10 {pve} is based on Debian. This is why the install disk images (ISO files)
11 provided by Proxmox include a complete Debian system (Debian 10 Buster for
12 {pve} version 6.x) as well as all necessary {pve} packages.
14 The installer will guide through the setup, allowing you to partition the local
15 disk(s), apply basic system configurations (e.g. timezone, language, network)
16 and install all required packages. This process should not take more than a few
17 minutes. Installing with the provided ISO is the recommended method for new and
20 Alternatively, {pve} can be installed on top of an existing Debian system. This
21 option is only recommended for advanced users because detailed knowledge about
26 include::pve-system-requirements.adoc[]
31 Using the {pve} Installer
32 -------------------------
34 Download the installer ISO at {website}en/downloads. It includes the following:
36 * Complete operating system (Debian Linux, 64-bit)
38 * The {pve} installer, which partitions the local disk(s) with ext4,
39 ext3, xfs or ZFS and installs the operating system.
41 * {pve} kernel (Linux) with KVM and LXC support
43 * Complete toolset for administering virtual machines, containers and
44 all necessary resources
46 * Web-based management interface
48 NOTE: All existing data on the server will be removed during the installation
51 Please insert the installation media (e.g. USB flash drive, CD-ROM) and boot
54 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-grub-menu.png"]
56 After choosing the correct entry (e.g. Boot from USB) the {pve} menu will be
57 displayed and one of the following options can be selected:
61 Starts the normal installation.
63 TIP: It's possible to use the installation wizard with a keyboard only. Buttons
64 can be clicked by pressing the `ALT` key combined with the underlined character
65 from the respective button. For example, `ALT + N` to press a `Next` button.
67 Install {pve} (Debug mode)::
69 Starts the installation in debug mode. A console will be opened at several
70 installation steps. This helps to debug the situation if something goes wrong.
71 To exit a debug console, press `CTRL-D`. This option can be used to boot a live
72 system with all basic tools available. You can use it, for example, to
73 xref:chapter_zfs[repair a degraded ZFS 'rpool'] or fix the
74 xref:sysboot[bootloader] for an existing {pve} setup.
78 With this option you can boot an existing installation. It searches all attached
79 hard disks. If it finds an existing installation, it boots directly into that
80 disk using the Linux kernel from the ISO. This can be useful if there are
81 problems with the boot block (grub) or the BIOS is unable to read the boot block
86 Runs `memtest86+`. This is useful to check if the memory is functional and free
89 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-select-target-disk.png"]
91 After selecting *Install {pve}* and accepting the EULA, the prompt to select the
92 target hard disk(s) will appear. The `Options` button opens the dialog to select
93 the target file system.
95 The default file system is `ext4`. The Logical Volume Manager (LVM) is used when
96 `ext3`, `ext4` or `xfs` ist selected. Additional options to restrict LVM space
97 can be set (see <<advanced_lvm_options,below>>).
99 {pve} can be installed on ZFS. As ZFS offers several software RAID levels, this
100 is an option for systems that don't have a hardware RAID controller. The target
101 disks must be selected in the `Options` dialog. More ZFS specific settings can
102 be changed under `Advanced Options` (see <<advanced_zfs_options,below>>).
104 WARNING: ZFS on top of any hardware RAID is not supported and can result in data
107 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-select-location.png", float="left"]
109 The next page asks for basic configuration options like the location, the time
110 zone, and keyboard layout. The location is used to select a download server
111 close by to speed up updates. The installer usually auto-detects these settings.
112 They only need to be changed in the rare case that auto detection fails or a
113 different keyboard layout should be used.
115 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-set-password.png"]
117 Next the password of the superuser (root) and an email address needs to be
118 specified. The password must consist of at least 5 characters. It's highly
119 recommended to use a stronger password. Some guidelines are:
121 - Use a minimum password length of 12 to 14 characters.
123 - Include lowercase and uppercase alphabetic characters, numbers, and symbols.
125 - Avoid character repetition, keyboard patterns, common dictionary words,
126 letter or number sequences, usernames, relative or pet names, romantic links
127 (current or past), and biographical information (for example ID numbers,
128 ancestors' names or dates).
130 The email address is used to send notifications to the system administrator.
133 - Information about available package updates.
135 - Error messages from periodic CRON jobs.
137 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-setup-network.png"]
139 The last step is the network configuration. Please note that during installation
140 you can either use an IPv4 or IPv6 address, but not both. To configure a dual
141 stack node, add additional IP addresses after the installation.
143 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-installation.png", float="left"]
145 The next step shows a summary of the previously selected options. Re-check every
146 setting and use the `Previous` button if a setting needs to be changed. To
147 accept, press `Install`. The installation starts to format disks and copies
148 packages to the target. Please wait until this step has finished; then remove
149 the installation medium and restart your system.
151 [thumbnail="screenshot/pve-install-summary.png"]
153 If the installation failed check out specific errors on the second TTY
154 (`CTRL + ALT + F2'), ensure that the systems meets the
155 xref:install_minimal_requirements[minimum requirements]. If the installation
156 is still not working look at the xref:getting_help[how to get help chapter].
