Virtualization has become a cornerstone of modern IT infrastructure, allowing businesses to maximize resource utilization, improve scalability, and streamline management. Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE) stands out as a robust open-source platform for server virtualization, combining the power of KVM hypervisor and LXC containers. In this step-by-step tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing Proxmox VE on an Ubuntu 18.04 server, enabling you to create a versatile virtualization environment.
Prerequisites:
Before you begin the installation, make sure you have the following:
- A dedicated server or virtual machine running Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.
- Root or sudo privileges to execute commands.
- Access to the internet for package downloads and updates.
Step 1: Update System Packages
Start by updating the package index and upgrading installed packages to their latest versions. Open a terminal and execute the following commands:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
Step 2: Add Proxmox Repository
Since Proxmox VE is not available in the default Ubuntu repositories, we need to add the Proxmox repository. Create a new file named proxmox.list
within the /etc/apt/sources.list.d/
directory:
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/proxmox.list
Add the following line to the file:
deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve bionic pve-no-subscription
Save and close the file.
Step 3: Import Proxmox VE Repository Key
Import the Proxmox VE repository key to authenticate packages from the Proxmox repository:
wget http://download.proxmox.com/debian/proxmox-ve-release-7.x.gpg -O /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/proxmox-ve-release-7.x.gpg
Step 4: Install Proxmox VE
Update the package index again and install the Proxmox VE packages:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install proxmox-ve postfix open-iscsi
During the installation, you will be prompted to configure Postfix. Select “Internet Site” and press Enter. Enter your domain name when prompted, or leave it blank for localhost-only mail.
Step 5: Reboot the System
Once the installation is complete, reboot your Ubuntu server to ensure all changes take effect:
sudo reboot
Step 6: Access Proxmox VE Web Interface
After rebooting, access the Proxmox VE web interface using a web browser. Enter the IP address or hostname of your server followed by port 8006 (default Proxmox VE port) in the address bar:
https://your_server_ip_or_hostname:8006
Log in with the username “root” and the password you specified during the installation.
Conclusion:
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Proxmox VE on your Ubuntu 18.04 server. From the web interface, you can now create and manage virtual machines, containers, storage, and networking resources to build a powerful virtualization environment. Explore the rich feature set offered by Proxmox VE to meet your specific virtualization needs and enhance your infrastructure’s efficiency and flexibility.