local storage. Network configuration is also completely up to you.
In general, this is not trivial, especially when you use LVM or
-ZFS. This is why we provide an installation CDROM for {pve}. That
+ZFS. This is why we provide an installation CD-ROM for {pve}. That
installer just ask you a few questions, then partitions the local
disk(s), installs all required packages, and configures the system
including a basic network setup. You can get a fully functional system
NOTE: By default, the complete server is used and all existing data is
removed.
-Installation Options
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Using the {pve} Installation CD-ROM
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please insert the installation CD-ROM, then boot from that
drive. Immediately afterwards you can choose the following menu
installation. This option is mostly for developers and not meant for
general use.
+Rescue Boot::
+
+This option allows you to boot an existing installation. It searches
+all attached hard disks, and if it finds an existing installation,
+boots directly into that disk using the existing Linux kernel. This
+can be useful if there are problems with the boot block (grub), or the
+BIOS is unable to read the boot block from the disk.
+
Test Memory::
Runs 'memtest86+'. This is useful to check if your memory if
functional and error free.
-You normally select *Install Proxmox VE* to start the installation.
-
+You normally select *Install Proxmox VE* to start the installation.
After that you get prompted to select the target hard disk(s). The
-`Options` button beside lets you select the target file system, and
-defaults to `ext4`.
-
-If you have more than one disk, you can also select ZFS here. ZFS
-supports several software RAID levels, so this is specially useful if
-you do not have a hardware RAID controller.
+`Options` button aside lets you select the target file system, and
+defaults to `ext4`. The installer uses LVM if you select 'ext3',
+'ext4' or 'xfs' as file system, and offers additional option to
+restrict LVM space (see <<advanced_lvm_options,below>>)
-TIP: ZFS uses a lot of memory, so it is best to add additional 8-16GB RAM
-if you want to use ZFS.
+If you have more than one disk, you can also use ZFS as file system.
+ZFS supports several software RAID levels, so this is specially useful
+if you do not have a hardware RAID controller. The `Options` button
+lets you select the ZFS RAID level, and you can choose disks there.
The next pages just asks for basic configuration options like time
zone and keyboard layout. You also need to specify your email address
Further configuration is done via the Proxmox web interface. Just
point your browser to the IP address given during installation
(https://youripaddress:8006). {pve} is tested for IE9, Firefox 10
-and higher, Google Chrome (latest).
+and higher, and Google Chrome.
+
+
+[[advanced_lvm_options]]
+Advanced LVM configuration options
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The installer creates a Volume Group (VG) called `pve`, and additional
+Logical Volumes (LVs) called `root`, `data` and `swap`. The size of
+those volumes can be controlled with:
+
+`hdsize`::
+
+Defines the total HD size to be used. This way you can save free
+space on the HD for further partitioning (i.e. for an additional PV
+and VG on the same hard disk that can be used for LVM storage).
+
+`swapsize`::
+
+To define the size of the `swap` volume. Default is the same size as
+installed RAM, with 4GB minimum and `hdsize/8` as maximum.
+
+`maxroot`::
+
+The `root` volume size. The `root` volume stores the whole operation
+system.
+
+`maxvz`::
+
+Define the size of the `data` volume, which is mounted at
+'/var/lib/vz'.
+
+`minfree`::
+
+To define the amount of free space left in LVM volume group `pve`.
+16GB is the default if storage available > 128GB, `hdsize/8` otherwise.
++
+NOTE: LVM requires free space in the VG for snapshot creation (not
+required for lvmthin snapshots).
+
+
+ZFS Performance Tips
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+ZFS uses a lot of memory, so it is best to add additional 8-16GB RAM
+if you want to use ZFS.
+
+ZFS also provides the feature to use a fast SSD drive as write cache. The
+write cache is called the ZFS Intent Log (ZIL). You can add that after
+installation using the following command:
+
+ zpool add <pool-name> log </dev/path_to_fast_ssd>
+
+
+System Software Updates
+-----------------------
+
+We provide regular package updates on all repositories. You can
+install those update using the GUI, or you can directly run the CLI
+command 'apt-get':
+
+ apt-get update
+ apt-get dist-upgrade
+
+NOTE: The 'apt' package management system is extremely flexible and
+provides countless of feature - see `man apt-get` or <<Hertzog13>> for
+additional information.
+
+You should do such updates at regular intervals, or when we release
+versions with security related fixes. Major system upgrades are
+announced at the https://forum.proxmox.com/[Forum]. Those announcement
+also contain detailed upgrade instructions.
+
+TIP: We recommend to run regular upgrades, because it is important to
+get the latest security updates.
Network Configuration
projects / pve-docs.git / blobdiff