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Install Proxmox VE on Bare Metal

This guide covers how to install Proxmox VE on a dedicated machine, access the web interface, and apply recommended post-install configuration for community network use.

This guide implements the concept introduced in Chapter 2.12 --- Virtualization.

What You'll Learn

  • How to create a bootable USB drive with the Proxmox VE installer
  • How to configure disk, network, and hostname settings during installation
  • How to access the Proxmox web interface after first boot
  • How to disable the enterprise repository and enable free updates
  • How to remove the subscription nag popup using the community helper script

Prerequisites

  • A dedicated x86-64 machine with Intel VT-x or AMD-V virtualization support
  • A USB drive (at least 2 GB)
  • A monitor and keyboard for the initial installation
  • A computer on the same LAN to access the web interface after setup
  • Internet access on the target machine

Hardware recommendations for community networks

Mini PCs with Intel N100 or N150 processors offer a good balance of performance, price, and power efficiency for small Proxmox deployments. Plan for at least 8 GB of RAM per server --- more if you intend to run many VMs or containers. Use an SSD for storage; the size depends on your expected workloads. Check the official Proxmox requirements for full details.

Used Versions

Software Version
Proxmox VE 9.1.2

Step-by-Step Implementation

1. Download the Proxmox VE ISO

  1. Go to the Proxmox VE Downloads page.
  2. Download the latest Proxmox VE ISO Installer (at the time of writing, Proxmox VE 9.1).

2. Create a bootable USB drive

  1. Download Rufus Portable (Windows).
  2. Insert your USB drive.
  3. Open Rufus and select:
    • Device: your USB drive
    • Boot selection: the Proxmox VE ISO you downloaded
    • Partition scheme: GPT (or MBR if your machine requires legacy BIOS)
  4. Click Start and wait for the process to finish.

Using dd on Linux or macOS

If you prefer the command line, identify your USB device (e.g., /dev/sdX) and run:

dd bs=1M conv=fdatasync if=./proxmox-ve_*.iso of=/dev/sdX

Replace /dev/sdX with your actual USB device. Double-check the device name --- dd will overwrite the target without confirmation.

3. Boot from the USB drive

  1. Plug the USB drive into the target machine.
  2. Reboot the machine.
  3. Press the BIOS key repeatedly during startup to enter the BIOS setup. Common keys are Esc, F2, Del, or F12 depending on the manufacturer.
  4. In the BIOS, navigate to the Boot section.
  5. Set the USB drive as Boot Option #1.
  6. Save and exit the BIOS. The machine will restart and boot from the USB drive.

One-time boot menu

Many machines support a one-time boot menu (usually F12 or F8) that lets you select the USB drive without changing BIOS settings permanently.

4. Install Proxmox VE

  1. When the Proxmox installer boot screen appears, select Install Proxmox VE (Graphical).
  2. Select the target hard disk for installation:
    • Filesystem: ext4 is the default and works well for most setups.
    • Click Options to change the filesystem or configure advanced disk layout.

Filesystem choices

ext4 is simple and reliable. ZFS offers data integrity checks, snapshots, and built-in RAID, but requires more RAM (roughly 1 GB per TB of storage). For a single-disk community server, ext4 is the recommended choice.

  1. Set the root password (minimum 8 characters) and provide an email address for system notifications.
  2. Configure the network settings:
    • Hostname: enter a fully qualified domain name, for example proxmox01.local. Avoid spaces and special characters.
    • IP Address: assign a static IP that is not already in use on your network, for example 192.168.1.10/24.
    • Gateway: your router's IP address, for example 192.168.1.1.
    • DNS Server: your router's IP (e.g., 192.168.1.1) or a public DNS server (e.g., 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8).

Use a static IP

Proxmox must be reachable at a predictable address for web management and API access. Always assign a static IP during installation. If you use DHCP, the IP may change after a reboot and you will lose remote access to the web interface.

