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Proxmox Installation (QEMU Method)

Brief description: Install Proxmox VE on your Hetzner server using the QEMU-based ISO installation method from rescue mode.

What You'll Learn

  • How to boot Proxmox installer in a virtual machine from rescue mode
  • How to pass NVMe drives through to the installer
  • How to access the installer via VNC
  • How to configure Proxmox with ZFS during installation

Prerequisites

  • [ ] Rescue mode activated and SSH connected
  • [ ] Both NVMe devices identified (/dev/nvme0n1 and /dev/nvme1n1)
  • [ ] VNC client installed on your local machine
  • [ ] At least 4GB free space for ISO download

Estimated Time

45-60 minutes

Data Destruction Warning

This installation will erase all data on your NVMe drives. Ensure you have no important data. This is a fresh server setup.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Check Boot Mode (UEFI/BIOS)

Determine if your server uses UEFI or legacy BIOS:

[ -d "/sys/firmware/efi" ] && echo "UEFI" || echo "BIOS"

Note the result - you'll need it for the QEMU commands.

Step 2: Forward VNC Port

Forward a local port to access the virtual machine's VNC console:

ssh -L 5900:localhost:5900 root@<your-server-ip>

Keep this SSH session open during the entire installation process.

Step 3: Download Proxmox VE ISO

Download the Proxmox VE ISO from the official source:

cd /tmp
wget https://enterprise.proxmox.com/iso/proxmox-ve_9.0-1.iso

Verify the download:

ls -lh proxmox-ve_9.0-1.iso

Expected size: ~1.1GB

Step 4: Start Proxmox Installer in QEMU

Start a virtual machine with the Proxmox ISO and pass your NVMe drives through:

UEFI Mode (with OVMF BIOS)

qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -enable-kvm \
  -bios /usr/share/ovmf/OVMF.fd \
  -k en-us \
  -cpu host \
  -smp 4 \
  -m 4096 \
  -boot d \
  -cdrom ./pve.iso \
  -drive file=/dev/nvme0n1,format=raw,media=disk,if=virtio \
  -drive file=/dev/nvme1n1,format=raw,media=disk,if=virtio \
  -vnc :0

Legacy BIOS Mode (without OVMF)

qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -enable-kvm \
  -k en-us \
  -cpu host \
  -smp 4 \
  -m 4096 \
  -boot d \
  -cdrom ./pve.iso \
  -drive file=/dev/nvme0n1,format=raw,media=disk,if=virtio \
  -drive file=/dev/nvme1n1,format=raw,media=disk,if=virtio \
  -vnc :0

Drive Naming

If you have SATA drives instead of NVMe, use /dev/sda and /dev/sdb instead of /dev/nvme0n1 and /dev/nvme1n1.

Step 5: Connect via VNC

Connect your VNC client to:

127.0.0.1:5900

You should see the Proxmox installer boot menu.

VNC Timeout

The VNC connection may timeout after you press "Install". Simply reconnect to 127.0.0.1:5900 if this happens.

Step 6: Complete Proxmox Installation

Follow the on-screen installer steps:

  1. Select "Install Proxmox VE"
  2. Choose your target disks (both NVMe drives should be visible)
  3. Select "ZFS - RAID1" for the filesystem (the installer handles ZFS setup)
  4. Configure:
  5. Location/Timezone
  6. Password
  7. Network (temporary - we'll configure properly later)
  8. Wait for installation to complete

Step 7: Stop QEMU and Prepare for Boot

Once installation shows "Finished", stop QEMU by pressing Ctrl+C in your SSH terminal.

Before rebooting the server, you need to identify the correct network interface name.

Step 8: Identify Network Interface Name

Run the predict-check command to find the actual interface name:

predict-check

Example output: 

eth0 -> enp0s31f6

In this example, enp0s31f6 is the true interface name.

Check the current network configuration in rescue mode:

netdata

Example output: 

Network data:
   eth0  LINK: yes
         MAC:  aa:bb:cc:dd:cc:ff
         IP:   192.168.1.100/24
         IPv6: (none)
         Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Driver

Note the MAC address and IP configuration.

Step 9: Boot into Proxmox

Start Proxmox without the ISO to boot from the installed system:

UEFI Mode (with OVMF BIOS)

qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -enable-kvm \
  -bios /usr/share/ovmf/OVMF.fd \
  -cpu host \
  -k en-us \
  -device virtio-net,netdev=net0 \
  -netdev user,id=net0,hostfwd=tcp:127.0.0.1:2222-:22 \
  -smp 4 \
  -m 4096 \
  -drive file=/dev/nvme0n1,format=raw,media=disk,if=virtio \
  -drive file=/dev/nvme1n1,format=raw,media=disk,if=virtio \
  -vnc :0

Legacy BIOS Mode (without OVMF)

qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -enable-kvm \
  -cpu host \
  -k en-us \
  -device virtio-net,netdev=net0 \
  -netdev user,id=net0,hostfwd=tcp:127.0.0.1:2222-:22 \
  -smp 4 \
  -m 4096 \
  -drive file=/dev/nvme0n1,format=raw,media=disk,if=virtio \
  -drive file=/dev/nvme1n1,format=raw,media=disk,if=virtio \
  -vnc :0

This command includes network forwarding, allowing SSH access to the VM via ssh -p 2222 root@127.0.0.1.

Step 10: Configure Network

Connect via VNC again. Log in to the Proxmox console and edit the network configuration:

nano /etc/network/interfaces

Adjust the interface name to match what you found in Step 8. See Network Configuration for the complete network setup.

Step 11: Reboot into Production

Power cycle the server or use the Proxmox console to reboot:

reboot

Your SSH session will disconnect. The server will boot directly into Proxmox.

Step 12: Access Proxmox Web UI

After 5 minutes, access the Proxmox Web UI:

https://<your-server-ip>:8006

SSL Certificate Warning

You will see a browser warning about an untrusted certificate. This is normal. Click "Advanced" and proceed.

Login credentials: - Username: root - Password: (set during installation)

Verification

  • [ ] Proxmox VE ISO downloaded successfully
  • [ ] QEMU virtual machine started with NVMe drives passed through
  • [ ] VNC connection established to installer
  • [ ] Proxmox installed on ZFS RAID1
  • [ ] Network interface configured correctly
  • [ ] Web UI accessible on port 8006
  • [ ] Successfully logged in as root

Next Steps

Proceed to Network Configuration to configure your network setup.