Blog
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Proxmox Shared Storage
Why use Shared Storage on Proxmox? Shared storage on Proxmox, as with many other Hypervisor environments, provides a few benefits: It reduces the need for duplication of some data resources you may want to share between hosts - eg shared ISO installers. It can be used for migration purposes between hosts. It can be used as part of high availability / failover storage between hosts. Shared storage on Proxmox can be used for all of these things - it is useful in a home lab, and essential in production deployment.
May 22, 2024
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Proxmox VLAN Networking
What are VLANs and why should I use them? Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) allow the user a of network segmentation, which when combined with subnets, allow for a greater level of administrative control than a simple “flat LAN” single network approach. Whilst you can split up network traffic using VLANs to physical devices, most hypervisors allow you extend the physical VLAN environment into the hypervisor. Different hypervisors take different approaches to how this is implemented.
May 20, 2024
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How To Build A Proxmox Cluster
Proxmox VE (Virtualization Environment) allows you to scale out your environment using clustering. Even if you have no interest in the high availability features that this can provide, it eases the administrative load when you have multiple Proxmox nodes to manage. Comparison with VMWare VMware consists of ESXi hosts to provide compute, memory and disk storage (either directly attached or network attached), and a centralised management node in the form of the vCenter Server.
May 13, 2024
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How To Setup Nested Proxmox (or Proxmox on Proxmox)
With many users moving from VMware to Proxmox due to the licencing changes, there is an increased need to understand the Proxmox PVE hypervisor behaviour. A nested test lab may offer a good solution to help you quickly get to grips with the clustering behaviour. Understanding nested behaviour “Nested” virtualisation is when you run a hypervisor on an already hypervised guest VM - you can think of it as like a set of Russian dolls, or the “dream within a dream” of the movie Inception.
April 15, 2024