4 {pmg} is based on Debian. This is why the install disk images (ISO files)
5 provided by Proxmox include a complete Debian system as well as all necessary
8 TIP: See the xref:faq-support-table[support table in the FAQ] for the
9 relationship between {pmg} releases and Debian releases.
11 The installer will guide you through the setup, allowing you to partition the local
12 disk(s), apply basic system configurations (for example, timezone, language,
13 network) and install all required packages. This process should not take more
14 than a few minutes. Installing with the provided ISO is the recommended method
15 for new and existing users.
17 Alternatively, {pmg} can be installed on top of an existing Debian system. This
18 option is only recommended for advanced users because detailed knowledge about
21 include::pmg-installation-media.adoc[]
24 Using the {pmg} Installation CD-ROM
25 -----------------------------------
27 The installer ISO image includes the following:
29 * Complete operating system (Debian Linux, 64-bit)
31 * The {pmg} installer, which partitions the hard drive(s) with ext4,
32 XFS or ZFS and installs the operating system
36 * Postfix MTA, ClamAV, Spamassassin and the {pmg} toolset
38 * Web-based management interface for using the toolset
40 NOTE: All existing data on the for installation selected drives will be removed
41 during the installation process. The installer does not add boot menu entries
42 for other operating systems.
44 Please insert the xref:installation_prepare_media[prepared installation media]
45 (for example, USB flash drive or CD-ROM) and boot from it.
47 TIP: Make sure that booting from the installation medium (for example, USB) is
48 enabled in your server's firmware settings. Secure boot needs to be disabled
49 when booting an installer prior to {pmg} version 8.1.
51 [thumbnail="installer/pmg-grub-menu.png"]
53 After choosing the correct entry (for example, Boot from USB) the {pmg} menu
54 will be displayed, and one of the following options can be selected:
56 Install {pmg} (Graphical)::
58 Start normal installation.
60 TIP: It's possible to use the installation wizard with a keyboard only. Buttons
61 can be clicked by pressing the `ALT` key combined with the underlined character
62 from the respective button. For example, `ALT + N` to press a `Next` button.
64 Install {pmg} (Terminal UI)::
66 Starts the terminal-mode installation wizard. It provides the same overall
67 installation experience as the graphical installer, but has generally better
68 compatibility with very old and very new hardware.
70 Install {pmg} (Terminal UI, Serial Console)::
72 Starts the terminal-mode installation wizard, additionally setting up the Linux
73 kernel to use the (first) serial port of the machine for in- and output. This
74 can be used if the machine is completely headless and only has a serial console
77 [thumbnail="installer/pmg-tui-installer.png"]
79 Both modes use the same code base for the actual installation process to
80 benefit from more than a decade of bug fixes and ensure feature parity.
82 TIP: The 'Terminal UI' option can be used in case the graphical installer does
83 not work correctly, due to e.g. driver issues.
85 Advanced Options: Install {pmg} (Graphical, Debug Mode)::
87 Starts the installation in debug mode. A console will be opened at several
88 installation steps. This helps to debug the situation if something goes wrong.
89 To exit a debug console, press `CTRL-D`. This option can be used to boot a live
90 system with all basic tools available. You can use it, for example, to repair a
91 degraded ZFS 'rpool' or fix the bootloader for an existing {pmg} setup.
93 Advanced Options: Install {pmg} (Terminal UI, Debug Mode)::
95 Same as the graphical debug mode, but preparing the system to run the
96 terminal-based installer instead.
98 Advanced Options: Install {pmg} (Serial Console Debug Mode)::
100 Same the terminal-based debug mode, but additionally sets up the Linux kernel to
101 use the (first) serial port of the machine for in- and output.
103 Advanced Options: Rescue Boot::
105 With this option you can boot an existing installation. It searches all attached
106 hard disks. If it finds an existing installation, it boots directly into that
107 disk using the Linux kernel from the ISO. This can be useful if there are
108 problems with the bootloader (GRUB/`systemd-boot`) or the BIOS/UEFI is unable to
109 read the boot block from the disk.
111 Advanced Options: Test Memory (memtest86+)::
113 Runs `memtest86+`. This is useful to check if the memory is functional and free
114 of errors. Secure Boot must be turned off in the UEFI firmware setup utility to
117 You normally select *Install {pmg} (Graphical)* to start the installation.
119 [thumbnail="installer/pmg-select-target-disk.png"]
121 The first step is to read our EULA (End User License Agreement). Following
122 this, you can select the target hard disk(s) for the installation.
