Here is a rather forbidding name that sounds more like a beauty treatment than an IT tool. Yet Proxmox is by far an open-source hyper-converged infrastructure tool that deserves attention and, above all, to be put to use.
In short, you have within reach and free of charge a multi-platform virtualization environment, with immense possibilities for high availability, load balancing, storage and networking — all on a Linux hypervisor platform manageable via CLI or web interface.
It is a clever mix of Debian and Ubuntu, a platform modified for our greatest benefit that not only allows operation on almost any type of hardware, but is also very safe and reliable.
But then, what makes this platform so incredible — is it just another Linux like so many others?
No… or rather, yes, but not only that. On Proxmox, once installed on the hardware of your choice (opt for enough RAM and virtual/physical CPUs), it offers you 2 types of virtualization:
· via containers (LXC=Linux Containers). Yes, containers!
· or via classic virtualization (KVM=Kernel Virtual Machine).
Note that once installed, Proxmox is managed entirely from a web console with the option of 2FA to ensure access security (CLI also possible). The command line is still there, but we mainly use it for updates and a few configuration specialties, because the rest is really very easy to access via the console.
Shell
Proxmox/PVE 2FA
Right… Docker as a container already exists, but then what more is there?
In Proxmox there is already an LXC, so if you need an analytics tool for your websites, a complete helpdesk platform, a reverse proxy, an ERP tool or a personal cloud… just start by searching the list of available LXC-type (container) templates and install them. They include the OS as well as the required application and, besides being small in size, their installation takes a few seconds, at most a few minutes. All of this is already native on Proxmox. It is native containerization.
It is important to note that Proxmox LXC templates are supplied by Turnkey, where a multitude of containers are available.
Turnkey Containers site
LXC templates (partial)
If that is not enough or you cannot find what you need… you can also install Docker, Portainer or Yunohost via KVM to further extend the list of available containers. You thus also gain access to the classics of the web.
You can even install a 3CX telephone switchboard on a VM, a Windows 2022 server or a Windows 11, just as you would on a VMware ESX. Except that it is a bit more than that and entirely free (paid support exists if needed).
Guacamole-type platform for a kind of RDS
You can therefore create platforms from LXC (based on various Linux distributions) or virtual machines which in that case can be Microsoft, Apple or Linux alike. Everything is possible and the limit seems to be the “sky”.
In the case of Microsoft platforms, they have of course also thought of and provide tools to install (VirtIO Tools) to recognize and virtualize the hardware.
Proxmox web interface
All of this requires some Linux knowledge, at least the basics, but the robustness and the range of possibilities are so immense that it is well worth investing a little in learning. We are not saying it is within reach of a non-professional, but it is accessible and without major expense.
OK… so a hypervisor… VMs and integrated containerization, not bad… and networking, storage?
Yes, with little hardware you will have a complete data-center-type environment with the same redundancy and backup tools you could only hope for from a hosting provider. You can have NAS, WordPress websites, secure password management, various powerful DMS tools or even your own cloud provisioning system at home (Nextcloud). From the same place, you can manage your network — bridged or not — and your storage on the same server or remote (NFS, etc.).
To cover Proxmox’s possibilities would take more time than a blog post allows, but the built-in resource monitoring and the multitude of possible connections to external network storage place no limits on what you can do and even offer an HA (high availability) function by pooling, allowing you to move your machines (LXC or KVM) from one PVE to another automatically in case of overload or failure, just as hosting providers do.
Every week new innovative solutions appear, bringing identification, LDAP or AD account management and even RDS-type tools giving access to your virtual machines from a browser-type front end, without going through a VPN, while still remaining well secured.
Adding a reverse proxy in this specific case will allow you to secure your machines or services in SSL with certificate management via Let’s Encrypt or third parties.
PVE, statistics overview
You just need not to get lost and to establish your logical infrastructure diagram, as for any architecture. There are storage aspects, resources, then security aspects and finally application aspects. Managing it all is considerably simplified and Proxmox is a clear competitor to other hypervisors on the market that are much more expensive and more limited.
In terms of support, as with any open-source tool, there is the community in addition to their site. If you cannot find your answer there, either your question is poorly framed, or you have forgotten something or made a basic mistake.
So to sum up, you will install Proxmox from a USB key. That will give you a base console with a PVE (Proxmox Virtual Environment) from which you can start deploying your LXC or your VMs. All of this can easily be backed up via the built-in tools.
There are settings to configure so that everything restarts correctly after updates and so that you have access to external storage, but once in place it is extremely robust.
Here is an example of Docker (Portainer) installed as KVM where we find classic reverse proxy, ERP containers, etc…
Portainer
This open-source NAS offers everything of a major classic.
Web server statistics (LXC)
In conclusion, the Proxmox solution is a lasting solution that provides access to a multitude of professional and secure services in your environments with a reasonable investment, sometimes making it possible to fill gaps in an existing infrastructure.Intel NUC
As for hardware, we gladly recommend mini servers of the Intel NUC type or equivalents, low in energy consumption, able to easily accommodate 64 GB of memory and more, as well as M.2 or SSD storage.
