Proxmox Series – Part 2: Getting Started with Proxmox VE: Installation and Basic Configuration

Now that you decided to use Proxmox VE as your Hypervisor we will show you how to install Proxmox VE and what basic configurations you should set to get your virtualization environment up and running smoothly. 

Before you begin the installation of Proxmox VE, ensure that you have at least the following Hardware Requirements and download the latest Proxmox VE installation ISO from the official website.   

After you have downloaded the latest ISO, use a tool like Etcher to create a bootable USB drive from the ISO file: 

1. Make sure the USB stick is at least 2 GB in size and contains no important data, as it will be overwritten during this process.  

2. Launch Etcher, select the ISO file, your USB stick, and click „Flash.“ 

Once the bootable USB stick is ready, use it to install Proxmox VE on your target system. 

Installing Proxmox VE 

After Booting from the USB stick the Proxmox VE installer will load automatically:   

On the welcome screen, select Install Proxmox VE and press Enter.   

1. Accept the License Agreement 
   Read the license agreement and press I Agree to proceed. 

2. Partition the Boot Disk 

Choose the target disk where Proxmox VE will be installed. Proxmox defaults to using LVM on EXT4, but you can switch to ZFS for added features like snapshots, data integrity, and better redundancy.  
For a production Environment I would recommend using at least ZFS Raid1 but for testing the Proxmox defaults are fine too. 

3. Configure Location and Time Zone 
   Set your country, time zone, and keyboard layout. 

4. Set the Root Password and Email Address 

Enter a strong root password and provide a valid email address for system notifications.  

5. Configure Network Settings 

Assign a hostname to your Proxmox VE server (e.g., proxmox.local or whatever suits your local environment). 

Optionally adjust the IP address, gateway, and DNS server settings. They should be fine for now, so we will not make any changes to them for now. Keep in mind that you want static IP addresses in a production Environment. 

6. Complete the Installation 

After confirming all settings, click Install to begin the installation process. 

Once the installation is complete, remove the USB drive and reboot the system. 

Accessing the Proxmox VE Web Interface 

After the system restarts, you can access the Proxmox VE web interface from a browser:   

Open a browser and navigate to: 

https://<your-server-ip>:8006

You may see a security warning about the SSL certificate. This is normal for a self-signed certificate. Click Proceed to continue.   

Log in with the following credentials: 

Username: root 

Password: the root password you set during installation. 

Basic Configuration 

Now that you’ve successfully installed Proxmox VE, let’s perform some basic configuration tasks: 

Activating Proxmox Subscription or Using Community Repositories 

When setting up Proxmox VE, you have two main options for managing updates and accessing repositories: activating a paid subscription or using the community (no-subscription) repositories. 

Paid Subscription 

If you have purchased a Proxmox VE subscription, you can activate it by following these steps: 

1. Select your Proxmox node in the Server View. 

2. Navigate to the „Subscription“ tab. 

3. Click on „Upload Subscription Key“ and enter your key. 

4. The system will validate your key against the server’s unique ID 

With an active subscription, you’ll have access to the enterprise repositories, which provide the latest updates and features 

Community Repositories 

For those without a subscription, you can switch to the community repositories: 

1. Select your Proxmox node in the Server View. 

2. Navigate to the „Updates“ section, then click on „Repositories“ 

3. Click „Add“, Ignore the „No valid subscription“ message and select „No-Subscription“ and “Ceph Reef No-Subscription“ from the dropdown menu and click „Add“ to confirm it. 

4. Disable the enterprise repositories by selecting them and clicking „Disable“ 

5. After making these changes, you should be able to update your Proxmox VE server without a subscription 

Note that the „No valid subscription“ message will still appear even after switching to the community repositories, but this won’t affect your ability to use Proxmox. 

Update the System 

Now that we have working Repositories we can update Proxmox : 

1. Select your node in the server view.  

2. Go to „Updates“ and click „Refresh“ to check for available updates. 

3. Now click “Upgrade” to apply any available updates to ensure your system is up-to-date. 

Important: Never install updates via `apt upgrade`, as this can render your Proxmox VE system unusable because dependencies between the different package sources are not taken into account. 

Now that you have a working Proxmox installation, we will show you step-by-step how to create your first virtual machine in Proxmox VE. From uploading the installation media to configuring your VM’s resources, our upcoming article will guide you through the entire process of setting up your first virtual environment.

Stay tuned!