124 CAUTION: By default, the whole server is used and all existing data is removed.
125 Make sure there is no important data on the server before proceeding with the
128 The `Options` button lets you select the target file system, which
129 defaults to `ext4`. The installer uses LVM if you select
130 `ext4` or `xfs` as a file system, and offers additional options to
131 restrict LVM space (see <<advanced_lvm_options,below>>)
133 If you have more than one disk, you can also use ZFS as a file system.
134 ZFS supports several software RAID levels, which is particularly useful
135 if you do not have a hardware RAID controller. The `Options` button
136 lets you choose the ZFS RAID level and select which disks will be used.
138 WARNING: ZFS on top of any hardware RAID is not supported and can result in data
141 [thumbnail="installer/pmg-select-location.png", float="left"]
143 The next page asks for basic configuration options like your
144 location, timezone, and keyboard layout. The location is used to
145 select a nearby download server, in order to increase the speed of updates.
146 The installer is usually able to auto-detect these settings, so you only need to
147 change them in rare situations when auto-detection fails, or when you want to
148 use a keyboard layout not commonly used in your country.
150 [thumbnail="installer/pmg-set-password.png"]
152 You then need to specify an email address and the superuser (root)
153 password. The password must have at least 5 characters, but we highly
154 recommend to use stronger passwords - here are some guidelines:
156 - Use a minimum password length of 12 to 14 characters.
158 - Include lowercase and uppercase alphabetic characters, numbers and symbols.
160 - Avoid character repetition, keyboard patterns, dictionary words, letter or
161 number sequences, usernames, relative or pet names, romantic links (current
162 or past) and biographical information (e.g., ID numbers, ancestors' names or
165 It is sometimes necessary to send notification to the system administrator, for
168 - Information about available package updates.
170 - Error messages from periodic cron jobs.
172 All those notification mails will be sent to the specified email address.
174 [thumbnail="installer/pmg-setup-network.png"]
176 The next step is the network configuration. Please note that you can use either
177 IPv4 or IPv6 here, but not both. If you want to configure a dual stack node,
178 you can easily do that after the installation.
180 [thumbnail="installer/pmg-installation.png", float="left"]
182 When you press `Next`, you will see an overview of your entered configuration.
183 Please re-check every setting, you can still use the `Previous` button to go
184 back and edit any settings.
186 After clicking `Install`, the installer will begin to format and copy packages
187 to the target disk(s).
189 [thumbnail="installer/pmg-summary.png"]
191 Copying the packages usually takes several minutes. When this is
192 finished, you can reboot the server.
194 If the installation failed, check out specific errors on the second TTY
195 (`CTRL + ALT + F2') and ensure that the systems meets the
196 xref:install_minimal_requirements[minimum requirements]. If the installation
197 is still not working, look at the xref:getting_help[how to get help chapter].
199 Further configuration is done via the {pmg} web interface:
201 [thumbnail="screenshot/pmg-gui-login-window.png"]
203 . Point your browser to the IP address given during the installation
204 (https://youripaddress:8006).
206 . Log in and upload your subscription key.
208 NOTE: The default login is "root", and the password is the one chosen during the
211 . Check the IP configuration and hostname.
213 . Check the timezone.
215 . Check your xref:firewall_settings[Firewall settings].
217 . Configure {pmg} to forward the incoming SMTP traffic to your mail
218 server ('Configuration/Mail Proxy/Default Relay') - 'Default
219 Relay' is your email server.
221 . Configure your email server to send all outgoing messages through
222 your {pmg} ('Smart Host', port 26 by default).
224 For detailed deployment scenarios see chapter
225 xref:chapter_deployment[Planning for Deployment].
227 After the installation, you have to route all your incoming and
228 outgoing email traffic to {pmg}. For incoming traffic, you
229 have to configure your firewall and/or DNS settings. For outgoing
230 traffic you need to change the existing email server configuration.
233 [[advanced_lvm_options]]
234 Advanced LVM Configuration Options
235 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
237 The installer creates a Volume Group (VG) called `pmg`, and additional
238 Logical Volumes (LVs) called `root` and `swap`. The size of
239 those volumes can be controlled with:
243 Defines the total disk size to be used. This way you can save free
244 space on the disk for further partitioning (i.e. for an additional PV
245 and VG on the same disk that can be used for LVM storage).
249 Defines the size of the `swap` volume. The default is the size of the
250 installed memory. The minimum is 4 GB and the maximum is 8 GB. The resulting
251 value cannot be greater than `hdsize/8`.
