Install Proxmox on Debian

Two methods of installation are available for Proxmox : usage of the official ISO image, or install needed packages from the official repository. This post will explain to you the second method.

Goal: Install Proxmox on Debian
Environment: Debian 12.4 (bullseye)

Foreword#

Install Proxmox on top of your Debian is not difficult, but implicitly needs you to master your base system (installation and configuration of some usual packages), and your local storage is already set up (example: LVM).

If you are not sure about this step, prefer using ISO image.

Requirements and configuration#

Before the start of Proxmox installation and its tools, make sure to have an updated system, with a $ sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade -y.

Your host needs to have a static IP and have a correct /etc/hosts file. It is needed to have a fully functional hypervisor, even more if you want to make a cluster. The /etc/hosts file should have this information:

bash
127.0.0.1 localhost
<ip-server> <hostname>

## EXEMPLE
# 192.168.1.120 pve1

Comment the line 127.0.1.1 <hostname>, to avoid network problems when you’ll install Proxmox. You can read more information in this bug report .

Let’s create a file with the address of the Proxmox repository:

bash
echo "deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve bookworm pve-no-subscription" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-install.list

It is necessary to authenticate the repository using its GPG key, to ensure that the packages come from a recognized and valid source. The GPG key is available from the official site and is imported as follows:

bash

wget https://enterprise.proxmox.com/debian/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg -O /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg

This key applies to both enterprise repositories and no-subscription repositories. Let’s start the installation!

Installation of “pve” kernel#

Proxmox provides Linux kernels with patches and optimizations, especially tailored for KVM. Proxmox’s technical support has validated these configurations, ensuring that a PVE host is genuinely prepared to support various types of virtualization.

In the terminal, update the repository list and search for pve kernels:

bash

sudo apt update && apt search pve-kernel

At the time of this documentation, the latest kernel is version 6.8. Install it using the following command:

bash

sudo apt install pve-kernel-6.8

Remember to reboot your machine once the installation is complete. After rebooting, you can proceed with the Proxmox installation to fully utilize its functionalities.

Proxmox installation#

Installation is very simple. Update repositories and your machine with $ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y.

Another requirement to operate the network easily and dynamically, is to install the package ifupdown2. This tool lets you create/modify/delete Linux Bridge without the need to restart the host. Installation is done with $ sudo apt install ifupdown2 and will overload the package ifupdown.

Now, install the meta-package proxmox-ve ; more than 690 packages will be downloaded and installed.

bash

sudo apt install proxmox-ve -y

A configuration about the mail service will appear, with many choices. You can escape this step and configure it later. To do so, select the option “No configuration” when you are to the step “Postfix configuration”.

That’s it for the installation, reboot your host and now, exploit your freshly installed Proxmox ! Open a web navigator and go to https://ipServer:8006.

Source : wiki Proxmox