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Proxmox Installation - Part I

Prerequisites & Hardware Requirements​

If this is your first foray into the wonderful world of the Proxmox Virtual Environment, congratulation. You have opted for a lifetime of chasing the white rabbit. Down the hole you go. We mustn't be late.

You will need:

  • A working computer with a functional OS (I'm using MacOS)
  • A thumb drive with at least 2 GB of storage space but opt for something large, just in case. Shouldn't be hard as most usb drives these days are at least 8GB
  • A Host machine -- this could be an old computer you have laying around, or a dedicated machine or server you own or have built. My initial node exists on a server built of consumer grade, high efficiency parts. The node onto which I'm installing proxmox here is a Protectlii Vault. (Yes I should be using it as a firewall appliance. No, I don't want to. Not now at least)
  • A keyboard that connects to your host machine - ideally wired to ensure it is recognized in the bios / at startup

Preparing your Installation Media​

  1. On your main computer, head to the Proxmox Download Page to get the latest version of Proxmox. As of this writing, the version listed is the Proxmox VE 8.2. ISO

  2. You will need to create the installation media using dedicated software for the job. One of the most popular is Etcher. If you don't have a copy of Balena Etcher, go grab a copy.

  3. Once downloaded and installed on your system, you'll need to flash the ISO to your thumb drive. Select Flash from file Balena Etcher Install

  4. A popup window will appear allowing your to navigate to your Proxmox ISO. Find it and select it. You'll then be invited to choose a target (i.e. you removable drive).

  5. Click Flash and wait for the process to complete.