3`,
89 `ext4` or `xfs` as file system, and offers additional option to
90 restrict LVM space (see <<advanced_lvm_options,below>>)
92 If you have more than one disk, you can also use ZFS as file system.
93 ZFS supports several software RAID levels, so this is specially useful
94 if you do not have a hardware RAID controller. The `Options` button
95 lets you select the ZFS RAID level, and you can choose disks there.
97 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-select-location.png", float="left"]
99 The next page just ask for basic configuration options like your
100 location, the time zone and keyboard layout. The location is used to
101 select a download server near you to speedup updates. The installer is
102 usually able to auto detect those setting, so you only need to change
103 them in rare situations when auto detection fails, or when you want to
104 use some special keyboard layout not commonly used in your country.
106 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-set-password.png"]
108 You then need to specify an email address and the superuser (root)
109 password. The password must have at least 5 characters, but we highly
110 recommend to use stronger passwords - here are some guidelines:
112 - Use a minimum password length of 12 to 14 characters.
114 - Include lowercase and uppercase alphabetic characters, numbers and symbols.
116 - Avoid character repetition, keyboard patterns, dictionary words,
117 letter or number sequences, usernames, relative or pet names,
118 romantic links (current or past) and biographical information (e.g.,
119 ID numbers, ancestors' names or dates).
121 It is sometimes necessary to send notification to the system
122 administrator, for example:
124 - Information about available package updates.
126 - Error messages from periodic CRON jobs.
128 All those notification mails will be sent to the specified email
131 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-setup-network.png"]
133 The last step is the network configuration. Please note that you can
134 use either IPv4 or IPv6 here, but not both. If you want to configure a
135 dual stack node, you can easily do that after installation.
137 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-installation.png", float="left"]
139 If you press `Next` now, installation starts to format disks, and
140 copies packages to the target. Please wait until that is finished,
141 then reboot the server.
143 Further configuration is done via the Proxmox web interface. Just
144 point your browser to the IP address given during installation
145 (https://youripaddress:8006).
147 NOTE: Default login is "root" (realm 'PAM') and the root password is
148 defined during the installation process.
151 [[advanced_lvm_options]]
152 Advanced LVM Configuration Options
153 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
155 The installer creates a Volume Group (VG) called `pve`, and additional
156 Logical Volumes (LVs) called `root`, `data` and `swap`. The size of
157 those volumes can be controlled with:
161 Defines the total HD size to be used. This way you can save free
162 space on the HD for further partitioning (i.e. for an additional PV
163 and VG on the same hard disk that can be used for LVM storage).
167 Defines the size of the `swap` volume. The default is the size of the
168 installed memory, minimum 4 GB and maximum 8 GB. The resulting value cannot
169 be greater than `hdsize/8`.
171 NOTE: If set to `0`, no `swap` volume will be created.
175 Defines the maximum size of the `root` volume, which stores the operation
176 system. The maximum limit of the `root` volume size is `hdsize/4`.
180 Defines the maximum size of the `data` volume. The actual size of the `data`
183 `datasize = hdsize - rootsize - swapsize - minfree`
185 Where `datasize` cannot be bigger than `maxvz`.
187 NOTE: In case of LVM thin, the `data` pool will only be created if `datasize`
190 NOTE: If set to `0`, no `data` volume will be created and the storage
191 configuration will be adapted accordingly.
195 Defines the amount of free space left in LVM volume group `pve`.
196 With more than 128GB storage available the default is 16GB, else `hdsize/8`
199 NOTE: LVM requires free space in the VG for snapshot creation (not
200 required for lvmthin snapshots).
206 ZFS uses a lot of memory, so it is best to add additional RAM if you
207 want to use ZFS. A good calculation is 4GB plus 1GB RAM for each TB
210 ZFS also provides the feature to use a fast SSD drive as write cache. The
211 write cache is called the ZFS Intent Log (ZIL). You can add that after
212 installation using the following command:
214 zpool add <pool-name> log </dev/path_to_fast_ssd>
219 link:/wiki/Install_Proxmox_VE_on_Debian_Stretch[Install Proxmox VE on Debian Stretch]
220 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
222 link:/wiki/Install_from_USB_Stick[Install from USB Stick]
223 ---------------------------------------------------------
229 Install {pve} on Debian
230 -----------------------
232 {pve} ships as a set of Debian packages, so you can install it
233 on top of a normal Debian installation. After configuring the
234 repositories, you need to run:
239 apt-get install proxmox-ve
242 Installing on top of an existing Debian installation looks easy, but
243 it presumes that you have correctly installed the base system, and you
244 know how you want to configure and use the local storage. Network
245 configuration is also completely up to you.
247 In general, this is not trivial, especially when you use LVM or
250 You can find a detailed step by step howto on the
251 {webwiki-url}Install_Proxmox_VE_on_Debian_Stretch[wiki].
253 include::pve-usbstick.adoc[]
262 * List of all official tutorials on our
263 http://www.youtube.com/proxmoxve[Proxmox VE YouTube Channel]
265 * Tutorials in Spanish language on
266 http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUULBIhA5QDBdNf1pcTZ5UXhek63Fij8z[ITexperts.es
273 * link:/wiki/System_Requirements[System Requirements]
275 * link:/wiki/Package_Repositories[Package Repositories]
277 * link:/wiki/Host_System_Administration[Host System Administration]
279 * link:/wiki/Network_Configuration[Network Configuration]
281 * link:/wiki/Installation:_Tips_and_Tricks[Installation: Tips and Tricks]