Proxmox
Various proxmox setup guides

Proxmox Bare Metal Setup Guide with Trunk Interface and Management VLAN
Prerequisites 

 

 Hardware Requirements: 

 

 A server that meets Proxmox VE minimum hardware requirements. 

 Two or more network interfaces (preferred, but one NIC can work with VLAN tagging). 

 

 

 Software Requirements: 

 

 Download the latest Proxmox VE ISO from the Proxmox website . 

 Create a bootable USB using tools like Rufus or Balena Etcher. 

 

 

 Network Configuration Details: 

 

 Trunk interface capable of handling multiple VLANs. 

 Management VLAN ID (e.g., VLAN 10). 

 IP address for the Proxmox management interface. 

 

 

 

 

 Step 1: Install Proxmox VE 

 

 

 Boot from Proxmox ISO: 

 

 Insert the bootable USB into the server and boot into the Proxmox installer. 

 Follow the on-screen instructions to install Proxmox VE on the desired disk. 

 

 

 

 Configure the Basics: 

 

 Set a hostname for your Proxmox server (e.g., proxmox.example.com ). 

 Configure the initial network settings. For now, use a static IP for the management VLAN or assign one temporarily. 

 

 

 

 Reboot: 

 

 Once the installation is complete, reboot the server. Access the Proxmox web GUI using the IP address configured earlier. 

 

 

 

 

 Step 2: Configure Networking for VLANs 

 

 

 Login to Proxmox Shell: 

 

 Access the shell directly or via SSH after initial setup. 

 

 

 

 Edit the Network Configuration File: 

 

 

 Open the network configuration file: 

 

 

 nano /etc/network/interfaces

 

 

 

 

 Configure the physical network interface as a trunk port and add the management VLAN interface. Replace enp0s31f6 with your actual network interface name (check with ip link ). 

 Example configuration: 

 

 

 auto lo

iface lo inet loopback

auto enp0s31f6

iface enp0s31f6 inet manual

auto vmbr0

iface vmbr0 inet static

 address 192.168.10.2/24

 gateway 192.168.10.1

 bridge-ports enp0s31f6

 bridge-stp off

 bridge-fd 0

 vlan-raw-device enp0s31f6

 

 

 

 

 Add the management VLAN configuration (VLAN ID 10 in this example): 

 

 

 auto vmbr0.10

iface vmbr0.10 inet static

 address 192.168.10.2/24

 vlan-raw-device vmbr0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Apply the Configuration: 

 

 

 Restart networking: 

 

 

 systemctl restart networking

 

 

 

 

 Ensure the Proxmox web GUI is accessible via the management VLAN’s IP. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Step 3: Configure Proxmox for VMs Using VLANs 

 

 

 Create a Bridge for Each VLAN (Optional): 

 

 If you want VMs to communicate over specific VLANs, create additional bridges for those VLANs in the /etc/network/interfaces file. Example:

 

 

 auto vmbr10

iface vmbr10 inet manual

 bridge-ports enp0s31f6.10

 bridge-stp off

 bridge-fd 0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Assign VLANs in VM Settings: 

 

 When creating or editing a VM, go to the Network section and:

 

 Select the appropriate bridge (e.g., vmbr10 for VLAN 10). 

 Configure the VLAN tag directly in the VM’s network interface settings if using a trunk bridge (e.g., vmbr0 ). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Step 4: Verify Configuration 

 

 

 Test Connectivity: 

 

 Verify that Proxmox is reachable via the management VLAN. 

 Ping from a device on the same VLAN to confirm connectivity. 

 

 

 

 Test VLAN Trunking: 

 

 Deploy a test VM and assign it to a specific VLAN. Ensure the VM gets an IP address from the correct VLAN and can communicate with other devices. 

 

 

 

 Validate Trunking: 

 

 Use tcpdump or similar tools to verify tagged packets on the trunk interface:

 

 

 tcpdump -i enp0s31f6 vlan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Final Notes 

 

 Firewall: Ensure your Proxmox firewall rules allow access to the web GUI and SSH on the management VLAN. 

 VLAN-Specific Switch Configuration: On your network switch, configure the server’s switch port as a trunk and allow the necessary VLANs. 

 Backup: Always back up the interfaces file before making changes.