pve-faq.adoc

   1 Frequently Asked Questions
   2 ==========================
   3 ifndef::manvolnum[]
   4 :pve-toplevel:
   5 endif::manvolnum[]
   6 ifdef::wiki[]
   7 :title: FAQ
   8 endif::wiki[]
   9
  10 NOTE: New FAQs are appended to the bottom of this section.
  11
  12 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
  13 ADD NEW FAQS TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS SECTION TO MAINTAIN NUMBERING
  14 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
  15
  16 [qanda]
  17
  18 What distribution is {pve} based on?::
  19
  20 {pve} is based on https://www.debian.org[Debian GNU/Linux]
  21
  22 What license does the {pve} project use?::
  23
  24 {pve} code is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License,
  25 version 3.
  26
  27 Will {pve} run on a 32bit processor?::
  28
  29 {pve} works only on 64-bit CPUs (AMD or Intel). There is no plan
  30 for 32-bit for the platform.
  31 +
  32 NOTE: VMs and Containers can be both 32-bit and 64-bit.
  33
  34 Does my CPU support virtualization?::
  35
  36 To check if your CPU is virtualization compatible, check for the `vmx`
  37 or `svm` tag in this command output:
  38 +
  39 ----
  40 egrep '(vmx|svm)' /proc/cpuinfo
  41 ----
  42
  43 Supported Intel CPUs::
  44
  45 64-bit processors with
  46 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization_Technology#Intel_virtualization_.28VT-x.29[Intel
  47 Virtualization Technology (Intel VT-x)] support.
  48 (https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/search/featurefilter.html?productType=873&2_VTX=True&2_InstructionSet=64-bit[List of processors with Intel VT and 64-bit])
  49
  50 Supported AMD CPUs::
  51
  52 64-bit processors with
  53 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization_Technology#AMD_virtualization_.28AMD-V.29[AMD
  54 Virtualization Technology (AMD-V)] support.
  55
  56 What is a container/virtual environment (VE)/virtual private server (VPS)?::
  57
  58 In the context of containers, these terms all refer to the concept of
  59 operating-system-level virtualization. Operating-system-level virtualization is
  60 a method of virtualization, in which the kernel of an operating system
  61 allows for multiple isolated instances, that all share the kernel. When
  62 referring to LXC, we call such instances containers. Because containers use the
  63 host's kernel rather than emulating a full operating system, they require less
  64 overhead, but are limited to Linux guests.
  65
  66 What is a QEMU/KVM guest (or VM)?::
  67
  68 A QEMU/KVM guest (or VM) is a guest system running virtualized under
  69 {pve} using QEMU and the Linux KVM kernel module.
  70
  71 What is QEMU?::
  72
  73 QEMU is a generic and open source machine emulator and
  74 virtualizer. QEMU uses the Linux KVM kernel module to achieve near
  75 native performance by executing the guest code directly on the host
  76 CPU.
  77 It is not limited to Linux guests but allows arbitrary operating systems
  78 to run.
  79
  80 [[faq-support-table]]
  81 How long will my {pve} version be supported?::
  82
  83 {pve} versions are supported at least as long as the corresponding
  84 Debian Version is
  85 https://wiki.debian.org/DebianOldStable[oldstable]. {pve} uses a
  86 rolling release model and using the latest stable version is always
  87 recommended.
  88 +
  89 [width="100%",cols="5*d",options="header"]
  90 |===========================================================
  91 | {pve} Version | Debian Version    | First Release | Debian EOL | Proxmox EOL
  92 | {pve} 6.x     | Debian 10 (Buster)| 2019-07       | tba        | tba
  93 | {pve} 5.x     | Debian 9 (Stretch)| 2017-07       | 2020-07    | 2020-07
  94 | {pve} 4.x     | Debian 8 (Jessie) | 2015-10       | 2018-06    | 2018-06
  95 | {pve} 3.x     | Debian 7 (Wheezy) | 2013-05       | 2016-04    | 2017-02
  96 | {pve} 2.x     | Debian 6 (Squeeze)| 2012-04       | 2014-05    | 2014-05
  97 | {pve} 1.x     | Debian 5 (Lenny)  | 2008-10       | 2012-03    | 2013-01
  98 |===========================================================
  99
 100 [[faq-upgrade]]
 101 How can I upgrade {pve} to the next release?::
 102
 103 Minor version upgrades, for example upgrading from {pve} in version 5.1
 104 to 5.2, can be done just like any normal update, either through the Web
 105 GUI __Node -> Updates__ panel or through the CLI with:
 106 +
 107 ----
 108 apt update
 109 apt full-upgrade
 110 ----
 111 +
 112 NOTE: Always ensure you correctly setup the
 113 xref:sysadmin_package_repositories[package repositories] and only
 114 continue with the actual upgrade if `apt update` did not hit any error.
 115 +
 116 Major version upgrades, for example going from {pve} 4.4 to 5.0, are
 117 also supported. They must be carefully planned and tested and should
 118 *never* be started without having a current backup ready.
 119 Although the specific upgrade steps depend on your respective setup, we
 120 provide general instructions and advice of how a upgrade should be
 121 performed:
 122 +
 123 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_5.x_to_6.0[Upgrade from {pve} 5.x to 6.0]
 124
 125 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_4.x_to_5.0[Upgrade from {pve} 4.x to 5.0]
 126
 127 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_3.x_to_4.0[Upgrade from {pve} 3.x to 4.0]
 128
 129 LXC vs LXD vs Proxmox Containers vs Docker::
 130
 131 LXC is a userspace interface for the Linux kernel containment
 132 features. Through a powerful API and simple tools, it lets Linux users
 133 easily create and manage system containers. LXC, as well as the former
 134 OpenVZ, aims at *system virtualization*. Thus, it allows you to run a
 135 complete OS inside a container, where you log in using ssh, add users,
 136 run apache, etc...
 137 +
 138 LXD is built on top of LXC to provide a new, better user
 139 experience. Under the hood, LXD uses LXC through `liblxc` and its Go
 140 binding to create and manage the containers. It's basically an
 141 alternative to LXC's tools and distribution template system with the
 142 added features that come from being controllable over the network.
 143 +
 144 Proxmox Containers are how we refer to containers that are created and managed
 145 using the Proxmox Container Toolkit (`pct`). They also target *system
 146 virtualization* and use LXC as the basis of the container offering. The
 147 Proxmox Container Toolkit (`pct`) is tightly coupled with {pve}. This means
 148 that it is aware of cluster setups, and it can use the same network
 149 and storage resources as QEMU virtual machines (VMs). You can even use the
 150 {pve} firewall, create and restore backups, or manage containers using
 151 the HA framework. Everything can be controlled over the network using
 152 the {pve} API.
 153 +
 154 Docker aims at running a *single* application in an isolated, self-contained
 155 environment. These are generally referred to as ``Application Containers'', rather
 156 than ``System Containers''. You manage a Docker instance from the host, using the
 157 Docker Engine command line interface. It is not recommended to run docker
 158 directly on your {pve} host.
 159 +
 160 NOTE: If you want to run application containers, for example, 'Docker' images, it
 161 is best to run them inside a Proxmox Qemu VM.