Blog
-
Proxmox Read Only User for API access
Read Only User Read only users are an important feature for Proxmox if you want to integrate with other systems for monitoring purposes. A read only user can allow for access to a Proxmox cluster without the ability to implement changes - this post shows how to do this. Under “Datacenter” go to “Users” and click “Add”. Enter the user name and password, and select the Realm - Proxmox VE authentication will include the entire cluster.
January 27, 2025
-
Docker on LXC in Proxmox
Docker on LXC As covered in the previous post here, LXC offers a different form of containerisation to Docker. Docker containers are immutable and reset when restarted, whereas LXC are more closely coupled with their storage. Each container technology has a different best-use case, but it is possible to combine the two in a practical application, and to do so on Proxmox. Setting up Docker on LXC Create your LXC container as normal - see Proxmox LXC post here.
December 31, 2024
-
Cloning VM templates in Proxmox with TerraForm
Cloning with Terraform Whilst cloning of virtual machines and templates is supported in Proxmox, and much customisation can be achieved with Cloud-Init, TerraForm allows you to take things to the next level. When used together, Cloud-Init and TerraForm (or OpenTofu) allow you to customise the the configuration of machines during the deployment process, rather than doing so after as you may have to do with a straightforward cloning. TerraForm / OpenTofu bring the added benefit of Infrastructure as Code, allowing the user to drive their infrastrucure from a code base defined as code.
October 24, 2024
-
Importing VMs to Proxmox from VMware and the Cloud
If you are looking to migrate away from VMware to Proxmox or get started quickly with Open Virtualization Archive (OVA) templates, there are a couple of features that you should investigate. Importing from VMware Proxmox’s VMware import functionality is straightforward but effective. To import a VM from VMware, you first need to mount the VMware datastore(s) as storage in Proxmox. The connection is made directly to the ESXi host rather than vSphere, and needs for SSH to be enabled on the ESXi host.
August 10, 2024
-
Proxmox Cloud-Init
Cloud-Init offers a standardised way for users to rapidly stand up VMs, and is supported by many Linux operating systems. It is often used behind the scenes by cloud providers, but can also be used locally by the end user - and can be a useful building block in larger automation projects. Using Cloud-Init with Proxmox To use cloud-init on Proxmox, you need to download the cloud-init image of the OS you wish to use.
July 27, 2024
-
Proxmox API
Whether you are working in the cloud or on-prem, APIs and their usage has become standard practice in the IT world in recent years, with more and more services providing them and IT professionals becoming accustomed to their usage. Proxmox is no different - it provides a well documented API, which can be used to drive the functionality in the Proxmox web interface. How to Access the API There are two approaches to using the API - you can either create an API token, or use your username and password.
July 13, 2024
-
Proxmox LXC
The primary usage for Proxmox Virtualisation Environment is, unsurprisingly given the name, virtualisation - running virtual machines on host nodes, to make best use of the available resources. However, for those looking for something more lightweight than VMs, Proxmox does include an additional feature set in the form of LXC - Linux Containers. Whilst Docker container storage is immutable, with only mounted files, folders and volumes changing and persisting between container runs, LXC’s storage differs, and consists of one or more mounted volumes which can change and be updated in the same way that a Virtual Machine’s storage can be updated.
July 2, 2024
-
Proxmox Active Directory Sync
Active Directory user and group sync is a powerful feature within hypervisor environments, allowing the user to manage resource access in their environment without requiring additional logins. Essentially it allows for Active Directory users to have a Single Sign-On that applies to both Windows and the hypervisor resources. This functionality has long been included in VMware, and is available at a premium as vCenter is required, so it may come as a surprise to learn that Active Directory sync is a feature of Proxmox, and can be used whether you have a single node or a large cluster.
June 29, 2024
-
Proxmox High Availability
Like many other hypervisor solutions, Proxmox has its own form of high availability. High availability varies across solutions, typically in terms of how responsive they are to failures, along with how they manage VM placement with grouping rules (affinity, anti-affinity and so on). Most, including Proxmox, are dependent on the VM storage being shared between hypervisor nodes. Understanding HA behaviour Proxmox HA will migrate and start up machines, based on priority assignment, and in the event of a node failure.
June 15, 2024
-
Proxmox Virtual Machine Guest Operating System Integration
Proxmox Guest OS Integration Guest integration is important in hypervisor host to guest integration, allowing guest information to be surfaced at the host level, and for improved management of the operating system at the guest level. The guest integration often includes memory management, allowing for overprovisioning of guest memory relative to that of the host. In other words, guest integration can allow you run virtual machines with more RAM in total than the host actually has.
June 1, 2024