installing Proxmox

Steps to Create Your First Home Lab with Proxmox

1. Plan Your Home Lab

   • Define your goals (e.g., learning, testing, hosting services).
   • List required hardware (CPU, RAM, storage, network).

2. Prepare Hardware

   • Obtain a suitable server or repurpose an old PC.
   • Ensure hardware supports virtualization (check for VT-x/AMD-V in BIOS/UEFI).
   • Connect server to your network and power.

3. Download Proxmox VE

   • Visit proxmox.com and download the latest Proxmox VE ISO.

4. Create a Bootable USB Drive

   • Use tools like Rufus or Balena Etcher to write the Proxmox ISO to a USB drive.

5. Install Proxmox VE

   • Boot your server from the USB drive.
   • Follow the installation wizard to install Proxmox VE.
   • Set up network, password, and storage during installation.

6. Access the Proxmox Web Interface

   • After installation, access the web UI via https://<server-ip>:8006 from your browser.
   • Log in with the credentials set during installation.

7. Configure Proxmox

   • Update Proxmox to the latest version.
   • Set up storage pools and networking as needed.

8. Create Your First Virtual Machine (VM) or Container

   • Upload an ISO or container template.
   • Create a new VM or LXC container using the web interface.
   • Assign resources (CPU, RAM, disk, network).

9. Install an Operating System in the VM

   • Start the VM and follow the OS installation steps.

10. Explore and Expand

    • Experiment with snapshots, backups, and clustering.
    • Add more VMs/containers for different services (e.g., Docker, file server, media server).

Youtube Video

For more details, refer to the official Proxmox documentation.