158 Further configuration is done via the Proxmox web interface. Point your browser
159 to the IP address given during installation (https://youripaddress:8006).
161 NOTE: Default login is "root" (realm 'PAM') and the root password is defined
162 during the installation process.
164 [[advanced_lvm_options]]
165 Advanced LVM Configuration Options
166 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
168 The installer creates a Volume Group (VG) called `pve`, and additional Logical
169 Volumes (LVs) called `root`, `data`, and `swap`. To control the size of these
174 Defines the total hard disk size to be used. This way you can reserve free space
175 on the hard disk for further partitioning (for example for an additional PV and
176 VG on the same hard disk that can be used for LVM storage).
180 Defines the size of the `swap` volume. The default is the size of the
181 installed memory, minimum 4 GB and maximum 8 GB. The resulting value cannot
182 be greater than `hdsize/8`.
184 NOTE: If set to `0`, no `swap` volume will be created.
188 Defines the maximum size of the `root` volume, which stores the operation
189 system. The maximum limit of the `root` volume size is `hdsize/4`.
193 Defines the maximum size of the `data` volume. The actual size of the `data`
196 `datasize = hdsize - rootsize - swapsize - minfree`
198 Where `datasize` cannot be bigger than `maxvz`.
200 NOTE: In case of LVM thin, the `data` pool will only be created if `datasize` is
203 NOTE: If set to `0`, no `data` volume will be created and the storage
204 configuration will be adapted accordingly.
208 Defines the amount of free space left in the LVM volume group `pve`. With more
209 than 128GB storage available the default is 16GB, else `hdsize/8` will be used.
211 NOTE: LVM requires free space in the VG for snapshot creation (not required for
214 [[advanced_zfs_options]]
215 Advanced ZFS Configuration Options
216 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
217 The installer creates the ZFS pool `rpool`. No swap space is created but you can
218 reserve some unpartitioned space on the install disks for swap. You can also
219 create a swap zvol after the installation, altough this can lead to problems.
220 (see <<zfs_swap,ZFS swap notes>>).
224 Defines the `ashift` value for the created pool. The `ashift` needs to be set at
225 least to the sector-size of the underlying disks (2 to the power of `ashift` is
226 the sector-size), or any disk which might be put in the pool (for example the
227 replacement of a defective disk).
231 Defines whether compression is enabled for `rpool`.
235 Defines which checksumming algorithm should be used for `rpool`.
239 Defines the `copies` parameter for `rpool`. Check the `zfs(8)` manpage for the
240 semantics, and why this does not replace redundancy on disk-level.
244 Defines the total hard disk size to be used. This is useful to save free space
245 on the hard disk(s) for further partitioning (for exmaple to create a
246 swap-partition). `hdsize` is only honored for bootable disks, that is only the
247 first disk or mirror for RAID0, RAID1 or RAID10, and all disks in RAID-Z[123].
253 ZFS works best with a lot of memory. If you intend to use ZFS make sure to have
254 enough RAM available for it. A good calculation is 4GB plus 1GB RAM for each TB
257 ZFS can use a dedicated drive as write cache, called the ZFS Intent Log (ZIL).
258 Use a fast drive (SSD) for it. It can be added after installation with the
262 # zpool add <pool-name> log </dev/path_to_fast_ssd>
267 link:/wiki/Install_from_USB_Stick[Install from USB Stick]
268 ---------------------------------------------------------
270 link:/wiki/Install_Proxmox_VE_on_Debian_Buster[Install Proxmox VE on Debian Buster]
271 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
277 include::pve-usbstick.adoc[]
279 Install {pve} on Debian
280 -----------------------
282 {pve} ships as a set of Debian packages and can be installed on to of a standard
284 xref:sysadmin_package_repositories[After configuring the repositories] you need
285 to run the following commands:
289 # apt-get install proxmox-ve
292 Installing on top of an existing Debian installation looks easy, but it presumes
293 that the base system has been installed correctly and that you know how you want
294 to configure and use the local storage. You also need to configure the network
297 In general, this is not trivial, especially when LVM or ZFS is used.
299 A detailed step by step how-to can be found on the
300 {webwiki-url}Install_Proxmox_VE_on_Debian_Stretch[wiki].
310 * List of all official tutorials on our
311 http://www.youtube.com/proxmoxve[{pve} YouTube Channel]
313 * Tutorials in Spanish language on
314 http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUULBIhA5QDBdNf1pcTZ5UXhek63Fij8z[ITexperts.es
321 * link:/wiki/System_Requirements[System Requirements]
323 * link:/wiki/Package_Repositories[Package Repositories]
325 * link:/wiki/Host_System_Administration[Host System Administration]
327 * link:/wiki/Network_Configuration[Network Configuration]
329 * link:/wiki/Installation:_Tips_and_Tricks[Installation: Tips and Tricks]