255 Defines the amount of free space that should be left in the LVM volume group
256 `pmg`. With more than 128GB storage available, the default is 16GB, otherwise
257 `hdsize/8` will be used.
259 NOTE: LVM requires free space in the VG for snapshot creation (not
260 required for lvmthin snapshots).
266 ZFS works best with a lot of memory. If you intend to use ZFS make sure to have
267 enough RAM available for it. A good calculation is 4GB plus 1GB RAM for each TB
270 ZFS can use a dedicated drive as write cache, called the ZFS Intent Log (ZIL).
271 Use a fast drive (SSD) for it. It can be added after installation with the
275 # zpool add <pool-name> log </dev/path_to_fast_ssd>
278 Adding the `nomodeset` Kernel Parameter
279 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
281 Problems may arise on very old or very new hardware due to graphics drivers. If
282 the installation hangs during the boot. In that case, you can try adding the
283 `nomodeset` parameter. This prevents the Linux kernel from loading any
284 graphics drivers and forces it to continue using the BIOS/UEFI-provided
287 On the {pmg} bootloader menu, navigate to 'Install {pmg} (Terminal UI)' and
288 press `e` to edit the entry. Using the arrow keys, navigate to the line starting
289 with `linux`, move the cursor to the end of that line and add the
290 parameter `nomodeset`, separated by a space from the pre-existing last
293 Then press `Ctrl-X` or `F10` to boot the configuration.
295 [[pmg_install_on_debian]]
296 Install {pmg} on Debian
297 -----------------------
299 {pmg} ships as a set of Debian packages, so you can install it
300 on top of a normal Debian installation. After configuring the
301 xref:pmg_package_repositories[package repositories], you need to run:
306 apt install proxmox-mailgateway
309 Installing on top of an existing Debian installation seems easy, but
310 it assumes that you have correctly installed the base system, and you
311 know how you want to configure and use the local storage. Network
312 configuration is also completely up to you.
314 NOTE: In general, this is not trivial, especially when you use LVM or
318 [[pmg_install_on_debian_container]]
319 Install {pmg} as a Linux Container Appliance
320 --------------------------------------------
322 {pmg} can also run inside a Debian-based LXC
323 instance. In order to keep the set of installed software, and thus the
324 necessary updates minimal, you can use the `proxmox-mailgateway-container`
325 meta-package. This does not depend on any Linux kernel, firmware, or components
326 used for booting from bare-metal, like GRUB.
328 A ready-to-use appliance template is available through the `mail` section of the
329 https://www.proxmox.com/proxmox-virtual-environment/overview[Proxmox VE]
330 appliance manager, so if you already use Proxmox VE, you can set up a {pmg}
333 NOTE: It's recommended to use a static network configuration. If DHCP must be
334 used, ensure that the container always leases the same IP, for example, by
335 reserving one with the container's network MAC address.
337 Additionally, you can install this on top of a container-based Debian
338 installation. After configuring the
339 xref:pmg_package_repositories[package repositories], you need to run:
344 apt install proxmox-mailgateway-container
347 [[pmg_package_repositories]]
351 {pmg} uses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Packaging_Tool[APT] as its
352 package management tool like any other Debian-based system.
354 Repositories in {pmg}
355 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
357 Repositories are a collection of software packages. They can be used to install
358 new software, but are also important to get new updates.
360 NOTE: You need valid Debian and Proxmox repositories to get the latest
361 security updates, bug fixes and new features.
363 APT Repositories are defined in the file `/etc/apt/sources.list` and in `.list`
364 files placed in `/etc/apt/sources.list.d/`.
366 Repository Management
367 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
369 [thumbnail="screenshot/pmg-gui-admin-repositories.png"]
371 Since {pmg} 7.0 you can check the repository state in the web interface. The
372 'Dashboard' shows a high level status overview, while the separate 'Repository'
373 panel (accessible via 'Administration') shows in-depth status and list of all
374 configured repositories.
376 Basic repository management, for example, activating or deactivating a
377 repository, is also supported.
382 In a `sources.list` file, each line defines a package repository. The preferred
383 source must come first. Empty lines are ignored. A `#` character anywhere on a
384 line marks the remainder of that line as a comment. The available packages from
385 a repository are acquired by running `apt update`. Updates can be installed
386 directly using `apt`, or via the GUI (Administration -> Updates).