  1. Review the summary and click Install.
  2. Wait for the installation to complete. When finished, remove the USB drive and let the machine reboot.

Remove the USB drive before reboot

If you forget to remove the USB drive, the machine may boot into the installer again instead of the newly installed Proxmox system.

5. Access the web interface

  1. After the machine reboots, the console will display the Proxmox VE login prompt along with the web interface URL (e.g., https://192.168.1.10:8006).
  2. On another computer connected to the same network, open a browser and navigate to https://<your-static-ip>:8006.
  3. Accept the self-signed certificate warning.
  4. Log in with:
    • User name: root
    • Realm: Linux PAM standard authentication
    • Password: the root password you set during installation

Cannot reach the web interface?

If the browser cannot connect, verify that your computer is on the same subnet as the Proxmox server. You can also log in directly on the Proxmox console (monitor and keyboard) with the root credentials to check the IP configuration with ip a.

6. Reserve a static IP in your router

Even though you assigned a static IP during installation, your router's DHCP server does not know about it. Reserve the IP on the router side to prevent address conflicts.

  1. Log into your router's administration interface.
  2. Find the DHCP or LAN settings section.
  3. Add a static lease that maps the Proxmox server's MAC address to its IP address.

Why this matters

Without a reservation, the router could assign the same IP to another device. A static lease ensures the Proxmox server's IP is never given to anything else on the network. Each router brand has a different interface for this --- consult your router's documentation.

7. Run the post-install helper script

A fresh Proxmox installation is configured to use the Enterprise repository, which requires a paid subscription. For community network deployments without a subscription, you need to switch to the free No-Subscription repository and remove the subscription reminder popup.

The Proxmox VE Helper Scripts project provides a script that automates this configuration.

  1. Connect to the Proxmox server via SSH or use the web shell (Datacenter -> your node -> Shell):

    ssh root@<your-static-ip>

  2. Run the post-install helper script:

    bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/community-scripts/ProxmoxVE/main/tools/pve/post-pve-install.sh)"

  3. Follow the interactive prompts:

    • Correct Proxmox VE sources? --- Yes
    • Disable Enterprise repository? --- Yes
    • Enable No-Subscription repository? --- Yes
    • Correct Ceph package sources? --- Yes
    • Add the pve-no-subscription repository? --- Yes
    • Disable the subscription nag? --- Yes
    • Enable or disable other optional repositories based on your needs.

  4. Reboot the server when the script finishes:

    reboot

  5. Log back into the web interface and verify:

    • The Enterprise repository is disabled under Datacenter -> your node -> Updates -> Repositories.
    • The No-Subscription repository is enabled.
    • The subscription popup no longer appears at login.
Manual alternative --- configure repositories without the script

If you prefer not to run a third-party script, you can configure the repositories manually through the web interface:

  1. Go to Datacenter -> your node -> Updates -> Repositories.
  2. Select the pve-enterprise repository and click Disable.
  3. Click Add, select No-Subscription, and click Add.
  4. Go to Datacenter -> your node -> Updates, click Refresh, then Upgrade to apply available updates.
Manual alternative --- remove the subscription popup

If you did not use the helper script and the subscription popup still appears at login:

  1. SSH into the Proxmox server.

  2. Back up the web UI JavaScript file:

    cp /usr/share/javascript/proxmox-widget-toolkit/proxmoxlib.js /usr/share/javascript/proxmox-widget-toolkit/proxmoxlib.js.backup

  3. Edit the file and find the line containing "No valid subscription". Comment it out or remove the surrounding check block.

  4. Restart the web proxy:

    systemctl restart pveproxy

Warning

This change will be overwritten by future Proxmox updates. You will need to reapply it after each update, which is why the helper script is the recommended approach.

References

Revision History

Date Version Changes Author Contributors
2026-03-31 1.0 Initial guide creation Jaime Motje Maria Jover, Sergio Gimenez