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 http://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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization_Technology#Intel_virtualization_.28VT-x.29[Intel
  47 Virtualization Technology (Intel VT-x)] support. (http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced/?s=t&VTX=true&InstructionSet=64-bit[List of processors with Intel VT and 64-bit])
  48
  49 Supported AMD CPUs::
  50
  51 64-bit processors with
  52 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization_Technology#AMD_virtualization_.28AMD-V.29[AMD
  53 Virtualization Technology (AMD-V)] support.
  54
  55 What is a container/virtual environment (VE)/virtual private server (VPS)?::
  56
  57 In the context of containers, these terms all refer to the concept of
  58 operating-system-level virtualization. Operating-system-level virtualization is
  59 a method of virtualization, in which the kernel of an operating system
  60 allows for multiple isolated instances, that all share the kernel. When
  61 referring to LXC, we call such instances containers. Because containers use the
  62 host's kernel rather than emulating a full operating system, they require less
  63 overhead, but are limited to Linux guests.
  64
  65 What is a QEMU/KVM guest (or VM)?::
  66
  67 A QEMU/KVM guest (or VM) is a guest system running virtualized under
  68 {pve} using QEMU and the Linux KVM kernel module.
  69
  70 What is QEMU?::
  71
  72 QEMU is a generic and open source machine emulator and
  73 virtualizer. QEMU uses the Linux KVM kernel module to achieve near
  74 native performance by executing the guest code directly on the host
  75 CPU.
  76 It is not limited to Linux guests but allows arbitrary operating systems
  77 to run.
  78
  79 [[faq-support-table]]
  80 How long will my {pve} version be supported?::
  81
  82 {pve} versions are supported at least as long as the corresponding
  83 Debian Version is
  84 https://wiki.debian.org/DebianOldStable[oldstable]. {pve} uses a
  85 rolling release model and using the latest stable version is always
  86 recommended.
  87 +
  88 [width="100%",cols="5*d",options="header"]
  89 |===========================================================
  90 | {pve} Version | Debian Version    | First Release | Debian EOL | Proxmox EOL
  91 | {pve} 6.x     | Debian 10 (Buster)| 2019-07       | tba        | tba
  92 | {pve} 5.x     | Debian 9 (Stretch)| 2017-07       | 2020-07    | 2020-07
  93 | {pve} 4.x     | Debian 8 (Jessie) | 2015-10       | 2018-06    | 2018-06
  94 | {pve} 3.x     | Debian 7 (Wheezy) | 2013-05       | 2016-04    | 2017-02
  95 | {pve} 2.x     | Debian 6 (Squeeze)| 2012-04       | 2014-05    | 2014-05
  96 | {pve} 1.x     | Debian 5 (Lenny)  | 2008-10       | 2012-03    | 2013-01
  97 |===========================================================
  98
  99 [[faq-upgrade]]
 100 How can I upgrade {pve} to the next release?::
 101
 102 Minor version upgrades, for example upgrading from {pve} in version 5.1
 103 to 5.2, can be done just like any normal update, either through the Web
 104 GUI __Node -> Updates__ panel or through the CLI with:
 105 +
 106 ----
 107 apt update
 108 apt full-upgrade
 109 ----
 110 +
 111 NOTE: Always ensure you correctly setup the
 112 xref:sysadmin_package_repositories[package repositories] and only
 113 continue with the actual upgrade if `apt update` did not hit any error.
 114 +
 115 Major version upgrades, for example going from {pve} 4.4 to 5.0, are
 116 also supported. They must be carefully planned and tested and should
 117 *never* be started without having a current backup ready.
 118 Although the specific upgrade steps depend on your respective setup, we
 119 provide general instructions and advice of how a upgrade should be
 120 performed:
 121 +
 122 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_5.x_to_6.0[Upgrade from {pve} 5.x to 6.0]
 123
 124 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_4.x_to_5.0[Upgrade from {pve} 4.x to 5.0]
 125
 126 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_3.x_to_4.0[Upgrade from {pve} 3.x to 4.0]
 127
 128 LXC vs LXD vs Proxmox Containers vs Docker::
 129
 130 LXC is a userspace interface for the Linux kernel containment
 131 features. Through a powerful API and simple tools, it lets Linux users
 132 easily create and manage system containers. LXC, as well as the former
 133 OpenVZ, aims at *system virtualization*. Thus, it allows you to run a
 134 complete OS inside a container, where you log in using ssh, add users,
 135 run apache, etc...
 136 +
 137 LXD is built on top of LXC to provide a new, better user
 138 experience. Under the hood, LXD uses LXC through `liblxc` and its Go
 139 binding to create and manage the containers. It's basically an
 140 alternative to LXC's tools and distribution template system with the
 141 added features that come from being controllable over the network.
 142 +
 143 Proxmox Containers are how we refer to containers that are created and managed
 144 using the Proxmox Container Toolkit (`pct`). They also target *system
 145 virtualization* and use LXC as the basis of the container offering. The
 146 Proxmox Container Toolkit (`pct`) is tightly coupled with {pve}. This means
 147 that it is aware of cluster setups, and it can use the same network
 148 and storage resources as QEMU virtual machines (VMs). You can even use the
 149 {pve} firewall, create and restore backups, or manage containers using
 150 the HA framework. Everything can be controlled over the network using
 151 the {pve} API.
 152 +
 153 Docker aims at running a *single* application in an isolated, self-contained
 154 environment. These are generally referred to as ``Application Containers'', rather
 155 than ``System Containers''. You manage a Docker instance from the host, using the
 156 Docker Engine command line interface. It is not recommended to run docker
 157 directly on your {pve} host.
 158 +
 159 NOTE: If you want to run application containers, for example, 'Docker' images, it
 160 is best to run them inside a Proxmox Qemu VM.