388 .File `/etc/apt/sources.list`
390 # basic Debian repositories:
391 deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm main contrib
392 deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates main contrib
395 deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib
397 # Proxmox Mail Gateway repo required too - see below!
400 {pmg} provides three different package repositories.
403 {pmg} Enterprise Repository
404 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
406 This is the default, stable and recommended repository, available for
407 all {pmg} subscription users. It contains the most stable packages,
408 and is suitable for production use. The `pmg-enterprise` repository is
411 .File `/etc/apt/sources.list.d/pmg-enterprise.list`
413 deb https://enterprise.proxmox.com/debian/pmg bookworm pmg-enterprise
416 As soon as updates are available, the `root@pam` user is notified via
417 email about the newly available packages. From the GUI, the change-log of
418 each package can be viewed (if available), showing all details of the
419 update. Thus, you will never miss important security fixes.
421 Please note that you need a valid subscription key to access this
422 repository. We offer different support levels, which you can find further
423 details about at {pricing-url}.
425 NOTE: You can disable this repository by commenting out the above line
426 using a `#` (at the start of the line). This prevents error messages,
427 if you do not have a subscription key. Please configure the
428 `pmg-no-subscription` repository in this case.
431 {pmg} No-Subscription Repository
432 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
434 As the name suggests, you do not need a subscription key to access
435 this repository. It can be used for testing and non-production
436 use. It's not recommended to use this on production servers, as these
437 packages are not always heavily tested and validated.
439 We recommend configuring this repository in `/etc/apt/sources.list`.
441 .File `/etc/apt/sources.list`
443 deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian bookworm main contrib
444 deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates main contrib
447 deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib
449 # PMG pmg-no-subscription repository provided by proxmox.com,
450 # NOT recommended for production use
451 deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pmg bookworm pmg-no-subscription
455 {pmg} Test Repository
456 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
458 Finally, there is a repository called `pmgtest`. This contains the
459 latest packages, and is heavily used by developers to test new
460 features. As with before, you can configure this using
461 `/etc/apt/sources.list` by adding the following line:
463 .sources.list entry for `pmgtest`
465 deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pmg bookworm pmgtest
468 WARNING: the `pmgtest` repository should only be used
469 for testing new features or bug fixes.
475 We use GnuPG to sign the `Release` files inside these repositories,
476 and APT uses these signatures to verify that all packages are from a
479 The key used for verification is already installed, if you install from
480 our installation CD. If you install via another means, you can manually
481 download the key by executing the following command as root user:
484 # wget https://enterprise.proxmox.com/debian/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg -O /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg
487 Verify the checksum afterwards with the `sha512sum` CLI tool:
490 # sha512sum /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg
491 7da6fe34168adc6e479327ba517796d4702fa2f8b4f0a9833f5ea6e6b48f6507a6da403a274fe201595edc86a84463d50383d07f64bdde2e3658108db7d6dc87 /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg
494 or the `md5sum` CLI tool:
497 # md5sum /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg
498 41558dc019ef90bd0f6067644a51cf5b /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg
502 Debian Non-Free Repository
503 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
505 Certain software cannot be made available in the `main` and `contrib`
506 areas of the {debian} archives, since it does not adhere to the Debian
507 Free Software Guidelines (DFSG). These are distributed in the
508 {debian_nonfree_archive_area}. For {pmg} two packages from the `non-free` area
509 are needed in order to support the RAR archive format:
511 * `p7zip-rar` for matching xref:pmg_mailfilter_what[Archive Objects] in the
512 xref:chapter_mailfilter[Rule system]
514 * `libclamunrar` for detecting viruses in RAR archives.
516 To enable the `non-free` component, run `editor /etc/apt/sources.list` and
517 append `non-free` to the end of each `.debian.org` repository line.
519 Following this, you can install the required packages with:
523 apt install libclamunrar p7zip-rar
527 [[pmg_debian_firmware_repo]]
528 Debian Firmware Repository
529 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
530 Starting with Debian Bookworm ({pmg} 8) non-free firmware (as defined by
531 https://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines[DFSG]) has been moved to the
532 newly created Debian repository component `non-free-firmware`.
534 Enable this repository if you want to set up
535 xref:pmg_firmware_cpu[Early OS Microcode Updates] or need additional
536 xref:pmg_firmware_runtime_files[Runtime Firmware Files] not already included in
537 the pre-installed package `pve-firmware`.
539 To be able to install packages from this component, run
540 `editor /etc/apt/sources.list`, append `non-free-firmware` to the end of each
541 `.debian.org` repository line and run `apt update`.