How to setup a Testing Environment with Proxmox on your LAN

This tutorial is the written component of a larger project that will also provide a YouTube video so you can follow along at your own pace. It is currently incomplete so check back regularly.

About this Project

Good documentation is hard to come by and what works for one person does not always work for all. In the forums there was a request to make using virtualisation easy to understand and all the little details explained fully. This project aims to achieve that and will possibly be a work in progress for a while as we perfect everything. As always Community contribution is the key to success so if you find issue with or dont understand something please speak up so we can change things.

Outcomes

By the end of this tutorial I would expect you to be able to do the following.

  1. Build a fresh Proxmox server
  2. Understand Virtualization
  3. Understand Virtualization System Requirements
  4. Download templates
  5. Understand the different virtualisation packages
  6. Use Proxmox' interface
  7. Setup an OVZ container
  8. Setup a Virtual Machine from ISO
  9. Understand Turnkeylinux setup scripts
  10. Backup your server with TKLBAM
  11. Use Putty and understand SSH
  12. Understand and setup port forwarding and NAT for external access
  13. Use RSA cryptography to secure SSH logins

Please note this section is for LANs and will not cover advanced topics (eg DNS). This will be provided at a later date.

About Proxmox

Proxmox is a free and open source virtualisation platform commonly called things like Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), Bare Matal Hypervisor, Hypervisor, the Host or even the native system - essentially in our case all these terms are equivalent.

It has a ton of features that range from basic to advanced and many we will never touch in this tutorial because our goal is to provide a testing environment on a local LAN only.

You can learn more about Proxmox' features HERE

 

Comments

Chris Musty's picture

Chris Musty - Mon, 2014/04/28 - 03:43

Hi Ovidiu,

 

I started this tutorial but as I said in the title, life got in the way.

I will be updating it shortly (after I deliver my current project).

Chris Musty

Director

Specialised Technologies

Jeff Watkins's picture

Jeff Watkins - Thu, 2014/05/22 - 07:12

Hi My name is Jeff

Currently I am in the middle of an extreme hobby Build. 

The Equipment Used.

  1. Rackable Systems 9 Bays
  2. Intel s5000psl motherboard
  3. 8*Intel(R)Xeon(R) CPU E5450 @3.00GHz(2 Sockets)
  4. LSI MegaRaid 8888elp hardware Raid , Holding 16 Terabytes 2t*8
  5. Ram is double buffered 1300mhz * 32g 8 slots
  6. LSI Network Boot
  7. Imbedded Intel Raid

It was suggested to me that I may be able to help you with yout tutorial..
Presently I really have just started.. The Machine is up and running ProxMox 3.2v
Bare Metal Hardware......

And everything listed in your introduction of this fabulous tutorial.
well guess what thats everything I want to accomplish on my list as well..

The good thing about it is? I know the equipment will do the job...
where I lack is the absolute know how...
I am new to linux and ProxMox.. But I am a systems integrator in robotic's

Which I build networks using AB that speak to each other all over a plant..

All the language is different the concepts are the same...
I am familar with routers and dns and things that one would need to know to build a network.
Expert no... Follow directions well yes ....
one day ago I knew nothing of proxmox..
jeremy said this is what I should use in this machine so I have it loaded and trying to solve problems
working on trying to get the logical vg0 group to show up in promox..

This is what is on the megaraid card LSI 8888elp..

SO all of the things you were wanting to write about..
I will keep notes and pictures...If you would have me abourd..

Jeff