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} 8       | Debian 12 (Bookworm)| 2023-06       | tba        | tba
  93 | {pve} 7       | Debian 11 (Bullseye)| 2021-07       | 2024-07    | 2024-07
  94 | {pve} 6       | Debian 10 (Buster)  | 2019-07       | 2022-09    | 2022-09
  95 | {pve} 5       | Debian 9 (Stretch)  | 2017-07       | 2020-07    | 2020-07
  96 | {pve} 4       | Debian 8 (Jessie)   | 2015-10       | 2018-06    | 2018-06
  97 | {pve} 3       | Debian 7 (Wheezy)   | 2013-05       | 2016-04    | 2017-02
  98 | {pve} 2       | Debian 6 (Squeeze)  | 2012-04       | 2014-05    | 2014-05
  99 | {pve} 1       | Debian 5 (Lenny)    | 2008-10       | 2012-03    | 2013-01
 100 |===============================================================================
 101
 102 [[faq-upgrade]]
 103 How can I upgrade {pve} to the next point release?::
 104
 105 Minor version upgrades, for example upgrading from {pve} in version 7.1
 106 to 7.2 or 7.3, can be done just like any normal update.
 107 But you should still check the https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Roadmap[release notes]
 108 for any relevant noteable, or breaking change.
 109 +
 110 For the update itself use either the Web UI __Node -> Updates__ panel or
 111 through the CLI with:
 112 +
 113 ----
 114 apt update
 115 apt full-upgrade
 116 ----
 117 +
 118 NOTE: Always ensure you correctly setup the
 119 xref:sysadmin_package_repositories[package repositories] and only
 120 continue with the actual upgrade if `apt update` did not hit any error.
 121
 122 [[faq-upgrade-major]]
 123 How can I upgrade {pve} to the next major release?::
 124
 125 Major version upgrades, for example going from {pve} 4.4 to 5.0, are also
 126 supported.
 127 They must be carefully planned and tested and should *never* be started without
 128 having a current backup ready.
 129 +
 130 Although the specific upgrade steps depend on your respective setup, we provide
 131 general instructions and advice of how a upgrade should be performed:
 132 +
 133 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_7_to_8[Upgrade from {pve} 7 to 8]
 134
 135 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_6.x_to_7.0[Upgrade from {pve} 6 to 7]
 136
 137 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_5.x_to_6.0[Upgrade from {pve} 5 to 6]
 138
 139 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_4.x_to_5.0[Upgrade from {pve} 4 to 5]
 140
 141 * https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_3.x_to_4.0[Upgrade from {pve} 3 to 4]
 142
 143 LXC vs LXD vs Proxmox Containers vs Docker::
 144
 145 LXC is a userspace interface for the Linux kernel containment
 146 features. Through a powerful API and simple tools, it lets Linux users
 147 easily create and manage system containers. LXC, as well as the former
 148 OpenVZ, aims at *system virtualization*. Thus, it allows you to run a
 149 complete OS inside a container, where you log in using ssh, add users,
 150 run apache, etc...
 151 +
 152 LXD is built on top of LXC to provide a new, better user
 153 experience. Under the hood, LXD uses LXC through `liblxc` and its Go
 154 binding to create and manage the containers. It's basically an
 155 alternative to LXC's tools and distribution template system with the
 156 added features that come from being controllable over the network.
 157 +
 158 Proxmox Containers are how we refer to containers that are created and managed
 159 using the Proxmox Container Toolkit (`pct`). They also target *system
 160 virtualization* and use LXC as the basis of the container offering. The
 161 Proxmox Container Toolkit (`pct`) is tightly coupled with {pve}. This means
 162 that it is aware of cluster setups, and it can use the same network
 163 and storage resources as QEMU virtual machines (VMs). You can even use the
 164 {pve} firewall, create and restore backups, or manage containers using
 165 the HA framework. Everything can be controlled over the network using
 166 the {pve} API.
 167 +
 168 Docker aims at running a *single* application in an isolated, self-contained
 169 environment. These are generally referred to as ``Application Containers'', rather
 170 than ``System Containers''. You manage a Docker instance from the host, using the
 171 Docker Engine command-line interface. It is not recommended to run docker
 172 directly on your {pve} host.
 173 +
 174 NOTE: If you want to run application containers, for example, 'Docker' images, it
 175 is best to run them inside a Proxmox QEMU VM.