What you need¶
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Target machine | x86_64, UEFI. Enable Intel VT-x / AMD-V in firmware |
| RAM | 2 GB+ (8 GB+ comfortable with ZFS) |
| Disks | SSDs preferred. Two for the ZFS mirror, one for ext4 |
| Display + keyboard | For the installer |
| Network | Wired Ethernet |
| USB stick | 4 GB+, erased |
| Workstation | Linux shell for the commands (Windows: Etcher or Rufus) |
| Workstation disk | About 2 GB for the ISO |
Pick your layout¶
Two internal SSDs of similar size. Usable space is one disk, speed follows the slower one, and either disk can fail without taking the host down. A mirror is not a backup.
A single internal disk with the installer default (ext4 on LVM). Full capacity, no redundancy.
The install erases every selected disk — back up first (both layouts)
Check your disks¶
From a Linux live USB on the target:
lsblk -d -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,TRAN,ROTA
NAME SIZE MODEL TRAN ROTA
nvme0n1 931.5G Samsung SSD 970… nvme 0
sda 931.5G Samsung SSD 860… sata 0
ROTA=0 is an SSD, ROTA=1 a spinning disk.
Values this guide uses¶
Change them to suit. Pick a hostname and static IP before you start, since the hostname is awkward to change later.
| Setting | Example |
|---|---|
| Installer | Install Proxmox VE (Graphical) |
| FQDN | pve.home.arpa |
| IP / gateway / DNS | 192.168.1.60/24, 192.168.1.1 |
| Login | root, realm PAM |