Virtualization¶

Virtual machine and container management in Proxmox VE including Docker deployment and VM optimization.

📋 Virtualization Overview¶

Proxmox VE supports multiple virtualization technologies:

KVM Virtual Machines: Full virtualization with hardware emulation
LXC Containers: Lightweight OS-level virtualization
Docker Containers: Application containerization within LXC
GPU Passthrough: Direct hardware access for VMs

🖥️ Virtual Machine Management¶

VM Creation and Configuration¶

VM Creation via Web Interface:

Create VM: Datacenter → Node → Create VM
General: Set VM ID, name, and resource pool
OS: Select ISO image and OS type
System: Configure BIOS, machine type, and SCSI controller
Hard Disk: Set disk size, format, and storage location
CPU: Configure CPU type, cores, and sockets
Memory: Set RAM allocation
Network: Configure network interfaces

VM Creation via CLI:

# Create Ubuntu VM example
qm create 100 \
  --name ubuntu-server \
  --memory 2048 \
  --cores 2 \
  --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0 \
  --scsi0 local-lvm:32 \
  --ide2 local:iso/ubuntu-22.04-server.iso,media=cdrom \
  --boot c \
  --bootdisk scsi0 \
  --ostype l26

Automated VM Creation with Packer:

Create VMs on Proxmox in Seconds! - Comprehensive guide to using Packer for automated VM template creation

Linux VM Optimization¶

Install QEMU Guest Agent for better integration:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl start qemu-guest-agent

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl start qemu-guest-agent

Enable in Proxmox:

VM → Options → QEMU Guest Agent: Enable
Shutdown and restart the VM

Windows VM Configuration¶

VirtIO Drivers Installation:

Download VirtIO drivers ISO from Proxmox VirtIO Drivers
Attach ISO during Windows installation
Install drivers for network, storage, and balloon

Physical Drive Passthrough:

Reference: Passing a Physical Drive through to a VM in ProxMox

# List available disks
ls -n /dev/disk/by-id/

# Add physical disk to VM
/sbin/qm set [VM-ID] -virtio2 /dev/disk/by-id/[DISK-ID]

📦 LXC Container Management¶

Container Creation¶

Create LXC Container:

# Create Ubuntu LXC container
pct create 200 \
  local:vztmpl/ubuntu-22.04-standard_22.04-1_amd64.tar.zst \
  --hostname ubuntu-container \
  --memory 1024 \
  --cores 2 \
  --net0 name=eth0,bridge=vmbr0,ip=dhcp \
  --storage local-lvm \
  --rootfs local-lvm:8

Container Configuration:

# Start container
pct start 200

# Enter container console
pct enter 200

# Set root password
passwd

Container Optimization¶

Privileged vs Unprivileged: - Privileged: Full root access, better compatibility - Unprivileged: Better security, limited functionality

Resource Limits:

# Set CPU limit
pct set 200 --cores 2 --cpulimit 1.5

# Set memory limit
pct set 200 --memory 1024 --swap 512

🐳 Docker in LXC Containers¶

Docker LXC Setup¶

References: - Running Docker under LXC Containers in ProxMox for Extra Granularization

Create Docker-Ready LXC:

Create privileged container (required for Docker)
Enable nesting: Options → Features → Nesting
Configure keyctl: Options → Features → Keyctl

Docker Installation in LXC:

# Update system
apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Install required packages
apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg2 software-properties-common

# Add Docker GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | apt-key add -

# Add Docker repository
add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian $(lsb_release -cs) stable"

# Update package list
apt update

# Install Docker
apt install docker-ce

# Verify Docker installation
systemctl status docker
docker run hello-world

# Install additional tools
apt install cifs-utils docker-compose

Docker Service Configuration¶

Create Docker service user:

# Create docker user
adduser docker-user
usermod -aG docker docker-user

Configure Docker daemon:

# Create daemon configuration
mkdir -p /etc/docker
cat > /etc/docker/daemon.json << EOF
{
  "log-driver": "json-file",
  "log-opts": {
    "max-size": "10m",
    "max-file": "3"
  },
  "storage-driver": "overlay2"
}
EOF

# Restart Docker
systemctl restart docker

🔧 VM Templates and Automation¶

VM Template Creation¶

Create Packer Templates:

Reference: Create VMs on Proxmox in Seconds!

Manual Template Creation:

Install and configure base VM
Clean up logs and temporary files
Shutdown VM
Convert to template: Right-click VM → Convert to template

Clone from Template:

# Clone VM from template
qm clone 9000 100 --name new-vm --full

# Start cloned VM
qm start 100

Cloud-Init Configuration¶

Enable Cloud-Init:

# Add Cloud-Init drive
qm set 100 --ide2 local-lvm:cloudinit

# Configure Cloud-Init
qm set 100 --ciuser ubuntu --cipassword password
qm set 100 --ipconfig0 ip=192.168.1.100/24,gw=192.168.1.1
qm set 100 --nameserver 8.8.8.8
qm set 100 --searchdomain local

📊 Performance Monitoring¶

VM Performance Monitoring¶

Monitor VM Resources:

# Check VM status
qm status 100

# Monitor VM performance
qm monitor 100

# List all VMs
qm list

Performance Tuning:

# Enable NUMA
qm set 100 --numa 1

# Set CPU type
qm set 100 --cpu host

# Enable hardware acceleration
qm set 100 --args '-cpu host,+aes'

Container Monitoring¶

# Check container status
pct status 200

# Monitor container resources
pct exec 200 -- htop

# List all containers
pct list

🔄 Backup and Migration¶

VM Backup Configuration¶

Automated Backups:

Datacenter → Backup
Add backup job: - Node: Select target node - Storage: Backup destination - Schedule: Set backup frequency - Selection: Choose VMs/containers - Retention: Set backup retention policy

Manual Backup:

# Backup VM
vzdump 100 --storage local --compress gzip

# Backup container
vzdump 200 --storage local --compress lzo

VM Migration¶

Live Migration:

# Migrate VM to another node
qm migrate 100 node2

# Migrate with storage
qm migrate 100 node2 --targetstorage local-lvm

🚨 Troubleshooting¶

Common VM Issues¶

VM Won’t Start:

# Check VM configuration
qm config 100

# Check system logs
journalctl -u qemu-server@100

# Reset VM
qm reset 100

Performance Issues:

# Check host resources
htop
iostat -x 1

# Check VM disk usage
qm monitor 100
info blockstats

Container Issues¶

Container Won’t Start:

# Check container configuration
pct config 200

# Check container logs
journalctl -u pve-container@200

# Force stop and start
pct stop 200 --force
pct start 200

📋 Virtualization Checklist¶

After virtualization setup:

[ ] VM templates created and tested
[ ] LXC containers configured for services
[ ] Docker environment set up in LXC
[ ] Guest agents installed in VMs
[ ] Backup jobs configured for critical VMs
[ ] Performance monitoring implemented
[ ] Resource limits configured appropriately
[ ] Network connectivity verified