Frequently Asked Questions
---------------------------
+==========================
+ifndef::manvolnum[]
+:pve-toplevel:
+endif::manvolnum[]
+ifdef::wiki[]
+:title: FAQ
+endif::wiki[]
NOTE: New FAQs are appended to the bottom of this section.
[qanda]
-What distribution is Proxmox VE based on?::
+What distribution is {pve} based on?::
-Proxmox VE is based on http://www.debian.org[Debian GNU/Linux]
+{pve} is based on http://www.debian.org[Debian GNU/Linux]
-Will Proxmox VE run on a 32bit processor?::
+What license does the {pve} project use?::
-Proxmox VE works only on 64-bit CPU´s (AMD or Intel). There is no plan
+{pve} code is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License,
+version 3.
+
+Will {pve} run on a 32bit processor?::
+
+{pve} works only on 64-bit CPUs (AMD or Intel). There is no plan
for 32-bit for the platform.
+
-NOTE: VMs and Containers can be bothe 32-bit and/or 64-bit.
+NOTE: VMs and Containers can be both 32-bit and/or 64-bit.
Does my CPU support virtualization?::
-To check if your CPU is virtualization compatible, check for the "vmx"
-or "svm" tag in this command output:
+To check if your CPU is virtualization compatible, check for the `vmx`
+or `svm` tag in this command output:
+
----
egrep '(vmx|svm)' /proc/cpuinfo
Operating-system-level virtualization is a server-virtualization
method where the kernel of an operating system allows for multiple
isolated user-space instances, instead of just one. We call such
-instances containers.
+instances containers. As containers use the host's kernel they are
+limited to Linux guests.
+
+What is a QEMU/KVM guest (or VM)?::
+
+A QEMU/KVM guest (or VM) is a guest system running virtualized under
+{pve} using QEMU and the Linux KVM kernel module.
+
+What is QEMU?::
-What is a KVM guest (KVM VM)?::
+QEMU is a generic and open source machine emulator and
+virtualizer. QEMU uses the Linux KVM kernel module to achieve near
+native performance by executing the guest code directly on the host
+CPU.
+It is not limited to Linux guests but allows arbitrary operating systems
+to run.
+
+[[faq-support-table]]
+How long will my {pve} version be supported?::
+
+{pve} versions are supported at least as long as the corresponding
+Debian Version is
+https://wiki.debian.org/DebianOldStable[oldstable]. {pve} uses a
+rolling release model and using the latest stable version is always
+recommended.
++
+[width="100%",cols="5*d",options="header"]
+|===========================================================
+| {pve} Version | Debian Version | First Release | Debian EOL | Proxmox EOL
+| {pve} 6.x | Debian 10 (Buster)| 2019-07 | tba | tba
+| {pve} 5.x | Debian 9 (Stretch)| 2017-07 | 2020-07 | 2020-07
+| {pve} 4.x | Debian 8 (Jessie) | 2015-10 | 2018-06 | 2018-06
+| {pve} 3.x | Debian 7 (Wheezy) | 2013-05 | 2016-04 | 2017-02
+| {pve} 2.x | Debian 6 (Squeeze)| 2012-04 | 2014-05 | 2014-05
+| {pve} 1.x | Debian 5 (Lenny) | 2008-10 | 2012-03 | 2013-01
+|===========================================================
+
+[[faq-upgrade]]
+How can I upgrade {pve} to the next release?::
+
+Minor version upgrades, for example upgrading from {pve} in version 5.1
+to 5.2, can be done just like any normal update, either through the Web
+GUI __Node -> Updates__ panel or through the CLI with:
++
+----
+apt update
+apt full-upgrade
+----
++
+NOTE: Always ensure you correctly setup the
+xref:sysadmin_package_repositories[package repositories] and only
+continue with the actual upgrade if `apt update` did not hit any error.
++
+Major version upgrades, for example going from {pve} 4.4 to 5.0, are
+also supported. They must be carefully planned and tested and should
+*never* be started without having a current backup ready.
+Although the specific upgrade steps depend on your respective setup, we
+provide general instructions and advice of how a upgrade should be
+performed:
++
+* https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_4.x_to_5.0[Upgrade from {pve} 4.x to 5.0]
-A KVM guest or KVM VM is a guest system running virtualized under
-Proxmox VE with KVM.
+* https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_3.x_to_4.0[Upgrade from {pve} 3.x to 4.0]
+LXC vs LXD vs Proxmox Containers vs Docker::
+LXC is a userspace interface for the Linux kernel containment
+features. Through a powerful API and simple tools, it lets Linux users
+easily create and manage system containers. LXC, as well as the former
+OpenVZ, aims at *system virtualization*, i.e. allows you to run a
+complete OS inside a container, where you log in as ssh, add users,
+run apache, etc...
++
+LXD is building on top of LXC to provide a new, better user
+experience. Under the hood, LXD uses LXC through `liblxc` and its Go
+binding to create and manage the containers. It's basically an
+alternative to LXC's tools and distribution template system with the
+added features that come from being controllable over the network.
++
+Proxmox Containers also aims at *system virtualization*, and thus uses
+LXC as the basis of its own container offer. The Proxmox Container
+Toolkit is called `pct`, and is tightly coupled with {pve}. That means
+that it is aware of the cluster setup, and it can use the same network
+and storage resources as fully virtualized VMs. You can even use the
+{pve} firewall, create and restore backups, or manage containers using
+the HA framework. Everything can be controlled over the network using
+the {pve} API.
++
+Docker aims at running a *single* application running in a contained
+environment. Hence you're managing a docker instance from the host with the
+docker toolkit. It is not recommended to run docker directly on your
+{pve} host.
++
+NOTE: You can however perfectly install and use docker inside a Proxmox Qemu
+VM, and thus getting the benefit of software containerization with the very
+strong isolation that VMs provide.
projects / pve-docs.git / blobdiff